F53 Drivability

glamisorbust wrote:
When something is built right, you don't have to do a bunch of modifications to make it work right. If you do buy a DP, you won't have to do any of these things to make it work properly. You won't believe how good it handles compared to a gas coach. Trust me, i've had both.

It's not really that the F53 is built wrong. It's that it's a generic chassis built for a lot of uses. MH's being just one of them. And with generic anything, it's going to behave like it. Frankly I think the F53 is a poor chassis for a MH, but it's the only game in town and if a custom gasser chassis was built, your price point would climb into the DP range making it sort of pointless.

I see people all the time on here complaining about handling issues and feeling like their F53 rides and drives like a bread truck. That chassis wasn't built for the amount of weight some folks haul on them.

We used to have a couple of P-30 chevy chassis class A's, and they both had poor handling. The DP has large frame, brakes, wheels & tires, steering components, and the right engine and trans to push it down the highway.

I've driven 4 different DP's. Three holiday rambler endeavor's(that's what I own), and I rented a 38' georgie boy for a weekend. Both drive really good. I can tell you that I will never own a gasser again.

The old DP vs gasser debate continues. If i were full time, I would definitely go in the DP direction. When I was shopping, I crunched the numbers. That's a lot of cash to be sitting in the driveway depreciating (DP). I bought a newer quality gasser at 1/2 the price it sold for new, it is a reasonable ride on the highway, and darn comfortable at camp. My only complaint, which I knew prior to purchasing it, is the 5,000# limitation on the toad. The ford RPMs scream when on a climb, but my wife and I are able to converse at a normal level, and I don't find the noise from the doghouse much more then my Toyota truck. If you have the cash, and don't mind having a bundle sitting in the driveway, go for the DP.

Guess I'll try the trackbar before I do anything else. The motorhome only has 11,000 miles and has driven the same since new, so I don't really think an alignment is in order. I will try to get it weighed and adjust tire pressures accordingly - I was always taught to go by what's on the Nader sticker for tire pressures, so that is what I've been doing.

tommy salmon wrote:
Guess I'll try the trackbar before I do anything else. The motorhome only has 11,000 miles and has driven the same since new, so I don't really think an alignment is in order. I will try to get it weighed and adjust tire pressures accordingly - I was always taught to go by what's on the Nader sticker for tire pressures, so that is what I've been doing.

Mileage has little to do with alignment. There is a very good chance your RV was never aligned when it left the factory. I had a brand new MH a few years ago and ruined a tire in 10k miles due to it being out of alignment, so I wouldn't rule this out.

tommy salmon wrote:
Guess I'll try the trackbar before I do anything else. The motorhome only has 11,000 miles and has driven the same since new, so I don't really think an alignment is in order. I will try to get it weighed and adjust tire pressures accordingly - I was always taught to go by what's on the Nader sticker for tire pressures, so that is what I've been doing.

Many manufacturers don't align their chassis before sending them out. On page one of my Fleetwood manual, it said to get the coach aligned right away.

My Nader sticker was way off. Besides, it can change when you change tires.

I guess it depends on what you are used to. If you came from driving an SUV then a 35' motor home will be much different. I have been a trucker most of my working life so the motor home in my signature is easy. I did have the alignment done not long after we bought the rig new. I have not done any other mods to affect handling and don't need to. I think the relationship between wheelbase and rear overhang makes a lot of difference in handling.
Yeah, If I had mucho money I would have a nice DP but the rig we have suits our needs and it fits the rv space we have reserved for the winter so whatever works for you?? :D

The reason the F53 rides like a bread truck is that underneath all the RV BS it IS a bread truck. Your choice is either to live with it or spend enough money to have bought a DP in the first place to make it ride like one.

It really depends on your annual mileage. Do you want to spend enough money to buy 8 years' worth of gas and CG fees to get a DP-like ride? We decided to drive a bit more slowly, live with the ride issues and actually be able to use the rig, rather than being $10K out of pocket and not be able to use it.

Our annual utilisation was about 2000 miles. It depends on your priorities, I guess.

I live with what I've got. No "handling" problems...but I cannot lose concentration or the thing will wander. So.....it trained me. Don't notice "excessive" noise...but when the V-10 has to "work"...it does. The only noise that might annoy me is when the BIG fan kicks in. But then, it has to.

tommy salmon wrote:
I know this has probably been covered ad nauseam in the past, but I can seem to find any info from the past posts. I have already done the budget stabilizer modification and it helps, but my handling on my 2013 Winnebago Vista is still like rowing a bathtub on the ocean. I am almost always towing a Jeep Wrangler while driving, but I have problems with or without towing. What suspension/steering mods have y'all done on the F53 chassis that helped most, and what did not work? Also, I drive in the mountains a lot, and the engine noise gets really annoying pretty quickly, and my wife and I can't even carry on a conversation. Any solutions for the noise? After 11,000 miles, I'm thinking I have to make a change to this rig, move up to a diesel pusher, or go back to a 5er! Thanks in advance for your reply!

Your going to have to do improvements and than you will be happy, you have one already done, what you need next is Monroe shocks, because they ride softer than the stock shocks, airbags also work good set at proper pressure {50psi in back and 22 psi in front}, and the best way for the noise is sound deadening material with sound proofing material installed over the top, do the doghouse, parts of the fire wall and under the floor under the drivers/passenger seat, I did all this and my ride is softer and at least 50 percent quieter.

The reason DP ride better is because they spend more $$ in that department to make it ride soft, gas chassis cost a whole lot less and they skip in that area, also the motorhome makers add no sound proofing in the doghouse area what so ever, use that $100,000 less that you paid for the gas chassis and do improvements, it should cost under $5000 for the improvements and you can keep the extra $95,000 and have a nice vacation..