Community Forums

joelminer · 08-27-2017, 05:52 PM

We purchased a Baystar Sport in January and really like the short 29ft length. It's on a Ford F53 20,500 pound chassis.

However, from the start, we were not happy with the handling and noise levels of our Baystar. This has had us wondering after 8 months and 12k miles if we want to move up to a diesel pusher.

We think we have now solved our handling concerns. So far, we have replaced both the front and rear sway bars with Roadmasters and added a steering stabilizer. We have gone from white knuckle handling in heavy winds to quite tolerable handling.

Now we want to try and get the coach to be less noisy. When we are on rough pavement (plenty of that in California, Canada and Alaska), our new coach sounds like it is going to fall apart with all the rattles and squeaks. The coach is comfortable to ride in, so we just need to smooth out the sharp bumps and jars in the road.

In reading various forums, I have found that some owners of other brandd coaches have replaced the OEM Bilstein shocks with softer aftermarket Bilsteins or Koni shocks. Others have added Sumo springs to the chassis. Some have done both. Since my previous fixes have solved my handling and body roll issues, I am not sure I really need both the Sumo springs and new shocks. But if I soften the shocks to smooth out the ride and reduce some rattling, I wonder if the Sumo shocks will help provide more stability that I will be losing in the shocks while also helping to smooth out the really big bumps in the road.

Has anyone changed out the OEM shocks and/or added the Sumo springs to their Newmar Gas coach and did it help?

Also, has anyone added road and engine noise deadening material to their Newmar?

Maddawg46 · 08-27-2017, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joelminer

We purchased a Baystar Sport in January and really like the short 29ft length. It's on a Ford F53 20,500 pound chassis.

However, from the start, we were not happy with the handling and noise levels of our Baystar. This has had us wondering after 8 months and 12k miles if we want to move up to a diesel pusher.

We think we have now solved our handling concerns. So far, we have replaced both the front and rear sway bars with Roadmasters and added a steering stabilizer. We have gone from white knuckle handling in heavy winds to quite tolerable handling.

Now we want to try and get the coach to be less noisy. When we are on rough pavement (plenty of that in California, Canada and Alaska), our new coach sounds like it is going to fall apart with all the rattles and squeaks. The coach is comfortable to ride in, so we just need to smooth out the sharp bumps and jars in the road.

In reading various forums, I have found that some owners of other brandd coaches have replaced the OEM Bilstein shocks with softer aftermarket Bilsteins or Koni shocks. Others have added Sumo springs to the chassis. Some have done both. Since my previous fixes have solved my handling and body roll issues, I am not sure I really need both the Sumo springs and new shocks. But if I soften the shocks to smooth out the ride and reduce some rattling, I wonder if the Sumo shocks will help provide more stability that I will be losing in the shocks while also helping to smooth out the really big bumps in the road.

Has anyone changed out the OEM shocks and/or added the Sumo springs to their Newmar Gas coach and did it help?

Also, has anyone added road and engine noise deadening material to their Newmar?

May be over inflating your tires.

willipaul · 08-28-2017, 04:09 AM

my last gasser was a forest river georgetown, not a newmar, but three things you can do to help...

1. koni FSD shocks
2. sumo springs front and rear
3. match tire pressures with loads on either axle or better yet 4 corner weights...

that being said, IMHO, you will be throwing money at a problem that is most likely not solvable to your satisfaction.....i would save your money towards a pusher.......if i am reading between the lines correctly, you are trying to make a gas coach something it just can't be...

RVnewbie1 · 08-28-2017, 07:20 AM

Try lowering your tire pressure. We are in the middle of a trip and I was feeling like the ride was beating us up. Dropped the cold pressure down by 15 pounds and th difference is night and day in noise,vibration md husking and less jarring/harsh of a ride. This will solve your concerns.

AITG · 08-28-2017, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RVnewbie1

Try lowering your tire pressure. We are in the middle of a trip and I was feeling like the ride was beating us up. Dropped the cold pressure down by 15 pounds and th difference is night and day in noise,vibration md husking and less jarring/harsh of a ride. This will solve your concerns.

I hope you have weight as loaded on all four corners and checked the tire manufacturers inflation chart before lowering your pressure that much.
Most of these motor homes are pretty close to the maximum gross axle weight. There usually isn't 15 PSI you can play with and not overload the tires.

RVnewbie1 · 08-29-2017, 04:34 AM

So when we were running at 100 PSI which is max according to the chart on the coach, the increase in temperature while operating the coach was about 12 degrees from cold. It was identical at 85 PSI so logically (in my mind) 85 doesn't cause any harm and gives a great ride. I chose 85 based on what I've read here with other CS 3710 operators on this forum have said. Also our MPG improved slightly or was similar when compared to running 100.

And no, haven't had a chance to get weighed. Went to one Pilot truck stop and couldn't figure out exactly how to operate the scale and we left. I will get to weighing the axles soon.

joelminer · 08-29-2017, 07:51 AM

Thanks for the suggestions. I have previously weighed the coach and adjusted the rear tires down to 80PSI and the front down to 84PSI based on the manufacturer charts. It helped a little, but I would still like to improve it more.

