ACE mods / upgrades

[sebcom]

ACE 30.2
Last mods:
- Pure sine wave inverter and auto-switch
- 400W solar panels
- 8 speakers (4 cabin, 2 sofa, 2 around tv), subwoofer and 2 amps (perfect fit behind the dashboard) and ... almost 200 feets of speaker wire!
Photos, tricks and advices on request

[COACE30.2]

Originally Posted by sebcom

ACE 30.2

Last mods:

- Pure sine wave inverter and auto-switch

- 400W solar panels

- 8 speakers (4 cabin, 2 sofa, 2 around tv), subwoofer and 2 amps (perfect fit behind the dashboard) and ... almost 200 feets of speaker wire!

Photos, tricks and advices on request

Yes please! Very interested in all of your mods. Thanks in advance.

[KTM 300xcw]

Hello I have the same ACE 30.2 coach & I'm interested in your inverter & solar panel mod. Can you send me pics & details?

Thanks!!

[sebcom]

Originally Posted by KTM 300xcw

Hello I have the same ACE 30.2 coach & I'm interested in your inverter & solar panel mod. Can you send me pics & details?

Thanks!!

Hi,

Here are some infos. Sorry for my English

Solar panels.
The goal was to be able to boondock for some days, even in winter with the furnace on. I installed 4 trojan "golf cart" type batteries, too. They fit (tight) in the dedicated battery area, just had to move a little some things.
I choose Renogy and ordered from Amazon 4 100w panels, wired them in parallel (a little more amps to drive to the controller, but better when some panels are shaded of masked by leaves or snow). The cable goes thru the fridge vent, then down to the bottom of the fridge and thru the wall to the closet where the controller is. Controller is MPPT type. Pictures ! I just finished to install that, and still have to secure some wires.









Tip: I get two wires (AWG2) from the batteries bank to the inside of the fridge compartment, and two bolts goes thru the "wall" to the closet. So I have solid +12 and Neutral connections inside the closet to plug things, as solar panels, inverter and sono amps.



Inverter
I had a 1000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter (make is Eliminator, from Canadian Tire). Not the best choice. Pure sine wave is good, but 1000W is sometimes not enough. I can get the microwave working (better than start the generator for a few seconds). I run the 110V cable from the inverter down from the closet, then to under the bed following the other cables (under the fridge, the shower, etc.). There, I added an auto-switch (Go-Power TS-30) which appear to be the exact model already present in the motorhome to switch between shore power and generator power.
I plugged the out of the pre-existent switch to the "generator" in of the new one, the cable from the inverter to the "shore power" in and moved the out cable from the previous switch to the out of the new one.
Tip: you don't want the converter to be powered by the inverter. The thing to do is to plug the converter to the out of the previous switch (or to the "generator" in of the new one, at the other end of the cable). This way, the converter will only be powered when the generator is running, or when shore power is available, but not when the inverter is on.

Audio
I had to add some quality speakers (I choose 4 pairs of component speakers from Kicker). Four in the front of the cabin, two above the sofa and two under the table. Pictures !









There is a subwoofer too, under the sofa. It gives upright basses in jazz tunes the power they need

The radio (Axxera) is not powerful enough for these speakers, so I had to install 2 amplifiers (one for the 8 main speakers, and one for the sub). The first one fits perfectly beside the dashboard, and the other one under the radio. Pictures !





I wanted to be able to have the music only in the cabin, or only in the "house" or both at the same time. I wanted too to be able to balance the sound form the "top" speakers to the "bottom" speakers. Top vs bottom is managed by the radio (fader), and the cabin vs home vs both by a switch:



The trickiest part was to run the cables to the tv side, because of the slide. You'll have to get them to the rear bed, then following other cables thru the floor to the "water" external compartment, the up thru the floor again to the underside of the bunks. From there, it's easy to go to the dining area, following other cable under the kitchen elements.

That's it
Once again, sorry for my English, I hope what I wrote is understandable. If not, just ask!

Take care,

SC

[DenverTransplant]

We had some nice weather this week so I took the opportunity to install the SuperSteer Track Bar and Koni shocks I ordered a couple weeks ago on our 2017 ACE 30.1. We bought the ACE last summer and while we did OK on a trip from Denver to Northern California in September, there were a few interesting moments on the drive out there. So I've been reading a number of forum postings on improving handling with interest.

