Forum Discussion

Steeljag's avatar
Steeljag
Explorer
Dec 18, 2015

Wheel base on Class C

Wife and I are in the early stages of researching Class C motor homes. Very happy with our current truck / TT combo, simply considering the options.

The Class C models that would work best for us are 30 feet with a 220" wheel base. Is that wheel base good for a 30 ft unit? Too much rear over hang? Lite front ? Steering issues? If it matters the one we like has two slides being the couch / dinette, and bedroom.

The units are the Sunseeker 3010 and Forester 3011.

4 Replies

  • Mine is just about exactly 32' overall (front bumper to rear bumper), has a 208" wheelbase as near as I can measure, no slides, and seems to handle just fine.

    There are tradeoffs to a long wheelbase, perhaps the most obvious of which is turning radius. A few inches either way won't affect that greatly, of course; the maneuverability is rather lackluster regardless. ("Give me forty acres and I'll turn this rig around")
  • That nearly as long as the wheelbase can be stretched. Remember, the "30-foot" models are not longer 30-feet. Those are a little over 32' and that doesn't include the ladder. Make sure it'll fit where you'll park it!

    I like the floorpan a lot. It should be fairly balanced side to side, the overall length to wheelbase ratio in good, and the door behind the passenger seat means the passenger can actually recline and/or slide their seat all the back.

    If you plan on a towing heavy, make sure the unit buy has a 7500# hitch receiver. Older units had a 5,000# hitch.
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    Ratio-wise, that should be OK. Much longer and you'll overload the FRONT axle. The problem usually is that the WB is too short, front way underloaded for decent handling, and rear ends up overloaded. Longest WB I've seen on a Class C (not a Super C on medium truck chassis, ordinary C on E-450) is 223". Ours is 218 and we have around 4600 on the front. 220 should be fine, but still a good idea to weigh the coach and see where weight actually falls.
    Glad to see the slides on opposite sides. Should help the left/right weight distribution.