I am trying to understand the relationship between the springs, shocks, and air bags on my F53 chassis. We just returned from a 2300 mile 17 day outing, and at times the RV about beat us to death. Now I understand it will never ride like a DP or even my Yukon, but dang, did it get rough. Tire pressures are 80psi front, 85psi rear, 33 foot National RV SeaBreeze LX, 208 inch wheelbase. Shocks are Biltseins (new) OEM and Firestone air bags.So I understand the leaf springs support the RV and move up and down to keep the chassis stable. The shocks dampen the up and down movement to "smooth" it out. Shocks have a compression and rebound, or return rating which dictates how much control they have. The air bags, while helping minimize body roll also can dampen the initial "bounce" of the springs. So at this point I'm at a loss on what to do to smooth out the ride some without spending mega dollars. Biltsein and Monroe have been zero help, as they just want to sell me an OEM shock and are not willing to discuss options.As additional FYI, the RV has the factory front and rear anti-sway bars, a front aftermarket anti roll bar (going from the driver shock mount to the passenger frame to help control body roll) and I'm having a Hellwig rear anti-sway bar installed next week. CHF has been done. Handing is not an issue, just the ride. I do plan on having the frame/chassis shop look at the springs to confirm they are not "worn", but any initial information or thoughts before I take it there would be most helpful.Al

Sounds like you have all the "stuff" for a decent handling rig. Maybe you are referring to trac-bars, not swaybars in part of your description? The rear trac-bar will help handling some.What do you mean by "rough"? What kind of roads/conditions were present?How many miles on your shocks?Have you had your rig weighed and proper tire inflaction according to the tire chart for your particular tires?

I have a similar coach also with Firestone airbags, Koni shocks and CHF. Ride performance isn't limo smooth but doing multiple 500 mile days isn't a problem. The front aftermarket bar described is actually a Ford installed front track bar.The after market air bag's primary purpose is to regain ride height after loading not sway control, suspension damping or increase chassis load capacity. Any sway control is a secondary benefit. Same as stiffer sway bars and tail wag. If you do have worn leafs the bags will provide assistance but if the air pressure is excessive they will make for a harsh ride. Can you change the pressures for each bag individually or only in pairs such as front and back pairs? Yes it matters, and what is the pressure you have in the bags? For shocks they will dampen rebound but if the shocks are heavily resistant to movement they add will be transmitted to the vehicle. Bilstein shock are a bit stiff and resistant (maybe due to the gas charge) of the suspension. Koni shocks had a noticeable change and a softer ride for me but the cost was difficult to get past particularly if you just installed a new set.Tire pressures are weight dependent in addition to tire size and load range. Not knowing your weight or chassis model can't provide a recommendation other than to check your tire load rating. The Ford installed originals tires were load range F for 19.5 in diameter and G for 22.5 which had a higher load capacity than the axles. Increasing the load range provided no benefit and might contribute to a harsh ride.If handling isn't an issue then why add the Hellwig rear anti-sway bar. It will have the same effect as the CHF but at at no cost. If you're describing a rear track bar it will not help the ride only handling by eliminating tail wag.

I have weighed the RV and arrived at the inflation pressures by reviewing the inflation tables. The only handling issue is the slight push from Semi's, which is why the Hellwig is going to be installed next week. I could live with it as is, but would be nice to eliminate some of that pushing. I think your calling it a track bar is the same as me calling it an anti-sway bar (we use that term in racing)The previous owner installed the shocks, so I'm open to a new set.Al

some people say that Munroe RV shocks give a smoother ride on F53's

tiffy2000 wrote:some people say that Munroe RV shocks give a smoother ride on F53'sI've heard that, but the Monroe Tech folks are not being helpful. They want to just give me the part number for the OEM replacement, and will not do so until I give them the part number of the original shock, which of course I do not have.....Al

Ford F53 Ride Improvements | Good Sam Community

14 Replies

mtofell1
Explorer
Jul 31, 2018
Handling improvements and ride improvements are two different beasts. Your ride will never be much better unless you put something softer in series with your stiff suspension. Everything you have done is in parallel. You can put a pile of feathers beside a pile of bricks and when you land on it all it is going to hurt really bad. If you put the feathers on top of the bricks it will hurt less.
LVJ58
Explorer
Jul 31, 2018
For whatever it's worth we have a 2000 37'8" coach on the 20,500k GVWR chassis. I installed Firestone Ride Rite air bags on all 4 corners.

