Forum Discussion

rvsmith88's avatar
rvsmith88
Explorer
Jun 16, 2013

Softer Ride

I have a 1996 Tioga Montaro 28 on a Ford E350 chassis. I have Bilstein shocks and air bags. How do you tell if your springs are bad? Every time I go over an expansion joint or bump it sounds terrible. The Kitchen is right over the axle so the pots, pans and cupboards rattle. Any way to soften the ride.

Thx.
  • Three things come to mind. First your Bilsteins will give you a harder ride than stock shocks. Secondly, you can adjust the pressure in your air bags. Third, try weighing your rig in it's "ready to go" load to determine the proper inflation pressure for the weight you are carrying and adjust appropriately.
    Steve
  • As "Fiverwheel" states, weigh your rig. Only enough air pressure in your tires to carry the weight. Your tires are a part of your suspension just like the springs, shocks, and air bags.
  • When you say adjust the pressure in the air bags, do you mean higher or lower? I put them at 55 psi the last time we were out. I think it may be time to replace the air bags. They do not hold for very long. The tire pressure is 65 psi. Any recommendations?

    Thank you
  • Hi,

    It may be unwise to inflate to a lower pressure than the sticker on the vehicle.
  • On a 1996 MH the door sticker could state 65PSI front and 60PSI rear tire pressures. That's what my 1995 Four Winds 21A motor home said. MY 1997 22RK Coachmen says the same thing. Those were for load range D tires. My 2014 Itasca says 80PSI front and 75 rear PSI but for load range E tires. In all cases those are the max recommended tire pressures. A couple of people in this thread have suggested the OP get his rig weighed,so he can fine tune his tire pressures to the weight he is actually carrying.
  • If you don't have enough spring, the bump stops and axle should show signs of having made frequent contact.