When we bought the coach, we did have Tyron blowout protection bands installed, and shortly afterwords I installed a Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer, and did the CHF on the front, but the coach still felt really light and it took lots of attention to keep it on track. It would get pushed around by passing semi's and wan't fun to drive in the wind

A month or so ago we had the coach into Ford to have the alignment fixed and the 6-speed transmission software flashed to fix the lack of downshifting in Tow/Haul mode (we had some really hot brakes coming down the Continental Divide and Vail Pass on I-70). The alignment made a big difference in removing the floating of the front end, but I was still concerned about the push we'd gotten with passing semi's and instability in wind.

So I spend a couple of hours on Thursday installing the track bar and performing the CHF on the rear, and a couple of hours on Friday taking off the OEM Bilstien shocks and installing the Koni's. Installation was a bit of an adventure but worked out OK. I put together a set of ramps (deisgn found on one of the RV forums) from 2x10's that lift the front or back wheels up 6" which makes a big difference in space available. I was actually able to sit up while installing the track bar and shocks. Even sort of stand in the front while changing the shocks.

Today we got out for about a 60 mile test drive. Results were quite satisfying. The alignment and track bar have made the coach a whole lot more stable and the Koni's have really improved the ride. Heading up the 225 to connect to I-70 there are more than a couple of dips in the road which previously had sent the coach into a scary porpoise. With the Koni's, you feel the dips, but the coach was pretty solid. In general traffic sway is way down and the ride is a lot firmer. I can take curves at the speed on the warning signs instead of 10-15 MPH less. When we had the alignment done, Ford decided to inflate the tires to 95 psig instead of the 82 stated on the sticker in the coach, so I think the ride was harder than it should have been. I'll go back to the 82 before the next trip.

Out on the east side of Denver on the 70 we had 20-25 MPH cross winds, which did require steering correction, but things were much more stable. Almost no push from passing semi's, and I think most that that was due to the wind shadow instead of air off the trucks. Before I'd get a push right when the semi number got about even with me and suck left when the trailer passed. Now almost nothing.

We have a number of longer trips planned for Spring and Summer and I'm looking forward to a much more relaxing drive.

Still thinking of adding SumoSprings, but that likely will be next year.

Other mods to date

- Replaced TV amplifier connection plate with a Winegard distribution box (old version I found on eBay, new in its original packaging.) Can now switch signals to all three TV's independently and the flakey cable connection is now solid. Also wired in a 300 watt inverter I had to power the TV and a Blue Ray player while on battery. I tied in 12VCD to the inverter by tapping into the power to the awning and routing the wire in closet next to the entry door and up into the TV cabinet.

- Upgraded the stock WIFCO converter with a Progressive Dynamics 4-Stage converter

- Added a TPMS and Garmin RV GPS

- DCW is in the process of replacing all of the stock pleated blinds with curtains - one set of sheers with a black out curtain. Also she is changing out the stock front window curtains with the blackout curtains. Curtain sections are held together with sewn in magnets.

- Custom screen for the back emergency exit window is in the works. I have to locate curved screen corner fittings. New screen will likely attach to the window frame with Velcro

- Just received an LED "bulb" with a standard screw base. As soon as DCW finds a lamp she likes I'll wire it into 12V and mount it on the dinette. The overhead lights are too bright and harsh so she wants a lamp to attach to the table. Details pending lamp selection. We looked for 12VDC lamps and found almost nothing and what there was was really pricey. Then I found the 12VCD LED bulb replacement that will allow us to use any lamp, provided we don't try and plug it in to 120VAC.

- Connected my old Tekonsha brake controller to use with our American Car Dolly tow dolly. We have the on-dolly brake controller, but it's been much too sensitive. We tow a 2015 Mini-Cooper S and it seems to be too light for the brake controller. I will be adjusting brakes befor we head out again. Incidentally, we found that eTrailer lists a F-550 Tekonsha cable for use with the F53- wrong. Ending up getting the right one from Amazon. Also rigging up a Safety Cable for the dolly using a couple of Blue Ox safety cables and some safety straps. The cables will go though the Mini's wheels. I'll provide some details once I work out the final details with the Mini on the dolly.

