Looking for help in improving the ride on my RV

[TomKat08]

Just acquired my first (used) 2002 31' Fleetwood Fiesta on a Ford V-10 chassis. (no roll-outs - 30k miles) After my first couple of trips to the Pacific coast over mountains I'm looking to improve the ride (soften the bumps) and improve the stability. (roll and drift). In reading the blogs and talking to my local RV dealer I've listed the itmes suggested in order of importance.
1) tire pressure
2) after market steering dampener
3) upgraded schocks
4) air bags btw leafsand chassis
5) upgraded sway bars
6) upgraded leaf springs

My plan is to do 2 at a time , test drive and determine whether add'l items are in order.

Any help or comments would be greatly appreciated.

Newby

[cbr46]

Found this in an Amazon comment field -

Used this on 2014 F-53 Chassis. When set at 12.675" (bolt centers) you achieve a similar angle of attack in the "firm" sway bar position as the stock link gives you in the "soft" position. The stock links fit in the firm position however I experienced "clunking" with the "CHF". Enjoy and Travel Safely.

Clunking from CHF . . . . from sway bar hitting the leaf spring?

Now just need to find a 12.5" end link beefy enough with the right hole diameters for $50 (pair). I don't think they will come from a '73 Pinto . . . .

Best,
- bob

[cbr46]

I also installed Bilsteins (65k miles). The stock Ford shocks had zero damping - nada. Just floppy sticks.

How long are the "reengineered" control arms? Which set of holes did they run them to and what is the sway bar / end link angle?

Stock end links are 10". You would need 11.5" for the same sway bar position to the "firm" holes (but the angle isn't right). If you run the stock links to the "firm" holes the angle is approaching 180d plus the sway bar contacts the leaf spring when wheel travel is extended. Sure, that's pretty unlikely . . . .

You can buy a set of Hellwig 11"-14" adjustable end links for $95 but eventually you'll end up with a fixed length never to adjust again. I'm wondering what a pair of fixed length (what is optimum length?) end links would cost and what does the parts guy look for? For me I'd pay $50 but not $100. I already drive with one hand (most of the time).

There's 129 pages on this topic in another forum. I got to page 5 . . . .

Letting 15% of the air out of the tires would have me concerned about running on overloaded tires. Do you know the tire load rating at 80 psi?

Best,
- bob

[TomKat08]

Again thanks a bunch for all of your input.

I picked up the RV (2001 31 foot Fleetwood Fiesta - Ford V10 F53 Chassis) from the dealer last Friday. They replaced the Ford shocks with Bilsteins and reduced the tire pressure from 95 to 80. Over the weekend I climbed under the rig to assess the complexity of performing the Quick Fix (McKinley Fix) and discovered the front passenger sway bar control arm was not attached to the frame. It appeared the bolt had sheared. The control arm bushing was damaged and the steel bushing insert was gone. (not sure how this was missed by the repair shop). I went to the Ford dealer and was told I could not purchase just a bushing and would need to buy a complete control arm and that the control arm had been reengineered and I would need to acquire a set. The new control arms were longer and the portion of rubber to metal in the bushing had been completely changed from a lot of rubber and a very slim metal sleeve for the bolt to very little rubber and a very beefy metal sleeve for the bolt. After installation I took the RV on both bumpy roads and drove it at 80 MPH on the freeway. For the first time since I acquired it in December of last year I could drive it with only one hand on the wheel. The sway (roll ?) has been reduced significantly. The ride, although still stiff, is no where near as bad as it was. I'll be taking it for a 300 mile weekend getaway over the coastal mountain pass and will post again should there be anything of note.

[TomKat08]

Again thanks a bunch for all of your input.

I picked up the RV (2001 31 foot Fleetwood Fiesta - Ford V10 F53 Chassis) from the dealer last Friday. They replaced the Ford shocks with Bilsteins and reduced the tire pressure from 95 to 80. Over the weekend I climbed under the rig to assess the complexity of performing the Quick Fix (McKinley Fix) and discovered the front passenger sway bar control arm was not attached to the frame. It appeared the bolt had sheared. The control arm bushing was damaged and the steel bushing insert was gone. (not sure how this was missed by the repair shop). I went to the Ford dealer and was told I could not purchase just a bushing and would need to buy a complete control arm and that the control arm had been reengineered and I would need to acquire a set. The new control arms were longer and the portion of rubber to metal in the bushing had been completely changed from a lot of rubber and a very slim metal sleeve for the bolt to very little rubber and a very beefy metal sleeve for the bolt. After installation I took the RV on both bumpy roads and drove it at 80 MPH on the freeway. For the first time since I acquired it in December of last year I could drive it with only one hand on the wheel. The sway (roll ?) has been reduced significantly. The ride, although still stiff, is no where near as bad as it was. I'll be taking it for a 300 mile weekend getaway over the coastal mountain pass and will post again should there be anything of note.

