Forum Discussion
ron_dittmer
Mar 24, 2016Explorer II
Class C Motor homes in general will all have some degree of handling issues because the shape, load, and load distribution is "by design" ripe for trouble. The OP Eric Smith is asking for help on if something can be done about it, working with a tight budget. Fortunately the answer is "YES" if he can do the work himself. $750 in parts will do miracles, and it does not require a seasoned mechanic to install them. Doing less will be compromising. Doing more will yield even better results.
We bought our rig in my signature, new in 2007 which is built on a 2007 E350 chassis. It is not a 2005 Chevy 3500 chassis, but I am sure much can be applicable. I did not like the handling so I went to my local truck suspension shop HERE of which they really fixed it right. Nine years (unfortunately only 30,000 miles) later, I have no regrets. I did learn from the work done and soon thereafter, talking to others here that I could have done much of the work myself on my driveway without even jacking up the motor home. Selecting lower priced parts at internet prices, and doing the work myself, could have saved me a lot of money.
Here is what we had done which really did yield great results. It went from a drunken sailer to driving an SUV.
- added a Roadmaster rear heavy duty stabilizer bar (our 2007 E350 had no bar at all)
- replaced the front stabilizer bar with a heavy duty Roadmaster (the OEM was very whimpy)
- added a rear Henderson trac bar
- replaced the four stock shocks with Koni-RV (today I would go with Koni-FSD which were not available in 2007)
- replaced the steering damper with a Safe-T-Plus version
- got a front wheel alignment which required offset bushings to make it right
I also have since compared the 2007 Ford specs of the shocks, the stabilizer bars, and steering damper, between E-series models. The 2007 E350 and E450 had the exact same parts as an E250 van, yet a motor home is so much bigger, so much heavier, and has the weigh horribly distributed, surely evident the parts right from Ford are inadequate for the application.
Because I personally experienced the Before & After of what can be done for a motor home, if I was a law maker, I would be hammering the NTSB to force chassis manufactures to equip their RV-ready chassis with heavy duty parts that fit the application. The price difference would be negligible.
If the OP is going to keep his rig 12 more years as he has indicated, I advise not to mess around. Get it done now to enjoy the remainder of your ownership. The rig might prevent an accident, maybe even save your lives. There is more than just "comfortable driving" to think about.
Eric, My brother had bought a 1998 Starflyte motor home (1998 E350 chassis) about 5 years ago. I convinced him to buy a Helwig heavy duty rear stabilizer bar which cost him ~$150. We installed the bar on my driveway in about 1.5 hours. No special tools required, no drilling either. We did not have to jack up the rig. We are not youngsters either. I tried to get him to buy a front bar given his OEM bar was whimpy with worn bushings (basically ineffective), but he did not want to invest further. So his heavy duty rear stabilizer bar works harder taking more "sway" stress rendering it less effective, yet still made a huge improvement. My brother is happy. I encourage you to consider this.
We bought our rig in my signature, new in 2007 which is built on a 2007 E350 chassis. It is not a 2005 Chevy 3500 chassis, but I am sure much can be applicable. I did not like the handling so I went to my local truck suspension shop HERE of which they really fixed it right. Nine years (unfortunately only 30,000 miles) later, I have no regrets. I did learn from the work done and soon thereafter, talking to others here that I could have done much of the work myself on my driveway without even jacking up the motor home. Selecting lower priced parts at internet prices, and doing the work myself, could have saved me a lot of money.
Here is what we had done which really did yield great results. It went from a drunken sailer to driving an SUV.
- added a Roadmaster rear heavy duty stabilizer bar (our 2007 E350 had no bar at all)
- replaced the front stabilizer bar with a heavy duty Roadmaster (the OEM was very whimpy)
- added a rear Henderson trac bar
- replaced the four stock shocks with Koni-RV (today I would go with Koni-FSD which were not available in 2007)
- replaced the steering damper with a Safe-T-Plus version
- got a front wheel alignment which required offset bushings to make it right
I also have since compared the 2007 Ford specs of the shocks, the stabilizer bars, and steering damper, between E-series models. The 2007 E350 and E450 had the exact same parts as an E250 van, yet a motor home is so much bigger, so much heavier, and has the weigh horribly distributed, surely evident the parts right from Ford are inadequate for the application.
Because I personally experienced the Before & After of what can be done for a motor home, if I was a law maker, I would be hammering the NTSB to force chassis manufactures to equip their RV-ready chassis with heavy duty parts that fit the application. The price difference would be negligible.
If the OP is going to keep his rig 12 more years as he has indicated, I advise not to mess around. Get it done now to enjoy the remainder of your ownership. The rig might prevent an accident, maybe even save your lives. There is more than just "comfortable driving" to think about.
Eric, My brother had bought a 1998 Starflyte motor home (1998 E350 chassis) about 5 years ago. I convinced him to buy a Helwig heavy duty rear stabilizer bar which cost him ~$150. We installed the bar on my driveway in about 1.5 hours. No special tools required, no drilling either. We did not have to jack up the rig. We are not youngsters either. I tried to get him to buy a front bar given his OEM bar was whimpy with worn bushings (basically ineffective), but he did not want to invest further. So his heavy duty rear stabilizer bar works harder taking more "sway" stress rendering it less effective, yet still made a huge improvement. My brother is happy. I encourage you to consider this.
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