Community Forums

pmf · 11-14-2019, 12:48 PM

Hello,

My wife and I are presently full timers in a 43' 5ver pulled with a Ram 3500 Diesel short bed. With the wonderful roads in this country it's beatings my wife to death. She has Fibromyalgia and something going on in her neck.

So we've decided to buy another house, get rid of the 5ver and truck then buy a class C. I have a few questions that hopefully someone can answer. Is the ride in a class C smooth or are some of them? Is the E450 any good or should I look at something else? Is this a good idea or should I look for a short Class A?

TIA,
Pat

A32Deuce · 11-14-2019, 01:00 PM

We are happy with our class C. 94000 miles since 2012. We spend days to months at a time. A few small problems which were easily fixed by me. Have been to Az, through Colorado, all through the Midwest and southern states. V10 does what I want towing a 16 ft. Car trailer.

twinboat · 11-14-2019, 01:18 PM

I would say that the E450 chassis is one step below a Mercedes chassis ride in small MHs.

Tons of rough ride complaints with the larger, heavier, F53 Class A MH chassis, on this site.

We bought a Thor Axis. Its small Class A on a E450 chassis. We like the ride, with no modifcations.

puttin · 11-14-2019, 01:33 PM

I've owned 2 Ford class c's- both were good. I had a 24 footer on an E350 then later on a 32 footer on the E450. Oddly they both seemed the same as far as ride quality, although I'm not too particular about it and knew they weren't going to be like cars anyway. You can do many suspension upgrades if you find that traveling long distances is your thing. Somehow though, I don't think your truck was going to be far superior to a class c from any mfgr. My brother-in-law had one on a MB Sprinter chassis and wasn't too happy with it. Recalls, an ignition module recall, etc. So to recap- there's nothing wrong with the Ford E450 in my book anyway- you can have them worked anywhere if need be. Best to your wife struggling with her ailments- I hope you find some good answers there too.

Winterbagoal · 11-14-2019, 02:09 PM

Having driven the MB Sprinter 3500 chassis (Navion class C), the GM Express van 3500 (Roadtrek class B), and the short wheelbase Ford F53 chassis (Sunstar class A), I would rank the Roadtrek van conversion, and the Navion pretty close in ride. Not perfect, but much better than the Sunstar at most types of roadways and terrain. If you need the extra space, I'd go with the MB chassis type/class C, or if you're planning on covering some ground and touring, maybe consider a type/class B van conversion. I would avoid a shorter type/class A.
I know that doesn't help with the E450 question, but it's real world anecdotal experience, and might give you something to mull.
Ride quality is very subjective, as you already know.

pmf · 11-14-2019, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winterbagoal

Having driven the MB Sprinter 3500 chassis (Navion class C), the GM Express van 3500 (Roadtrek class B), and the short wheelbase Ford F53 chassis (Sunstar class A), I would rank the Roadtrek van conversion, and the Navion pretty close in ride. Not perfect, but much better than the Sunstar at most types of roadways and terrain. If you need the extra space, I'd go with the MB chassis type/class C, or if you're planning on covering some ground and touring, maybe consider a type/class B van conversion. I would avoid a shorter type/class A.
I know that doesn't help with the E450 question, but it's real world anecdotal experience, and might give you something to mull.
Ride quality is very subjective, as you already know.

Thanks, I'm afraid the B's are going to be too small. Were in GA and hopefully still planning a couple trips to the west coast. The Lord willing.

baraff · 11-14-2019, 04:27 PM

One complaint some people have with the E450 is the legroom, or lack thereof. This is why it's important to really check them out before purchase to see if she can handle the lack of legroom, especially on a long trip.
Our 2005 is ok, but we are pretty mobile. If she has mobility issues however, it could be an issue.

Winterbagoal · 11-14-2019, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmf

Thanks, I'm afraid the B's are going to be too small. Were in GA and hopefully still planning a couple trips to the west coast. The Lord willing.

