wildebill308 Report post Posted May 22, 2016 For the money the first thing I would add is a rear track bar. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
john.leto@yahoo.com Report post Posted June 10, 2016 hi guys, we made the air pressure changes and have put a few miles on. it definitely helped, but need to go to the next level. experiencing a great deal of driver fatigue fighting the cross winds and road in general. looking at Sumo springs, track bars and shocks. there are allot of options. could use any input. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted June 10, 2016 Like I said before. For the money the first thing I would add is a rear track bar. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
john.leto@yahoo.com Report post Posted June 11, 2016 ok, looking at a couple different ones. what brand did you get? did you do it yourself or have it done? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted June 11, 2016 I don't have a gas coach now but this is the one I would buy. http://blueox.com/chassis-performance/tigertrak-track-bars/ Depends what your ability, skill level is, whether you can install it. I don't think it is that big of a job. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted June 12, 2016 My last coach I bought mine from these guys. http://www.supersteerparts.com It worked great! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted June 13, 2016 23 hours ago, jleamont said: My last coach I bought mine from these guys. http://www.supersteerparts.com It worked great! Yep another good source for parts. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
southwind32v Report post Posted July 11, 2016 On May 16, 2016 at 7:25 PM, john.leto@yahoo.com said: We are looking to make some improvements to our 2011 Daybreak bunk house. The ride and handling make it difficult to drive and gives my family motion sickness going down I80. I haven't had a lot of luck looking around the net, what have you done or seen done that was worth the effort and money? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MELTONFOTO Report post Posted August 26, 2016 Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. I have had 2 RV's same problem, both Fords. Class C 31 foot E450 and A class 36 foot F53 gas. Had both weighed at Cat scales and adjusted air pressure. Then had alignment checked at a truck service center and both were off on toe and caster. Corrected and made 20% improvement on steering. Then alignment Mgr recommended Blue Ox Tiger Trac bar that other customers had installed and liked. He called two customers, got permission for me to talk to them about their results. Both were very pleased with results and both had also added steering stabilizers to front. One a Safe t Plus and the other the road master reflex. So now I have done both RV's with blue ox Tiger Trac bars on rear and Safety plus steering stabilizers on front. Problem solved. No more wandering on steering and trucks do not blow me around. Maybe a small wiggle, usually after they have completely passed me. Tail wag gone. Steering good. Now if I could just get the government to repave some of these roads.... but that is another story. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RodgerS Report post Posted August 26, 2016 "what have you done or seen done that was worth the effort and money?" This question has been asked and answered so many times with just a little bit of effortless research in any MH forum. The most recent talk about has been Sumos. Like all upgrades, much depends on the specific unit and there is some assumption you have done the easy stuff like adjusting tire pressure and weighing the coach. The bigger question is how far does it take you as to improving the ride ability and this seems to partially be a judgment call of the person in the driver's seat. Certainly, before one buys a coach the issue of drivability should be part of ones consideration. At some point, if you are putting on quite a bit of mileage, the answer is easy, get a dp. However, the ride ability seems to improve heavier and longer the coach gets, even for gas coaches. I have read several happy posts by owners of the gas 26k, 39 foot Newman Canyon Stars, but I have also read happy posts by owners of Chevy trucks who claim they ride like a Cadillac. Regardless, I'm sure it would be hard to get a MH to match the ride ability of my Mercedes clk. My current RV, my now 75 lb Boxer dog, is knocking his big stainless steel bowl around this morning, which means it is time for a refill. Cheers. Rodger S. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
db7512 Report post Posted September 13, 2016 Have you had your front end aligned? My 2016 Georgetown was way out. This helped a lot but I still was not happy and installed a Roadmaster steering stabilizer which helped so more. I have not had a lot of miles on the stabilizer but so far I think it was worth it. Does your MH drift or pull a little to one side and then you are correcting continuously? If so do a alignment before adding anything. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted September 13, 2016 Paul. When I had Gas Class A's, I always had alignment, caster and toe checked first, then added a Safe T plus and a thicker rear sway bar...that knocked out 95% of the problem! What we have is a "rolling earthquake" to begin with and your never going to get 100%, whether it's a big heavy DP or a Gasser. If Desertdeals or I, told you how things have changed in the coach business, regulatory, technology and tires over the past 40-50 years, you would not believe it ! Everything that has been said on this Post alone, did not exists in the late 60's and 70's! Carl Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dstrahm Report post Posted January 3, 2017 What baffles me is that for over a decade Ford has been aware of the common problems MH owners have had with the F53 chassis ride and handling and appear to have done nothing about it. Second only to the many coach manufacturers that continue to use the chassis and sell them knowing how unpleasantly they ride. Do any of them offer an option package that includes some of these common upgrades? e.g. "Option package 301a, safety and driveability upgrade." :-) On a serious note, I am also on a quest to improve the ride and handling on our 1999 Brave. We inherited it from my in-laws that purchased it new and put almost 150k miles on it. They installed most of the items listed so far; SafT stabilizer, larger sway bars, air bags. I've installed Koni FSD shocks, Michelin tires and replaced the tire weights with balance beads. The rig rides fairly well, very little sway in wind and when passing. What still remains is the harshness on a rough road. It is almost as if the tires are hard as rocks. Are there any other tires recommended that might soften that? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted January 3, 2017 Welcome to the forum. Weigh the coach, all 4 corners is the best. then set air preshure as recommended by Michelin. You are not going to get a luxury car ride, some roads are better than others. The same as the wind sway when geting passed. You are driving a big barn door and it will catch the wind. How many miles have you driven it? Sometimes it takes a couple of trips to get use to driving a bigger vehicle made on a truck chassis. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dstrahm Report post Posted January 3, 2017 Thanks. We've had it for several years now and put a few thousand miles on over about 15 trips. Unfortunately Texas loves concrete roads so that means a few hundred thousand expansion joints! It definitely rides smoother than a deuce and a half but my perfectionist side is always looking for another improvement. Weights are on the todo list so I can get the pressures adjusted, then an alignment since I am feeling an ever so slight creep to the right side. It's the only class A I've driven in the past 25 years so not much to compare to. Maybe I should take another coach for a test drive to get a comparison. Thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted January 3, 2017 One thing I found with our last coach (gas Class C, Ford E-Series chassis) was the more I altered it to handle better the worse the ride got. So I traded the "White Knuckle's" for hold on.........this is gonna hurt...., that broke something! I saw this on your vintage chassis 12 + years ago and was impressed by it. I believe Ford does this to keep the chassis cost low. I agree the Motorhome company should off a package for better handling for the customer to choose, I'm certain most wouldn't realize they needed it on their first coach and pass on it, while experienced owners would opt for it. http://www.reycogranning.com/suspensions/model-rd1370f8-2/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted January 3, 2017 10 hours ago, dstrahm said: Thanks. We've had it for several years now and put a few thousand miles on over about 15 trips. Unfortunately Texas loves concrete roads so that means a few hundred thousand expansion joints! It definitely rides smoother than a deuce and a half but my perfectionist side is always looking for another improvement. Weights are on the todo list so I can get the pressures adjusted, then an alignment since I am feeling an ever so slight creep to the right side. It's the only class A I've driven in the past 25 years so not much to compare to. Maybe I should take another coach for a test drive to get a comparison. Thanks! When you have the alignment done, I would have it loaded for travel. Changes in weight = changes in height = changes in alignment. Yes it would be helpful to drive several different coaches to see how they handle compared to your coach. I hate to tell you but all coaches ride rough over rough expansion joints and bridge transitions and it is not just in Texas. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
