Suggestions for making my F53 a little easier to drive

[kmb1966]

I have a 2001 Itasca Suncruiser built on a 2000 Ford F53. Just got back from a long trip. Overall it did fine, but am looking for suggestions on what to make it a little easier to drive. I have Koni FSD shocks, and I am overall ok with the ride. The problem the driving. I get blown all over the road when a truck passes by. If I encounter an uneven piece of pavement, the coach swings from side to side very easily. I'm not sure if anything can be done to help, but I'd appreciate any suggestions or success stories.

[wildmanbaker]

Philip.Saran wrote:
I have a Safe-T-Steer stabilizer on the front end and a track bar added to the rear of my MH. Keep the front tire pressure at 95psi and the rear at 100psi.

I was told the Cheap quick fix "can" break the links, has anyone had that problem?

I don't know of anyone coming forward with having problems with the sway bar end links breaking or bending. Shocks, sway bars will help with side to side rock, alignment will help with straight ahead steering, but the "tail wagging the dog" will require a track bar on the rear, and possibly the front also.

[Philip_Saran]

As for where to get a front end alignment I go to the Mid Duty Ford dealer that works on trucks/big rigs and RV's Rush Ford in Commerce CO.

[Philip_Saran]

I have a Safe-T-Steer stabilizer on the front end and a track bar added to the rear of my MH. Keep the front tire pressure at 95psi and the rear at 100psi.

I was told the Cheap quick fix "can" break the links, has anyone had that problem?

[427435]

TNGW1500SE wrote:

427435 wrote:

NAUTIQUE wrote:

kmb1966 wrote:
I have a 2001 Itasca Suncruiser built on a 2000 Ford F53. Just got back from a long trip. Overall it did fine, but am looking for suggestions on what to make it a little easier to drive.

Hey kmb,
Lots of good suggestions above.
Mine's a 2000 GBM on a 1999 F53. These were my steps:
Started with new tires & Bilstien shocks.
Added Steer Safe.
Added Ultratrac rear trac bar from Brazel's.
Did the Cheap Handling Fix.

If I were to do it again, I'd just about reverse the steps.
First I'd get it weighed and make sure tires are good & aired-up correctly. Then I'd do the CHF. Then add a rear trac bar.

The CHF really tightened-up the "side to side: rock and general handling input. Do this first & see how you like it - Great no-cost mod.!
The Rear Trac bar really helped the "tail-wagging-the-dog".
The Steer Safe is a nice extra saftey feature & helped tighten up the steering.
My rig rides pretty nice now (well for a delivery truck chassis! 🙂 )

Those all may be beneficial but, before spending money on add-on's, get it aligned with 4+ degrees of caster. With a good alignment, you may well be satisfied with the handling as I was.

The only problem getting an alignment is finding a place that can do it RIGHT. Many shops say they can but..........

Find a shop that does truck work--------that's what I did. I did have to insist on getting the caster changed when it was at only about 3 degrees.

[TNGW1500SE]

427435 wrote:

NAUTIQUE wrote:

kmb1966 wrote:
I have a 2001 Itasca Suncruiser built on a 2000 Ford F53. Just got back from a long trip. Overall it did fine, but am looking for suggestions on what to make it a little easier to drive.

Hey kmb,
Lots of good suggestions above.
Mine's a 2000 GBM on a 1999 F53. These were my steps:
Started with new tires & Bilstien shocks.
Added Steer Safe.
Added Ultratrac rear trac bar from Brazel's.
Did the Cheap Handling Fix.

If I were to do it again, I'd just about reverse the steps.
First I'd get it weighed and make sure tires are good & aired-up correctly. Then I'd do the CHF. Then add a rear trac bar.

The CHF really tightened-up the "side to side: rock and general handling input. Do this first & see how you like it - Great no-cost mod.!
The Rear Trac bar really helped the "tail-wagging-the-dog".
The Steer Safe is a nice extra saftey feature & helped tighten up the steering.
My rig rides pretty nice now (well for a delivery truck chassis! 🙂 )

Those all may be beneficial but, before spending money on add-on's, get it aligned with 4+ degrees of caster. With a good alignment, you may well be satisfied with the handling as I was.

The only problem getting an alignment is finding a place that can do it RIGHT. Many shops say they can but..........

[427435]

NAUTIQUE wrote:

kmb1966 wrote:
I have a 2001 Itasca Suncruiser built on a 2000 Ford F53. Just got back from a long trip. Overall it did fine, but am looking for suggestions on what to make it a little easier to drive.

Hey kmb,
Lots of good suggestions above.
Mine's a 2000 GBM on a 1999 F53. These were my steps:
Started with new tires & Bilstien shocks.
Added Steer Safe.
Added Ultratrac rear trac bar from Brazel's.
Did the Cheap Handling Fix.

If I were to do it again, I'd just about reverse the steps.
First I'd get it weighed and make sure tires are good & aired-up correctly. Then I'd do the CHF. Then add a rear trac bar.

