I could use some guidance as to whether I would see much benefit with a new sway bar and stabilizer vs whats on it from the factory. It has the V10, E350 chassis, 24,000 miles and we would like to eliminate as much lean and steering play as possible that bothers her more than me. It appears to have the factory front sway bar and Motorcraft brand steering stabilizer (it looks small). Suggestions on brands or bar sizes would be appreciated as well as a heavy duty steering stabilizer. I see nothing on the rear except for shocks. Thanks in advance.

Too little front end +caster will manifest itself as "loose steering" (and wandering) at highway speeds. Ford ships these E series cutaways with the caster set at about +3.5 degrees which is OK for city driving but you want to have at least +5.5 degrees caster for highway driving. The OEM fixed concentric caster/camber sleeves need to be replaced with adjustable concentrics such as Ingalls 59400. Google E350/E450 Handling for more info on caster.

Replacing the steering damper might be a reasonable idea if it's the factory original. Sometimes driving in a few figure eights in a parking lot can loosen up a damper that's not doing its job, or so the previous owner of my RV told me.Do be aware that these are not ordinary shock absorbers; most shocks are designed to operate more or less vertically, and won't last well at all when used horizontally.Making the caster set properly will help a great deal, as Harvard mentioned.

We have an E450 and replaced both OEM sway bars with Hellwig bars. Same size and steel as Roadmaster but far less expensive. The new bars helped immensely, both on the road and on the campsite.I visited with John at Hendersons Line Up in Grants Pass Oregon. One of the top shops in RV ride and handling. He agreed with the same 5-degrees of caster like Harvard mentioned above. Also said that adding a Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer worked like setting caster to 5-degrees. It'd be the silver 31-140 model. The OEM damper brackets won't fit, you need a S-T-P bracket kit as well.A Damper, like OEM and replacements from Monroe and Bilstein, absorb jolts. They don't help keep the steering centered. There's a kit called Steer Safe that centers the steering. Safe-T-Plus has hydraulic shock absorbing AND coil springs to center the steering. So does Roadmaster's "Reflex" unit but it uses one exposed spring instead of S-T-P's two enclosed springs. Henderson sells a lot of Roadmaster products, so if they select S-T-P instead, that's what I'd do.

j-d wrote:We have an E450 and replaced both OEM sway bars with Hellwig bars. Same size and steel as Roadmaster but far less expensive. The new bars helped immensely, both on the road and on the campsite.I visited with John at Hendersons Line Up in Grants Pass Oregon. One of the top shops in RV ride and handling. He agreed with the same 5-degrees of caster like Harvard mentioned above. Also said that adding a Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer worked like setting caster to 5-degrees. It'd be the silver 31-140 model. The OEM damper brackets won't fit, you need a S-T-P bracket kit as well.A Damper, like OEM and replacements from Monroe and Bilstein, absorb jolts. They don't help keep the steering centered. There's a kit called Steer Safe that centers the steering. Safe-T-Plus has hydraulic shock absorbing AND coil springs to center the steering. So does Roadmaster's "Reflex" unit but it uses one exposed spring instead of S-T-P's two enclosed springs. Henderson sells a lot of Roadmaster products, so if they select S-T-P instead, that's what I'd do.Thanks much guys!JD, you mention you replaced BOTH OEM bars on your E450. I see one solid (apparently) OEM bar on our E350 in front and just shocks in the rear. Does the E450 have both front and rear bars or did I miss seeing the rear bar5 on our E350? Would a truck tire shop be my best bet to set camber? Regarding what the gentleman, John at Hendersons in Oregon said: so if we go with the Safe-T-Plus, we would not need to set camber? Thanks for this excellent and detailed info., appreciated.

I asked John your exact question, and he said the S-T-P was equivalent to upping the caster setting. You could call or write Henderson. They freely share their information and might be able to suggest a shop they trade near you. Yes, it takes a shop that understands Ford E-Series front ends and offset bushings. Some will say they won't use the adjustable bushings because they can work loose under heavy load. Some shops will set the Toe ONLY and call it good. Find one that understands. And be prepared to PAY. Have them do an estimate first if you can. There may be worn parts that you can replace yourself at a savings. John told me they used them (Ingalls 59400 or Specialty 24180) if the parts are clean and the pinch bolt is properly torqued. (I'm having trouble with EDIT - The sentence "John told me..." belongs after "...under heavy load") These are the settings I wrote down in MAY 2013 when I visited with John: Left Camber 0, Right Camber +1/4, Left Caster +5, Right Caster +5.5, Toe 0 to slightly IN (Positive).

Sway Bar and Steering Stabilizer Questions on 1999 Shasta

15 Replies

kenitd
Explorer
Aug 12, 2016
On our 2000 Winnebago 22' I added a rear sway bar. Made all the difference is in handling. The front bar is not adequate by itself. The installation requires some DIY expertise but is doable. You will really notice the difference in cross winds and some twisty roads. A great upgrade.
SoCalDesertRid1
Explorer II
Aug 05, 2016
I second the recommendation to use SDTruckSprings.com. I have bought springs, shocks and bushings from them for a few of my trucks over the years. I've also used StengelBros.com for springs and spring hardware.

