Ride comfort

[suprz]

Until my wife and I can retire, the long distance trips we want to take are going to have to involve alot of driving to get to our destinations. 8 hrs or more driving per day. What can we do to make the ford chassis more comfortable, and less of a tiring affair?

[ron_dittmer]

Our rig new in 2007 drove like a drunken sailor, very tiring, tight griped two handed driving. With only 800 miles on the rig, I took it to a local RV/truck/EV/bus suspension shop. They did the following and it has driven like a dream since with huge safety benefits too. Today I pull over to take a break from drinking liquid refreshment instead of driver fatigue. It also helps to have a driver seat with 6-way adjustments to change position once in a while. Here is the break-down on what we had done to our rig.

- added a Roadmaster heavy duty rear stabilizer bar (Ford did not include one on the pre 2008 E350s)
- replaced the OEM front stabilizer bar with a Roadmaster heavy duty one (the OEM was the same used on an E150 van)
- replaced the 4 OEM shocks with Koni-RV shocks set to the stiffest setting (OEM is the same used on an E250 van)(today I recommend the latest Koni-FSD shocks)
- replaced the OEM steering damper with a heavy duty Safe-T-Plus version (improved steering stability)
- added a Henderson rear trac bar (eliminates tail-wagging-the-dog)
- had a wheel alignment done when loaded for a trip (needed offset bushings for proper alignment)
- added 5 more psi in each tire, above what the RV manufacture specified

The rig handles curvy mountain and canyon byways with ease & comfort, and in full confidence for the driver. Comfort for passengers is greatly improved from being so stable. The work done did cost us $3900. Since then, this forum has been sharing some lower cost do-it-yourself alternative components to save some money.

Owners of the E350 and E450 made 2008 to today have fewer complaints because Ford made some suspension improvements starting in 2008. You might want to wait and see how your particular rig handles during your first trip out.

[Bordercollie]

On smooth roads, most Class C's are reasonably nice to travel in. On concrete intertstates, with cupped sections caused by semi's and weather, the constant jarring and thumping and hard ride due to stiff rear springs and 80psi duals, can wear you and the rig down especialy in hot weather. Best to stop every 100 miles or so and stretch your legs, sit quietly for 10-15 minutes, and take off refreshed. There are suspension improvements that can be made, but after all it's a fairly heavily loaded , flat sided, truck with stiff rear springs that gets kicked around by passing semis and wind turbulence.

[kendall69]

It's all about WHAT you drive not how you drive. I've had two C's that were miserable, and I just got a Phoenix Cruiser that I can drive 8-10 hours a day ( I JUST DID ) and feel great after the drive. The PC cuts through the wind like a hot knife through butter, and absolutely NO body roll, no noise and the size makes it a RV sports car.

[mgirardo]

My 32' Jayco drives like a dream compared to a lot of complaints I've read on this forum about wandering Class Cs. I've driven my Class C 800 miles (SE Coastal Georgia to Southwest New Jersey) many times in one shot including dealing with Northern VA and DC traffic. That's about a 14 hour drive. And I'm not exhausted when I get there. In my 2008 year E450 the seats are pretty comfy. I am 5'11", 285lbs. I have plenty of leg room and head room. I'll be 41 in a couple weeks.

The only complaint I have is that drinks don't stay very cold for long in the cup holders, even with a Bubba Keg that usually keeps cold drinks cold for 12 hours. Oh another complaint I have is the dash AC is very, very cold. I prefer cold, but the dash AC is a little too cold even for me.

-Michael

[cgmartine]

My 2008 Tioga with a Super Duty E450 Triton V-10 rides extremely smooth. On smooth roads, it was a pleasure to drive. I just came back from vacation and ran the front tires at 72 psi, and the rear at 80 psi. The ride was extremely smooth, and it tracked beautifully. Prior to leaving, I made sure the primary noise culprit, the side door, was equipped with a number of rubber pads to prevent it from making any noise. In my personal opinion, from driving a number of different make vehicles over a 30 year career in law enforcement, the smoothest riding vehicles were always the Fords, as evident by about 99% or Crown Vicks still in use today.

[luvztheoutdoor1]

Just finished a trip from Connecticut to Nebraska in 2 days with no problems. I think that you will find it much more comfortable than you think.

[suprz]

Thanks for the relies, I wish I could get a chevy.chassis but that isn't available in the size we want. (31 foot)

[KristinU]

I have to say that I find the e450 very comfortable. Honestly, every time we drive it I comment on how comfortable the seats are.

