Question for Class C owners

[chiefward]

Got a question for Class C owners. Does your class c drive and ride like a 20 year old U-Haul truck? I've only test driven one and it beat me to death and i was driving on the interstate. I currently have a 5th wheel, pulled with a F250 superduty and rides fairly smoothly on the interstate. I know it's a truck on secondary roads. Am considering going to a Class C or a Class A.

[js218]

Mine is a class 8 truck weighing in at45,000# fully loaded,air ride rear and cab with air ride seats, handles and drives like a dream.

[rogerddd]

I am a former owner of a light weight 25 foot 5th wheel and we pulled it with a Ford F150. Hard to beat the F150 for comfort. Loved it. We now have a 25 foot Class C on a Mercedes Sprinter chassis that I find very comfortable to ride in. I prefer a Ford gasser but went with the Mercedes (diesel) as is more comfortable for the DW and me (I'm pretty tall).

[Harvard]

These E350/E450 Cutaways are shipped with +3 to +4 degrees
of Caster depending on the fore/aft angle of the final
suspension and weight. Those settings are OK for city
driving BUT you want to have +5 to +6 degrees of Caster
for highway driving, OTHERWISE:

POPULAR MECHANICS MAY 1973:
START QUOTE:
If too little caster exists, the car will wander and weave,
thus necessitating constant corrections in steering.
END QUOTE:

[Dusty_R]

It could be that the one you test drove had the tires inflated to maximum pressure that the tires are rated for, instead of what the mh called for as posted some where within the mh.

[77rollalong]

We have a 1977 26 foot Roll-a_long on and E350, and it does handle like a brick $it house, and as bad on the butt as a u-haul… it ok on good roads, but one motorhome I would definitely not want to try to drive it with a few drinks in me...

[tobydad]

First of all a class C is a truck and drives like a truck. My 2004 32ft. Winnie drives smoothly on well paved roads. With tires at max pressure, the ride is harsh on bumps. the F450 is loud under load, but under normal conditions is relatively quiet. You will hear noises from the camper part that you cannot hear pulling a 5th wheel.

[Hank85713]

well I would say it all depends on the sensitivity of your butt! You are driving a 15000lb vehicle and the ride will not be like in expensive sedan. Speed, tire inflation, airbag inflation and actual weight of the rig will all have an impact on the ride. I have a 12 Winnebago, dont like the seats in it but it does ride ok, I like the ride in my 04 F350 and it is the travel vehicle when we go someplace WITHOUT the rv and towd. Again it will depend on many factors, the roadway itself, railroad tracks and the stuff I mentioned earlier. Class As are really no better as they run up to 120 psi in tires alone! Class c's are 75-80psi.

You want a rough ride, ride a school bus, soft ride, ride in a city bus. Day and night but the city bus seldom goes over 35-40 mph and the roads can be (not always better) My school bus is sprung hard and yes it does bounce over ruts speed bumps so no comparison in the 2 vehicles. One is all air suspension the school bus traditional springs and sometimes rear only airbags.

so again the question is rhetorical and there is no correct answer.

[azdryheat]

I drive the new ones all the time and they ride OK. Now, keep in mind that when you test drive one on a dealer's lot it has probably sat there for a while. When I'm driving any of our stock to one of our other stores it takes a few miles for the tires to warm up and get round again.

[IAMICHABOD]

Mine really doesn't but then again it is on a Chevy Chassis they are a lot more comfortable with larger cockpit area for driver and passenger.

But you have to remember that they are really still a truck and as such will be a bit harsher than your everyday P/U truck.