Suspension questions

[INrver24]

Hey gang,

Brand new to this forum gang. I have a Winnebago 35J. My Class A is 35' and is a 2007. I have just put all new rubber on. We love our ride but would like it to be a bit smoother. I have never replaced or upgraded the shocks on our RV. We only have 40K miles on her and I was planning on putting new shocks.

I wanted to tap your brains to see if anyone else has done this or something better than just new shocks.

Is it a good idea that when changing the shocks one would change springs as well. This is our first RV and not sure about how quickly this things 'wear out'.

Thanks and looking forward to your responses....

Eddie

[TonyDi]

Hi Eddie

[Sweetbriar]

You should get at least another ten years, if not longer, for the chassis springs so put that idea to sleep. With regards to a smoother ride all depends on your budget. Anything from free to $5K+. Start with the low cost stuff first.

Get the coach weight checked and set the tire pressure accordingly. Over inflating for the load can make the ride harsh. Most tire manufactures publish weight to pressure settings that you can cross to set the pressure correctly for your coach. Some owners will add a few extra pounds as a safety margin.

The various rubber or other such synthetic bushing material can degrade over time. Get yourself a creeper and spend sometime under the coach checking. Sway bar mounts and frame bumpers can be a problem.

Shocks can effect ride comfort but their primary purpose is to prevent suspension oscillation. Remember the old bumper bounce check for cars. Hard to do with an 10 ton RV. Many owners, myself included, have obtain good results install Koni shocks but they cost almost twist what the factory installed.

Good luck, and sometimes you just have to fall back on the idea that you're driving a truck with a house built on it. Smooth ride wasn't the top priority during the design.

[Skripo]

Take a look at Summosprings and/or Koni shocks.

A track bar might help sided to side swing as well.

[asuperheat]

I went with bilstein on mine. Made a big difference over stock.

[SKP Kirk]

I'd be very surprised if you do not need new shocks after 9 years, even with low mileage. By all means, get weights on individual wheels if possible and at minimum on each axle and adjust inflation pressure of tires based upon the tire manufacturer's inflation guide.

[Gary RVRoamer]

You may need shocks, though I would guess it's maybe a 50/50 chance. Shocks generally, though, do not improve ride except on very bumpy roads, e.g. potholes and RR tracks. They are there to prevent chassis bouncing, basically to keep the wheels in contact with the road when the springs re-bound after a hole or bump. If your coach bounces several times after a bump, you need shocks. If it dips & rises once, you do not.

Ride smoothness is largely a matter of tire pressure and the springs. Excessive tire pressure results in a very firm ride, so get the coach weighed and adjust pressures per the tire makers load/inflation table. Heavily loaded springs don't have much reserve and act stiff and can "bottom out". Not much to do about that except to re-distribute or reduce load, and that may not be practical in all cases. Or add some "helper" springs (usually air) to assist. Kelderman is an expert in motorhome ride improvements, but the products aren't cheap.