Steering problem

[BROY]

Hi all; Just went on our first trip with our 2017 Four Winds 22E, Ford 450 V10 and the steering felt that it wanted to wander. The dealer said that I just had to get used to driving a heavy truck. I"m going to have the suspension checked but if anyone has any experience with this issue that I could question would be a great help.

[plasma800]

Sounds normal.

Most install after market steering components such as a steer safe. Hit the search up top of the site and search for wandering or steering stabilizer

[Harvard]

Yes it sounds normal and there is a reason. Your unit does not have enough front end +caster. Too little caster manifests itself as "loose steering" and wandering at highway speeds. Ford ships the E series with a caster of about +3 Degrees which is good for city driving but you want to have at least +5 or more for highway driving. Google "E450 Caster" and you will see page upon page of experiences on this topic of having too little caster.

[Harvard]

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

[nosticks]

Sounds like you have a highly trained and experienced dealer in that he knows how to shift the problem away from himself and make you the problem. It's your over the curb service and warranty kicking in.

See what Harvard above said. Tire pressure and alignment first then you can see if you need any aftermarket products.

[Chris40]

Tough to determine how much play you get without driving it myself but it certainly won't drive like the family car does. I have a new Sunseeker 3050s and looking into having Roadmaster rear sway bar and a steering stabilizer installed. If you do get the alignment checked make sure you have it done by a qualified shop only. I go to a nearby Ford dealer to have those done right. So far I'm looking at about $ 950 for the whole deal.

[RRR]

Originally Posted by Chris40

Tough to determine how much play you get without driving it myself but it certainly won't drive like the family car does. I have a new Sunseeker 3050s and looking into having Roadmaster rear sway bar and a steering stabilizer installed. If you do get the alignment checked make sure you have it done by a qualified shop only. I go to a nearby Ford dealer to have those done right. So far I'm looking at about $ 950 for the whole deal.

If your going to a Ford dealer it is likely that they will set caster to about +2.5 to 3 which is factory specs. Take it to an independent that understands MH handling problems.

You can DIY install on the sway bars. Not real difficult.

See my reply to your other post.

Also look through RV and the http://www.forestriverforums.com/forums/

[Harvard]

Over the years I have been collecting alignment reports that have been shared on various forums. Here is what I have to date:

Left Hand Caster Specs for E350/E450
YEAR Specification Interpolation MID
1997 2.00 to 7.50 (4.75 +/- 2.75) 4.75
1998 1.3 to 6.8 (4.05 +/- 2.75) 4.05
2004 4.00 +/- 2.75 (1.25 to 6.75) 4.00
2005 4.00 +/- 2.75 (1.25 to 6.75) 4.00
2006 1.8 to 7.3 (4.55 +/- 2.75) 4.55
2008 1.0 to 6.8 (3.9 +/- 2.9) 3.90
2009 1.0 to 6.8 (3.9 +/- 2.9) 3.90
2010 3.90 +/- 2.90 (1.00 to 6.80) 3.90
2011 3.90 +/- 2.90 (1.00 to 6.80) 3.90
2012 1.0 to 6.8 (3.9 +/- 2.9) 3.90
2013 1.0 to 6.8 (3.9 +/- 2.9) 3.90

In the majority of cases the Right Hand specification is +0.4 Degrees more then the Left Hand Specification so there is no need to show the Right Hand.

Conventional wisdom would be to set the caster mid range BUT that raises the question of "why is the acceptable range so wide?". It certainly not because of the inaccuracy of the measurement. I choose to accept the idea that the lower settings are best for city driving while the upper settings are best for highway driving, right or wrong.

[manwithtools]

Originally Posted by Harvard

Over the years I have been collecting alignment reports that have been shared on various forums. Here is what I have to date:

Left Hand Caster Specs for E350/E450
YEAR Specification Interpolation MID
1997 2.00 to 7.50 (4.75 +/- 2.75) 4.75
1998 1.3 to 6.8 (4.05 +/- 2.75) 4.05
2004 4.00 +/- 2.75 (1.25 to 6.75) 4.00
2005 4.00 +/- 2.75 (1.25 to 6.75) 4.00
2006 1.8 to 7.3 (4.55 +/- 2.75) 4.55
2008 1.0 to 6.8 (3.9 +/- 2.9) 3.90
2009 1.0 to 6.8 (3.9 +/- 2.9) 3.90
2010 3.90 +/- 2.90 (1.00 to 6.80) 3.90
2011 3.90 +/- 2.90 (1.00 to 6.80) 3.90
2012 1.0 to 6.8 (3.9 +/- 2.9) 3.90
2013 1.0 to 6.8 (3.9 +/- 2.9) 3.90

In the majority of cases the Right Hand specification is +0.4 Degrees more then the Left Hand Specification so there is no need to show the Right Hand.

Conventional wisdom would be to set the caster mid range BUT that raises the question of "why is the acceptable range so wide?". It certainly not because of the inaccuracy of the measurement. I choose to accept the idea that the lower settings are best for city driving while the upper settings are best for highway driving, right or wrong.

"why is the acceptable range so wide?" - it's so the manufacturer can say 99% of our vehicles come off the line within the alignment specification. Some of those ranges are really generous. It only makes sense that a strong caster setting would improve road manners on these chassis.

[twinboat]

They use a wide range so the caster stays in range as you load the rear springs down.

I would think that the striped chassis comes out of the factory rear high. Load down the rear axle and the caster changes.

[Chris40]

Originally Posted by RRR

If your going to a Ford dealer it is likely that they will set caster to about +2.5 to 3 which is factory specs. Take it to an independent that understands MH handling problems.

You can DIY install on the sway bars. Not real difficult.

See my reply to your other post.

Also look through RV and the http://www.forestriverforums.com/forums/

Normally a Ford dealership wouldn't have a whole lot of experience with MHs but the one I am going to does have experience. I was there last week and saw a couple of class As sitting in the cue to be worked on. The other thing is the dealer has a certain amount of latitude when it comes to warrantees and aftermarket equipment and deciding whether or not the aftermarket stuff voids the warranty work.

[Harvard]

Originally Posted by Chris40

Normally a Ford dealership wouldn't have a whole lot of experience with MHs but the one I am going to does have experience. I was there last week and saw a couple of class As sitting in the cue to be worked on. The other thing is the dealer has a certain amount of latitude when it comes to warrantees and aftermarket equipment and deciding whether or not the aftermarket stuff voids the warranty work.

It will be very interesting to know how a dealership handles the +caster alignment. Just remember the Ford specified range for caster is LH +1.0 to +6.8 and RH +1.4 to +7.2. I will bet they will consider it to be too much work to make any changes to caster and camber. IMO it will be just another "tweak the toe and you are good to go". Surprise me !!!

[Beabop]

We had the same problem, check the tire pressures, you may have too much air for the weight, get it weighed at a truck stop and get the front end aligned. They added 2 to our castor. Drives with one hand