While you're ordering new sway bars, bushings, stabilizer, etc, order a set of heavy duty rear springs. You'll like the stiffer rear suspension and get rid of that wallowy rear end feel going down the road.
tarnold
Explorer
Aug 05, 2016
As posted earlier, I used the existing holes in the frame to mount the Helwig. The angle was off a little, but talking to Helwig engineer, said I was within specs. If you need to drill new holes, will need a good 1/2 right angle drill to get in there. Just be careful not to pinch the fuel line. Took a while for me to figure out why the thing wouldn't crank:(. This on a 97 e350.
j-d
Explorer II
Aug 04, 2016
Here's Thread I Mentioned Above and it does NOT seem you need to drill under there. You may want to cut a couple bolts shorter, but that's easily done out-from-under.
Hellwig has tech support as noted in the thread. Check on the bar with the better ground clearance. That clearance comment also relates to the clocking of the brackets you add to the axle tubes.
j-d
Explorer II
Aug 04, 2016
Many of us have bought Hellwig sway bars from sdtrucksprings.com - They're a New York company but the shipment drops from Hellwig's home in Visalia CA. The S-T-P device and brackets should be available on line and perhaps through local truck shops or parts houses. If you can find it there, will be less expensive than at an RV outfit. Any shop can install these parts. So can you, simple hand tools. An OP here, ron.dittmer, can confirm whether you need to drill the chassis rails for the end links of the Helllwig rear bar. Send Ron a PM if you can't find his post about the job.
S-T-P is also an easy DIY job, but you may have to fine tune it with a couple test runs. Since it finds its own "center" it has to match the "center" of the coach's actual steering. May require a little tweaking after initial install.
I was in the SAC area a couple years ago and actually helped an OP install a Hellwig rear bar on a Chevy chassis. That one required drilling the chassis. Maybe somebody'll read this and offer to jump in. I don't think I'll be back that way anytime soon. That part of my family just moved East...
jimx200
Explorer
Aug 04, 2016
Thanks again for all this good info! We bought this C last year from the original owner with 19,000 miles on it and in beautiful condition. We added new tires and it drives well, but I know it can be improved. Thanks JD for confirming that our 1998 mfg year, but sold as a 1999 does not have the rear sway bar. So my plan is to go with a heavy duty front sway bar replacement, go with the Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer, and add a rear sway bar. Time to find a shop here in the Sacramento area. Again, thanks to all your veteran/experienced RV'ers!
j-d
Explorer II
Aug 04, 2016
If you have an E350, those didn't get OEM rear sway bars till the 2000's some time. If it's an "E-Super Duty" (original name for what we now know as E450) or any E450, then the Hellwig kit includes hardware to mount the center crosswise part of the bar to the rear axle tubes, one clamp on each side of the differential. You go from nothing to a 1.5" diameter sway bar with poly bushings and will feel the difference right away. The front replacement bar, 1.375" if I recall, is also a marked improvement. That's part because it's so much bigger than OEM, part because it took Ford till 2008 to realize the front bar poked through bushings in the axle, instead of using end links, was a sorry design. The Hellwig bar adds end links.
SOCAL is right about a Ford chassis swaying. Sway produces uncommanded steering. Think of the guy in the back of the old hook'n'ladder truck steering the back when the driver in front didn't want him to...
tarnold
Explorer
Aug 04, 2016
1999 and only 24k miles, wow. To stop getting blown about by big rigs, I added a Helwig rear sway bar. It's heavy, but got it on by myself. REALLY made a difference. Already had rear Firestone air bags running at 65psi. Also added the Roadmaster reflex steering stabilizer. All can be done by yourself if if YOU THINK you can. Basic hand tools. This on a 97 e350 Chinook.
j-d
Explorer II
Aug 04, 2016
Cheapest thing to do first: Get a Load/Pressure Chart for your tire size. The one from michelinrv.com works for other brands as long as size matches.

Weigh the coach at a truck stop. Adjust tire pressures according to the weight and the chart. Any E-series prior to 2008 chassis year should NOT carry more than 65-PSI in the front tires, since that's corresponds to the 4600-pound max for the front axle.

This'll cost $10 for the CAT scale at the truck stop. If you tow something, have it hitched up. You'll get weights for Steer, Drive, Trailer. Rig should be loaded (including passengers) like it will for an RV trip.
SoCalDesertRid1
Explorer II
Aug 04, 2016
Toe in set to the maximum works good on most Fords to keep it steering straight. I've had the toe set to max on all my Ford trucks and it really does help the steering.

Heavy duty front and rear sway bars with polyurethane bushings will help alot to reduce body roll/sway.

Most Fords have soft rear springs. Those soft rear springs also contribute to body roll/sway. Stiffer rear springs help alot. All my Ford trucks have had stiffer rear spring packs in the rear.