Steering has lite feeling

[WA7NDD]

Bought low mileage V-10 1998 Four Winds 22rk last September with 36K miles on it. It was very clean, the outside fiber glass shined, new oil, and everything in the house worked. Took it on a 250 mile trip right away. The only thing I could find that bothered me is the steering feels very lite, as if there is not weight on the front wheels.

Have and appointment next month to have the V-10 flushed, water hoses replaced, serpentine belt replaced, new thermostat, fuel filter, and shocks replaced. I bought new Bilstine heavy duty shocks on line. If the steering is still lite I'll have the caster set to the +5 range. If that does not work I'll install a steering stabilizer. The steering bothers me the most because of 18 wheelers sucking on me as they past.

Anyone have this really lite feeling to the steering as if there is little weight on the front end?

[John___Angela]

We HAD the same problem. Take one look at the picture below and you'll see the geometry of why the rear was too heavy. Anything packed behind the rear wheels was pivoting weight of the front axle. Soooo, we started with the basics, pack everything heavy to the front of the coach. Because of the cantilever effect we were able to add about 450 pounds to the front axle just in moving things around in the coach. Its a rear kitchen but now all the canned goods are packed in the front...etc etc. Next came the spare tire which was mounted on the back. Can't remember the exact number but seems to me that put close to another 300 pounds on the front axle. New shocks, and a rear stabilizer bar (not standard on an E350 unlike the E450} Changed out the rims for Aluminum wheels, (tired of the beauty rings or hubcaps or whatever they are called) and ran the tires about 20 pounds less pressure than the sticker (on the front) essentially following the weight tables for the tires. Also all new shocks, nice and tight. WHAT A DIFFERENCE. Not as fun to drive as my smart car but a huge improvement.

[DUNEBUGGYDOUG]

Harvard I think caster is at +5.1 and my GVWR is 14050;;;;Gene my wife thought it was funny about you saying she was heavy in the real lol.We really don't have much to do ,do we

[Mich_F]

Harvard wrote:

Mich F wrote:
Isn't your GVWR 10,500# (assuming it's on an E 350) - again, something is not right with that 13,100# weight.

WA7NDD is the OP with a 22rk

DUNEBUGGYDOUG has a 98 31 Footer at 13100# weight.

Thanks Harvard, I'll just go away now, before I embarrass myself any more than I have already. :B

[Harvard]

Mich F wrote:
Isn't your GVWR 10,500# (assuming it's on an E 350) - again, something is not right with that 13,100# weight.

WA7NDD is the OP with a 22rk

DUNEBUGGYDOUG has a 98 31 Footer at 13100# weight.

[Mich_F]

Isn't your GVWR 10,500# (assuming it's on an E 350) - again, something is not right with that 13,100# weight.

[Gene_in_NE]

DUNEBUGGYDOUG wrote:
As per Cat certified scales with my wife and me in the MH ready for a trip the weights were:::front 3840 and rear 9260 for a total of 13100.I simply can't get any weight forward

It could be that your front is not too light, it could be that your rear is too heavy. If you could lighten the rear about 1,200 lbs, your front would then be at around 32%. :B

[Harvard]

WA7NDD and DUNEBUGGYDOUG, do you know where your front end caster is set?

[DUNEBUGGYDOUG]

My propane tank is mounted at the lower right front of the coach with small storage above it going all the way across the coach (enuff for a small table and small objects).On the driver's side is a fair sized storage compartment that I carry a portable ice maker and a Cambell -Hausfeld air compressor in.I moved the heavier stuff as far forward as possible but just can't get any more weight up front
Maybe my wife and I just need to gain several pounds

[Mich_F]

No way should a 22rk motor home weigh 13,100#. I had a 22'Four Winds that weighted 8,910 # and my 24'Coachmen weighs a little over 9,000#. Heck my 32 1/2' Itasca with my wife and I, fully loaded for camping weighs 11,940#.
You're either misreading your weight slip, or carrying around way too much stuff. :h

[j-d]

Doug, that's 29% of total weight on the front, or front axle loaded to 83% of its rating. The two bogeys for this are 32%+ of total on front and front loaded 75%+. You meet the 75% but to me the 32% of total is more important because that's a front-to-rear balance. What if a much lighter coach on E450 had only 65% on front but that 65% also represented 40% of total weight? My guess is it would be a good-handling small coach with lots of carrying capacity. Good handling with the right alignment and tire pressures...
I suggested to another OP that he find some weight to load forward and see how it changed. He did, about 500 pounds, and it didn't. Still handled poorly.

[DUNEBUGGYDOUG]

As per Cat certified scales with my wife and me in the MH ready for a trip the weights were:::front 3840 and rear 9260 for a total of 13100.I simply can't get any weight forward

[Harvard]

DUNEBUGGYDOUG wrote:
Thanks J-D , for all of your advice and I did lower tire pressures as per your previous advice .I added front and rear Hellwig sway bars but like everyone else just can't seem to get weight on front end .Kudos to all Ron Ditmer and J-D put out some good advice as well as other posters.I think we all learn by putting in all of our helpful hints .Thanks guys

What is your typical front end weight?

Our 2004 28 Ft E450 runtime weight is typically 4300# (Max 4650#) and yes we have a full water tank (as well as a fuel tank) behind the rear wheels. Handles like a charm at +5.3 degrees caster.

[DUNEBUGGYDOUG]

Thanks J-D , for all of your advice and I did lower tire pressures as per your previous advice .I added front and rear Hellwig sway bars but like everyone else just can't seem to get weight on front end .Kudos to all Ron Ditmer and J-D put out some good advice as well as other posters.I think we all learn by putting in all of our helpful hints .Thanks guys

[j-d]

If you look at a Load/Pressure Chart, being sure to take Single vs. Dual into account, you'll see that 60PSI Single (Front) equates to the GAWR of the 4600# front axle E450 used through 2007 (chassis year) and that 65PSI works out to GAWR of the 5000# axle used from 2008 up.
What this information adds up to is that over 65PSI is not needed for E-Series Front Tires.
Doug, FYI, turned out our E450 is at 4500 front and 8800 rear. You asked and I never sent the info. So here it is, with apology. Using Micheln's chart, that works out to about 60 front and 75 rear.