Community Forums

Joe I · 02-04-2018, 08:16 PM

I have driven two different new Winnebago E350 22R motor homes right at 10,000 miles in this last year. The handling of them both is good, and on our present 2018 unit I installed front and rear Hellwig anti-sway bars.

One characteristic of the handling is little bit of vagueness in the steering as you are traveling straight down the road. Thus the Hellwig bars. This vagueness is even noticeable when you encounter cross winds and passing big rigs.

When we got home from our January Texas trip, I drove the MH over to the storage building and jumped into my 2010 F150 to drive home, immediately I was reminded of the difference between this truck and my earlier F150, a very noticeable difference in the driving experience between the 2010 F150's rack and pinion steering opposed to the earlier truck with a steering gear box.

For me the steering gear box equipped trucks have a vagueness as you travel straight down the road and the rack and pinion equipped trucks are very responsive to the slightest steering wheel input.

Of course you know the E350 cut vans have a steering gear box and I am theorizing the vagueness in the steering feel is just consistent with that type of front end design.

Just something to think about.

twinboat · 02-04-2018, 08:39 PM

Some say that you need to add caster to the front tires to make it feel solid.

The upper ball joints have cam bushing that set caster and aftermarket ones set it a bit more.

Here is a web site explaining it.

https://www.quicktrickalignment.com/...ignment-tools/

JONWisconsin · 02-04-2018, 09:13 PM

What you mean by vagueness? Some of us have installed a steering dampener and has helped. Just wondering....

Joe I · 02-04-2018, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JONWisconsin

What you mean by vagueness? Some of us have installed a steering dampener and has helped. Just wondering....

Basically minor movements of the steering wheel without much reaction. Emphasis on minor. The feel of a rack and pinion versus a steering gear box is very noticeable.

My point is we might be trying to fix something that is designed into the unit.

nosticks · 02-05-2018, 07:26 AM

I think JOEI has it figured out. I had an emergency return home trip during the Christmas Holidays, driving 8hrs. 40 min stopping only for fuel. I was totally beat. Next morning I jumped in my Jeep and drove the 7 miles to the grocery store. I was all over the road, over correcting for the first few miles as the Jeep is very sensitive to steering inputs.

The motorhome has the Safe-T-Plus which does help considerably but those steering corrections become subconscious after a few miles as well.

A32Deuce · 02-05-2018, 07:31 AM

I think,there are a few on here that need to drive a 50s/60s power steering equipped car and then they will see that the E350/450s ate not that bad. Ratio has a lot to do with feel. I have a box that's 16 to 1 with out assist and you would swear its as tight as tax and pinion. Its a car I auto cross.

Harvard · 02-05-2018, 09:58 AM

You have too little + caster.

Ford ships these cutaways with about +3.5 to +4.0 degrees of caster. The specification is about +1.5 to +7.0 degrees. The "as shipped" is OK for city driving BUT you want to have +5.5 to +6.0 for highway driving.

E350/E450 Handling Problems are caused by too little + CASTER

POPULAR MECHANICS MAY 1973:
START QUOTE:
If too little caster exists, the car will wander and weave, thus necessitating constant corrections in steering.
END QUOTE:

Also, there are at least two ways to increase the effective runtime caster (see Self Aligning Torque)
1. Decrease the tire inflation pressure to the required minimum for load (to increase Pneumatic Trail), and or
2. Increase the caster angle during an alignment (to increase caster trail).

PopBeavers · 02-05-2018, 03:13 PM

My Forest River Solera Class C at 24 feet drove just like my GMC Crew Cab long bed at 22.5 feet. No noticeable difference. That includes towing a Jeep Wrangler behind the class C.

OFDPOS · 02-07-2018, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JONWisconsin

What you mean by vagueness? Some of us have installed a steering dampener and has helped. Just wondering....

LOL Yeah I had to look that one up too !

vague·ness
ˈvāɡnəs/Submit
noun
lack of certainty or distinctness.

lack of preciseness in thought or communication.

I know I'll get slammed with the Ford vs Chevy crowd..

But my last two older MH's on a Chevy chassis drove/steered so much better then my new to me newer MH on a Ford chassis...

GoneToTheDog · 02-07-2018, 05:31 PM

I sometimes find these discussions of the way a motorhome 'drives and handles' a bit curious.
Today's cars practically drive themselves, and people become accustomed to that smooth ride, and great handling characteristics.
Then...they hop in the Class C motorhome...with similar expectations. It's just not gonna happen. It's a truck chassis! With a box full of heavy components, and often uneven weights, side to side. NO.....it is not going to drive like your car. Unrealistic to expect that it will.
Immediately after purchasing our motorhome, I took it to a specialized truck alignment business for an alignment. There have been no other 'improvements or enhancements' required. I enjoy it and can drive it comfortably, all day.

Harvard · 02-07-2018, 06:58 PM

Quote: "specialized truck alignment business for an alignment."

Do you happen to have an alignment report to share ?

avfordguy · 02-07-2018, 08:22 PM

I have had a bunch of different rv's from the old gm p30 series to monaco roadmaster chassis, even a e450 99 fleetwood. Was looking at a very low miles (7100) 07 fleetwood class c E450 in north texas, took a trip to inspect it, wow just like new, anyway when i drove it it had a steering that seemed unresponsive, told the dealer i want an alignment check and call or email the results. The frame shop called me 4 days latter and said, its in spec, but your right it wanders, we do a lot of ford rv's snd we recomend removing the factory slugs and install adjustable so we can get the caster from 3.0 to at least 5.2 with a combined of at least 5.0, I thought geez someone knows alignment, i said do your best, a week latter drove it and it drove every bit as good as my lincoln mkz hybrid. Best part is its a 32ft class c on the E450 chassis and, i am at the maximum loaded weight towing a 2002 ford escape, no wander no push, semi's dont seem to bother it never a white knuckle ride, and its all stock!! No aftermarket parts.

Harvard · 02-07-2018, 09:19 PM

With all this talk about caster, it suggests to me a profitable business model. Start a business by advertising a "big yellow shock absorber" to clamp on your steering linkage for big bucks. Then when you get the install you install old yeller AND also increase the caster. But do not tell the customer anything about the new caster setting. He will think your "big yellow shock absorber" has done a wonderful job. Naw, nobody would do that, would they???