No worries, it was just a thought.
If you do go with the E450 cab/chassis type C, drive it first. The leg room in the Fords with the doghouse can be problematic, as baraff mentioned. The engine noise (and heat) can be annoying when the V10 hits it's power range between 3500-4500 RPMs. That can happen on a gentle grade or a steeper climb, accelerating into the freeway, and any where else that requires you to use the V10's power. Fuel economy is another consideration for some. As you can see in my signature, we only kept the Ford chassis for one trip before trading it in on the Navion. We decided to go with the MB 3.0L V6 turbo diesel, and take our chances on the usual caveats, like higher costs for basic maintenance, fewer service center locations, and dealing with DEF and the price difference in fuel, which is more of a myth these days, diesel and gasoline are much closer in price where I live, with diesel often cheaper.
So far, so good, and we have 24,000 miles on it. It gets better fuel economy (2:1 over our V10 Sunstar), The engine's power curve is between 1400 and 2800 RPMs so it's quieter up front when climbing or accelerating, and there's no doghouse. DEF is another non-issue. I was a Ford/GM gasoline guy for most of my life, until we got the diesel Navion/MB chassis.
Good luck with it.

twinboat · 11-14-2019, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winterbagoal

The engine noise (and heat) can be annoying when the V10 hits it's power range between 3500-4500 RPMs. That can happen on a gentle grade or a steeper climb, accelerating into the freeway, and any where else that requires you to use the V10's power. .

Since 2016 Ford has retuned the V10 and dropped the RPMs down to 4000 for max HP and 3000 for max torque. They also added a 6 speed transmission.
No more high revs or double gear downshifts.

Winterbagoal · 11-14-2019, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twinboat

Since 2016 Ford has retuned the V10 and dropped the RPMs down to 4000 for max HP and 3000 for max torque. They also added a 6 speed transmission.
No more high revs or double gear downshifts.

3,000 for torque and 4,000 for HP are still relatively high when compared to the alternative. I'll say it again, they are noisy. Those are the numbers for 3V versions in the F53/F59 chassis, I believe. The E450 2V version has lower HP/torque numbers at similar RPMs, but I'm guessing, at around 305 HP and 420 lbft of torque. I can't find the RPM ranges for the 2V engines, but I didn't look very hard.

They're still too noisy under load. I know, I had one. The 2016 3V model with the 6 speed transmission.

pmf · 11-15-2019, 01:39 PM

Thanks for all of the replies. I think we're leaning toward a 32 to 35 Class A. Your right about the leg room and being 6'2" that's a big deal. Of course I need to drive some.

Thanks again,

mricet1005 · 11-15-2019, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pmf

Thanks for all of the replies. I think we're leaning toward a 32 to 35 Class A. Your right about the leg room and being 6'2" that's a big deal. Of course I need to drive some.

Thanks again,

If you’ve got the budget you may want to look at Tiffin Red 33AA or Newmar Ventana 34xx diesel pushers if ride quality is important.

jjrbus · 11-16-2019, 04:51 AM

You may be able to find something similar in your area to rent for a weekend for a test drive. I have done that when looking for a new car.

The short drive around and maybe a few miles on an expressway is not enough to get a good feel for something.

KregChar · 11-16-2019, 06:17 AM

My wife has Multiple Sclerosis and she too doesn't travel well in neither the Mustang or the Santa Fe we have.
For us a class C worked best because it's low enough for her to get in and out. Pretty much all A's we looked at had too many steps for her.
We ended up with a 2018 Jayco Redhawk 29XK. It checked all the boxes. Easy to get in and out even on a bad day. Enough legroom for her and even a dog. lol. Only one small step from the cab to the main compartment. Seat Belts on couch and dinette. Sufficient counter space in the kitchen. Easy accessible bed during travel. Roomy shower. The only modifications I had to do to accommodate her disability was a small step for her side of the bed after getting a 10 inch memory foam mattress and a residential style elevated, elongated toilet. Oh and a outlet connected to the inverter so she can run her fan by the bed while we are driving.
It did take us 2 years to find the as close to perfect rig, but we did it.
Know what you need and do a lot of walk through's. And don't let any salesman or woman pressure you.
Be aware that some if not most E450's drive terrible and that you will need to make some mods when it comes to suspension, sway bars and so on. The forums are full of complaints and solutions. For us it just took an alignment and a roadmaster steering stabilizer. Others had to do more.