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litteachse

Tiffin Factory Steering/Suspension Or Lack Thereof

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I have a used 2015 36LA Allegro Open Road with what I believe is the original suspension and steering system.  I was wondering what people find the best bang for the buck upgrades to improve road handling and ride may be?     I've heard Liquid Suspension is the best but its upward of $12,000!!  Anyone with experience would be greatly appreciated.  I bough my BMB (Big Metal Box) a couple of years ago and drove it across the US and back to So Calif.   This summer I'd like to take some trips (under 1500 miles ) in order to get ready to retire June 2022 and maybe go more...

Thank You!

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3 hours ago, litteachse said:

I have a used 2015 36LA Allegro Open Road

First, welcome to the forum. 

There are a lot of good upgrades that can be done. My first step would be to upgrade the shocks, I would look at the Koni FSD. Try Shock Warehouse. https://www.shockwarehouse.com/ . Personally I would back track bars at the same time.

Found something interesting when looking. https://www.ultrarvproducts.com/Stage-3-2006-Ford-F53-Class-A-20-22K-GVWR-Handling-Kit

Bill

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Welcome!

Maintain realistic expectations. This MH is built on a metal spring(truck) suspension, it will always ride harsher than a MH with air springs. Handling improvements are many, but you must choose carefully to get the best combination. I agree with wildbill's recommendations.

IMO after new shocks, the next step is to have a total alignment performed on the chassis. This insures the rear axle is correctly aligned with the center-line of the frame(commonly called Thrust angle), then the front wheels are aligned.  Now you have a correct beginning point for handling improvement.

If any truck wheel alignment shop tells you rear axle alignment cannot be corrected, FIND ANOTHER SHOP! The alignment technician is lacking in education..

Example. My MH chassis is a Spartan, the rear axle thrust angle was out by 3/4". It might have been that way from the factory, hitting a curb or backing into a wheel stop hard with one side.

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After the above, Safe-T-Steer will dampen cross winds, big truck suction and lane wandering!  Highly recommended.

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Agree with Carl,  Safe-T-Plus is a great product.

I had it on my 2008 and I'll be getting it on the 2015 as they now have Safe-T-Plus for IFS steering.

Mention my name for no discount. 🙂

Edited by wayne77590

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rayin, you are right I forgot to mention a good all wheel alignment is critical. Adding some extra castor is a good move to (it makes the front wheels track strait) do/check when doing the alignment. 

I  think track bars help stabilize the suspension so you don't have as much movement like when a truck passes you.

That second link I posted is interesting because it has a kit with all the upgrades.

Bill

 

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One thing I did before having our coach aligned was to contact Monaco and got them to send me the Alignment Specs.

It helped the tech do the alignment. One thing that will help with driving any vehicle is Toe-In. If it is toed out it will cause a wander like a Bloodhound on the scent.

Herman

Edited by hermanmullins

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The biggest concern I have experienced with a gas coach is the rear axle walking side to side. 2" of movement at the rear axle will make the dog's tail wag and will cause you to constantly compensate. 

I have installed several of these that made a huge improvement. I am sure there are other companies that make these, I always bought from them because I like their attention to detail and overall quality. 

https://supersteerparts.com/search-results-page?page=1&rb_custom_field_84cdc76cabf41bd7c961f6ab12f117d8=2019&rb_custom_field_099dafc678df7d266c25f95ccf6cde22=Ford&rb_custom_field_20f35e630daf44dbfa4c3f68f5399d8c=F-53+V10&ymm=true

This will not make it ride smoother, but it will help keep in planted in the lane when large vehicles pass you. I can say from experience, after a days driving with and without its extremely helpful! 

A beefed up set of sway bars will help the side to side sway also. It depends on how much you want to spend vs how much wallowing you can tolerate. 

Edited by jleamont

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Joe is right on the money.

Something else I found that helps is to replace the bushings in the front sway bar with polypropylene bushings that are firmer.

Bill

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On 1/18/2021 at 11:51 AM, hermanmullins said:

One thing I did before having our coach aligned was to contact Monaco and got them to send me the Alignment Specs.

It helped the tech do the alignment. One thing that will help with driving any vehicle is Toe-In. I it is toed out it will cause a wander like a Bloodhound on the scent.

Herman

You jogged my memory. I too had to download the alignment specs from Reyco-Granning(maker of my IFS) and hand it to the shop owner. His alignment computer contained incorrect specs that really showed up in the first road test.

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