Our first motorhome question.

[David658]

We just recently purchased a 2016 Forest River Georgetown 335DS from Lazy Days in Tampa Fla. It was a used coach with only 3,000 miles. We love our coach however we were very disappointed driving back home to North Georgia. On a smooth road it glides along fine and couldn't ask for a better ride but when you get in bumpy road conditions the ride is horrible. It almost reminds me of the ride on a city bus or a trolley. With this being our first motorhome I just wasn't sure if this is normal in a Class A or not. We have previously owned travel trailers and a 5th wheel. Surely the shocks aren't bad already. Wondering if we have made a mistake.

[StuckinTracy]

mc.cc wrote:

tropical36 wrote:

mc.cc wrote:
Yes. This is normal class A gasser behavior. They do not behave well on bumpy roads or windy conditions. There is no magical fix other than lowering the air pressure in your tires. Be very careful about the potential for blow outs with insufficient air pressure in your tires though.

You can't really group them all into that category, IMO, as we had a P32 National Tropical with a tag axle for 9yrs, that we drove all over the country and must say, that if anyone had complaints with the way it handled, then I'd have to say, that they just couldn't drive.
The only strain I ever had with driving it, was when we drove across three SW states in 50mph crosswinds and that would have been with anything. Other than that, one little finger on the wheel would keep it between the lines and trucks didn't have much of an effect on it, either. Don't think there's a better ride out there, other than a DP. Naturally what we have now is superior and even without the tag, as there's not much overhang behind the rear wheels and what it's all about IMO with whether or not, the tail is going to wag the dog or not.

Topical 36, I was not aware that gassers had tag axles. Please read my post again. I specifically stated "gassers". I would much prefer the diesel chassis ride over a gasser, but the poster was asking about his gas rig. Just clearing it up.

https://www.rvtrader.com/dealers/Florida-RV-Sales-2917160/listing/1999-National-TROPICAL-6370-122590656 Here is an example of a gasser with a tag axle.

[tropical36]

Mile High wrote:

mc.cc wrote:

tropical36 wrote:

mc.cc wrote:
Yes. This is normal class A gasser behavior. They do not behave well on bumpy roads or windy conditions. There is no magical fix other than lowering the air pressure in your tires. Be very careful about the potential for blow outs with insufficient air pressure in your tires though.

You can't really group them all into that category, IMO, as we had a P32 National Tropical with a tag axle for 9yrs, that we drove all over the country and must say, that if anyone had complaints with the way it handled, then I'd have to say, that they just couldn't drive.
The only strain I ever had with driving it, was when we drove across three SW states in 50mph crosswinds and that would have been with anything. Other than that, one little finger on the wheel would keep it between the lines and trucks didn't have much of an effect on it, either. Don't think there's a better ride out there, other than a DP. Naturally what we have now is superior and even without the tag, as there's not much overhang behind the rear wheels and what it's all about IMO with whether or not, the tail is going to wag the dog or not.

Topical 36, I was not aware that gassers had tag axles. Please read my post again. I specifically stated "gassers". I would much prefer the diesel chassis ride over a gasser, but the poster was asking about his gas rig. Just clearing it up.

You might read Tropical36 post again, he was discussing a gasser.

Did he miss that?
Yep, 36ft gas puller, 7.4 Chevy powered Vortec. Handled great, rode great and probably still does with it's new owner, as of a year +, ago. There were a lot of these made, both on a Chevy and Ford chassis but doubtful if you'll find one of these dinosaur's now, that's newer than a 2000 model. Again, I think the biggest thing with sway, is how much overhang there is behind the rear wheels and not so much because of the tag, although they do help. With the gas rigs and tag axles, they were put on there by more than one manufacture, because of the extra 4500lbs needed for the Chevy P32, being longer than 34ft. National for one, went ahead and used it on the Ford chassis as well, extending to 37ft and putting a slide in the BR.

[Mile_High]

mc.cc wrote:

tropical36 wrote:

mc.cc wrote:
Yes. This is normal class A gasser behavior. They do not behave well on bumpy roads or windy conditions. There is no magical fix other than lowering the air pressure in your tires. Be very careful about the potential for blow outs with insufficient air pressure in your tires though.

You can't really group them all into that category, IMO, as we had a P32 National Tropical with a tag axle for 9yrs, that we drove all over the country and must say, that if anyone had complaints with the way it handled, then I'd have to say, that they just couldn't drive.
The only strain I ever had with driving it, was when we drove across three SW states in 50mph crosswinds and that would have been with anything. Other than that, one little finger on the wheel would keep it between the lines and trucks didn't have much of an effect on it, either. Don't think there's a better ride out there, other than a DP. Naturally what we have now is superior and even without the tag, as there's not much overhang behind the rear wheels and what it's all about IMO with whether or not, the tail is going to wag the dog or not.

Topical 36, I was not aware that gassers had tag axles. Please read my post again. I specifically stated "gassers". I would much prefer the diesel chassis ride over a gasser, but the poster was asking about his gas rig. Just clearing it up.

You might read Tropical36 post again, he was discussing a gasser.

[mc_cc]

tropical36 wrote:

mc.cc wrote:
Yes. This is normal class A gasser behavior. They do not behave well on bumpy roads or windy conditions. There is no magical fix other than lowering the air pressure in your tires. Be very careful about the potential for blow outs with insufficient air pressure in your tires though.

