Sunseeker Class C Suspension Upgrades Tested

[MarkK10]

I have completed the suspension upgrades on my 2018 Sunseeker 3270 (32 foot) Class C motorhome which is on Ford E450 chassis. After the upgrades, I did a 1500 mile round trip towing a 22 foot race car trailer and another 1200 mile round trip with a Jeep Wrangler Sport S 2 door toad behind me.

Here is what I installed:

Hellwig 7718 Front Sway Bar, 1 3/8" diameter
https://www.amazon.com/Hellwig-7718-.../dp/B007CCHW3M

Hellwig 7180 Rear Sway Bar, 1 1/2" diameter
https://www.amazon.com/Hellwig-7180-...s=Hellwig+7180

SuperSteer Rear Track Bar (AKA panhard bar)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Roadmaster Reflex Steering Stabilizer
https://www.etrailer.com/Anti-Sway-B...BK24-RSSC.html

My son and I installed these at my house. The work was not extremely difficult, but we were pretty wiped out by the end of the day. At 70+ years of age, crawling around under a vehicle, even with the help of a creeper, wears me out more than it used to.

After the above mentioned "road tests", I feel I can evaluate the results pretty well.

With nothing in tow, the motorhome feels much more stable with less body roll (or lean) going around corners. It is also less susceptible cross winds and passing trucks. It drives better with nothing in tow and with my toad (Jeep Wrangler) behind it. However, the improvement is most dramatic when I am towing my 22 foot race car trailer. Used to be that when a large truck passed me (which happened a lot because I cruise down the interstate at 60 to 65 mph), I would feel their "bow wave" try to push me around. With the suspension upgrades I did, I can still feel it, but dramatically less.

Overall, the upgrades were well worth the investment in time and money. I will upgrade the shocks some time in the future, but the cheapskate in me precludes replacing the OEM shocks that "only" have 18,000 miles on them.

Would be interested in hearing from others who have made similar upgrades.

[Tombsy]

I’ve just done the same upgrades without the track bar on my 2015 2801QS but I also put on a set of Bilstein shocks and Michelin Agilis Crossclimate tires. I did a 1000 mile trip and had similar results, less body roll, and a lot better in crosswinds and with passing trucks. Definitely happy with the results.

[Bill Gail]

Originally Posted by MarkK10

I have completed the suspension upgrades on my 2018 Sunseeker 3270 (32 foot) Class C motorhome which is on Ford E450 chassis. After the upgrades, I did a 1500 mile round trip towing a 22 foot race car trailer and another 1200 mile round trip with a Jeep Wrangler Sport S 2 door toad behind me.

Here is what I installed:

Hellwig 7718 Front Sway Bar, 1 3/8" diameter
https://www.amazon.com/Hellwig-7718-.../dp/B007CCHW3M

Hellwig 7180 Rear Sway Bar, 1 1/2" diameter
https://www.amazon.com/Hellwig-7180-...s=Hellwig+7180

SuperSteer Rear Track Bar (AKA panhard bar)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Roadmaster Reflex Steering Stabilizer
https://www.etrailer.com/Anti-Sway-B...BK24-RSSC.html

My son and I installed these at my house. The work was not extremely difficult, but we were pretty wiped out by the end of the day. At 70+ years of age, crawling around under a vehicle, even with the help of a creeper, wears me out more than it used to.

After the above mentioned "road tests", I feel I can evaluate the results pretty well.

With nothing in tow, the motorhome feels much more stable with less body roll (or lean) going around corners. It is also less susceptible cross winds and passing trucks. It drives better with nothing in tow and with my toad (Jeep Wrangler) behind it. However, the improvement is most dramatic when I am towing my 22 foot race car trailer. Used to be that when a large truck passed me (which happened a lot because I cruise down the interstate at 60 to 65 mph), I would feel their "bow wave" try to push me around. With the suspension upgrades I did, I can still feel it, but dramatically less.

Overall, the upgrades were well worth the investment in time and money. I will upgrade the shocks some time in the future, but the cheapskate in me precludes replacing the OEM shocks that "only" have 18,000 miles on them.

Would be interested in hearing from others who have made similar upgrades.

We have a 2000 Tioga 24D , so we are on a considerably shorter wheel base but still had the handling issues you mention.

In addition to the improvements you listed , we also installed Firestone Airbags on the rear suspension , reinforced the coach frame from the rear axle to the rear bumper and had the front end aligned and caster maxed out.

We tow at times , a Suzuki Samurai 4 down , a 19' SeaRay ski boat , a MGB on an aluminum car hauler and the Harley on a cycle trailer.

We experienced similar results as you , improved handling , ride and overall improved driving control.

Since the improvements we have done two 5K+ mile trips with Toad or trailer and numerous trips to Eastern Washington over the Cascades pulling the boat.

What a difference ! Now the MH rides and drives like it should have from the factory. Definitely worth the cost and effort .

[mbutts]

Markk10
I did all but the track bar on my Forest River 32 footer on a 2017 E450 chassis in the first month I owned it. Just last year, I added the Bilstein shocks (the Konis were just too much $$$).



Besides the colossal pain in the back/shoulders to reach the upper fasteners on the rears, I think the new shocks were a worthwhile investment.

[sibe]

Would have been cool to see how sway bars, thne pan bar then steering each helped independly.. but that is a PIA..

