Community Forums

friday · 06-23-2006, 11:28 AM

OK ! I have replaced the shocks with Bilsteins then replaced all the tires with the Goodyear G670's and I STILL have a pretty rough ride. This 2000 33ft V10 TANK still rides the same whether are not the gas/water tanks are full.
So what else do I need to do other than trade it in on a DP to make it ride smoother ? Do air bags really help that much ? ALso, Goodyear install"Equal" in the tire to balance. It works fine when the fuel tank is almost empty but when I fill the gas tank the tires are NO LONGER balanced. What's going on here ???

friday · 06-23-2006, 11:28 AM

OK ! I have replaced the shocks with Bilsteins then replaced all the tires with the Goodyear G670's and I STILL have a pretty rough ride. This 2000 33ft V10 TANK still rides the same whether are not the gas/water tanks are full.
So what else do I need to do other than trade it in on a DP to make it ride smoother ? Do air bags really help that much ? ALso, Goodyear install"Equal" in the tire to balance. It works fine when the fuel tank is almost empty but when I fill the gas tank the tires are NO LONGER balanced. What's going on here ???

antlerz · 06-23-2006, 11:33 AM

Hi Friday,
We have a HR F53 chassis we had a rough ride till we had Firestone air rid susspension installed( Air Bags) the olny thing when we are overloaded wich is a lot because of fulltimers is it feels like it leans too much but had wife follow behind in toad said could not see any sway or lean, maybe it is because it is so smooth now you can feel the road.
We keep about 80 pounds max is 100psi

good luck

tbrannon · 06-23-2006, 12:52 PM

let's start at the beginning with the 1st item to note. have you weighed and then adjusted to Goodyear spec's? to weigh, you need to simulate a real trip as much as possible with your fluids and cargo, including people. after weighing make certain to add 10 lbs. of "cushion" air. then drive as you have previously. note the results to the great braintrust on this forum as i am certain you will get an answer as to what's next. please be certain as to include any additional comments especially with regards to any improvement in your ride.

as far as the new balancing, i would take it back and ask the installer to redo his work. it sounds as if you need to do the "Equal" with the rig loaded out. not certain on this but jmho.

Gary RVRoamer · 06-23-2006, 02:11 PM

If the modest additional load from a full fuel tank (several hundred pounds) makes it unbalanced, the dealer didn't put enough Equal in the tires. Have him add some more. You didn't describe what happends, but are you sure it's tire balance? Fronts? Rears? What happens?

The Bilsteins probably made it rougher, not smoother. Bilsteins are generally a stiff shock. You get better control but a rougher ride.

Gas chassis motorhomes aren't the smoothest riding things either. A rig with independent air suspension would be much superior to a leaf spring solid axle suspension.

Tbrannon gives good advice about weighing and tire pressure. You may have too much tire pressure.

DonErb · 06-28-2006, 07:38 AM

Our new Monaco Monarch is on a F53 Chassis with Bilstiens and if anything I would say it rides to mushy. I just installed a 1-5/8 front roll bar and the additional 1-5/8 rear bar. This adds 1000 lbs of roll stiffness to the front of the std 2500lbs and 2500 lbs to the rears std 2800lbs. What a difference, I don't feel like I am about to tip over anymore! Next upgrade is airbags.

LouRobin · 07-01-2006, 04:47 PM

When I had that chassis I put Koni (sp?) shocks on and it was like a new motorhome. they could be adjusted if needed.
A few months ago at a campground I ran into the owners of my old coach, and they both commented on how wonderful the ride and handeling were.
One of the few things I have added over the years that everyone could immediately tell and feel the difference.

Rob R · 08-08-2006, 05:30 PM

I think he has a rough ride not a "mushy" one.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by DonErb:
Our new Monaco Monarch is on a F53 Chassis with Bilstiens and if anything I would say it rides to mushy. I just installed a 1-5/8 front roll bar and the additional 1-5/8 rear bar. This adds 1000 lbs of roll stiffness to the front of the std 2500lbs and 2500 lbs to the rears std 2800lbs. What a difference, I don't feel like I am about to tip over anymore! Next upgrade is airbags. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Rob R · 08-08-2006, 05:43 PM

Ok Friday I really wish I could provide an answer. I've been there and done this and that. I had a 99 F53 and everytime I hit a crack in the road (especially bridge expansion joints) I thought something would break in my overhead cabinets. I'm not exaggerating here. I was concerned about damage somewhere, maybe even underneath. I took my rig to Mor/Ryde in Elkhart after personally putting front Firestone Air bags in (came with rear Firestone bags). Mor/Ryde put a complete rubber ride system in but in my opinion it only provided a marginal improvement. The expansion gaps still made me grit my teeth. I realize this doesn't assist you in your problem maybe it will give you an idea of what your options are. Several thousand dollars to experiment with Mor/Ryde is a personal choice.

gordon23 · 09-20-2006, 05:32 AM

This is a true story......Two Summers back we bought our first MH. It's a 1992 Triple E and is just what we wanted. The story is that last year we travelled to New England and back. Only problem was a rough ride. In the fall we installed 4 motohome heavy duty Munroe shocks. Handling improved but ride was still rough/hard.

This spring I went to our mechanic and he got underneath and checked everything over. Said all looked good. Then he suggested we try less air in the rear only airbags.

My answer was "what air bags".....Nobody told me they were there.

To make a long story shorter, we experimented with pressures and ended up with 70 to 75 per side. Our ride now is much smoother and the back end floats over those bone jarring bumps RR tracks etc like is was a new DP.

Only one suggestion. When you fill these baby's they are tricky to get the correct pressure because a little goes a long way. Best method is to fill to about 90 lbs and then carefully bleed off the excess with you fingure on the valve stem.

Wish I knew they were waiting to be used last year and saved myself several chipped front teeth. (just kidding)

Got this oldie but a goodie and love her (the coach, not the co-pilot)

Teach · 09-20-2006, 06:47 AM

I had a '99 F53 that I put Bilsteins on. Now don't get me wrong, they are great shocks, but they stiffened the ride considerably; to the point that I had them removed in less than a month and replaced with the Koni's. Man, what a difference. It rode like a dream.