Suspension Improvements - Best Order

Just FYI to you people who own a 2007 or older E350 chassis. Ford did not install a rear stabilizer bar. If you have one, it was installed by either the RV manufacture, an RV dealership, or a previous owner. Speaking from experience, getting a heavy duty rear stabilizer bar truly does wonders when you had nothing in back to begin with. So if you don't have any kind of rear stabilizer bar, bump a heavy duty rear stabilizer bar much higher in that pecking order list.

pnichols wrote:
I have absolute proof that the Koni FSD shocks on the rear of our 24 foot E450 Class C are doing something: With the stock shocks back there a latch on our shower door (in the very back) would always disengage after a few miles from the pounding when traveling on our torn up freeways and highways. With the Koni FSD shocks in the rear this now NEVER happens due to their high frequency operating mode.

Of course my experience is with a small Class C that way underloads the rear leaf springs of an E450. I haven't tried the Koni FSD shocks on the front yet, and I'm real curious as to how they will do with the coil springs.

Also, side-to-side roll control has not been affected with the Koni FSD shocks in the rear - it's still excellent due to the underloaded E450 chassis with the stock front and rear torsion bars and with the Koni FSD shocks operating in their low frequency stiff mode during rolling motions.

If those were the OEM shocks, any of the new Bilstein's , Monroe, Koni's shocks would have helped with the slam/pounding. ;)

Heck I can say the same thing about the Bilstein's I replaced on my 2 older MH's I had. Same scenario before replacing the shocks would get the slam/pounding driving over bridge expansion joints or even cracks in the road, once I replaced them with the Bilstein's no more harsh slam...
No more porpoising going through dips unlike what I still get with these koni's ....

Mine isn’t a much longer rig at 27’ - it has 2800 pounds of CCC available on it.

I have absolute proof that the Koni FSD shocks on the rear of our 24 foot E450 Class C are doing something: With the stock shocks back there a latch on our shower door (in the very back) would always disengage after a few miles from the pounding when traveling on our torn up freeways and highways. With the Koni FSD shocks in the rear this now NEVER happens due to their high frequency operating mode.

Of course my experience is with a small Class C that way underloads the rear leaf springs of an E450. I haven't tried the Koni FSD shocks on the front yet, and I'm real curious as to how they will do with the coil springs.

Also, side-to-side roll control has not been affected with the Koni FSD shocks in the rear - it's still excellent due to the underloaded E450 chassis with the stock front and rear torsion bars and with the Koni FSD shocks operating in their low frequency stiff mode during rolling motions.

I have a 2001 Coachouse - - 23 footer on an E450 chassis. It rode like a skateboard on cobblestones.

I completely removed the rear leaf spring suspension, and replaced it with a Reyco Granning air suspension. Big improvement but still not what I wanted. Replaced all four shocks with Konis. This was before they had the newer FSD shocks. Still not the ride I was looking for. Had all four shocks revalved at Koni - - spendy, and still not happy.
By that time, the FSD shocks had become available so I replaced all four with them. Pretty decent ride now I think.

More info available for anyone interested.

oldusedbear

X many many! Racers talk about how too much or too little roll stiffness front or rear will cause over or understeer.
Understand the rock crawler perspective too and see them uncouple sway bars sometimes.
The rest of we RVers are just trying to keep it between the lines, clean side up dirty side down so to speak.
And, especially if chassis is Ford, "Sway in the Rear Makes the Front to Steer."

whizbang wrote:
OP.

Delete the sway bars and track bar and your original list is right on.

I am not a fan of sway bars. A little articulation is a good thing. Ask any 4 wheeler. Seriously, if you over stiffen your suspension, you will experience porpoising at highway speeds.

Uhm I like most would kindly disagree with your comment.

We are not out 4 wheeling , rock crawling with our MH's.

We are trying to keep our MH's between the lines , fighting cross winds, trucks passing and pushing us .
Going around corners and not swaying or pulling out of parking lots at angles so we don't drag the tail end yet NOT swaying back and forth doing that etc.

Anti Sway Bars and Trac Bars are not going to cause you to porpoise at highway speed. Bad/worn/wrong type shocks on the other hand will definitely lead to porpoising tho through dips ..

OP.

Delete the sway bars and track bar and your original list is right on.

I am not a fan of sway bars. A little articulation is a good thing. Ask any 4 wheeler. Seriously, if you over stiffen your suspension, you will experience porpoising at highway speeds.

You’re right I already have tracking numbers for both bars.

I'd finished the Hellwig installs, front and rear, and went to get into the coach. Wasn't even thinking of the sway bars and I realized at once how much steadier the coach was.