One poster suggested I was trying to make the coach do something it couldn't and that I should save my cash to upgrade to a DP. My issue with this is that I don't want a significantly longer coach. The shortest DP on the market is an Allegro Breeze at 31 1/2'. IMHO that coach is woefully underpowered with only 270HP. The next shortest DP's with adequate power come in at 34 1/2', which is 5 1/2' longer than mine. I like the maneuverability of my coach in restaurant and grocery store parking lots. I want to avoid pulling a Toad. I also want to be able to get into most national parks and that extra 5 1/2' will keep me out of many of them I can get into today.

I would be spending $100K to upgrade to upgrade to a DP. I am happy with the size, fit and finish, floorplan and drivability of my coach. My only major gripe right now is the rattles and squeaks and noise level. I figure if I can get marginally happy with my coach's rattles, squeaks and noise level for another $3-5K, its a lot better than the $100K I would spend to go to a DP. I am not expecting perfect, just a noticeable improvement. My coach is fine on smooth roads, it's just the lousy roads that bother us.

So I am looking for feedback from people who have added the Sumosprings and/or new shocks to see how much improvement the additions made to their coaches ability to absorb the potholes and other bumps in the road.

Jg4046 · 08-29-2017, 02:44 PM

Joel,
We have a 2014 Baystar 3124 and have been looking at handling and sound fixes as well. It sounds as if you have discussed most of the options for handling and ride smoothing the coach, but the engine noise issue hasn't been talked about much.
NewMar isn't any help on this universal problem, I checked and their answer is "go to Ford" , Fords answer is go to coach builder.
That being said there are a few options you can look at (see also the Ford F53 forum), there is a spray on ceramic product called Lizard Skin that some have used. There are also products such as Dynomat Xtreme or DEI Underhood Thermal Acoustic and others that can be installed either in the engine bay, or some thinner products like Dynomat that are installed inside under the carpeting that have been used.
These can be do it yourself projects if you feel adventurous, or van conversion or other shops that install automotive acoustical materials, this is quite common for high end audios systems.
Hope this helps,

Jg4046

Rvlegaleagle · 08-29-2017, 06:36 PM

Try adding liquid spring to your chassis. They are out of Indina about 2/12 to 3 hours from the Newmar Factory. Certainly less expensive than a DP

Here is a link to some videos

Videos on CLASS LiquidSpring System

purrin along · 08-29-2017, 07:25 PM

Joel My sport was a handful to drive,and road like it had square tires.The first was the chf as mentioned in the ford chassis forum.That made a big difference in handling.Than I added Safe T Steer mainly for blow out protection,but I do feel it gave me more steering control.Next was new Bilstein shocks, and Sumo Springs.I did both at the same time, so I am not sure which made the ride smoother with less rattles and squeaks. I do believe the Sumo's fixed the problem with passing large trucks.They have no affect on us now.Hope this helps.

cc8375 · 08-30-2017, 07:01 PM

Have added both Koni shocks and Sumo springs to my Canyon Star on Ford chassis.

Added felt stick ons to all the window blinds to stop rattles. All pans are on separated by no-slips.

Wood Blocks add under the dash to stop movement on rough road and eliminate squeaks in the dash.

Also sprayed silicone spray in dash area seams to cut down on squeaks.

You have already completed several other items that are on my list.

Anticipating large bumps and slowing down is only other easy item.

Happy Rving!!

AITG · 08-30-2017, 08:00 PM

Engine noise is pretty subjective. We had a 2003 Chevy dually with a Duramax. We upgraded to a BSS 2702 for a bed we didn't have to climb up into and real seats. Climbing a hill at 4200 rpm is quieter than the Dmax and that engine is quieter than it's competitors.

We tracked down our major rattles and found that the entrance door and the microwave were the major sources of noise. Midway RV was able to fix both under warranty.

joelminer · 08-31-2017, 08:04 AM

I finally called Redlands Truck and RV yesterday to get their suggestions. After explaining what I wanted to accomplish, they started to sell me hard on a new product, LiquidSprings. It's a complete rear suspension replacement. It is basically the equivalent to a DP's air suspension, maybe better according to Redlands Truck & RV. They say it virtually eliminates body roll, makes the coach track in a straight line and cuts down the bouncing, vibrations, noise and rattles drastically. It's very pricey: got a rough estimate of $13-14K. In addition to the Liquid Spring system for the rear, they recommend a new front sway bar (which I already have done) and replacement of my OEM Bilsteins with new Koni shocks.

Did a little more research after speaking with them. It appears that the system has only been installed on a very limited of coaches so far. The testimonials they have on their website make it sound terrific. For those of us who really love our gassers, this may be a great alternative to upgrading to a DP. Has anyone come across anyone who has this new system?

I am not quite ready to commit to that much money right now, so I opted for an interim step of installing four new Koni shocks and adding Dynamat sound insulation in the engine compartment and front wheel wells. Will be taking the coach on a road trip from So Cal to the Oregon coast in about 10 days, after the new work has been done. Looking forward to seeing if the new work helps.

Jg4046 · 09-01-2017, 01:12 AM

Hi Joel,
Quick question, where did you get the dynamat installed? We're looking at getting this done but having difficulty locating a shop to do the work. Looking into the shocks as well.
Thanks for any info you may provide.

John