Ride comfort

j-d wrote:
Wife and I were talking about this again yesterday. We just do NOT find our Ford uncomfortable. I've done most of the mods Ron.D describes above. Changed only front shocks so far and don't have a S-T-P stabilizer. Tire pressure, Alignment, Sway Bars were the biggest improvements. The track bar helps when towing our Frontier.

And it really seems to matter by the specific coach, how the handling works out. Two very similar Phoenix Cruisers right here in this thread. One seems to drive great. The other needed a bunch of mods to tame it. Or is it at least partly, Owner Perception...?

I agree. Sometimes people tend to forget it is a 1 ton truck (or larger), weighing upwards of 10 to 12,000#+. it is not going to drive and ride like your Lexus. Our 2011 chassis E-350 24' C drives and rides just fine. There is absolutely nothing that needs improving. In winds up to 35 mph it is still one hand steering(anything above 35 I get the hell off the road). I can not understand why so many people spend up to $100,000 (or more), on a new Class C and then "need" to fix the steering and suspension. :h

Don't folks actually test drive a coach before buying? :S If my test drive revealed any handling/ride problems they would be fixed before any money changed hands or I would run, not walk down the road.

If your tires are properly inflated for the load they carry and the suspension system is not worn out your C should ride and drive just fine. When my OEM shocks etc., wear out (waaaay down the road), I will replace with the best performance aftermarkets I can find but reengineering the whole rig just is not in my future.

As always.... Opinions and YMMV.

:C

My RV is on the E450 as well.
I've: added a rear Helwig sway bar.
Bilsteins all around.
Keep the steering damper new.
Watch tire pressure (to the pound).
Added insulation to the doghouse.

I find noise very tiring. We put that waffle material between every dish and pot or pan we have. Also bungee any door that can rattle.
Change drivers every 2 hours and catch a nap when you're not driving. It makes a big difference when you arrive and are not beat from the trip.

Wife and I were talking about this again yesterday. We just do NOT find our Ford uncomfortable. I've done most of the mods Ron.D describes above. Changed only front shocks so far and don't have a S-T-P stabilizer. Tire pressure, Alignment, Sway Bars were the biggest improvements. The track bar helps when towing our Frontier.

And it really seems to matter by the specific coach, how the handling works out. Two very similar Phoenix Cruisers right here in this thread. One seems to drive great. The other needed a bunch of mods to tame it. Or is it at least partly, Owner Perception...?

Put her on cruise control and go to back for a nap or turkey sandwich :)

I've not driven ours more than a 4 or 5 hours straight but it is no more tiring than driving a car. As already mentioned, the quality of the road has a major effect on the bumping and noise. It might take you a while to locate and quieten all rattles and noises. To me, the biggest issue is when something in cabinets starts making an irritating rattle. Wife will go to back, locate it and quieten it down by rearranging stuff, putting dish towels between dishes/pots/pans, etc.

Our rig new in 2007 drove like a drunken sailor, very tiring, tight griped two handed driving. With only 800 miles on the rig, I took it to a local RV/truck/EV/bus suspension shop. They did the following and it has driven like a dream since with huge safety benefits too. Today I pull over to take a break from drinking liquid refreshment instead of driver fatigue. It also helps to have a driver seat with 6-way adjustments to change position once in a while. Here is the break-down on what we had done to our rig.

- added a Roadmaster heavy duty rear stabilizer bar (Ford did not include one on the pre 2008 E350s)
- replaced the OEM front stabilizer bar with a Roadmaster heavy duty one (the OEM was the same used on an E150 van)
- replaced the 4 OEM shocks with Koni-RV shocks set to the stiffest setting (OEM is the same used on an E250 van)(today I recommend the latest Koni-FSD shocks)
- replaced the OEM steering damper with a heavy duty Safe-T-Plus version (improved steering stability)
- added a Henderson rear trac bar (eliminates tail-wagging-the-dog)
- had a wheel alignment done when loaded for a trip (needed offset bushings for proper alignment)
- added 5 more psi in each tire, above what the RV manufacture specified

The rig handles curvy mountain and canyon byways with ease & comfort, and in full confidence for the driver. Comfort for passengers is greatly improved from being so stable. The work done did cost us $3900. Since then, this forum has been sharing some lower cost do-it-yourself alternative components to save some money.

Owners of the E350 and E450 made 2008 to today have fewer complaints because Ford made some suspension improvements starting in 2008. You might want to wait and see how your particular rig handles during your first trip out.

On smooth roads, most Class C's are reasonably nice to travel in. On concrete intertstates, with cupped sections caused by semi's and weather, the constant jarring and thumping and hard ride due to stiff rear springs and 80psi duals, can wear you and the rig down especialy in hot weather. Best to stop every 100 miles or so and stretch your legs, sit quietly for 10-15 minutes, and take off refreshed. There are suspension improvements that can be made, but after all it's a fairly heavily loaded , flat sided, truck with stiff rear springs that gets kicked around by passing semis and wind turbulence.

It's all about WHAT you drive not how you drive. I've had two C's that were miserable, and I just got a Phoenix Cruiser that I can drive 8-10 hours a day ( I JUST DID ) and feel great after the drive. The PC cuts through the wind like a hot knife through butter, and absolutely NO body roll, no noise and the size makes it a RV sports car.

My 32' Jayco drives like a dream compared to a lot of complaints I've read on this forum about wandering Class Cs. I've driven my Class C 800 miles (SE Coastal Georgia to Southwest New Jersey) many times in one shot including dealing with Northern VA and DC traffic. That's about a 14 hour drive. And I'm not exhausted when I get there. In my 2008 year E450 the seats are pretty comfy. I am 5'11", 285lbs. I have plenty of leg room and head room. I'll be 41 in a couple weeks.

The only complaint I have is that drinks don't stay very cold for long in the cup holders, even with a Bubba Keg that usually keeps cold drinks cold for 12 hours. Oh another complaint I have is the dash AC is very, very cold. I prefer cold, but the dash AC is a little too cold even for me.

-Michael

My 2008 Tioga with a Super Duty E450 Triton V-10 rides extremely smooth. On smooth roads, it was a pleasure to drive. I just came back from vacation and ran the front tires at 72 psi, and the rear at 80 psi. The ride was extremely smooth, and it tracked beautifully. Prior to leaving, I made sure the primary noise culprit, the side door, was equipped with a number of rubber pads to prevent it from making any noise. In my personal opinion, from driving a number of different make vehicles over a 30 year career in law enforcement, the smoothest riding vehicles were always the Fords, as evident by about 99% or Crown Vicks still in use today.

Just finished a trip from Connecticut to Nebraska in 2 days with no problems. I think that you will find it much more comfortable than you think.