Is Class A smoother ride then Class C and MPG

Depends on make and model if it will be quiet or not, my class A is not so quiet and yes the cracks and bumps in roads are noisy and 8 mpg is considered good in a gas class A.

Also check your air presurre, if you have HD truck tires they do not need max air pressure, max pressure will ride hard.

I would weigh the rig loaded like you are going on a trip.
You could be overloaded.
If not then I would have the rig checked over.

Go take out a higher end DP for a ride.

If you go for a Class A diesel pusher with an air bag suspension, yes you will get a better ride, but because it's bigger and heavier, your fuel mileage go down. We get about 6.5 miles to the gallon, but how many miles a year are you going to really put on it? These are diesel pushers and they have a quiet ride up front. If you have to run the generator at night, it's up front and you're in the rear.

If you buy a smaller class A, the weight will go down and the mileage will go up, maybe to 8 MPG. In 10,000 miles you'll save about 350 gallons. The smaller Class As though have a gas engine up front. More noise while driving and the generator is in the rear (usually) which may be a pain when trying to sleep. They also have spring suspension and ride rougher a DP.

Bill

Sounds like you have too much air in your tires making it a very rough ride. You should get your "loaded" rig weighed and adjust tire pressure based on pressure chart from the appropriate manufacturer. As far as MPG. We have a Class A 36' 2 slide and when talking with C owners, seems we get about the same as they do. We get 8 - 10 mpg depending on terrain, wind and # of semi's pushing you around.

We were bringing inventory back from a show to the store today and I drove an assortment of DP's, A gassers, and C's. The 43' Dutch Star was the smoothest of them all; love that cushy ride, easy steering, and the quiet engine (but that is the majority of the DP's). All of the Class A gassers seem to ride somewhat rougher than the Class C's; it might just be a matter adjusting air pressure plus these rigs are all empty. The Allegro Open Roads are the quietest of the A gassers. I'm completely spoiled by the DP's.

kars wrote:
We bought a Class C, Forest RIver Forester Ford engine, 2 year old 10k miles 32 foot and just returned from a 2 week trip

THis is a first RV for us and boy is it a tough ride, every little bump in the road you feel like you have probably popped a tire.

Is a Class A a smoother ride?

We got <8 MPG NO toads pulled, only 2 adults and a few little doggies.
Do CLass A do any better on MPG?

Simple answer, no.

We've owned and drove a Class C on the E450 chassis for over 10 years and got that rig to drive and handle pretty good. Tire pressure, rear suspension air bag pressure, and a change in shocks resulted in a pretty good ride.

Nothing we've owned now compares to our DP for ride quality but this is a totally different animal with it's own set of issues. MPG is in the end about the same for us.

Spend some time over on the Class C forum and see what others have done to make their E450 handle and ride better. It's going to take work and a few $ but, it may be worth it to you.

kars wrote:

We got <8 MPG NO toads pulled, only 2 adults and a few little doggies.
Do CLass A do any better on MPG?

In general, no.

But gas mileage is closely related to SPEED.
And ride quality can be adversely affected by high tire pressures......and SPEED.

What's your "cruising speed" out on the highway ??

I have 360k miles in my Foretravel coaches and the ride was smooth. Still felt the times the concrete rose up but the bumps were smooth. Drove a lot of miles and got about 7 to 7.5 mpg. I now have a class c. I feel the expansion cracks the ride is ok but you do feel the bigger bumps more mostly on the rear as we are springs. That said I get between 10.5 and 12 mpg. I fit many more places then I did before. I don't have to tow a car if I choose not too as well. Life is trade offs.

kars wrote:
We bought a Class C, Forest RIver Forester Ford engine, 2 year old 10k miles 32 foot and just returned from a 2 week trip

THis is a first RV for us and boy is it a tough ride, every little bump in the road you feel like you have probably popped a tire.

Is a Class A a smoother ride?

We got <8 MPG NO toads pulled, only 2 adults and a few little doggies.
Do CLass A do any better on MPG?

I would suggest you install Koni FSD shocks on both front and rear suspension, and as others suggested make sure your tires aren't over inflated.

Koni FSD shocks are rather expensive but well worth the expense. We installed them on our coach and realized a significant improvement in ride comfort over rough surfaces.

I believe you'll be pleasantly surprised with the ride improvement over rough road surfaces.

Best of luck and safe travels...:)