- Changed all of the storage compartment locks with barrel locks so I won't be keyed the same as every other RV made.

[Dcbenny]

Originally Posted by DenverTP

We had some nice weather this week so I took the opportunity to install the SuperSteer Track Bar and Koni shocks I ordered a couple weeks ago on our 2017 ACE 30.1. We bought the ACE last summer and while we did OK on a trip from Denver to Northern California in September, there were a few interesting moments on the drive out there. So I've been reading a number of forum postings on improving handling with interest.

When we bought the coach, we did have Tyron blowout protection bands installed, and shortly afterwords I installed a Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer, and did the CHF on the front, but the coach still felt really light and it took lots of attention to keep it on track. It would get pushed around by passing semi's and wan't fun to drive in the wind

A month or so ago we had the coach into Ford to have the alignment fixed and the 6-speed transmission software flashed to fix the lack of downshifting in Tow/Haul mode (we had some really hot brakes coming down the Continental Divide and Vail Pass on I-70). The alignment made a big difference in removing the floating of the front end, but I was still concerned about the push we'd gotten with passing semi's and instability in wind.

So I spend a couple of hours on Thursday installing the track bar and performing the CHF on the rear, and a couple of hours on Friday taking off the OEM Bilstien shocks and installing the Koni's. Installation was a bit of an adventure but worked out OK. I put together a set of ramps (deisgn found on one of the RV forums) from 2x10's that lift the front or back wheels up 6" which makes a big difference in space available. I was actually able to sit up while installing the track bar and shocks. Even sort of stand in the front while changing the shocks.

Today we got out for about a 60 mile test drive. Results were quite satisfying. The alignment and track bar have made the coach a whole lot more stable and the Koni's have really improved the ride. Heading up the 225 to connect to I-70 there are more than a couple of dips in the road which previously had sent the coach into a scary porpoise. With the Koni's, you feel the dips, but the coach was pretty solid. In general traffic sway is way down and the ride is a lot firmer. I can take curves at the speed on the warning signs instead of 10-15 MPH less. When we had the alignment done, Ford decided to inflate the tires to 95 psig instead of the 82 stated on the sticker in the coach, so I think the ride was harder than it should have been. I'll go back to the 82 before the next trip.

Out on the east side of Denver on the 70 we had 20-25 MPH cross winds, which did require steering correction, but things were much more stable. Almost no push from passing semi's, and I think most that that was due to the wind shadow instead of air off the trucks. Before I'd get a push right when the semi number got about even with me and suck left when the trailer passed. Now almost nothing.

We have a number of longer trips planned for Spring and Summer and I'm looking forward to a much more relaxing drive.

Still thinking of adding SumoSprings, but that likely will be next year.

Other mods to date

- Replaced TV amplifier connection plate with a Winegard distribution box (old version I found on eBay, new in its original packaging.) Can now switch signals to all three TV's independently and the flakey cable connection is now solid. Also wired in a 300 watt inverter I had to power the TV and a Blue Ray player while on battery. I tied in 12VCD to the inverter by tapping into the power to the awning and routing the wire in closet next to the entry door and up into the TV cabinet.

- Upgraded the stock WIFCO converter with a Progressive Dynamics 4-Stage converter

- Added a TPMS and Garmin RV GPS

- DCW is in the process of replacing all of the stock pleated blinds with curtains - one set of sheers with a black out curtain. Also she is changing out the stock front window curtains with the blackout curtains. Curtain sections are held together with sewn in magnets.

- Custom screen for the back emergency exit window is in the works. I have to locate curved screen corner fittings. New screen will likely attach to the window frame with Velcro

- Just received an LED "bulb" with a standard screw base. As soon as DCW finds a lamp she likes I'll wire it into 12V and mount it on the dinette. The overhead lights are too bright and harsh so she wants a lamp to attach to the table. Details pending lamp selection. We looked for 12VDC lamps and found almost nothing and what there was was really pricey. Then I found the 12VCD LED bulb replacement that will allow us to use any lamp, provided we don't try and plug it in to 120VAC.

