Sway, roll, leaning, bouncing, whatever you call it

[davidceder]

2017 Bay Star 3401 Gasser. Is there anything beside the CAF I can do to help alleviate the roll or leaning problem while going down the road? Not really when big rigs pass, just during normal driving, taking wide turns etc.. Sumo springs, shocks?

Thanks

[Jabber Jaw]

Check the "Chassis Club" in RV Forum, & look under the "Ford Chassis"! A lot of good information & recommendations there!
Good Luck!

[Dutch Star Don]

"davidceder"......This is an issue with that chassis. There are several things you can do, but should be done one at a time and in order.

First, make sure that your air pressure is accurate for your weight...free.

Second, one of the most substantial improvements is the rear track bar and will stop the chassis from moving on the rear axle.

After doing the first two items, you can get some improvement from new shocks, sway bars and Sumo springs. I would say they are all equal in improvement and you can add them if you still feel like there is an issue.

Lastly....they make different and additional sway bars for your coach. You can add a larger one to the front and they actually make two that can be added to the rear. Here is where you need to be cautious. My sister and BIL bought a new Fleetwood Southwind, going from a DP to a gasser. He added all the items you could basically add to that chassis, all at once. It stiffened it up, but also made it rough riding.

[Mk1putt]

I would suggest you go to the Ford chassis forum on this forum. Look for "Cheap Handling Fix" or CHF. The thread is years old and hundreds of pages and thousands of threads. Make your own conclusions on what to do.

We experienced the same issues with a gasser. After doing the CHF I also added rear sway bar and was about to add front trac bar but we moved a DP - DW was not comfortable with the ride And since we were planning extended trips we decided to move on

Good luck and safe travels

[RRR]

You have gotten the best advice so far on the tire pressure and the CHF. It seems like everyones's benefit changes depending on what their expectations are and what they did.

Do the free stuff first then reevaluate. I got the most bang for my buck by adding the rear auxiliary sway bar. At the time Hellwig from sdtrucksprings.com was the best price. You can DIY if you can handle removing the U-Bolts that require about 450# torque.

And why I'm at it also take a look at the thread in the Ford Chassis http://www.irv2.com/forums/f23/atten...ad-305445.html No ones understands while Ford refuses to do anything about the problem, but some easy PM can avoid a problem.

[akweroam]

We own a 2018 Baystar 3009 (31') and flat tow a Ford Explorer. We hated the way it drove and said if we could not get it fixed we would sell it. We were in Oregon and I had read about driving problems on this & other sites. Taking other Newmar owner's recommendations we made an appointment at Henderson Lineup, Grants Pass OR. We added everything they recommended to our unit. Total cost was about $9000 and worth it. We now can drive it and feel we are in control. We are also happy with the Ultra Power Engine Upgrade - estimated a 3 year payoff in gas savings. If you are not in that area call them to find a recommenced shop in your area. They did tell us they have had units drive all the way from NY to get there units fixed.
11/9/18 Henderson Line-up
Grants Pass, OR
Road Performance Assessment $306.58
Non-transferable life-time warranty w Alignment $272.52
Safe-T- Plus (Steering) $871.80
Trac Bar - Rear $787.90
Koni Shocks Front & Rear $1,000.39
Sway Bar Front $931.52
Sway Bar Rear (Front Facing) $1,477.60
Sway Bar Rear (Rearward) $1,410.23
Sumo Suspension Springs Front $915.12
Check Dingy Tow Functions $125.51
Roadmaster Quiet Hitch 2" anti-sway ring X2 $58.92
Wireless Tow Link $340.84
Ultra Power Engine Upgrade $1,614.41
Shop Supplies $49.57

[brucemcdou]

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

My sister and BIL bought a new Fleetwood Southwind, going from a DP to a gasser. He added all the items you could basically add to that chassis, all at once. It stiffened it up, but also made it rough riding.

I don't doubt your BIL's experience, but my comment to the OP would be to just bite the bullet and put all the ride enhancements on at once. Otherwise you'll be doing it in bits and pieces and wondering "if I just make this one additional change then I'll be happy..."

Not a F53, but we had a gas Class A on a Workhorse chassis (not available any more) with similar issues: rough ride, swaying, fishtailing, walmart wobble etc. After a series of upgrades over 3-4 years we were much happier with it but wish we'd done it all at once right after we bought it. In our book the biggest bang for the buck was replacing the OEM Bilstein shocks with Koni - seemed to "control" both sway and porpoising significantly better in addition to the expected smoother ride.

You can't make a gas Class A on leafsprings into a DP on air bags, but you can significantly enhance the ride experience and still save yourself tens of thousands of dollars. Good luck!