I run 20 psi in front bags and 70 psi in rear. Have the Koni FSD shocks on front suspension and Koni adjustable shocks on rear (FSD's weren't available when I replaced rear shocks). Also have the Davis Tru-Trac bar installed on front suspension and I run 80 psi in all tires.

I'm now satisfied with the ride on our coach. The FSD's made the most improvement in the ride.

Good luck with your quest for a more comfortable ride and safe travels...:)
cwit
Explorer
Jul 30, 2018
I think your air bags are way to high. I would start at 20 lbs. and go up,not at 60and go down.
FloridaRosebud
Explorer
Jul 30, 2018
Dale.Traveling wrote:
FloridaRosebud wrote:
I can adjust each bag individually. I run them at 60psi, and that made a big difference on keeping the "sway" in check. It was quite noticeable. I could drop them down and give that a try. Do you have suggestions on what pressure other than to just give it a try? They are 0-90psi bags.

How much of a difference did the Koni shocks make? The current ride on smooth roads is great, and on small pavement wear the ride is OK. It's when we get to the washboard roads and pot holes where it becomes Kidney slamming. After a day of getting beaten up I noticed my DVD player no longer worked. My wife was having trouble reading that day as well.

Thanks!

Al

Getting the bag pressure takes a bit of trial and error for each coach. When I did the install I took the project out a few extra steps and added a 12VDC compressor, valves and piping so I could adjust pressure on the fly. Cool idea but in I've only changed pressures while moving twice.

My normal weights are light on the front axle and heavy on the rear. All of my liquid load (fuel, propane, potable and waste water) is carried behind the rear axle along with my largest storage areas. As such the rear axle need the assist more than the front. Plus being able to adjust on the fly I've found 20 psi front and 60 psi rear works well. Axle weights are 5750 lbs of 7000 lbs front GAWR and 10400 Lbs of 11,000 rear GAWR.

In order of installation - CHF was a major change concerning handling and body roll while Koni's did seem to make a very noticeable difference with general ride comfort. At least a lot more than the bags which were installed next. The noticeable change with the bags was a reduction of suspension bottoming. Last installed was a Blue Ox rear track bar (what they call it). I've been surprised when trucks suddenly appear at my left elbow.

Try one easy check. But a dab of grease on the front and rear frame/axle bumper and go for a ride. If the grease is smeared when you get home you're bottoming out so maybe higher bag pressures are needed or if extreme new leafs.

Good ideas, thanks! My front axle is 6090, and my rear is 12,800 tanks filled and my wife and I sitting in it with full load (packing). Yeah, I think track bar and anti sway bar are one and the same. When the Hellwig gets installed I'll leave the bags at 60psi to see the difference, then once I get a handle on it I'll drop the bags to 40psi and see if the ride improves any. The good news is my wife and I are hooked - love going out. I'm about 3 years from retiring, so we're already making "plans". My current work will allow me some flexibility with travel, as long as I have an internet connection and an airport near.

I'm an Engineer by education and work so I'm becoming an RV nerd. Not a surprise. When I go to the chassis shop the owner likes to sit down with me and discuss the Ford chassis, so I'm trying to suck up as much knowledge as I can, as he's 72 now.

During this last trip the driver's windshield wiper arm fractured during a rainstorm. Great, just what I needed - a caddywompus wiper. Fun, fun. So at the next campground I pulled out my drill and tools and redrilled a hole and put a bolt through it, and it got me another 2000 miles. Still looking for a replacement arm. But it's all good....

Al
Dale_Traveling
Explorer II
Jul 30, 2018
FloridaRosebud wrote:
I can adjust each bag individually. I run them at 60psi, and that made a big difference on keeping the "sway" in check. It was quite noticeable. I could drop them down and give that a try. Do you have suggestions on what pressure other than to just give it a try? They are 0-90psi bags.

How much of a difference did the Koni shocks make? The current ride on smooth roads is great, and on small pavement wear the ride is OK. It's when we get to the washboard roads and pot holes where it becomes Kidney slamming. After a day of getting beaten up I noticed my DVD player no longer worked. My wife was having trouble reading that day as well.

Thanks!

Al

Getting the bag pressure takes a bit of trial and error for each coach. When I did the install I took the project out a few extra steps and added a 12VDC compressor, valves and piping so I could adjust pressure on the fly. Cool idea but in I've only changed pressures while moving twice.