- Connected my old Tekonsha brake controller to use with our American Car Dolly tow dolly. We have the on-dolly brake controller, but it's been much too sensitive. We tow a 2015 Mini-Cooper S and it seems to be too light for the brake controller. I will be adjusting brakes befor we head out again. Incidentally, we found that eTrailer lists a F-550 Tekonsha cable for use with the F53- wrong. Ending up getting the right one from Amazon. Also rigging up a Safety Cable for the dolly using a couple of Blue Ox safety cables and some safety straps. The cables will go though the Mini's wheels. I'll provide some details once I work out the final details with the Mini on the dolly.

- Changed all of the storage compartment locks with barrel locks so I won't be keyed the same as every other RV made.

Denver have a Windsport 27K with some of same issues front wheel alignment was the best cure for driving. Working on a lotofmods but very interested on the rear screen let me know what you come up with. Looking for those rounded screen corners myself

[COACE30.2]

Originally Posted by DenverTP

A month or so ago we had the coach into Ford to have the alignment fixed and the 6-speed transmission software flashed to fix the lack of downshifting in Tow/Haul mode

DenverTP, which Ford dealer did you use to service your RV? I need to do the same with the Tow Haul mode but my local dealer in Broomfield doesn't service RV's. Thanks in advance.

[DenverTransplant]

COACE

We had the work done at Rush Ford Medium Truck Center - In Commerce on 50th St in the triangle between the 70 and 270. They did a test drive and determined that the transmission wasn't downshifting and called to tell me that they had to contact Ford about the problem. I pointed them to the TSB and they took care of it.

[COACE30.2]

Originally Posted by DenverTP

COACE

We had the work done at Rush Ford Medium Truck Center - In Commerce on 50th St in the triangle between the 70 and 270. They did a test drive and determined that the transmission wasn't downshifting and called to tell me that they had to contact Ford about the problem. I pointed them to the TSB and they took care of it.

Thank you!

[DenverTransplant]

I found these screen corners - 2-1/2" radius which matches the tracing we made of the window. I'm going to order a couple (only need two for our rear window, top corners are 90 degrees) and see how they work out.

Pelland Enterprises Motor Home Products - RV Windows

[Dcbenny]

Originally Posted by DenverTP

I found these screen corners - 2-1/2" radius which matches the tracing we made of the window. I'm going to order a couple (only need two for our rear window, top corners are 90 degrees) and see how they work out.

Pelland Enterprises Motor Home Products - RV Windows

thanks

[dmurray]

Originally Posted by dmurray

ok so this is not really about a mod to my new RV, but maybe to my parking area...
I need to know what the overall width of the 2013 ACE 30.1 is... WITH mirrors.

I think I can get it into my yard (scary scary close, for a first time rv driver) but am not sure. my gate is 10feet wide.

MFR specs show the width as 99" withOUT mirrors. That fits, but if the mirrors extend out a foot or more on either side, well I've got a problem

If someone has one and could measure outside mirror to outside mirror, and confirm dimensions, it would be awesomely helpful.


Thanks in advance!

k sorry for the delayed response. short story couldn't park where I'd hoped. two reasons. the gate opening is about 2" too narrow, and I really don't want to dig up the 6x6 posts to move them a couple inches, AND rebuild the gate. and the second reason: the City of Virginia Beach has some weird rules. I CAN park it in my back yard, behind the 8ft fences, BUT it has to be back at least 30' from the curb, and behind the plane of the house (making it about 45'). this would mean taking out several very large trees.
also... I'm kindof a chicken-sh** when it comes to backing the rig up through that tight a space, even if I DID modify my fence to get thru. can you say Buck-awwww! ?? LOL

[mgheron]

Has anyone ever replaced the Outer Shower Dome on their ACE ?

My Outer Shower Skylight Dome on my ACE 29.1 developed cracks and started leaking. I have removed it but can not find a replacement anywhere on the net. All of the replacements are 5 inches or less in height and the ACE outer dome is 8 inches. Because the inner dome is 9 inches high the outer must be at least 8 to fit.

I contacted Thor and they would not tell me where or from who they get the Dome piece.

Thanks ......

[rivraton]

Try here:
RV Skylight Form