Forum Discussion
ron.dittmer wrote:AJR wrote:One thing I need to mention here. Your E350 implies a short motor home. I see your profile indicates your Chevy is a long motor home. You cannot compare the two because the weight distribution is very different along with the ratio between over-all length to wheel base.
Pnichols.. I hate saying this as a Ford guy. But I do not care about all the tech mechanical stuff. All I know from first hand experience is the Chevy chassis is wonderful in cross winds, big rigs passing, getting into the house from the driver’s seat and no noise up front when going up hills. All that done with a stock chassis.
I spent over a grand on my Ford E350 chassis and never came close to the ride I have now.
Here is my E350 motor home. Note the weight distribution. It's ripe for handling issues. That is why I invested good money into suspension upgrades for improved handling. A Chevy 3500 with the same house configuration could yield similar handling issues.
Ron ... very relevant comments and an interesting diagram above! A special thanks for the diagram.
Interestingly, per your diagram the weight distribution of our 24 foot Class C should be "about the same". However for some strange reason(s), I did not have the handling issues right from the start that I read so much about. All I can think of as the reason is that, basically, the weight and weight distribution versus wheelbase length of our motorhome does not stress the design parameters and constraints of our E450 chassis as much as they would an E350 chassis.
IMHO some, if not all, of the Ford-Chevy handling difference must be due to Ford's Twin I-Beam system that they use in the front end of so many of their truck designs. It's definitely not the same as what Chevy uses. I guess I need to do a study on why Ford introduced, and has continued to use, their Twin I-Beam system. There must be some mechanical and force-vector reasons that gave rise to it - that to me are not "intuitive".
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