Safe-T-Plus Steering Control - Good or Bad?

[kvoiles]

I own a 2010 Pleasure-Way Excel on a Ford E-350 chassis. The front end tends to drift at highway speed, and I'd like to get that under control. Do the Safe-T-Plus shocks actually work, or is it a waste of money to have them put in?

[jmagic]

www.sdtrucksprings/bilstein
Excellent steering damper that you can install yourself to replace the original Ford part. No strain on your steering at all. X2 Harvard, made a huge difference.

[jjson775]

We enjoyed traveling for 8 years in a PW Excel but handling was an issue. I put wheel spacers on the rear wheels so they would track directly behind the front wheels. I also replaced the OEM Hankook tires with Michelins - made a big difference and I had the alignment set to PW specs.

[kvoiles]

Took the rig to a good local front end guy, who spent a couple of hours going over things. Turns out that the canter was already set in the 5+ range. Rather odd, as PW told me that the vehicle comes out of the factory set in the +3 range. Clearly not the case. The steering wheel was loose, so the box was adjusted. Also, the steering wheel was off-center for some reason, which causes handling problems. The other issue was that the front wheels were toed out instead of in. The guy told me that when the wheels are toed out, the the nose of the truck tends to "squat" at highway speed, and can cause some control issues. It seems to handle better now.

[kvoiles]

Okay, thanks.

[Harvard]

kvoiles wrote:

Harvard wrote:
Too little front end +caster will manifest itself as loose steering (and wandering) at highway speeds.

The Ford specified caster range is from +1.5 to +7.5 degrees. From my observations over the past 6 years it appears the E series comes off the Ford production set at about +3.5 degrees which is OK for city driving but very undesirable on the highway. Some RV builders do an alignment after building the body but many do not. You want to get up to LH +5.0 and RH +5.5 degrees for good results.

Google Ford E450/E350 caster for lots of info.

When I called Pleasure-Way, they told me that 3.5 is what they set it at and recommend. I'm wondering if they are just parroting the Ford specs to avoid warranty issues? What is the downside of increasing to +5?

The only downside is if you do not have power steering then you will find the steering heavier as you maneuver about on city streets.

Also, note that the Ford specification is a range from +1.5 to +7.5 so we are not suggesting that the unit be set outside the Ford specification.

[kvoiles]

Harvard wrote:
Too little front end +caster will manifest itself as loose steering (and wandering) at highway speeds.

The Ford specified caster range is from +1.5 to +7.5 degrees. From my observations over the past 6 years it appears the E series comes off the Ford production set at about +3.5 degrees which is OK for city driving but very undesirable on the highway. Some RV builders do an alignment after building the body but many do not. You want to get up to LH +5.0 and RH +5.5 degrees for good results.

Google Ford E450/E350 caster for lots of info.

When I called Pleasure-Way, they told me that 3.5 is what they set it at and recommend. I'm wondering if they are just parroting the Ford specs to avoid warranty issues? What is the downside of increasing to +5?

[kvoiles]

studio_driver wrote:
Safety-Plus not recommended by PW. It puts too much stress on the steering components.
Your 2010 should already come with the rear wheel spacers and the anti-sway bar in the back to get that issue under control.
As My Roadtrek says, first make sure you have the alignment values specified by PW for your year model properly applied (you may have the garage to call PW to get convinced they should not use the standard Ford specs).
Next is tire condition and proper tire inflation front and back, as well as airbag pressure to bring the van level (usually between 50 and 60 psi).
Then, check the load distribution front and back. This can become a serious issue when a hitch-mount carrier is used.
Finally remember that you are driving a van loaded close to its maximum rating, not just a big car.
Good luck

Good info on the alignment specs. Tires are good, as I just had them replaced last year, and inflation is according to the PW door tag (55 front, 80 rear). There's a local front-end guy I can go to for an alignment check, etc.

[studio_driver]

Safety-Plus not recommended by PW. It puts too much stress on the steering components.
Your 2010 should already come with the rear wheel spacers and the anti-sway bar in the back to get that issue under control.
As My Roadtrek says, first make sure you have the alignment values specified by PW for your year model properly applied (you may have the garage to call PW to get convinced they should not use the standard Ford specs).
Next is tire condition and proper tire inflation front and back, as well as airbag pressure to bring the van level (usually between 50 and 60 psi).
Then, check the load distribution front and back. This can become a serious issue when a hitch-mount carrier is used.
Finally remember that you are driving a van loaded close to its maximum rating, not just a big car.
Good luck

[My_Roadtrek]

Call PW for the alignment specs don't use Fords.

[kvoiles]

Thanks for the tips. I'll have to call the Ford dealer and see if they can do the work for me.

[tycreek]

I'd recommend getting your caster adjusted near max. It will help greatly with highway stability and handling. If your drift is yaw or wag then a rear trac bar controls that motion. If your drift is to the left on freeway type surfaces but fine on secondary roads, maybe you have an alignment tuned for crowned roads (cross camber/caster).

The question ... yes, shocks with increased dampening work great to fix the driver, not the vehicle. Return to center stabilizers like the STP are best for freeway type surface travel IMO where center adjustment is consistent. I've removed return to center stabilizers in favor of increased dampening without a center bias because my travels are mostly back roads.

[Harvard]

Too little front end +caster will manifest itself as loose steering (and wandering) at highway speeds.

The Ford specified caster range is from +1.5 to +7.5 degrees. From my observations over the past 6 years it appears the E series comes off the Ford production set at about +3.5 degrees which is OK for city driving but very undesirable on the highway. Some RV builders do an alignment after building the body but many do not. You want to get up to LH +5.0 and RH +5.5 degrees for good results.

Google Ford E450/E350 caster for lots of info.