Best Riding Motorhome?

[slabman]

Just sold my big ol' diesel pusher and want to get into a small (27-29ft) motorhome, built on an F53 chassis, of course. I have never paid any attention to these gas products but understand there is a lot to be desired insofar as a good-handling, nice riding rig in this category. Are any of the manufacturers doing a particularly good job in improving the ride characteristics over their competitors?

[Tha_Rooster]

I doubt any manufacturer changes the chassis to make much of a difference.

[Ivylog]

Welcome back and after your last rig no gasser is going to make you happy. Track bars probably make the biggest improvement.

[twinboat]

You want a good riding MH look at the Thor Axis or Vegas models.

They ride on a E450 chassis. Much better ride.

[Smitty77]

If your investing in a Class A with F53 chassis, and plan to keep it long enough to spread the costs out over several years of usage, call and talk over options with Kelderman. This is not an inexpensive set of options for both front and rear... But, many I've talked to have been pleased with the improved handling and ride comfort. Which adds to safety and quality of usage enjoyment!

https://kelderman.com/about/

Best of luck to you,
Smitty

[DryCreek]

Test drive a few.
Are you looking for new, or used?
If you're looking for used, then I recommend a trip to PPL, in either their Houston store (largest) or Cleburne location. They have wide variety to select from, and you can get a feel for what they handle and ride like.
Also, if looking used, I hear that the ones built on the Workhorse chassis tend to ride and handle better.
While the Kelderman system is nice, it is very pricey. You could spend a fraction of that by performing the Cheap handling Fix (CHF), rear trackbar (and front if chassis built 2004 and before) and SumoSprings. All-in cost for those modifications is well under $3K dollars.
I have a feeling that the ones complaining most about the way the F-53 drives are coming from small luxury or sport sedans and haven't been driving HD pickups and small delivery trucks in their past.
The Ford Chassis forums here are a wealth of information. There you will find real-time reports from actual owners, not someone "who heard someone else say that their friends neighbor has this problem".
We have a 2006 Winnebago Sightseer 29R. It is 30' and built on the 18K F-53 chassis. I went with softer shock absorbers (Monroe RV Gas Magnum, $260 for four), front SumoSprings ($180), a rear track bar ($420), adjustable sway bar end links for the front CHF (used longer front links on rear CHF) - $88, and the most immediate fix was to install polyurethane sway bar bushings in the rear - the OEM ones were gone, as in totally missing. All told I have put less than $1.5K in suspension upgrades and I feel that the handling is so much better than the day I drove it off the lot (sans rear swaybar bushings). But, I like to tinker/wrench, and I did all of those upgrades myself. The end result was a motor home that I was able to drive in crosswinds gusting to 40 mph, and continuous 25 mph. I didn't realize how bad it was until I pulled over in a rest area and noticed that it was absolutely full of RVs of every type, and lots of truck too. When we stopped and the rig was still rocking, I knew that it was pretty bad. Still, I was on a tight schedule and we got all the way into New Mexico that evening.

Test drive. Take good notes. Have fun!

[blueridge-fl]

I don't know of any RV manufacturers that make improvements to the F53 chassis as part of their standard package. Some, like Tiffin, offer optional upgrades like Sumo springs. While there are a lot of after market handling improvements that can be made (steering stabilizer, sway bars, track bars, Sumo springs, etc.), there are few ride improvements available that that do not cost big $$. F53s sit on leaf springs, and without replacing/modifying those, there is little that can be done to smooth out the harsh ride. Probably the most cost effective solution is to carry enough weight to partially flex those springs.

[Peter M]

Tiffin has the Liquid Spring Rear suspension as a option in there Class A Gasser.This plus Koni Quad shocks Safe T steering stabilizer in the front you are close to DP ride. Smallest Class A 32 SA measures 34-35'.

[Isaac-1]

You should also keep in mind that ride can be greatly effected by such things as correct tire pressure, and cargo / weight distribution, as well as brand of tire, all before getting into suspension upgrades.

[rjsupersonic]

Jayco has their J ride suspension that includes upgrades to the F53 chassis. It's supposed to have a better ride but I have not talked to an owner .

[Dennis123]

Originally Posted by twinboat

You want a good riding MH look at the Thor Axis or Vegas models.

They ride on a E450 chassis. Much better ride.

I agree with Twinboat. I can ride for hours in my vegas and have no pains, great seats and great ride.

[vettenuts]

Tiffin now has the Liquid Spring rear suspension as a factory option. Looked at it during the Tampa RV show.

[harleyjt]

Originally Posted by vettenuts

Tiffin now has the Liquid Spring rear suspension as a factory option. Looked at it during the Tampa RV show.

Any idea as to the cost of that option? I know its extremely expensive to add on.
jt

[NLOVNIT]

We, briefly, considered the LS addition to our Bounder. Installed the quote was over $10k.

Lori-