You can't really group them all into that category, IMO, as we had a P32 National Tropical with a tag axle for 9yrs, that we drove all over the country and must say, that if anyone had complaints with the way it handled, then I'd have to say, that they just couldn't drive.
The only strain I ever had with driving it, was when we drove across three SW states in 50mph crosswinds and that would have been with anything. Other than that, one little finger on the wheel would keep it between the lines and trucks didn't have much of an effect on it, either. Don't think there's a better ride out there, other than a DP. Naturally what we have now is superior and even without the tag, as there's not much overhang behind the rear wheels and what it's all about IMO with whether or not, the tail is going to wag the dog or not.

Topical 36, I was not aware that gassers had tag axles. Please read my post again. I specifically stated "gassers". I would much prefer the diesel chassis ride over a gasser, but the poster was asking about his gas rig. Just clearing it up.

[Gjac]

It sounds like this is your first Class A MH, give yourself some time to get used to the ride. I think what you will find is less annoyance with the rough roads as you get used to driving it. It took me awhile before I could drive it with one hand like my car even with passing trucks. All the other suggestions are good and will probably help some after you get used to driving it.

[tropical36]

mc.cc wrote:
Yes. This is normal class A gasser behavior. They do not behave well on bumpy roads or windy conditions. There is no magical fix other than lowering the air pressure in your tires. Be very careful about the potential for blow outs with insufficient air pressure in your tires though.

You can't really group them all into that category, IMO, as we had a P32 National Tropical with a tag axle for 9yrs, that we drove all over the country and must say, that if anyone had complaints with the way it handled, then I'd have to say, that they just couldn't drive.
The only strain I ever had with driving it, was when we drove across three SW states in 50mph crosswinds and that would have been with anything. Other than that, one little finger on the wheel would keep it between the lines and trucks didn't have much of an effect on it, either. Don't think there's a better ride out there, other than a DP. Naturally what we have now is superior and even without the tag, as there's not much overhang behind the rear wheels and what it's all about IMO with whether or not, the tail is going to wag the dog or not.

[mc_cc]

Yes. This is normal class A gasser behavior. They do not behave well on bumpy roads or windy conditions. There is no magical fix other than lowering the air pressure in your tires. Be very careful about the potential for blow outs with insufficient air pressure in your tires though.

[Rick_Jay]

David658,

Before you do anything, load up the rig as you would to travel and get it weighed. At least front axle and rear axle weights, and if possible, individual corner weights.

Then go to the tire manuacturer's website and see the recommended pressure for the weight they are carrying. It will probably be different front & back. Add a bit for your own security (5 psi or about 10% seems to be common) and set the tire pressures accordingly.

I won't say "all", but many dealerships just inflate the tires to the maximum pressure printed on the tire sidewall, that is probably over inflated for your rig. It's quite possible you have 110 psi in tires which only need 80-85. Trust me, there is a BIG difference in ride quality when the tires are that much over the required pressure.

And yes, I had the same issue as you when we brought our new rig home over 13 years ago. The dealer/manufacturer put 110 psi in tires which only needed about 85-90.

If you STILL have issues, then you can start chasing the problem with $$$.

Good Luck,

~Rick

[HighwayJunky]

Had a Newmar gasser for a year then upgraded, no UPGRADED to a new Newmar Diesel.OMG, if I had only known the difference in the power and the ride I would have never bought the gasser to begin..My advise, Look into a diesel even if you have to get an older model to compensate for the price. You won't be disappointed.

[frankdamp]

+1 for Pastor Charlie. After 30 years as an engineer in the aircraft industry, I took early retirement. When I got bored, I took a bus-driver job with our county Transit Agency. All their coaches had Recaro driver's seats. Before we decided to quit the RV lifestyle, my next major mod was going to be replacing those awful Flexsteel seats with bus driver Recaros. It may have involved some engineering effort, but not a show-stopper. I'm surprised that Recaro-type front seats aren't an option on RVs

One thing that helped me get over my disgust with the RV ride quality was the realisation that the amount of time we spent driving it was minuscule compared to our other vehicles.

[hostage]

The best shocks out there that will improve ride quality are

http://roadkingshocks.com/roadking-rv-shocks/

[PastorCharlie]

Install a "DP" driver seat. The seat makes the difference in ride. No need to buy the whole "coach." Truckers use Air Ride seats.

[kmb1966]

It's a F53 and there are a FEW things you can do, that SLIGHTLY improve things in my opinion. Maybe better shocks. (Koni or Bilstein). CHF helps, but doesn't really improve rough road ride in my opinion. Correct tire pressure helps, but I'd rather have more air than needed for the weight than less and have a blowout. Have your setup weighed and set tire pressure accordingly plus 10-15 psi, and get a TPMS to make sure it's always right. I've bought sway bars, tracbars, steering stabilizers and spent $$$ trying to make this ride better with only slight improvements. My suggestion is to accept it or buy something else. DRIVE MOTORHOME ON ROUGH ROAD BEFORE BUYING IT. They all ride well on a smooth road, but not too many smooth roads out there except the one in front of the dealership.

[Goldencrazy]

chuckm99 wrote:
Has anybody installed the MORyde RS suspension? MORyde claims it makes a much smoother ride. They do have a pretty good reputation. Wonder if it helps a lot?

I did. Expensive, noisy and really not a fix on 30 ft. Winnebago. Kelderman air bags were better. Tire inflation is a big deal as mentioned. I think shocks make a big difference. Bilsteins just too stiff. Koni's are very good. As mentioned get some weight in the bays and tanks. Sumos improve ride. I had little ride change with Firestones. Start with tire inflation and then shocks and then take out your wallet and join the group in pursuit of better ride. Roads are definitely worse in north and States like WI that have not spent money to maintain roads.