Shocks & firestone airbags

[SEAVIEW 33]

Hi, I recently purchased a 2003 Gulf Stream 36' on the W22 Workhorse chassis with the 8.1 ltr V-8, 16,000 km, in really nice condition, and have a couple of questions:
- The unit "porpoises" over bumps on the highway. I have ordered new Monro Gas Magnum RV shocks to see if this helps, any suggestions?
- I am considering installing a full Firestone airbag system with inboard compressor and dash controls, partly to avoid dragging the rear on entry/exit to my driveway as well as some service stations. Can anyone tell me if they have had postive/negative experiences with this system?
- Also, should I be concerned with fully extending the airbags when the chassis is jacked up and the wheels are off the ground for maintenance?

Thanks, appreciate any advice you can give me.

[UFO Pilot]

Many Workhorse owners have installed Koni's to stop the porpoising. No advice re: airbags.

[Full-Timers]

I would go with the shocks first. The shocks Workhorse installed were not very good. In fact Workhorse was replacing them with another type if you proved your coach was proposing badly. I would go with the Koni’s although they are a bit pricey. Your coach my be tail heavy. This will also cause proposing. I don’t think Air bags will help much, but what do I know…

[stuhly]

Not the same coach, but I put airbags under the back of an old Georgie Boy once and it really improved the ride and drivability a lot.

[DAN L]

Originally Posted by SEAVIEW 33

Hi, I recently purchased a 2003 Gulf Stream 36' on the W22 Workhorse chassis with the 8.1 ltr V-8, 16,000 km, in really nice condition, and have a couple of questions:
- The unit "porpoises" over bumps on the highway. I have ordered new Monro Gas Magnum RV shocks to see if this helps, any suggestions?
- I am considering installing a full Firestone airbag system with inboard compressor and dash controls, partly to avoid dragging the rear on entry/exit to my driveway as well as some service stations. Can anyone tell me if they have had postive/negative experiences with this system?
- Also, should I be concerned with fully extending the airbags when the chassis is jacked up and the wheels are off the ground for maintenance?

Thanks, appreciate any advice you can give me.

DEFINITELY koni fsd shocks.
check out sumo springs for the front rather than airbags.

There have been good reviews on koni shocks and sumo springs on this forum.

SuperSprings Self-Adjusting Suspension Stabilizers

[Mr_D]

Check the Kelderman suspension system. They might have something for that unit.

http://kelderman.com/

[PapaBobby]

My recently purchased 2007 Allegro came with sumo spring and Bilstein shocks. No porpoising at all.

[chawkins99]

As you've already ordered them, the Monroes will probably improve things but in 10,000 miles when they are shot, put some Bilsteins (or Konis) on.

[AirLift]

If you're interested in adding a set of air bags, I can find a kit for your application. It should help the ride quality (if the shocks are in good working condition) and the adjustability is nice for a variety of scenarios.

[is.chowa]

I put in Konis on my 1999 P32 chassis. Also replaced OEM steer damper with Bilsteins. Very happy with the ride.

Steve

[Clay L]

