Shock absorbers

[Davidej M]

I'm experiencing a hard ride over uneven blacktop. I think the shocks need replacing. I have 40k miles on the unit. Is it reasonable to replace shocks at this mileage and if so what shocks do you recommend?

[Mr_D]

They might or might not. We've replaced ours but that was partly due to the front axle change and Reyco-Granning sending me various shocks to try.

I ended up with Koni FSD's on the rear and the adjustables on the front as Koni doesn't make FSD's for the 14,600# axle we have.

[Davidej M]

3810 2005 Dutch Star

[Arch Hoagland]

The biggest factor I've seen in a rough ride is tire air pressure.

I'd play with the tire pressure before I spent a dime on shocks.

Check your weight and set the tires to what the tire maker suggests on their webpage.

[camperkids]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arch Hoagland The biggest factor I've seen in a rough ride is tire air pressure. I'd play with the tire pressure before I spent a dime on shocks. Check your weight and set the tires to what the tire maker suggests on their webpage.

X2- Something so simple can make such a difference in the ride. Jim

[donandmax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arch Hoagland The biggest factor I've seen in a rough ride is tire air pressure. I'd play with the tire pressure before I spent a dime on shocks. Check your weight and set the tires to what the tire maker suggests on their webpage.

X2. tire pressure Shocks are probably ok if there not leaking. I've said it before. The junk yards are full of perfectly good shocks. Ive never had to replace shocks yet.. They go a long time....Fiddle with the pressure..

[GaryKD]

Hi Davidej M,
If you have Bilstein shocks, they are noted for their harsh ride. Once an owner gets fed up with the harsh ride they have been switching to Koni shocks. Mr_D did what I did. Koni's seem to have a much smoother ride. I would also check the tire PSI as previously posted. Put in the correct PSI for the weight being carried.

I had the adjustable Koni shocks set for the softest setting. I only wish I had made the switch years before I finally did.

[Arch Hoagland]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GaryKD Hi Davidej M, If you have Bilstein shocks, they are noted for their harsh ride. Once an owner gets fed up with the harsh ride they have been switching to Koni shocks. Mr_D did what I did. Koni's seem to have a much smoother ride. I would also check the tire PSI as previously posted. Put in the correct PSI for the weight being carried. I had the adjustable Koni shocks set for the softest setting. I only wish I had made the switch years before I finally did.

Gary.... Don't mean to pick an argument but my coach has the Bilsteins and rides just fine. I really believe air pressure is more important. If your tires are over inflated you will get a bad ride no matter what shocks you have.

[Ken Gluckman]

My coach has only about 25,000 miles on it. I have always had it serviced at Spartan and they have weighed it and established the correct tire pressures, which I always maintain.

Last fall I had it in and complained that the ride was harsh. They recommended changing to Konis and said if I would pay for the parts that they wouldn't charge for the labor. I had them make the change and the improvement is very noticeable. I can strongly recommend the change.

[Mr_D]

I think part of the problem with ours is that we are about 1000#'s under the max weight for the axle. I ended up with the Koni adjustables set at their lowest setting and it seems to be OK.
Still thinking about trying the new Bilstein Comfitrack ones as they do have make for the 14,600# axle we have. Have the phone number for the Bilstein expert in front of me and keep intending to call but haven't yet.

[Mr_D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donandmax X2. tire pressure Shocks are probably ok if there not leaking. I've said it before. The junk yards are full of perfectly good shocks. Ive never had to replace shocks yet.. They go a long time....Fiddle with the pressure..

But, if your tires are already set for the correct pressure according to the charts then all you can do is add pressure which usually results in a rougher ride.
NEVER run lower pressure than the manufactures weight/pressure charts say.

[GaryKD]

Hi Arch Hoagland,
If you do a search on Bilstein shocks you'll find many, many threads and posts about the harsh ride. Getting a bit deeper, this is a Newmar Owners thread. I see you own a Monaco coach. I am happy you are satisfied with Bilstein shocks on your Monaco coach. Monaco and Newmar are built differently and on different chassis'. Even if the chassis are both from the same supplier, I know Newmar requires the chassis builder to make modifications per Newmar specs. Monaco may do the same. All this means Bilstein and Koni shocks may or may not work well in all applications, or even in similar applications. I do know Koni shocks make a world of difference on some Newmar coaches.

My post did mention for the OP to have the correct PSI in the tires. As to which is more important, who cares? They both need to be done and done correctly.

[Patrol 65]

Normally when shocks are gone, the vehicle tends to bounce a lot because of loss of dampening ability.

[Arch Hoagland]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GaryKD Hi Arch Hoagland, If you do a search on Bilstein shocks you'll find many, many threads and posts about the harsh ride. Getting a bit deeper, this is a Newmar Owners thread. I see you own a Monaco coach. I am happy you are satisfied with Bilstein shocks on your Monaco coach. Monaco and Newmar are built differently and on different chassis'. Even if the chassis are both from the same supplier, I know Newmar requires the chassis builder to make modifications per Newmar specs. Monaco may do the same. All this means Bilstein and Koni shocks may or may not work well in all applications, or even in similar applications. I do know Koni shocks make a world of difference on some Newmar coaches. My post did mention for the OP to have the correct PSI in the tires. As to which is more important, who cares? They both need to be done and done correctly.

You bring up a good point about how the same components work differently on various chassis. I agree.
I hadn't noticed it was a Newmar Owners thread...I'm a bit lax on noticing which thread or forum the posts come from so I will start trying to pay a little more attention.
I sure wish we had a test track somewhere in the country where we could take our rigs and have various components.....tires, shocks, etc. swapped out and do a test run to see what really corrects the problem.