My normal weights are light on the front axle and heavy on the rear. All of my liquid load (fuel, propane, potable and waste water) is carried behind the rear axle along with my largest storage areas. As such the rear axle need the assist more than the front. Being able to adjust on the fly I've found by trail and error that not more than 20 psi front and 60 psi rear works well. Axle weights are 5750 lbs of 7000 lbs front and 10400 Lbs of 11,000 rear at my normal loading.

In order of installation - CHF was a major change concerning handling and body roll while Koni's did seem to make a very noticeable difference with general ride comfort. At least a lot more than the bags which were installed next. The noticeable change with the bags was a reduction of suspension bottoming. Last installed was a Blue Ox rear track bar (what they call it). I've been surprised when trucks suddenly appear at my left elbow.

Try one easy check. But a dab of grease on the front and rear frame/axle bumper and go for a ride. If the grease is smeared when you get home you're bottoming out so maybe higher bag pressures are needed or if extreme new leafs.
FloridaRosebud
Explorer
Jul 30, 2018
wildtoad wrote:
FloridaRosebud wrote:
tiffy2000 wrote:
some people say that Munroe RV shocks give a smoother ride on F53's

I've heard that, but the Monroe Tech folks are not being helpful. They want to just give me the part number for the OEM replacement, and will not do so until I give them the part number of the original shock, which of course I do not have.....

Al

If you go to the Monroe website you can search for a Ford F53 and it will show you the shocks they offer.

I did that, and it only shows the stock OEM shock. I wanted to know if they had an offering with a softer ride than the OEM, and that's when they started pushing back. I guess that's a no...

Al
wildtoad
Explorer II
Jul 30, 2018
FloridaRosebud wrote:
tiffy2000 wrote:
some people say that Munroe RV shocks give a smoother ride on F53's

I've heard that, but the Monroe Tech folks are not being helpful. They want to just give me the part number for the OEM replacement, and will not do so until I give them the part number of the original shock, which of course I do not have.....

Al

If you go to the Monroe website you can search for a Ford F53 and it will show you the shocks they offer.
MountainAir05
Explorer II
Jul 30, 2018
I had a longer and heavy Rv than yours but my rear and front bags are set at 50lbs. Took some time adjusting them and that is where we found to be the best ride and control. I think 50 lbs is the lowest that you can go on them or at lease my was.

When we got into high winds then that pressure was increased to keep the rig level, meaning from side to side.
FloridaRosebud
Explorer
Jul 30, 2018
Dale.Traveling wrote:
I have a similar coach also with Firestone airbags, Koni shocks and CHF. Ride performance isn't limo smooth but doing multiple 500 mile days isn't a problem. The front aftermarket bar described is actually a Ford installed front track bar.

The after market air bag's primary purpose is to regain ride height after loading not sway control, suspension damping or increase chassis load capacity. Any sway control is a secondary benefit. Same as stiffer sway bars and tail wag. If you do have worn leafs the bags will provide assistance but if the air pressure is excessive they will make for a harsh ride. Can you change the pressures for each bag individually or only in pairs such as front and back pairs? Yes it matters, and what is the pressure you have in the bags?

For shocks they will dampen rebound but if the shocks are heavily resistant to movement they add will be transmitted to the vehicle. Bilstein shock are a bit stiff and resistant (maybe due to the gas charge) of the suspension. Koni shocks had a noticeable change and a softer ride for me but the cost was difficult to get past particularly if you just installed a new set.

I can adjust each bag individually. I run them at 60psi, and that made a big difference on keeping the "sway" in check. It was quite noticeable. I could drop them down and give that a try. Do you have suggestions on what pressure other than to just give it a try? They are 0-90psi bags.

How much of a difference did the Koni shocks make? The current ride on smooth roads is great, and on small pavement wear the ride is OK. It's when we get to the washboard roads and pot holes where it becomes Kidney slamming. After a day of getting beaten up I noticed my DVD player no longer worked. My wife was having trouble reading that day as well.

Thanks!

Al
FloridaRosebud
Explorer
Jul 30, 2018
tiffy2000 wrote:
some people say that Munroe RV shocks give a smoother ride on F53's

I've heard that, but the Monroe Tech folks are not being helpful. They want to just give me the part number for the OEM replacement, and will not do so until I give them the part number of the original shock, which of course I do not have.....

Al