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Old 12-04-2018, 09:58 PM   #1
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Entegra sways to much!

Hi everyone, I’m from Southern California and I just bought my first motorhome. It’s a Entegra Odyssey 31f. It’s has the Hellwig helper springs in the rear. The shocks are just regular cheaper ones. As soon as I start driving it feels like I’m in a boat. The sways very bad. The faster I go it feels light in the front. When I’m going 55mph it feels scary. I checked the the air pressure and the front is at 75 and rear at 80. That’s what the recommendation on the door says it it should be at. I test drove a entegra esteem which is the model above mine and I remember it had the Bilstein hd shocks and with the Hellwig helper springs and it felt firmer then mine. I’m just wondering if maybe my Hellwig helper springs are to loose or not tight enough and maybe that’s why it’s doing that. Or maybe it’s becsuse I don’t have the Bilstein hd shocks on mine and that why it sways so much? Please help, very frustrated on how bad it feels.
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Old 12-04-2018, 10:04 PM   #2
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Is it brand new or used?

If new I'd head back to the dealer.
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Old 12-04-2018, 10:12 PM   #3
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It’s brand new. 2019
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Old 12-04-2018, 10:24 PM   #4
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I'd talk to the dealer before I started doing any modifications on the RV keeping in mind how it would affect the warranty.
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Old 12-04-2018, 10:54 PM   #5
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Didn't drive it before buying?......
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Old 12-05-2018, 06:27 AM   #6
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Yes,
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Old 12-05-2018, 08:15 AM   #7
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If it is on a Ford E450 chassis you probably have too little caster for highway driving.

POPULAR MECHANICS MAY 1973:
START QUOTE:
If too little caster exists, the car will wander and weave,
thus necessitating constant corrections in steering.
END QUOTE:
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Old 12-05-2018, 11:09 AM   #8
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Since this is your first motorhome.....keep in mind.....it is not going to ride, drive, handle like your car or SUV. Do you have it loaded for travel, as it will typically be used?? That can make a difference in the way it drives. Sometimes it just takes some getting used to. Things may feel different after driving it a few more times/miles.

That said....a front end alignment at a competent truck facility should be on your list of things to do first. Many say it makes a big difference. I know it did on ours.
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Old 12-05-2018, 11:34 AM   #9
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The Entegra Odessy 31F is a rebadged Jayco Greyhawk 31F. Which is a typical F450 based Class C. In general a 31' Class C is going to be pretty floaty. I had a 31' Forest River Forester and it drove pretty much like you describe, as well.

A steering stabilizer will help a lot. I put a Roadmaster RSS on mine and that helped a bunch.

There are Sumo Springs available that help calm the chassis down and bigger rear sway bars, etc. But there is only so much you can do to tame a a big, tall, heavy box full of furniture sitting on an extended F450 truck chassis.

Spend some time looking at posts in the Jayco Forum here for Class C suspension fixes. The "Entegra" version is a pretty new occurrence - mostly the difference is updated interior materials over the Greyhawk. But the Greyhawk is already an somewhat upper level Jayco. Entegra never offered any Class C motorhomes before Jayco was purchased by Thor industries.
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Old 12-05-2018, 11:45 AM   #10
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Our Minnie Winnie 31D was bought new in Oct '16...Ford E450. It has rear air bags and no other mods that I am aware of. It handles great ..no "floaty" feel. I know that feeling from test driving other RVs. I notice wind but otherwise I can drive with no effort or discomfort. We tow a CR-V and are usually fully loaded at 14,500. My point is that the 'floaty' thing isn't inevitable.
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Old 12-05-2018, 12:21 PM   #11
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Help With "Drunken Sailor" Handling

I've been in your shoes when we bought our rig new in 2007.

Many RV manufactures will include one free wheel alignment. Whether free or paying for it, you want to have the alignment as if it was loaded ready for a trip. That would include a full tank of gasoline, fresh water, propane, personal belongings, food stuff, bottled water, tools, and people. Of coarse you won't actually hand your motor home over to a shop with people and perishable food, so place things of equivalent weight in those areas. The extra weight affects the wheel alignment so you want the weight and weight distribution to represent your drive-off condition.

Given your complaint, I also recommend the following done all at once. It will cost you around $4000 at a truck suspension shop, but you will be very happy with the improvement.

- front heavy duty stabilizer bar (replaces the Ford stock one)
- rear heavy duty stabilizer bar (replaces the Ford stock one)
- Bilstein heavy duty RV shock absorbers (replaces the Ford stock ones)
- Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer (replaces the Ford stock one)
- rear trac bar (this is an additional component)

All the above is what our 2007 E350 24 foot long rig needed to handle well, a night versus day difference. I went from 2-handed hold-on-tight driving with constant steering correction, to a few fingers, one hand holding it steady while holding a cup of coffee in my other hand.

Year #12 is coming up soon. All continues to hold up well except for the shock absorbers. The Koni-RV adjustable ones I had installed in 2007, their top mounting rubber grommets wore away, literally "wore away". Months ago I replaced them with new Bilstein heavy duty RV shocks. They are much better suited for the application with top grommets & supporting washers that are twice the size.

Not just easy to drive, but also much safer to drive. Your brakes work so much better when the rig is firmly planted on the road. The improvement is most appreciated when driving scenic curvy mountain and canyon byways.

Your passengers will also appreciate the steady ride. If anyone is susceptible to motion sickness, these improvements will help immensely.
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Old 12-05-2018, 01:04 PM   #12
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Thanks guys for all the info. Yes I have packed all my stuff in the RV and it still sways a lot. I did go to the jayco forum and found out that the hellwig helper springs are not being adjusted right from the factory. Many jayco owners have tighten up the helper springs per hellwig recommendations and seen a big difference. So I will do that and then take it somewhere for an alignment. If that isn’t enough I will buy a rear hellwig sway bar and some bilstien hd shocks. I remember the Entegra esteem had that set up and did drive better. Also maybe install a steering shock absorber. Thanks again you guys are great!
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Old 12-05-2018, 03:36 PM   #13
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Caster set to 6.5 degrees made my 31.6 Gulfstream drive so much better that other than rear air bags - installed previous to alignment - that I saw no need for any other modifications. You need a truck alignment shop that will set caster to maximum specs.
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Old 12-06-2018, 07:43 AM   #14
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Since you are a first time motorhome driver, a bunch of what you are experiencing is you, and your unfamiliarity with driving these things. Suspension upgrades and all that stuff are fine once you have learned to drive the thing and have some experience with the way it operates.

I learned this little trick when I got my first motorhome. Adjust the seat and armrests so that you can rest your elbows on the arm rests. Put your elbows on the armrests, grip the wheel lightly and steer only with the limited arm and hand movements you now have. This little trick cuts out about 90% of the oversteering you are doing (which contributes greatly to the feeling of "sway"). The next thing is to focus your eyes way in front of the vehicle - at least a 100 yds ahead. This will also help you stop oversteering.

Put 3000-4000 miles on it and then make your decision about adding suspension corrections. At least you will have had enough experience to notice whether or not they make a difference.

Enjoy your new challenge.
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