And we're in the same boat - beholden to work and school schedules so we do long driving days, 8-10 hour days, sometimes 12. Having two drivers really helps!

[IAMICHABOD]

I have to echo handbasket's advice, a Class C on a Chevy Chassis is a much better choice for comfort when you have to be in it for a long time,
The drivers and passenger area is much larger and the ride is better and cooler resulting in less fatigue for driver and passenger.

There is a pretty good discussion about them in the clicky in my signature. At the bottom of page 15 there is a comparison in the size of the cockpit area.

[Mich_F]

suprz wrote:

Mich F wrote:
Which Ford chassis do you have, and what are the issues ? :h

We don't have the class c yet. But I am pretty sure it will be the E450. We just want to hear what folks that own one do to make the driving experience better. Especially for long distance drives.

I have 2 Ford motor homes (3 actually - I've never driven my 30' Itasca which is on an E450 :B) one is on an E350, and the other is on an E450.Some people have had Ford handling issues, while others haven't had any, or their issues have been "fixed" by something as simple as adjusting tire pressures. Perhaps I've been lucky but neither of mine have any driving/handling issues and are quite comfortable to drive. Many on here talk of the Chevrolet having more room than the Ford, which is nice, but I'm 6'4" and weigh around 200# (had weighed 276#) and my wife is 5'8", and not what anyone would consider small, and we both have more than enough room up front. The only negative is that my wife has complained about the heat coming from the engine/doghouse on the passenger side in both vehicles. I have never felt any excessive heat on the driver's side. If it gets too hot she just gets up and goes back to the house section for a while. I probably could/should look into putting more insulation in that area, but I haven't got around to doing that. :B

[Handbasket]

Especially if you're tall, check out the Chevy chassis'd units. They have better leg & foot room, and are much more likely to drive well out of the box.

If you do decide that a Ford will do, consider a change to Bilstein shocks even if it's new.

Whatever you get, set the tire pressures according to the _loaded_ weight, _not_ the sidewall label; it's for maximum load, and says so right there in smaller print.

Jim, "Let's don't waste time with finger-pointing. I already told the boss that it was your fault."

[Markiemark32]

suprz wrote:

Mich F wrote:
Which Ford chassis do you have, and what are the issues ? :h

We don't have the class c yet. But I am pretty sure it will be the E450. We just want to hear what folks that own one do to make the driving experience better. Especially for long distance drives.

Just switched to a Class C, from a travel trailer.

Couple big benefits, which support longer trips:

First wife (& I) is comfortable driving it (compared to trailer), so switching up driving is a much more an option.

Second, able to move around rig as traveling, so when you get a chance and break from driving, able to get out of main seat & position.

Able to use restoroom/facitilities (Kitchen, fridge) as you roll.

Our newer Ford 450, rides pretty nice & comfortable, seat okay, armrest, rides much like a truck.

Biggest thing is to get use to bigger box (handling, noises, slower exceleration, etc) & relax as you travel.

Markiemark

[tpi]

The vehicle is not noisy or uncomfortable to me. If the wind isn't blowing, I'm on uncrowded roads with sufficient lane width, and I keep the speed at easy pace, I can drive the motorhome as far as any vehicle without fatigue.

I think you're going to have to drive it first and see if there are any factors you want to change. In my case trying to tighten up the handling was my effort to reduce fatigue.

If I were in your shoes, two tips:
1. Get wheel alignment. Research Harvard's posts on caster and ask that it be set that way.
2. Weigh the rig and set tire pressure accordingly.

From there on any changes or ideas should be based on your needs.

[suprz]

Mich F wrote:
Which Ford chassis do you have, and what are the issues ? :h

We don't have the class c yet. But I am pretty sure it will be the E450. We just want to hear what folks that own one do to make the driving experience better. Especially for long distance drives.

[tpi]

What issues are concerns for driving fatigue?

On mine, any fatigue above and beyond driving a car is due to the larger width and less precise handling than in a car coupled with urban driving conditions. It just takes more alertness and driver input than a car in congested conditions. The more brain inputs and resulting corrections I need to make, the more quickly I fatigue. I often adjust driving distances accordingly.

At least in my case, I was interested in the handling improvement threads. I try to get the tracking straight, and steering precision best possible.

On my motorhome noise, comfort, and ride quality are not issues.