Major suspension/steering upgrade

[Jayco-noslide]

We have just made a decision somewhat based on faith. We have a 15 year old 30 ft. C on the Ford E-450 chassis that we still like and plan to keep. But recently, the steering has become stressful and even dangerous. We started with bushing replacement to take some of the play out at a motor home friendly front end shop. But we quickly decided- improved but not enough. The installer discussed with us other options up to a total suspension upgrade(which we decided to do) costing over $3000. His claim is that the improvement will be dramatic. I should know what it all involves but I just know it is a whole package of parts. $2500 parts; 5 hours labor. Comments? Support? or you've messed up.

[ron_dittmer]

rockhillmanor wrote:
What I did on my 32 ft that made a BIG difference in handling was I took it to a suspension shop and they did all this calculation figuring. I have quite a bit over hang from the rear axles back.

What they came up with was 'adding' one leaf to the leaf springs.

What a difference in handling, and as an unexpected bonus it lifted the back end and I now no longer bottom out/drag the hitch up and down those pesky steep gas station driveways.

Leaf springs are metal and metal fatigues. The leaf springs may look just fine but over time they are no where's as strong as they were when new.

Couldn't be happier with the add a leaf fix and it was not that expensive.

I think you handled your rear end sag in the best manner. Adjust the rear leaf spring pack to match the actual load.

I've had that in-mind for our short rig with a slight rear-end-sag. But I first want to adjust the front suspension by replacing the coil springs with lower-rated ones. I have too much capability up front. Adjusting the front which may also lower it some, might raise the rear by the right amount.

[rockhillmanor]

What I did on my 32 ft that made a BIG difference in handling was I took it to a suspension shop and they did all this calculation figuring. I have quite a bit over hang from the rear axles back.

What they came up with was 'adding' one leaf to the leaf springs.

What a difference in handling, and as an unexpected bonus it lifted the back end and I now no longer bottom out/drag the hitch up and down those pesky steep gas station driveways.

Leaf springs are metal and metal fatigues. The leaf springs may look just fine but over time they are no where's as strong as they were when new.

Couldn't be happier with the add a leaf fix and it was not that expensive.

[ron_dittmer]

okiejoe wrote:
My 32 ft class C E450 goes Dow the road like it is glued to it. But not when new, pretty much immediately after bringing it home I replaced original factory sway bars with Hellwig sway bars front and rear, Bilsteins shocks , Safety Plus Steering control, and Sumos to replace factory bump stops and then realignment, I can drive it with one hand and no stress. Try those mods. I am 68 and did all the work myself except alignment

Hi okiejoe, and also memtb,

Many people have your same story.

Doing everything you did, and doing it all yourself gives a whole lot of "Bang For The Buck".

[memtb]

memtb wrote:
Just yesterday, I installed our new Hellwig Sway Bars on our Ford E 450 (2006) chassis class c. It was easier than I expected, and going very well.....untill, when removing the last (very last) bolt. It was the last bolt remaining in the rear bar bushing mount and sheared-off the bolt when trying to remove it. After approximately 2 hours attempting to drill it out, and remove with an easy-out (not “easy”....failed), I drilled it out, and tapped larger to a 7/16 SAE bolt.
Going for a little test-run today....to see “if” it’s “road manners” are improved! Stiff and sore fingers crossed! memtb

Approximately 190 mile road test......almost a pleasure to drive. It “ ain’t no” sports car, but it doesn’t feel like a small boat on a lake with large swells! Hellwig Sway Bars......money well spent! memtb

[okiejoe]

My 32 ft class C e450 goes Dow the road like it is glued to it. But not when new, pretty much immediately after bringing it home I replaced original factory sway bars with Hellwig sway bars front and rear, bilsteins shocks , Safety Plus Steering control, and Sumos to replace factory bump stops and then realignment, I can drive it with one hand and no stress. Try those mods. I am 68 and did all the work myself except alignment

[Jayco-noslide]

We have 67000 miles. Sorry I can't specify all the parts at this time. I'll try to re-post after I know the outcome. It was a big decision but not really after doing the math. We might get $14000 for it; certainly less if we traded. We could find a nice affordable replacement for $25K to 40K. However, who knows what it would need during the 1st year.

[ron_dittmer]

Hi Jayco-noslide,

In the grand scheme of things, $3000 is a small price to pay for your safety and comfort.

I do wonder if your rig handled better for you in the past, and the problem with control has gotten worse. That would imply components like shocks, stabilizer bar bushings, and steering stabilizer are tired and worn and need replacement. If that is your case, I recommend replacing such component systems with heavy-duty versions for even better control than when the rig was brand new.

I also wonder how many miles are on your odometer.

All of us reading your post wish you could share specific details on what the shop is proposing for $3000. What components and their brand.

Maybe this applies to your rig in some fashion.
Our rig brand new back in 2007, we spent $3900 back then to make it safe and comfortable driving. This picture illustrates our unique load distribution which demonstrates why our rig had handling issues requiring the additional investment. Our entire house rests exclusively on the rear axle making the front axle exceptionally light-weight. Heavy duty versions of shocks, front & rear stabilizer bars, and steering stabilizer, along with a rear trac bar and a wheel alignment, all in combination "made a huge improvement".

[memtb]

Just yesterday, I installed our new Hellwig Sway Bars on our Ford E 450 (2006) chassis class c. It was easier than I expected, and going very well.....untill, when removing the last (very last) bolt. It was the last bolt remaining in the rear bar bushing mount and sheared-off the bolt when trying to remove it. After approximately 2 hours attempting to drill it out, and remove with an easy-out (not “easy”....failed), I drilled it out, and tapped larger to a 7/16 SAE bolt.
Going for a little test-run today....to see “if” it’s “road manners” are improved! Stiff and sore fingers crossed! memtb

[DrewE]

The E450 does have a steering damper. Sometimes, when they get old, some of the fluid inside leaks out and they can start to behave in a bit of a strange way, where it's elastic with small steering inputs/changes but damps on larger ones (I think the air bubble acts as a spring, but once it moves enough to get past that it damps as normal). This can definitely make for odd handling...and is quite simple and inexpensive to replace if you use a factory equivalent vs. a self-centering steering stabilizer. Unlike some other steering and suspension wear points, this may not be immediately obvious with a quick inspection. (Weak springs, worn shock absorbers, lost play in the steering linkages, etc. seem to me to be a little more readily identifiable.)

If the steering response has changed recently, clearly something (or several things) has broken or worn, and fixing whatever that is would restore the original handling. If you're getting more sensitive to conditions that have always existed for whatever reason, or finding driving generally more tiresome due to not growing younger or more traffic or whatever, then restoring to the original condition of course might not be all you want.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

I had some success with air tabs. It got rid of a lot of the semi truck effect when going the other way. It did reduce the noise level inside the RV, too.

Negligible difference on gas mileage.

I will be upgrading the rear springs--apparently the F-550 can be used. I'm at the maximum weight on the existing parts. The existing springs are pretty much toast.

[the_bear_II]

Caster and camber adjustment plays a big part in how well a vehicle travels down the road and over rough highway. Steering stabilizers are an inexpensive way to help with some steering issues.

[Harvard]

OP, you are aware of the Caster issues with the E350/E450 cutaways, Right?

[PartyOf_Five]

Details would certainly be helpful to help you. Ours is pushing 20 years and the 400$ alignment last year made a big difference. I wouldn't spend that kind of money unless I was first sure everything else is 100%