My guess is the new control arms are a move towards the Quick Fix as they are longer. The reduction of the rubber in the bushing should also reduce movement.
The new control arms were $56 each and maybe worth considering for the forum posters who have posted some reservations regarding concerns regarding increased stress resulting from changing the control arm positioning.

[s_N_s]

The only mods we had on our F53 chassis, were air bags in the rear and the previous owner installed Monroe shocks. It had a Davis-Tru-Trac installed on the front. I thought it handled well and the ride tolerable for sure. Remember you are driving a truck. You can adjust your tire pressures but be sure to do that within limitation to the weight you are carrying. Good Luck hope it all works out.

[Gjac]

I will definitely check each MH to see what the spacing looks like before buying. Just last week I looked at a W-22 chassis that also had the straight axle setup like Ford and one side was resting on the rubber bumper. The salesmen did not know what the proper ride height should be either.

[wildmanbaker]

I have not found a "ride height" for the F53 chassis yet, as it is variable with loading. More than likely, the right side is the one that had quarter inch clearance, as that is the side that sags due to the crown of the road, and the top heavy loading of most MHs. The chassis manufacture is caught between the MH manufactures wanting a soft ride and having the suspension last. Ford has no control on how much weight is added, the balance on the chassis, and how high the weight is mounted. We the customer want it all, a flat floor, multi slides, good head room, and a soft ride, but in real life, everythings a compromise.

[Gjac]

wildmanbaker wrote:
Gary, empty, the MHs ride great. Our first trip with ours, we hardly had anything in it except for basic cloths, utensils, water and gas. We actually commented on how nice it rode on a known road the first trip, but we accumulated more and more "necessary things", the MH quickly settled into the springs, and a rough/harsh ride developed. We had maybe 3/4" between the bump stops and the spring perches and the MH was not overloaded. Hitting the bump stops is what gives the rough ride.

. This makes a lot of sense I did look under the motorhomes and noticed some were very close to the stops from the springs. Do you know what the ride height should be on these chassis? Some I noticed had about an inch and three quarters between bumper and spring stops, one had only a quarter inch clearance.

[wildmanbaker]

Gary, empty, the MHs ride great. Our first trip with ours, we hardly had anything in it except for basic cloths, utensils, water and gas. We actually commented on how nice it rode on a known road the first trip, but we accumulated more and more "necessary things", the MH quickly settled into the springs, and a rough/harsh ride developed. We had maybe 3/4" between the bump stops and the spring perches and the MH was not overloaded. Hitting the bump stops is what gives the rough ride.

[okgc]

Since this is a 2002 ...Have the tires been replaced? Check date codes.
Newer tires can make a HUGE difference in ride / handling & safety.

[Gjac]

I have an older P-30 chassis but have been looking at newer Ford chassis to buy. I have test drove about 4 different Ford MH's up to 65 mph but have not noticed what a lot of folks on here post about the F-53 harsh ride, or white knuckle experience. These were just short tests on 32 -34 ft MH's. Is the bad ride that people complain about mostly on larger F-53's or on all sizes? The only thing that I found objectionable was the high revving engine under load. Only had one truck pass me during the test drive's but I still used one hand to drive. For those that have owned the W-22 and the F-53 was there a better ride from the W-22?

[George_Beggs]

The best fix I found for poor steering was to put as much weight forward as possible and do not fill the water tank more than 1/3 full. This keeps the front tires pressed to the ground.

[maznchle]

TomKat. I have an 05 fiesta 33ft with 33k, Remember its a entry level coach so they told me..My bigest change was the goodyer tires. Put Hankook's on and it made a big difference and alignment. Its a light coach and like others have said you can pour money into it but i chose to live with the ride and i love my coach. paul

[TomKat08]

Clovis, CA. Paul Everett's
I dropped off the MH there Wednesday for them to assess and recommend.