[Waiter21]

My recommendation before spending any money on aftermarket components is to do these things first, as it will probably bring the vehicle up to a standard that is acceptable to you. If this is an F53:

1) Weight the vehicle and verify the tire pressures are set by weight, not what the builder posts (They usually post the maximum pressure, which works, but makes the ride stiffer).

2) Front end alignment, have the toe in set at max or even a little past max. If they check caster, same deal, max, or even little past max.. Max toe in will cause the tires to wear a little faster, but will improve handling. I don't think I ever hear of an RV that wore out tires.

3) CHF ( I think thats what you may have been referring to).. Part of this is to verify the rear sway bar brackets are intact (2006 and newer). They have a habit of the bolts falling out.

4) If older than about 15 years, replace the shocks as they are probably worn out.

These four items should give you a vast improvement. After you've done all this, then do a test drive and determine how much you want to spend.

[Stuart W]

I actually went through this on my 2016 CS 3710, I did several things and I will list them in a best bang for the buck list below;
1) install heavy duty Hellwig front sway bar
2)CHF on the rear stock sway bar
3) install heavy Duty auxiliary sway bar
4)along with 1 &2, weight coach and set tire pressure to tire manufacturers recommendation based on weight.
5) S&S rear track bar
6) Safe “T” Steer steering stabilizer
7)front Sumo springs
I actually never got to install number 3 and have it in the box to sell


1,2, and 4 is the best starting point, you maybe very happy
6 next
5 next
3 next
7 next
Stuart W

[FLJOE]

Seems like most are not happy with the ride/handling of any Class A with the F-53 chassis. I know we were not.

Here are the steps I took to improve our 37' gasser (2014) prior to moving to a DP. It probably improved it 50% to 60%.

1. Weighed coach loaded "for the road" and set all tire pressures according to chart.
2. Had the front end aligned (toe was off).
3. Did the CHF (cheap handling fix).
4. Had Safe-T installed.
5. Sumos installed all around.

Prior to making any of the above improvements it was hard to travel on days when the wind was 20 to 25mph. When making slow turns the coach leaned way too much.

After the suspension modifications we could travel on windy days but it still wasn't all that much fun. The ride was stiffer so most of the sway and lean was gone.

Good luck. For probably $2,000 to $3,000 you can make it much better.

[davidceder]

So I had my weights for each axel and checked the Michelin inflation table. I sent them an e-mail to make sure I was reading the table correctly. They would not confirm one way or the other as they stated they MUST have the weight of each axel end as each end may need to be set differently. It is NOT ok to split the total axel in half. OK, I get that. They referred me to Cat Scales but Cat Scales wont do corners. Anyone out there know where I might get this done in the Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe market place? As you all suggested I want to get this done prior to making any other changes.

TNX

[Stuart W]

Originally Posted by davidceder

So I had my weights for each axel and checked the Michelin inflation table. I sent them an e-mail to make sure I was reading the table correctly. They would not confirm one way or the other as they stated they MUST have the weight of each axel end as each end may need to be set differently. It is NOT ok to split the total axel in half. OK, I get that. They referred me to Cat Scales but Cat Scales wont do corners. Anyone out there know where I might get this done in the Phoenix, Mesa, Tempe market place? As you all suggested I want to get this done prior to making any other changes.



TNX

I get them wanting to stay safe, did you ask Newmar for the weights as it left the factory? If so was there a big difference side to side? If not a big difference and you haven’t loaded the motorhome crazy, like putting 1000 pounds of tools over the left rear it is my option that you can use the axle weights. If you take note their own instructions tell you that you must set both axles the same as the highest corner. Again this is my opinion, maybe others will chime in.

[davidceder]

Thanks for suggestion

Never thought I could go to Newmar and ask about the weight. Is it a fact that they recored the axle weights and will share them? Do they weigh corners or just axles?

The closest place I could find that will weigh the corners is in Wickenburg, about 150 miles each way for me. It is an Escapees RV campground. Would like to do that one day when we are in the vicinity but not make a special trip. I can easily find a cat scale later this month on the way to Colorado. I just want to be as safe as possible and have the info prior to doing any suspension work.

[Stuart W]

Originally Posted by davidceder

Thanks for suggestion



Never thought I could go to Newmar and ask about the weight. Is it a fact that they recored the axle weights and will share them? Do they weigh corners or just axles?



The closest place I could find that will weigh the corners is in Wickenburg, about 150 miles each way for me. It is an Escapees RV campground. Would like to do that one day when we are in the vicinity but not make a special trip. I can easily find a cat scale later this month on the way to Colorado. I just want to be as safe as possible and have the info prior to doing any suspension work.

Yes call customer service tomorrow, ask for the weights as it left the factory , each corner will be noted