Motorhomes on Mercedes Chassis

pnichols wrote:
Speculation has nothing to do with it: The poor rear wheel spacing width-to-coach-height ratio is real - just take a look at one. Then compare that visual ratio to, say, the visual ratio of a Winnebago 22M Class C built on a Ford E450 chassis ... which one would you rather be unexpectedly caught in during high cross winds in the the Western U.S.? The answer should be obvious. ... and BTW ... a stiffer suspension cannot of course change this ratio - which is based on pure physical measurments.

Some of us don't need it to have "already happened" in order to try and be proactive at purchase time -> to ensure that it never ever would happen to us.

Unless you own one or driven one in high winds you're speculating. I have owned a Minnie Winnie 22R on a Ford E450 chassis and currently own a Winnebago Navion 24V on the Sprinter chassis and have experienced severe wind conditions on both, and both units handled the severe winds much better than expected.

Well your speculation about their stability may or may not be true. Look at Fords new chassis very similar to the MB, not your grand Father’s E450! In the 3 years I had mine, I never felt insecure in the ride and/or the stability of my Sprinter! I think the engineer’s did their homework, even though it looks to high for the width!

EV2 wrote:
Have to love the speculation as opposed to facts, Waiting for all of the photos of MB chassis motor homes blown over along the road

Speculation has nothing to do with it: The poor rear wheel spacing width-to-coach-height ratio is real - just take a look at one. Then compare that visual ratio to, say, the visual ratio of a Winnebago 22M Class C built on a Ford E450 chassis ... which one would you rather be unexpectedly caught in during high cross winds in the the Western U.S.? The answer should be obvious. ... and BTW ... a stiffer suspension cannot of course change this ratio - which is based on pure physical measurments.

Some of us don't need it to have "already happened" in order to try and be proactive at purchase time -> to ensure that it never ever would happen to us.

Have to love the speculation as opposed to facts, Waiting for all of the photos of MB chassis motor homes blown over along the road.
In high gust crosswinds, any stock chassis can benefit from upgraded rear stabilizer and shocks. This statement is exemplary of no-knowledge speculation, “ I wonder if there are after-market heavy duty front and rear stabilizer bars available for the Sprinter. It would not surprise me if there is nothing available because MB is very stern on keeping everything MB down to the motor oil. Anything not MB voids their warranty. What a scam MB has going there.” A simple web search would provide the answer prior to posting incorrect speculation. All manufacturers provide oil specs and several suppliers meet those specs. Also can readily be found with a web search.
Full disclosure: I did upgrade the rear stabilizer and shocks (yes they are sold) and the improvement is substantial removing cornering tilt and making passing semis in wind a non-event. Apparently all of the stabilization parts for other makes of chassis just sit on vendor shelves and are not actually sold as the vehicles are perfect from the OEM. Sorry, but what a bunch of ****.

Currently in a 2016 Navion built on a sprinter chassis. No toad. Bought used with 24k miles, now have 48k miles. no problems with the drive train. get approx 15mpg at 60-65, lower in the mountains. The one thing to be mindful of when purchasing this vehicle, new or used, is that Winnebago neglected to correct front end camber, so tires wear out unevenly. Have it checked! previous owner learned the hard way, and i have heard this story from numerous other Mercedes/Navion owners. Otherwise, it's a great vehicle. We drive it in cities (LA, Denver, Sacramento) in the desert, mountains, on good and bad roads.

jthorn2225 wrote:
Anyone have any thoughts or experience with Mercedes Benz chassis?

Sprinter delivery vehicles are popular in larger cities where network facilities are more available. They get better fuel mileage but you need to weigh that against the other odds regarding rv use. As already mentioned weight, stability and GVWR are factors to consider.
In most cases owning an rv is for pleasure rather than business reasons. Service appointments at rv dealerships tend to be hard to come by during the season. My experience doing this has showed me that the alternative truck repair shops with large enough bays to fit our rigs tend to take care of their 'big spending fleet customers' who's living depends upon having their equipment back on the road and not someone playing like we do. We are not the priority :(

2. Check to see how many miles your road service will tow you for a repair.
Our M/Benz car dealership along with many others do not work on Sprinters due to specific needed software and limited garage door clearance. That leaves only Sprinter $$$, Freightliner $$$ and maybe a limited specialty shop $$$ for repairs especially involving clearing codes.
If a repair is needed while on the road, why would you want only a limited network of dealers with the proper software to help you.
If you have a GM or Ford rv you have the option to take it to any willing repair shop . I use my local gas station who charges me $50/hr no matter what he repairs for me. Bagels, coffee and some friendly conversation sometimes go a long way. :)

gemsworld wrote:
To the OP. Do yourself a favor and ignore the opinions of those that have never owned a Sprinter motorhome. Some people like to spout about things they know nothing about. Test drive the Sprinter Winnebago View model you like, spend time in it to make sure it will suit your lifestyle. Good luck!

We’ve got a few of the original dozen Sprinters we bought a few years back still in the fleet of my company. All the rest of them were replaced, mostly with Ford Transit vans, because the bodies were literally rotting off the Sprinters.

One of them failed the annual safety inspection because there were so many holes in the body above and below the windshield they said it was no longer structurally sound.

The drivers all agree the Transit is a far superior truck.

There is a huge difference between a 2500 Sprinter and a 3500 Sprinter in stability and handling, the dual wheels make a big difference.

To the OP. Do yourself a favor and ignore the opinions of those that have never owned a Sprinter motorhome. Some people like to spout about things they know nothing about. Test drive the Sprinter Winnebago View model you like, spend time in it to make sure it will suit your lifestyle. Good luck!

pnichols wrote:
Ron,

I'll bet that the Sprinter's "narrow" chassis - along with that of some new U.S. small vans from Dodge, Ford, etc. - was designed primarily for more practical use in delivery/commercial vans to be used in the crowded and/or narrow streets in towns and cities ... especially for situations in Europe with respect to the Sprinter's design.

As such IMHO they are marginal, if not bordering on risky, for use in RV's to be used on the open road in the widest possible variety of situations (such as in open windy country). I don't see how a stiffer suspension system will help to stop wheel lift on one side should a high power cross-wind hit one of these narrow-framed and tall motor homes.

Sprinter offers a DRW cargo van to carry extra heavy loads. I believe MB had narrow European city streets in-mind when designing it.

It appears that same narrow-stance rear axle (or something very close to it) is used on their RV cut-away chassis for the US market. It surely is not ideal on USA interstate highways and national parks and such.

Concerning suspension upgrades....Because of "the Sprinter lean" I see them experiencing, I believe it will help stabilize Sprinter motor homes if owners replaced their stock front and rear stabilizer bars with stronger versions....if such upgrades exists. I don't fear Sprinter RVs would actually tip over on their side, but rather remain steady, under better control, and with improved stopping power. But I just don't read of Sprinter owners having any such concern. Maybe they don't realize what's going on with the house in back because it feels fine up front.

My brother did not realize how bad his old 1998 E350 Starflyte leaned until I convinced him to install a rear Helwig bar. After we installed it together, he noticed a huge improvement in handling. But even with that, he didn't want to spend ~$200 more to replace his wimpy stock front stabilizer bar with worn-out grommet ends, thinking it can't get much better. If he did both front and rear stabilizer bars, his control and his stopping power while on the curves, would have been dreamy. He's had the rig so many years since. He would have enjoyed his ride for all that time. He's got around 140,000 miles on the odometer now.

Sometimes you don't realize how poor something is until after it's been made right.