The CHF really tightened-up the "side to side: rock and general handling input. Do this first & see how you like it - Great no-cost mod.!
The Rear Trac bar really helped the "tail-wagging-the-dog".
The Steer Safe is a nice extra saftey feature & helped tighten up the steering.
My rig rides pretty nice now (well for a delivery truck chassis! 🙂 )

Those all may be beneficial but, before spending money on add-on's, get it aligned with 4+ degrees of caster. With a good alignment, you may well be satisfied with the handling as I was.

[NAUTIQUE]

kmb1966 wrote:
I have a 2001 Itasca Suncruiser built on a 2000 Ford F53. Just got back from a long trip. Overall it did fine, but am looking for suggestions on what to make it a little easier to drive.

Hey kmb,
Lots of good suggestions above.
Mine's a 2000 GBM on a 1999 F53. These were my steps:
Started with new tires & Bilstien shocks.
Added Steer Safe.
Added Ultratrac rear trac bar from Brazel's.
Did the Cheap Handling Fix.

If I were to do it again, I'd just about reverse the steps.
First I'd get it weighed and make sure tires are good & aired-up correctly. Then I'd do the CHF. Then add a rear trac bar.

The CHF really tightened-up the "side to side: rock and general handling input. Do this first & see how you like it - Great no-cost mod.!
The Rear Trac bar really helped the "tail-wagging-the-dog".
The Steer Safe is a nice extra saftey feature & helped tighten up the steering.
My rig rides pretty nice now (well for a delivery truck chassis! 🙂 )

[mc_cc]

A front trac bar will help make the steering less loose feeling when you hit a bump. It will also prevent the dreaded death wobble on those older F53's. This is standard equipment by Ford beginning in 2007. While you are at it, go ahead and get the rear trac bar. While you are installing those, go ahead and do the cheap handling fix too. It does help, but will not completely eliminate the sway from big trucks and wind. I have considered purchasing the beefed up sway bar by Road Master. I wonder if anyone has installed this on their rig?

[JoeH]

I put front and rear track bars on our F-53 -- really helped

[doxiemom11]

We also did the Cheap Handling Fix on our F53 and it made a big difference in the handling and the being blown around. We did both front and rear and then added a Saf-T-Plus steering stabalizer on the front. We had already put on new tires and had an alignment when we purchased it. Hubby said he wished he wouldn't have waited 3 years to do it.

[LVJ58]

kmb1966 wrote:
I have a 2001 Itasca Suncruiser built on a 2000 Ford F53. Just got back from a long trip. Overall it did fine, but am looking for suggestions on what to make it a little easier to drive. I have Koni FSD shocks, and I am overall ok with the ride. The problem the driving. I get blown all over the road when a truck passes by. If I encounter an uneven piece of pavement, the coach swings from side to side very easily. I'm not sure if anything can be done to help, but I'd appreciate any suggestions or success stories.

We had that problem, and my solution was to install the Davis Tru-Trac stabilizing bar to our front suspension. It reduced the harsh sideways shove by overtaking 18 wheeler's to now just a gentle nudge.

Here's a link to a website with more information if interested:

http://www.supersteerparts.com/products/davis-trutrac-front-trac-bar-ford-f53-v10-1999-to-2006.html

Best of luck & safe travels:)

[427435]

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

X2


Make sure the alignment guy gets the front caster to at least 4 degrees. Four and a half to five is even better. They may resist doing this as it's work for them, but insist.

That made a world of difference with our MH.

[wildmanbaker]

Well, you are new to Rving, so, look at the front tires for uneven wear. If so have the aliment checked. Check underneath for sway bar end links and bushings for wear. If you do not have a rear track bar, you should get one, as the long springs and large shackle bushings allow the rear end to shift under the MH, causing the MH to be somewhat hard to handle. The front axel is prone to the same problems as the rear, so a front track bar may be needed also. All tire pressures should be close to the same.

[db7512]

The first thing is a front end alignment. That was the best thing I ever did for my Georgetown

[10forty2]

Before you do anything, check the sway bar bushings to make sure they aren't worn out. My coach was doing the same thing when I first got it and after someone telling me to check the bushings, I found that the front two were basically gone and the rear had lot's of play in them. Either way, you'd do yourself a good day's work by replacing the existing ones with the poly sway bar bushings. These are the ones I used and I think many on here have too.

Poly Sway Bar Bushings

After you have replaced those, you can start looking for other helpers. Make sure your tires are properly inflated for the weight you are carrying. Although I have not done it yet, the Cheap Handling Fix seems to work for most folks. I just installed air bags on my front end, which made a SIGNIFICANT improvement in handling, and will be installing them on the rear when I get time. The other thing that I found out was my king pins on the front are slightly worn....not to the point of a safety problem, but beginning to get wear to the point where a heavy truck alignment tech says it wouldn't hold the alignment for long so he wouldn't do the job. For now, I'm keeping the grease zerks full and I don't get the wandering feeling that I had before.

Then there are the steering stabilizers and the trac bars that all contribute to better handling and ride. Lots of tools and toys that can take your money and offer varying degrees of improvements. Get the basics of the suspension taken care of first, and you may not need anything else.