WH tried to duplicate the air ride of diesel pushers when they designed the WH suspension. They did a pretty good job but on some dips the chassis had a large downward excursion that often hit the yellow elastomeric cup on the frame. It wasn't really porpoising since it rebounded above center once and came back to center instead of making several rebounds. Although it was safe and there was no loss of control it was a little scary and a lot of people didn't like it and called it porpoising. In 2005 or so WH then started using Biltsteins which was a much stiffer shock. In my opinion the ride was pretty rough with them and even though WH was replacing the Monroe shocks with the Biltsteins for free when people complained, I opted to stay with the Monroes because I liked the ride. When they started wearing out I replaced them with the Koni FSDs and have not been impressed with them at all. The ride is much rougher and hard slams due to expansion joints on some roads are so bad that I have had to slow down to 45 or so. If I keep the motor home long enough to require new shocks I will get the new version Monroes. In Sept of 2003 WH began using a front 2.5 inch stabilizer bar (anti sway bar) instead of the 2 inch bar they started with. If you still have the 2 inch bar I would highly recommend that you switch over to the 2.5 inch. I changed mine and below is some info on that. This is from an email I got from WH in 2005: "The part number for the Front Stabilizer Bar with Brackets is: W0005643. This bar was found to have an advantage over the original 2" bar, and was put into regular production on 9/2/2003. The installation is very straightforward. Remove 4 retaining nuts while supporting bar, remove bar, hold new bar in position, reinstall 4 retaining nuts, and torque to specification. This procedure is NOT meant to replace the service manual, but is a generalized procedure. The upgraded stabilizer bar has been shown to provide the following benefits: 1. Reduced Body Roll when cornering. 2. Reduced "rocking" when passed by or passing large vehicles. 3. Reduced "rocking" when traversing bumps on an angle." The installation procedure is below- I did not raise the coach, just crawled under it: Stabilizer Shaft Replacement (Front) (W20/W22) Removal Procedure 1. Raise the vehicle on a hoist 2. Remove the nuts and washers from the stabilizer shaft clamp and the right front leaf spring. 3. Remove the nuts and washers from the stabilizer shaft clamp and the left front leaf spring, and remove the stabilizer shaft from the vehicle. 4. Remove the clamps from the stabilizer shaft. 5. Remove the insulators from the stabilizer shaft. Installation Procedure 1. Install the insulators to the stabilizer shaft. 2. Install the clamps to the stabilizer shaft. Notice: Refer to Fastener Notice in Cautions and Notices in the WCC Service Manual. 3. Install the washers and nuts to the stabilizer shaft clamp and the left front leaf spring. 4. Install the washers and nuts to the stabilizer shaft clamp and the right front leaf spring. Tighten the stabilizer shaft clamp nuts to 373 N·m (275 lb ft). 5. Lower the vehicle.

[Quinten]

I have a 2002 W22 Chassis, carrying a 37 ft. HR Vacationer. I have the airbags on all four corners. Yes they MUST be deflated before putting down the jacks or they can be damaged. Shocks: All the W22s came from the factor with a very lightweight Monroe shock that allowed a significant amount of porpoising. Workhorse changed mine out with the bigger gas magnums and life was quite good for about 20k miles when I decided to change them out to Bilsteins. Big mistake on my part, as the Bilsteins are now allowing the porpoising again. I bought into all the hype out there about Bilsteins and now am quite bothered by it. I will likely change them out and go back to the magnums. I don't give a damn about any lifetime warranty, I don't want the porpoising. Koni's? Who knows? I have a great ride with the Magnums and will stay with them. The airbags will not improve the ride, just stiffen it a bit, which is nice at times. Obviously it also allows you to keep your tail from dragging when you have a large overhang. It additionally extends the life of your springs, since they don't have to carry all the weight now. Additionally I have added a Henderson rear sway bar, a front end davis tru-track and a safeTplus steering damper. It ain't a diesel, but it's pretty darn good. Good luck.

[WeatherTodd]

Originally Posted by Quinten

I have a 2002 W22 Chassis, carrying a 37 ft. HR Vacationer. I have the airbags on all four corners. Yes they MUST be deflated before putting down the jacks or they can be damaged. Shocks: All the W22s came from the factor with a very lightweight Monroe shock that allowed a significant amount of porpoising. Workhorse changed mine out with the bigger gas magnums and life was quite good for about 20k miles when I decided to change them out to Bilsteins. Big mistake on my part, as the Bilsteins are now allowing the porpoising again. I bought into all the hype out there about Bilsteins and now am quite bothered by it. I will likely change them out and go back to the magnums. I don't give a damn about any lifetime warranty, I don't want the porpoising. Koni's? Who knows? I have a great ride with the Magnums and will stay with them. The airbags will not improve the ride, just stiffen it a bit, which is nice at times. Obviously it also allows you to keep your tail from dragging when you have a large overhang. It additionally extends the life of your springs, since they don't have to carry all the weight now. Additionally I have added a Henderson rear sway bar, a front end davis tru-track and a safeTplus steering damper. It ain't a diesel, but it's pretty darn good. Good luck.

You realize shocks are a very specific application? You can send your bilsteins back to them with specific weights of your coach and get a shock "tuned" for your chassis. Other than Konis... no other shock out of a box will do that.
Aside from that... the shock only slows down what the springs are doing. On the W22... you also have rubber bushings that can be changed.

Im positive I tow/carry more weight than most... never needed a track bar or anything extra that wasnt on the chassis to start. My rig drives like a car... if no easier

[Quinten]

Purchased the Bilstein shocks for a W22 chassis, nothing more. To say I am disappointed would be an understatement. Curious; how large a coach do you have riding on your Workhorse chassis? Is it a W22 or W24? Thanks