Poor ride on the E450 platform
Is there anything that will help the harsh, jarring ride from the rear of my Phoenix Cruiser on a E450 chassis?
Forum Discussion
I have a 2001 E450 with a 23 foot CoachHouse on it. Ride was just terrible - - it also had the Firestone air bags on the rear.
Bit the bullet and TOTALLY removed the rear leaf springs and air bags. Replaced that with Reyco Granning TRUE air suspension. Big air bags on a swing arm suspension with a sizeable air compressor and ride height valves on each side. Then added Koni shocks on all four corners. In hindsight, I think I maybe should have stuck to the OEM shocks which were softer than the Koni's.
Overall ride is much better and it tolerates the bomb craters a lot better. Still, does not ride like a Town Car (I have one), but a big improvement over stock. About three grand for the kit not including the Koni's. Installed it ourselves and a lot of work. Before considering ANY of the true air suspensions, examine carefully to see if the parts and pieces are gonna fit around gas tanks, waste tanks, etc., etc. Relocating stuff like that can be a huge additional task.
We've weighed all four corners separately several times. Oregon leaves their scales turned on 24/7 so you can always go to one during the off hours and weigh for free. Translation of the pressure charts for my tires (Toyo) yields 50 psi front and 65 psi for the duals. Not very hi compared to what many report but it is a small coach. I suspect a much larger "house" like a 26 or 28 footer might ride a lot better on the E450.
Bit the bullet and TOTALLY removed the rear leaf springs and air bags. Replaced that with Reyco Granning TRUE air suspension. Big air bags on a swing arm suspension with a sizeable air compressor and ride height valves on each side. Then added Koni shocks on all four corners. In hindsight, I think I maybe should have stuck to the OEM shocks which were softer than the Koni's.
Overall ride is much better and it tolerates the bomb craters a lot better. Still, does not ride like a Town Car (I have one), but a big improvement over stock. About three grand for the kit not including the Koni's. Installed it ourselves and a lot of work. Before considering ANY of the true air suspensions, examine carefully to see if the parts and pieces are gonna fit around gas tanks, waste tanks, etc., etc. Relocating stuff like that can be a huge additional task.
We've weighed all four corners separately several times. Oregon leaves their scales turned on 24/7 so you can always go to one during the off hours and weigh for free. Translation of the pressure charts for my tires (Toyo) yields 50 psi front and 65 psi for the duals. Not very hi compared to what many report but it is a small coach. I suspect a much larger "house" like a 26 or 28 footer might ride a lot better on the E450.
