Ride comfort

Thanks for the relies, I wish I could get a chevy.chassis but that isn't available in the size we want. (31 foot)

I have to say that I find the e450 very comfortable. Honestly, every time we drive it I comment on how comfortable the seats are.

And we're in the same boat - beholden to work and school schedules so we do long driving days, 8-10 hour days, sometimes 12. Having two drivers really helps!

I have to echo handbasket's advice, a Class C on a Chevy Chassis is a much better choice for comfort when you have to be in it for a long time,
The drivers and passenger area is much larger and the ride is better and cooler resulting in less fatigue for driver and passenger.

There is a pretty good discussion about them in the clicky in my signature. At the bottom of page 15 there is a comparison in the size of the cockpit area.

suprz wrote:

Mich F wrote:
Which Ford chassis do you have, and what are the issues ? :h

We don't have the class c yet. But I am pretty sure it will be the E450. We just want to hear what folks that own one do to make the driving experience better. Especially for long distance drives.

I have 2 Ford motor homes (3 actually - I've never driven my 30' Itasca which is on an E450 :B) one is on an E350, and the other is on an E450.Some people have had Ford handling issues, while others haven't had any, or their issues have been "fixed" by something as simple as adjusting tire pressures. Perhaps I've been lucky but neither of mine have any driving/handling issues and are quite comfortable to drive. Many on here talk of the Chevrolet having more room than the Ford, which is nice, but I'm 6'4" and weigh around 200# (had weighed 276#) and my wife is 5'8", and not what anyone would consider small, and we both have more than enough room up front. The only negative is that my wife has complained about the heat coming from the engine/doghouse on the passenger side in both vehicles. I have never felt any excessive heat on the driver's side. If it gets too hot she just gets up and goes back to the house section for a while. I probably could/should look into putting more insulation in that area, but I haven't got around to doing that. :B

Especially if you're tall, check out the Chevy chassis'd units. They have better leg & foot room, and are much more likely to drive well out of the box.

If you do decide that a Ford will do, consider a change to Bilstein shocks even if it's new.

Whatever you get, set the tire pressures according to the _loaded_ weight, _not_ the sidewall label; it's for maximum load, and says so right there in smaller print.

Jim, "Let's don't waste time with finger-pointing. I already told the boss that it was your fault."

suprz wrote:

Mich F wrote:
Which Ford chassis do you have, and what are the issues ? :h

We don't have the class c yet. But I am pretty sure it will be the E450. We just want to hear what folks that own one do to make the driving experience better. Especially for long distance drives.

Just switched to a Class C, from a travel trailer.

Couple big benefits, which support longer trips:

First wife (& I) is comfortable driving it (compared to trailer), so switching up driving is a much more an option.

Second, able to move around rig as traveling, so when you get a chance and break from driving, able to get out of main seat & position.

Able to use restoroom/facitilities (Kitchen, fridge) as you roll.

Our newer Ford 450, rides pretty nice & comfortable, seat okay, armrest, rides much like a truck.

Biggest thing is to get use to bigger box (handling, noises, slower exceleration, etc) & relax as you travel.

Markiemark

The vehicle is not noisy or uncomfortable to me. If the wind isn't blowing, I'm on uncrowded roads with sufficient lane width, and I keep the speed at easy pace, I can drive the motorhome as far as any vehicle without fatigue.

I think you're going to have to drive it first and see if there are any factors you want to change. In my case trying to tighten up the handling was my effort to reduce fatigue.

If I were in your shoes, two tips:
1. Get wheel alignment. Research Harvard's posts on caster and ask that it be set that way.
2. Weigh the rig and set tire pressure accordingly.

From there on any changes or ideas should be based on your needs.

Mich F wrote:
Which Ford chassis do you have, and what are the issues ? :h

We don't have the class c yet. But I am pretty sure it will be the E450. We just want to hear what folks that own one do to make the driving experience better. Especially for long distance drives.

What issues are concerns for driving fatigue?

On mine, any fatigue above and beyond driving a car is due to the larger width and less precise handling than in a car coupled with urban driving conditions. It just takes more alertness and driver input than a car in congested conditions. The more brain inputs and resulting corrections I need to make, the more quickly I fatigue. I often adjust driving distances accordingly.

At least in my case, I was interested in the handling improvement threads. I try to get the tracking straight, and steering precision best possible.

On my motorhome noise, comfort, and ride quality are not issues.

Which Ford chassis do you have, and what are the issues ? :h