Community Forums

gsuders86 · 04-28-2021, 05:55 AM

What upgrades have you guys done to your Ford E350/E450 chassis to help eliminate the bumps and such that you feel thru the steering wheel due to Ford's I beam front suspension? I have a 2020 E350 chassis with only 6,500 miles and it drives nice, but am used to my Dodge Trucks. I would like to help eliminate some of the "weird" feeling of the Ford I beam suspension as it moves. The motorhome has the stock shocks, steering dampner and sway bars. Which single upgrade would do the most to help?

Wolftrax · 04-29-2021, 11:48 AM

I would check with Carli Suspension I bet they could help you. Probably with a better steering damper.

https://carlisuspension.com/

Musicman1940 · 04-29-2021, 11:53 AM

I'm a new member so I apologize for my forum clumsiness. I have a Ford F-53 with a Coachman Pursuit... Yeah, it handles OK too, but I guess it could be better. Again, a little off topic but I'll get better. I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the SUPERSTEER® SS401 REAR TRAC BAR FOR FORD F53 20-22K GVWR. All help muchly appreciated.

Taffeys · 04-29-2021, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolftrax

I would check with Carli Suspension I bet they could help you. Probably with a better steering damper.

https://carlisuspension.com/

Looks like they only support F-Series and Excursions; totally different suspension systems.

Taffeys · 04-29-2021, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsuders86

What upgrades have you guys done to your Ford E350/E450 chassis to help eliminate the bumps and such that you feel thru the steering wheel due to Ford's I beam front suspension? I have a 2020 E350 chassis with only 6,500 miles and it drives nice, but am used to my Dodge Trucks. I would like to help eliminate some of the "weird" feeling of the Ford I beam suspension as it moves. The motorhome has the stock shocks, steering dampner and sway bars. Which single upgrade would do the most to help?

Alignment (5 degrees positive caster), correct tire pressures (per actual weights), shocks (KONI FSD or Bilstein), and steering damper (Bilstein). Sway bars won't change the behavior you describe. All of this has been discussed many times here; there are many opinions. Search is your friend.

Fiesta48 · 04-29-2021, 04:13 PM

Recommended 65 PSI in tires is too much for ride and wander. At 55 it is better on both. On my '20 E350. Also reducing rear to 60, may go to 55 also.

HarryStone · 04-29-2021, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Musicman1940

I'm a new member so I apologize for my forum clumsiness. I have a Ford F-53 with a Coachman Pursuit... Yeah, it handles OK too, but I guess it could be better. Again, a little off topic but I'll get better. I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the SUPERSTEER® SS401 REAR TRAC BAR FOR FORD F53 20-22K GVWR. All help muchly appreciated.

1. I looked at them also
2. They're out of stock where they are inexpensive.
3. I just ordered a Tiger Trak.https://www.ultrarvproducts.com/TT24...3-20K-22K-GVWR

Taffeys · 04-29-2021, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fiesta48

Recommended 65 PSI in tires is too much for ride and wander. At 55 it is better on both. On my '20 E350. Also reducing rear to 60, may go to 55 also.

Who blindly recommends 65 PSI in tires? Have you ever reviewed a tire manufacturer's recommendations?

Here's Michelin's https://www.rvsafety.com/images/pdf/...ionrvtruck.pdf

Hurricane-TX · 04-29-2021, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taffeys

Who blindly recommends 65 PSI in tires? Have you ever reviewed a tire manufacturer's recommendations?

Here's Michelin's https://www.rvsafety.com/images/pdf/...ionrvtruck.pdf

Agreed, at 55 psi, that is almost a flat tire for almost any motor coach setup.

Jabber Jaw · 04-30-2021, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsuders86

What upgrades have you guys done to your Ford E350/E450 chassis to help eliminate the bumps and such that you feel thru the steering wheel due to Ford's I beam front suspension? I have a 2020 E350 chassis with only 6,500 miles and it drives nice, but am used to my Dodge Trucks. I would like to help eliminate some of the "weird" feeling of the Ford I beam suspension as it moves. The motorhome has the stock shocks, steering dampner and sway bars. Which single upgrade would do the most to help?

I would suggest you contact "Saf-T-Plus" for a steering stabilizer that will help immensely in driving your E-350. Here's a link:

https://www.safe-t-plus.com/

Also, you might contact Brazel's Ultra RV, as they are a big help in making recommendations for suspension products, & sell most of them. Here's a link to them as well:

https://www.ultrarvproducts.com

Good Luck!

Taffeys · 05-01-2021, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jabber Jaw

I would suggest you contact "Saf-T-Plus" for a steering stabilizer that will help immensely in driving your E-350.

The following is a summary of some owners and mechanics experiences with steering stabilizers on this chassis.

The E350/450 has very powerful steering, IMO, a stock type stabilizer is all that's needed. The Factory engineers agree. When the stock stabilizer wears out, around 40-60,000 miles, it can be replaced with another stock unit or upgraded to a better stabilizer. Bilstein is a well-known stabilizer, a stronger and long-lasting version.

The primary drawback of the Safe-T-Plus is that the bracket is proprietary; it replaces the OEM Ford bracket. Once the Safe-T-Plus bracket is welded in place it has a permanent relationship with the unit. The proprietary bracket does not allow connection to a Bilstein or Roadmaster steering damper (or any other steering damper, as far as I know).

The other issue with the Safe-T-Plus is it needs adjustment over time. When out of adjustment, the vehicle will pull to one side, the exact opposite of what the device was supposed to eliminate.

Just recently installed Safe-t-plus stabilizer, and I must say, I can't tell much of a difference.

The clamp, that connects the Safe-T-Plus to the drag link, is weak and will slip, and will need readjustment. It's a poor design. I have adjusted to many of them through the years. Once the clamp slips, the LD will tend to pull to one side until readjusted. IMO, they cause more problems than they fix.

I have a Bilstein unit on ours, it replaced the stock unit at 30,000 miles.

tap4154 · 05-01-2021, 01:46 PM

I have a 2010 E450 chassis, and I recently took the stock damper off and found that it was completely shot. I replaced it with a Monroe damper, and it works beautifully now. Was a straight swap out, and not very expensive. When I hit seams on the freeway now the steering wheel doesn't shake like it did before. However I did find that the bolts on the passenger side bracket were somewhat stripped. I re-tapped them to the next larger size bolt so I could torque them down properly. By the way, it wasn't easy to tap those out. Hard to get tools up in that area. If it came loose again, I think I would have it welded.

And my personal opinion... I would stay away from the self centering stabilizers. You need to adjust them on occasion, and I just don't think it's worth it. Not to mention they're pretty expensive. I also think they put a little too much stress on the steering pump, even though I'm aware of other folks disagree.