E450 handeling problems

Try a Steer Safe system. Many RVers have had good luck with it solving handling problems.

It's also great in case of a front tire blowout.

Mine had all the suspension upgrades done when we bought it. It still drove funny and bounced all over. It turned out that the front tires were inflated to 80psi. I dropped them to 65psi and now it's smooth as silk.

Start reading here

I'm going to be honest, there is a learning curve. Try not to white knuckle, and just relax as you drive. They sometimes can go all over the place, and you have to learn to compensate.

Once you have it down, you won't think much of it any more.

Our 2004 E450 wandered a lot when we first had it also. It's got all the suspension stuff done. Turned out be the air pressure in all the tires and the air bags. I now run the rear duals at 78 - 80, the front at 72 - 75 and keep the air bags at 80. Rides and drives nicely now. She is very sensitive to air pressure fluctuations and pressure imbalance from side to side.

Dave

X3 regarding setting the proper tire pressures for the load. After getting our MH weighed, I set the rear duals at 75psi and the front at 60psi based on the tire manufacturer's load/inflation tables. Made a big difference in the ride and handling. The only time we have any handling issues is when we have our bikes on the hitch mounted carrier on the back.

Our suspension system is factory stock, no upgrades.

I put new tires on and lost my handling also.

1. Your tire dealership most likely filled the fronts up to 80.
Take some of the air out. I run mine at 70. Big difference.
80 is the suggested MAX it is not an end all be all pressure.

2. I put on the most expensive tires thinking more money would net me more safety and better handling. Wrong.
The tires treads are too aggressive and the outer tread flexes and you now own a MH that is all over the road. :(

Go out and take 2 fingers on the outer tread and see if you can easily move it back and forth. If you can there's your problem.
Just visualize a heavy truck running down the road with that outer tread flexing all over the place....as one semi-truck dealership pointed out to me is why semi's run with tires that have the outer tread flat like a slick.


I'm STILL mad at myself that I put new tires on my MH.

Each motor home handles differently because the size, shape, and weight distribution of the house and it's contents varies with each brand and model. We all have our own story and experience. Some of us say we have no issues, some say it took a lot of upgrades, and some of us are in between.

For us with our smaller rig, we did a lot to get it right, and boy is it right. It handles like a tight SUV. No more "drunken sailer" like it was when brand new. Also handles wind gusts, passing trucks, and uneven road surfaces extremely well. No more steering compensation. Just hold the wheel steady and the rig stays in a straight line....even while towing. I often drive with a one-handed light grip and a cup of coffee or snack in the other hand. Before the upgrades, it was a two-handed tight grip drive that wore me out. Now it's a pleasure to see the country instead of being in a trance looking at white dashed lines.

This is what we had done to our 2007 E350 chassis, two months and one trip after purchasing the motor home new.
- added a heavy duty rear Roadmaster stabilizer bar
- replaced the front stock stabilizer bar with a heavy duty Roadmaster bar
- added a Hendersen rear trac bar
- replaced the four stock shocks with Koni-RV shocks adjusted to the stiffest setting
- replaced the stock steering damper with a heavy duty Safe-T-Plus
- had a good wheel alignment done which required offset camber bushings to get it set right

We spent a lot having a specialty shop take care of it at $3900 total, but it was a brand new rig so the extra 5% investment was well spent. We do keep our rigs multiple decades which helps justify the cost.

We learned so much from our first motor home which also had handling problems. One mistake we didn't want to make with our second rig was to wait 12 years to make the improvements.

You can do most of these upgrades yourself on your driveway without a lift if you are a good shade tree mechanic.

And like others have said, the right tire pressure makes a difference too. But again, each rig is different pending weight distribution. You'll have to experiment with that and see how it goes. Just be sure not to underinflate as your fuel economy takes a hit and most critical, you run a risk of a blow-out.

No RV rides and steers nearly as well as any car. Your RV is a heavily loaded slab-sided box truck with stiff suspension. You can improve handling and ride with proper air pressure, proper alignment, and even spend big money on suspension and shocks with some real and imagined improvements. Seperators and cupping of concrete interstate highways give you and your RV a beating. Vacuum from passing big rigs pulls on your rig, sidewinds may buffet and alarm you. It's best to stop at rest stops etc every 100 or so miles to relax, stretch, and get blood moving.You will gradually relax, steer and drive
reflexively, and enjoy the ride more. Quieting pots and pans etc. helps enjoyment.

dennyida wrote:
I have a problem with the handeling.

If the motorhome is all over the road, the most likely cause is too little caster. This is common with the Ford e350/e450 chassis.

Get the caster right, and your handling problems are likely to go away.

We had the caster on my 2004 changed as shown below, it made a huge difference.

I just completed a 3000 mile trip, interstate, mountains, and two lane blacktops with no shoulders, and the coach handled like my car - easy one handed driving even on heavily rutted roads.

To get the correct settings, your alignment shop will need to use adjustable sleeves - the INGALLS 594 work best

Suggested caster settings:

LH +5.3 Degrees
RH +5.5 Degrees.

Read more about this at http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php?topic=40337.0 and at http://www.rv.net/forums/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/24815915/srt/pa/pging/1/page/1.cfm

My local alignment shop spent almost two hours trying to get the settings just right - it cost me about $300 (including the Ingalls 594 sleeves), and it was the best investment I've made on the motorhome.

Now my wife and I fight over who gets to drive - she loves the way it handles.

Bill