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Old 03-24-2019, 05:22 PM   #1
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Suspension Ride Quality.. 24k and Sumos

i have been and still am a proud 2018 32sa owner... i spent the extra money to get the 24k chassis and sumo springs.
recently had an alignment which tiffin paid for... and rec'd huge improvement in driveability.
i've eagerly encouraged folks to get the bigger chassis and sumo's

last week i spoke with a fellow with a different opinion... i had told him of some horrible roads and poor ride quality.
his response...
1st off you need to upgrade your shocks. and recommended bilsteins.
then he asked why i had gotten the heavier capacity chassis and i answered for more cargo capacity.
he explained that the added 2000# suspension stiffened my ride, because of more spring. and the example he gave was a dump truck ,...
heavy duty dump truck bounces on the road, but rides better when loaded.. he stated that the 22k chassis rode better than the 24k!

he then asked if i had sumos. and i said yes. he suggested i take them out... they are adding to the stiffness of the ride, he said... the stiffer the ride the rougher the ride..

so, i'm no mechanic and a newbie to the world of rvs... just sharing what i heard. i think i spent an extra 5000 retail to get the 24k and sumos...

comments? i'm not planning to take out my sumos... just relaying a different opinion for your consideration!!
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Old 03-24-2019, 07:14 PM   #2
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Just my opinion. I have owned both. Sounds like someone might be a little jealous. When I ordered the New Tiffin I didnt realize you could upgrade to the 24Klbs chassis.I have a 19,32SA. Drove both with sumos and for the length and the weight of anything over 35 feet you need to go with the 24K. The shocks and sway bars are upgraded on the 24K. I have added a steering stabilizer and a rear track bar and I am very happy with the smooth ride and the handling especially pulling a tow vehicle.
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Old 03-25-2019, 01:53 PM   #3
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Let set some baseline numbers to start with.....

The 22kGVWR / 26k GCWRchassis has a 8k front end and 15k rear, giving some F/R wiggle room to stay within the 22k GVWR.

The 24k/30k, is a totally different chassis than the 22k/26k. It has a 9k front end and 15.5k rated springs on a 17.5k rated rear axle. The 24k chassis itself has an UVW of ~500#s more than the same wheelbase 22k, so it nets you about 1,500# more carry capacity.

I’ll also note, that the 26k/30k chassis only differs from the 24k in the rear springs which are rated 17.5k and ride on the exact same 17.5k rated rear end; the UVW for the 26k is something like 11 (yes, eleven) pounds more that of the same wheelbase 24k, so you do net ~2,000#s more carry capacity but that is all over the rear axle (and if you tow between 4K and 5k, you’ll need to eat into that to stay within both the GVWR and GCWR.

All that out of the way, and back to the OP.

All else being equal, I think it is safe to say that a stiffer sprung chassis is going to have some additional harshness than a lighter sprung one. However, no one runs these things empty, and to a great degree folks (including us) tend to suff them until you can’t suff them anymore. The question then becomes how much do you stuff and at what point do you have weight problems, but I think the reality is that more spring = more stuff which all equals out with regards to ride quality related to the springs.

My fully loaded for “extended travel” (including full fresh water) 31SA on the 24k chassis weighs 8,400 on the 9k front and 14,200 on the 15.5k rear (I am also well balanced L/R). Given the specs above, and taking out the 500#s extra UVW, I’d be just over weight on a 22k and have to shed even more weight to pull my 4500# Cherokee. Given our actual weight, I have not gotten into a “why is this on the coach?” discussion, because I don’t want to get into that if I don’t really need to .

We also have factory Sumos, and I have no idea how they affect ride / handling, since this is our first coach, but I’ve never felt the need to mess with the sway bars or add a rear track bar to improve stability.

We’ve had our coach for 4 years now, and 32,000 miles. At 5,000 miles I had a Safe T Steer added as I thought it would primarily help wife with her tendency to “see saw” / overcompensate her steering. Once we got it trued up properly I would say it was worthwhile and there is the theory they help with controlling a front tire blow out.

At 24,000 miles last spring, I had the aftermarket Bilsteins put on after a lot of conversations with vendors at the FMCA rally in Perry last March; if nothing else, they certainly couldn’t hurt and the factory “Ford spec” Bilsteins were probably 1/2 way though thier life anyway; I do think they are are a reasonable but marginal improvement, but make no mistake, a bad bridge expansion joint is still a jolt.

Overall, we are happy with what we have, and greatly enjoy our travels.

Regards
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Old 03-25-2019, 03:24 PM   #4
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I'll just list what I've done to my 2012 32CA - top of the line bilstein shocks; safe-t-plus on steering; larger front stabilizer bar; rear track bar; additional sway bar behind rear differential. Summo's were just coming out when I had my suspension work done, so I didn't get them. I've got a 22,000 chassis. My ride seems to be good for a gas motorhome. I had Chip with Rally's "R" Us - Welcome Home
do all the work. Dave
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Old 03-26-2019, 08:20 AM   #5
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your setup is good, the stock shocks are trash even when new.
I would switch to koni FSD shocks, consider the quad shock setup F& R from Henderson. I went from 4 koni's to the quad setup and it made a very good ride to a great ride.

Sumo's improve the coach side to side stability, resist harsh bottoming and reduce stiff suspension movement. Sumo's reduce leaf spring sag, therefore, the leaf spring is in a less harsh spring tension point at the start of wheel travel.

Do adjust your tire pressure to 82 F and 80 R for further ride benefits.
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Old 03-26-2019, 09:45 AM   #6
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I replaced the original Ford shocks with Bilsteins. The Bilsteins seem to provide a softer ride but I did notice a little more body roll as they are softer. I have the 24K chassis.
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Old 03-26-2019, 10:22 AM   #7
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as Peter said the Henderson set up is good - Henderson's was at the Tiffin rally in Lewisburg, WV a couple of years ago and I talked to them. The good thing about Rally's "R" Us - Welcome Home is that Chip will meet you at a rally or try to meet you on the road and do the install right where you are. A couple of years ago he came to my campsite in Florida and installed the new shocks. Dave
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