Sprinter 3500 chasis in cross winds and general stability

Our 2012 Pleasure-Way Plateau TS on a 3500 chassis seems to handle cross wind fine. I won't tell you that I don't feel it when driving in a cross wind, but it is very manageable and handles securely. Dealing with wind was something I was very concerned about and chose a rig built on the 3500 chassis because of this, and so far, I have been happy with the decision.

Thanks for the quick reply. Are you happy with the overall handling as well? Comfortable to drive long distances? It looks like a well made rig to me.

Janet

We just drove home Wednesday in 35 mph cross winds and gusts much higher in our Advanced RV 3500 EB Sprinter. We have the added VB Air Suspension. We held the road and tracked as well as expected. It drove much better than our previous 2005 2500 Pleasure-way Plateau. The 3500s don't have cross wind assist. The 2500 Sprinters do for 2015. I imagine the duallys simply track and handle better in wind.

The Ascent and the Plateau Pleasure-ways are not comparable. The Ascent is a 4 wheel 2500 and the Plateau is a 6 wheel 3500 chassis.

We have not had our Pleasure-Way out of Oregon and Washington yet, so I can't really answer your question about long distance comfort. We've done a couple of 200 mile drives so far and found it very comfortable. We are heading to North Dakota this summer then coming back through Canada. I'll be able to answer the long distance question after that trip is complete. We're planning to stop in at the Pleasure-Way factory while in Canada, which should be interesting.

I keep the front tire pressure at 55 and rear at 80 and rear air bags at 60 and I never have had a problem with oversteer in the wind with my 2500 Sprinter PW Plateau TS. The 3500 with dualies should be just as good if not better. I think a lot of the problems encountered are due to tire pressures. With only 55 psi up front it will understeer and with 60 I see oversteer. Sprinters do well in cross winds due to MB nannies which you don't get on E350 E450 suspensions to the same degree as Mercedes inhibits the effects of cross winds.

We have the 2500 sprinter and in CA on I-5 the winds were so severe that tractor trailers were blown over and our TV antenna bend backward from the wind,
besides having to slow down to 55 the van was fine to handle. I assume that was due to the fuel tank, water tank and propane adding lower mass, kind of like a sailboat.

ffjeff - that is encouraging - is your rig a high roof? What is the length of your chassis? I'm wondering if longer sprinters are better than shorter ones in holding the road in wind.

It's the 21' High roof. If the shorter Sprinters were available when we bought ours, I would have opted for the shorter one. But I am very happy with our decision. It is very nice to drive and handles well on mountain roads as well.

I'm the proud new owner of a 2015 (2014.5 MB) 3500 Leisure Travel Van FS-22. Just went to a Texas dealer where we purchased it and drove to California, about 2,000 miles. This our first experience with a motorized RV, we've had lots of trailers, tent trailers etc.

I'm really enjoying the rig, handling has been stable and comfortable, corners well but the wind does require me to pay attention and make corrections. I'm running the recommended 61 lbs. of pressure in all 6 tires. I'm thinking of upping that, max is 80 psi. I would appreciate your experience and opinions. Thanks

ffjeff: my gawd you have a REALLY tall rv at 21'. Maybe the tallest I've ever heard of. Seriously, I never thought about having full or fuller tanks like the gas,propane, gray, black and water tanks to provide a lower center of gravity and a more stable ride in inclement weather. When the need arises I'm going to try it cause it makes sense.