E450 handeling problems
Hi all new to the forum My wife and I are looking forward to traveling in our 2004 jayco granit ridge motor home. I have a problem with the handeling. we have put on new firestone tires new shock...
Forum Discussion
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.
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.
