E-450 Exhausting Drive

[ratfink09]

Just got back from a trip to northern Vermont and much more exhausted than usual from the drive. Between the harsh ride and interior noise from every bump in the road, I could not wait to get home. Rv is a 2011 Chateau 28 ft long. I have done Hellwig sway bars and Bilstein shocks which helped handling. Just got a new set of Michelin MS2 tires under the recall. Should I be looking at replacing the stock steering damper, front end alignment, a track bar etc.? Open to suggestions!

[Supercharged]

ratfink09 wrote:
Just got back from a trip to northern Vermont and much more exhausted than usual from the drive. Between the harsh ride and interior noise from every bump in the road, I could not wait to get home. Rv is a 2011 Chateau 28 ft long. I have done Hellwig sway bars and Bilstein shocks which helped handling. Just got a new set of Michelin MS2 tires under the recall. Should I be looking at replacing the stock steering damper, front end alignment, a track bar etc.? Open to suggestions!

What year is it? how many miles on it? Are you first owner?

[mlts22]

Would airbags help?

[eric1514]

Handbasket wrote:
What are your tire pressures?

Jim, "Diagonally parked in a parallel universe."

Yup. I thought I had to run at the max pressure stamped on the sidewall. Lowering the pressures 10-15 psi made a lot of difference.

[cgmartine]

The biggest pet peeve for me was the noise inside the motorhome. I am fanatic about running silent. For me, the biggest culprit was the side door. This past June, before I went on vacation, I went over the inside of the motorhome with a fine tooth comb. I placed a hollow, rubber molding around all the areas of the side door that would come in contact with the screen door, the outside door, and the frame. All the noise those two were making are 100% gone. I also went over every single cabinet door and made sure the latches held the drawers in tightly, not just closed, with no movement whatsoever. I replaced the latches as necessary. I also made sure each drawer had a small felt pad. I Made sure the stove top and inside grate were secure. The microwave dish was secure, and anything that moves secured. I found out that another noise maker was the tv over the cab. It has a swivel which has a small amount of play and makes noise. I secured it to the wall plate with a bungee cord. The difference is like night and day. Although there are still some minor squeaks from the cabinetry flexing and moving, the difference is like night and day. I am also running my front tires at 72 psi, instead of 75, and the rears at 80. Everything is stock and it tracks quite well and the ride is phenomenal. My 31M Tioga now drives like a dream and is a pleasure to drive.

[j-d]

Few know more about motorhome handling and tracking than Henderson's in Oregon. When they align a Class C, they do what Harvard here on this forum discovered on his own. Don't set the CASTER to the middle of is range which is around 3-degrees. Instead go for at least 5-degrees (max is 7-degrees). Because of the way the front end's built, passenger side caster will be 1/2-degree more than driver side.
Be sure your front tires are inflated only to the pressure required by the actual load determined on a scale. That alone will aid steering AND ride.
Back to Henderson's. They told me that adding a Safe-T-Plus stabilizer to the front and a SuperSteer Track Bar to the rear settles most Class C handling issues. Personally, I'd rather get the alignment right first, but they're the experts.
Weighing it at a truck stop costs only $10 and adjusting tire pressure is free. Here's Michelin's Pressure Chart

[Handbasket]

What are your tire pressures?

Jim, "Diagonally parked in a parallel universe."