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

[NAUTIQUE]

TomKat,
Yep it's a truck!
You can help the handling, but harshness will always be there to some extent!
I'd proceed i an order similiar to this:
#1 - CHF. Haven't done this myself yet, but gets rave reviews. (my next mod.)
#2 - Weigh rig & set correct tire PSI.
#3 - Rear Track bar, I used UltraTrac Best mod on mine.
#3 - SteerSafe Helped steering response & added blowout safety.
#4 - I had also added new Bilstien shocks & Sumitimo tires.

[Dale_Traveling]

I've done a bunch of work on my rig. Some changes helped a lot others not so much.

1. Tire pressure - Had new tire installed a few days after bring the coach home so I don't know how much a change occurred. Did find that pressure has a big effect on handling. Over filling the tires made for a rough ride and the coach was difficult to maintain lane position. I set my pressures set to axle maximum weight limit which as worked very well.

2. Rear Roll Bar Bushings - OEM bushings more or less melted. Replaced with blue poly bushings I got off eBay shortly after the tire install so I don't have a before and after judgment. Fronts have been fine.

3. CHF - Very dramatic change in coach handling and body roll. Also effect lane push due to wind and made for much better drivability.

4. Koni Shocks - Only have Koni's on the front but mush softer ride than the OEM Bilstein. The rear OEM shocks were replaced with same but when budget allows intend to install Koni's also.

5. Air Bags - Have installed bags on each corner with individual inflation controls (on board compressor) and can adjust on the fly as needed. Helped to level after loading and regain ride height but limit effect on over all ride quality.

Other than Koni shock on the rear and maybe new frame bumpers I'm about done with attempting any more chassis mods. Was thinking about a rear track bar but my coach really doesn't get push around all that bad. Plus when it does I can feel it coming on. I've done all the work myself.

Since the OP's chassis is an 2002 or maybe an 01 Ford wasn't installing front track bars back then so I would recommend installing one. Rather than air bags (unless the coach isn't level and sagging a bit) I would try Sumosprings instead. Tiffin has started offering them as an option on their F53 built coaches which is a bit unusual for a builder. Most do little if any changes to the chassis suspension.

Now if you want to pass up all the fun of experimenting you can go with Kelderman suspension mod for both front and rear.

[cjoseph]

What you need to search is the "Cheap Handling Fix" by discoverer/inventor John McKinley.

I don't want to upset the moderators by linking you to another RV forum, but that is where you will find it.

I experienced much improvement from body roll by doing this. Others in the CHF thread will recommend the "fix," a rear track bar and Koni shocks.

With the CHF only, I went from mandatory two hands on the wheel for security to being able to drive 1-handed on the interstate if I choose.

The CHF is doable on chassis newer than the 1999 F-53. Some are just change bolt locations and some need link extensions. One is labor only. The other is a $100 expense. Either way, it's "Cheap."

[04fxsts]

Our 2015 ACE 30.1 is also on the F-53 Ford so we know it is not going to ride like a car. However what we feel it should not do is "wander" down the road. Only 800 miles and had the alignment done, the toe was just barely in spec to the negative side and reset to just slightly to the positive. Still wanders going down the road, this will really wear the driver down on a trip. I am thinking about the "cheap handling fix but still worry about changing the suspension. Jim.

[J-Rooster]

Welcome to RV.Net! Keep in mind that you are not going to get a ride like a car or pick-up! Your driving a house mounted on a big truck or bus frame. And no matter how much you invest it won't help you that much since your driving a very high profile vehicle that is not going to respond well in wind or when a larger vehicle is pushing a lot of air when passing you. This is just my opinion and I've been RVing since 1976!

[LVJ58]

My suggestion would be to install Koni FSD shocks on all 4 corners, then go from there.

I had a Davis Tru-Trac Bar installed on our front suspension that limits sideways movement of the long leaf springs. It greatly reduced the harsh sideways shove of passing 18 wheelers to a slight sideways nudge.

Good luck with improving your ride & safe travels..

[doxiemom11]

We have a Ford V-10 -- We --- put on new tires (age) had it aligned by a truck shop and put a steering stabalizer on. That all helped

Biggest help was the Ford chassis easy fix. Google it - you can do yourself and it was an amazing difference - we did both front and rear.

[time_to_go_now]

Deleted

[consumeratlarge]

I got the track bar online, and installed it. Very nice improvement. Next will be the sway bar 'cheap fix' as soon ss I've convinced myself that doing it won't subject the house structure to more violent swaying over things like uneven pavement, speed bumps, etc. Mine didn't come with a rear track bar at all, and it seems to help without adding strain anywhere else.

[MagillaGorilla]

Air bags made a HUGE difference in my last MH.

[ArchHoagland]

Are you in Clovis, California or Clovis, New Mexico?

If California who is the dealer?

[TomKat08]

Thanks so much for the quick responses. I have a neighbor more mechanically inclined than myself (also retired with more time). I'm going to run the posts by him for his input and hopefully an offer to assist in the recommendations that can be done in-house. I'll post the results as soon as I'm done. I'm still waiting to hear back from the dealer who will be taking it on a test ride today.

[midnightsadie]

I think you can sink a ton of money in it and not know you did it, it,s a truck.making it ride great is a tough one.

[Johno02]

Unfortunely, that chassis, rode like a truck! the next model which was introduced in 2004 or so, rides a lot better, and the one following that I have heard is even better.

[10forty2]

As a general rule of thumb, start with the least expensive and work your way up from there.

First things first.... get the RV weighed and set the tire pressure accordingly before you get into any tire failure trouble. It's tempting to run the tire pressure at the low end of the acceptable scale to improve the ride harshness, but proper inflation will not only improve the life of the tires...it will also go long ways towards your safety to prevent blowouts.

Since it's a 2002, the next thing you will want to do is to check the integrity of the sway bar bushings and possibly go ahead and replace them. (A couple of hours on your back under the coach in your driveway with standard tools if you are at all mechanically inclined.) I had a lot of body roll on my 1999 F53 and discovered that my front bushings were completely gone and the rear had shrunk to where they were not effective. Replaced them with new poly bushings and the body roll was practically gone. http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/281153537365?lpid=82&chn=ps I have not tried switching the bolt positions on the sway bars as described earlier, but intend to this season. Lots of great reviews for this "Cheap Handling Fix" http://www.irv2.com/forums/f23/cheap-handling-fix-72335.html as it's known in the RV community.

As far as harsh ride, you will probably want to try new shocks as well. I have read many a testimony for both Koni and for Bilstein...the latter being the stiffest of the two according to the reviews. I also intend to replace my shocks this season with Bilsteins due to slightly better handling reported from multiple reviews. I can take a little bit harsher ride if the coach handles like it's supposed to.

I am also planning to install a track bar as indicated earlier too. In looking at all of them on the market, I have decided to go with the Davis Track Bar. Seems to be about the easiest to install, and I like to do my own wrenching when possible.

On the steering stabilizer, I have read several reviews about them and although many people who bought them say they love them, I read one, more honest-sounding, review that said it did tighten the steering some, but not proportionally according to cost. In other words, the juice wasn't worth the squeeze. I've heard it also makes the steering much stiffer for normal use. I have been advised to take my coach to a big truck center that knows how to do alignments on big vehicles...have a 4-wheel alignment done and THEN decide if I need the steering stabilizer.

Good luck, and please let us know what you do and how it turned out.