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Old 04-17-2020, 02:10 PM   #1
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Forest River Sunseeker 3010 Class C suspension upgrades

Getting ready to have a Roadmaster rear anti sway bar and a steering stabilizer installed to help with the handling of my class C motorhome. Hoping this will be a big help in the driving and ride, based on internet searches and comments from others.



Question is what would be the next best upgrade to the suspension?

1. Front anti-sway bar
2. Sumo springs up front, have Firestone Ride-Rite air bags in the back. Found info that says these should be inflated anywhere between 5 to 100 PSI max. Anyone have these on a class C that can tell me a good starting pressure for normal loaded rig?
3. Rear and or front trac bar
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Old 04-17-2020, 02:29 PM   #2
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alignment
steering stabilizer
sway bars front and rear
koni fsd shocks x 4
rear track bar
I did all of this on my rv in a different order. Now I know better what works best for me. The air bags I would start with 40 to 50 psi and adjust up or down from there. Check the pressure every 2-3 days because they will leak down slowly. Your rv is longer with more rear overhang so your results may differ. All the above made improvements.
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Old 04-17-2020, 02:34 PM   #3
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Caster

Alignment with more then +5 degrees of caster.
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Old 04-17-2020, 02:42 PM   #4
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What does the Alignment with more then +5 degrees of caster do for you?
Thanks for the tips
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Old 04-17-2020, 04:07 PM   #5
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4. Sell it, if you can't drive it without adding all sorts of extra hardware.
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Old 04-17-2020, 04:55 PM   #6
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Can’t help you with suspension add on’s as I never felt they were necessary. I run the air bags at 65-70 pounds.

BTW were neighbors I am in AP.
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Old 04-17-2020, 05:20 PM   #7
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I’m thinking of doing the same things, I don’t have trouble driving mine but I would like a little less sway from wind.
I believe the current models have the heavier sway bars and shocks.
I usually run my air bags at 70lbs and it’s a lot easier to try different pressures since I installed an on-board Wireless One compressor.
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Old 04-17-2020, 05:30 PM   #8
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No front track bar available with independent suspension.

Sumo springs will ruin the ride by increasing spring rate. If you want stiffer springs, change them.

It should already have a steering stabilizer and holding the steering wheel still does the same thing.

Upgraded anti sway bars will help with getting blown around in the wind and big rig passing.

If your shocks are good, new ones won't help. Read what shocks actually do.

5° + caster will help the front end track straight ahead.
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Old 04-17-2020, 09:39 PM   #9
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First things first
Weigh at travel weight at a cat scale
Get the axle weight for front and rear, add 400 lbs to the front for driver and passenger, now look up your tire mfg website and find the inflation psi for your tires, front axle weight +400 lbs ÷2 , rear axle weight ÷4
Tire mfg list psi/weight PER tire
Adjust front end caster to 4.5 to 5
Now drive it and see what happens.
My 31ft tioga did the same, tire pressures were way off
Sticker on rig said 65 psi front 80 psi rear, actual travel weight, 75 front, 80 rear, made a world of difference, dont get pushed by semi's, and can drive with one hand.
E450 all stock no aftermarket mods
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Old 04-18-2020, 08:18 AM   #10
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I have added front and rear Hellwig sway bars, a Roadmaster steering stabilizer, keep the air bags at 80 lbs., and installed Bilstein shocks. All helped a bit.


The biggest change was greatly reducing the weight carried in the big storage bay in back. Also, reducing the amount of fresh water while traveling since that tank is in back, too. A few hundred pounds less way in the back makes a huge difference in driving comfort.
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Old 04-18-2020, 08:47 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pitt3rivers View Post
What does the Alignment with more then +5 degrees of caster do for you?
Thanks for the tips
E350/E450 Handling Problems are caused by too little + CASTER
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Old 04-24-2020, 07:04 PM   #12
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My 3011DS rides just fine. Right from the dealer. I have not modified a thing. Added air to the rear air bags is about it.
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Old 04-25-2020, 08:00 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stevegd007 View Post
My 3011DS rides just fine. Right from the dealer. I have not modified a thing. Added air to the rear air bags is about it.
Some E350/E450 have handling issues, some do not, the following may explain the difference:

Ford ships all E350/E450 cut aways with identical fixed, non adjustable
caster/camber sleeves, "one size fits all". You can recognize these sleeves because they are keyed and cannot be rotated. They are marked "F8UA-AA 0+.25" on the passenger side and "E97A-CA +0-0" on the drivers side.


The RV builder almost never changes the Ford sleeves, as a result:

If the final RV build is nose down one degree then the runtime caster will be about +3.5 degrees. These units can have a real wandering problem.

If the final RV build is nose level then the runtime caster will be about +4.5 degrees. These units are probably indifferent.

If the final RV build is nose up one degree then the runtime caster will be about +5.5 degrees. These units are probably just fine.

So, some RVs have a problem with wandering at highway speeds and some do not have a problem. JMO.
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Old 04-25-2020, 12:14 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stevegd007 View Post
My 3011DS rides just fine. Right from the dealer. I have not modified a thing. Added air to the rear air bags is about it.
I thought mine was ok until I started upgrading. The difference is amazing. Glad I upgraded my rig. It was worth the $2000.00 in parts IMO.
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