Best shocks for Class C RV?

[monchichi6]

Greetings,

I'm replacing my shock absorbers on my '89 Born Free 24ft RV (on a Ford E350 chassis). Price quoted for Monroes (install and parts) is coming in around $780.00.

1) Are there better shocks to consider for an RV my size (the rear dual axle carries a heavier load as the kitchen and bathroom are in rear)

2) Is this a good time to have stabilizers installed while they are under there?

Perhaps I should start with the alignment and shocks and see if has a significant improvement in driver fatigue and the sway and bobbing?

Any insight is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[monchichi6]

Thanks everybody. I've reached out to Koni as it appears they only make them for years 1992 and onwards.

I'll ask my RV guy to check the leaf springs in the back and will consider adding one. My RV's rear sags just slightly with all the bathroom and kitchen weight so I may benefit from adding another leaf myself.

All great info. Appreciate the replies!

[monchichi6]

Kit Carson wrote:
Like ksg5000, I put Bilsteins on my 29' Winnebago Class C. What a difference!! I bought mine through E-Shocks online. I think I paid a little less than $400.00 for the shocks and paid a local truck alignment shop $100.00 to install them. Also installed a Bilstein steering dampner at the same time. Good luck.

Thanks. I'll pay just over $750 for Monroes including installation so that's about $250 more than you paid. I'll chalk it up to not having to take any more time off work to make it come out in the wash. But your number sounds a lot better! :S

[tpi]

I am also unimpressed by someone saying I put Brand X on and I cannot believe the difference. Replacing old worn out shocks with even the cheapest Chinese junk will make a huge difference!

This is a valid point but I want to insure it isn't applied to my experience. The Ford shocks I replaced with superior Konis had about 12K miles on them and were performing as new. Loose shock control was noted from the first.

[ernie1]

rockhillmanor:
Just to clarify, in addition to the new Bilsteins, I added a rear sway bar, Super Springs on the rear, wheel spacers on the rear and urethane bushings on the front sway bar. Every addition helped but the shocks still feel like they should be more firm.

[Desert_Captain]

Another vote for Bilsteins. After a lot of research they turned out to be the best bang for the buck, by far. Shock Warehouse sold me a set for just under $400 - no tax or freight. After talking to them and Bilstein I ordered the heavy duty version for my E-350.

They are a PITA to install so I had it done at the local truck center for $287. Two guys wrestled with them for nearly 3 hours so it was well worth it to me. As expected the improvement was off the charts and I could not be more pleased. Like Koni's they come with a lifetime warranty.

:C

[jjrbus]

After some research I decided if I was going to do some serious off roading and keep my vehicle forever the Bilstines were the only way to go! I'm not and I won't.

I am also unimpressed by someone saying I put Brand X on and I cannot believe the difference. Replacing old worn out shocks with even the cheapest Chinese junk will make a huge difference!

So I followed my wallet and many recommendations and purchased KYB shocks and my gosh, you would not believe the difference, between my old worn out junk shocks and the new KYB's!! I also went through the suspension and replaced all bushings with polyurethane, tie rod ends, ball joints and such and now drives like a slot car!

My Toyota is 22 years old, so needed most of this, I would even hazard a guess that the shocks were OE. Jim

[Snowman9000]

rockhillmanor wrote:

ernie1 wrote:
I put Bilsteins on my Ford E350 and they're many times better than OEM but still leaves me with the feeling that I need more shock. There's still too much rocking and bouncing. I'm going to try the Konis the next time. I've used them before in my cars and they worked great!

Replacing just the shocks is not going to help that.

The Koni FSBs really did help the rocking and bouncing on our rig. I suspect the valving damps down hard on the big moves. I'm thinking mostly of the rocking and rolling we got when turning out of parking lots while going through a slight dip.

[tpi]

Another recommendation for the Koni FSD shocks. I am generally very skeptical of aftermarket modifications and tend to keep stock vehicles. But these shock absorbers are superior to the Ford shocks in control and driver enjoyment.

[rockhillmanor]

ernie1 wrote:
I put Bilsteins on my Ford E350 and they're many times better than OEM but still leaves me with the feeling that I need more shock. There's still too much rocking and bouncing. I'm going to try the Konis the next time. I've used them before in my cars and they worked great!

Replacing just the shocks is not going to help that.

31 ft. E450
All I did was put new Monroe RV shocks AND.....
I added one extra leaf spring to the back WHAT a BIG difference.

Metal fatigues period. Leaf springs get tired. I was going to completely replace the leaf springs.

Went to a frame shop where they do their magic with numbers. They came up with just adding only one leaf to my assembly to correct it.

Just adding one extra leaf also to my surprise even jacked up that long long back end AND finally gave me a great ride/handling over all. :C

[ernie1]

I put Bilsteins on my Ford E350 and they're many times better than OEM but still leaves me with the feeling that I need more shock. There's still too much rocking and bouncing. I'm going to try the Konis the next time. I've used them before in my cars and they worked great!

[jaycocreek]

KYB Mono Max on mine..Night and day difference!

[rockhillmanor]

I put Monroe RV shocks on. VERY happy.

[pnichols]

Snowman9000 wrote:
Koni FSD shocks. Just superb. But not cheap.

I agree.

Those are superb shocks for a Class C motorhome. We have a couple in the rear and will add the front two before a trip to Alaska next year.

The "FSD" designation for a Koni shock model is important ... because Koni does make standard technology shocks that probably would be no better than Bilsteins on a Class C.

FSD means "Frequency Selective Damping". The technology is quite a bit different than that in the standard gas shock.

[Snowman9000]

Koni FSD shocks. Just superb. But not cheap.

[IAMICHABOD]

I would second Bilsteins,great ride and stability.

The best price for them is E shocks This company has been around for a long time and customer service is outstanding,any questions at all they will help you out.