NICE upgrades.. they helped and that was the goal

[MarkK10]

Thanks all for the comments and sharing your experiences. I should have mentioned that my Sunseeker was equipped with Firestone Ride-Rite air bags from the factory.

Next upgrades for me will probably be a 5 Star tune and eventually Bilstein shocks.

[Bill Gail]

Originally Posted by MarkK10

Thanks all for the comments and sharing your experiences. I should have mentioned that my Sunseeker was equipped with Firestone Ride-Rite air bags from the factory.

Next upgrades for me will probably be a 5 Star tune and eventually Bilstein shocks.

X2 on the 5 Star Tuner.

In addition to the suspension upgrades , I also installed the 5 Star Tuner .

Big improvement on holding gears on long uphill grades and engine braking on down hill grades.

Definitely improved acceleration during on ramp merging.

Haven't noticed any significant improvement in gas milage , but really didn't expect any !

[Tombsy]

Another vote for the 5-star tune. If your thinking of adding a cold air intake let them know they will factor it in to the tune as well.

[Gidyupgo]

Originally Posted by MarkK10

Thanks all for the comments and sharing your experiences. I should have mentioned that my Sunseeker was equipped with Firestone Ride-Rite air bags from the factory.

Next upgrades for me will probably be a 5 Star tune and eventually Bilstein shocks.

I did the same suspension improvements you did to our 2017 32 ft Sunseeker 3010, which also came with the airbags. Also had the alignment re-set once we had 2k miles on it. Together these were a fantastic improvement. I will also replace the shocks, once they wear out.

20k miles later, added the 5 Star tune. It will put a smile on your face. Holds a gear longer on grades and if it does downshift, it is only one gear, not two. Also, mine had pre-ignition "clatter" at 2100 RPM, especially notable at 60 - 62 mph, since I brought it home. That is gone now. The 5 Star tune does for the Power train what the suspension mods did for the ride and handling.

35k on it now and plan to keep it a long time.

[DirtRider]

How much trailer weight and tongue weight do you have? I’ve towed my 22’ open trailer (26’ total length) with about 6500lbs and 650lbs tongue weight, and it affected the handling pretty badly. Driveable, sure, but you could tell you had pulled weight off the steers. That is with upgraded sway bars, front end alignment, and weight distribution hitch. I wouldn’t want to deal with more tongue weight than I had, and I have a shorter rear overhang than you do.

Towing my smaller 14’ trailer loaded to 3700 lbs is extremely easy, and doesn’t affect handling hardly at all.

[Atlee]

Did you use a weight distributing hitch? Properly adjusted, it should have returned at least 1/2 of the weight back to the front axle.

Originally Posted by DirtRider

How much trailer weight and tongue weight do you have? I’ve towed my 22’ open trailer (26’ total length) with about 6500lbs and 650lbs tongue weight, and it affected the handling pretty badly. Driveable, sure, but you could tell you had pulled weight off the steers. That is with upgraded sway bars, front end alignment, and weight distribution hitch. I wouldn’t want to deal with more tongue weight than I had, and I have a shorter rear overhang than you do.

Towing my smaller 14’ trailer loaded to 3700 lbs is extremely easy, and doesn’t affect handling hardly at all.

[Ron Dittmer]

Originally Posted by MarkK10

Would be interested in hearing from others who have made similar upgrades.

We bought our rig brand new in 2007. CLICK HERE to see many pictures of it. It is a short 23'-8" long and only 9'-10" to the top of the a/c unit. It is built on a 2007 Ford E350 with the standard 158" wheel base. Prior to 2008, Ford did not not install a rear stabilizer bar on their E350, and the front bar was identical to an E150 van. Our rig handled like a drunken sailor when loaded up during our maiden voyage.

Had I known back in 2007 that I could do this myself with the Helwig brand, I surely would have. I had a shop install the following for me right after our first trip out.

- replace the front stabilizer bar with a heavy duty version (Roadmaster brand)
- add a rear heavy duty stabilizer bar (Roadmaster brand)
- add a rear track bar (Henderson brand)
- replace the stock steering stabilizer with a heavy duty version (Safe-T-Plus brand)
- replace the original shocks with RV-specific shocks (Koni-RV adjustables, their earlier red ones)

The one regret was taking the advice of the shop concerning shocks. I wanted heavy duty Bilstein shocks, but the shop talked me into the red Koni-RV adjustable ones. 3 years ago I replaced those Koni-RV shocks with what I initially wanted. You can read of my experience with pictures by CLICKING HERE. I highly recommend the heavy duty Bilstein shocks made for motor homes.

Needless to say, my handling troubles disappeared long ago.

A few months ago, I replaced the front springs for a more comfortable ride up front. CLICK HERE for my write-up with pictures. That project is for select rigs that are short, and have a very long rear over-hang. The change did not negatively influence handling. It lowered our high-riding front end by 1.25" (a very good thing), and made the ride more comfortable for us up front and also for the house itself. Had I thought of it in 2007 and had the guts to do it, I would have changed my front springs way back then. We are waiting until after the pandemic to travel cross-country again. Just prior to such a trip, I will buy new tires & get a wheel alignment, most especially the alignment because of the change in front springs.

One more thing I failed to mention up front. We almost always tow a 2006 Jeep Liberty 4-wheels down with minimal tongue weight on the rear hitch.

[Montana170]

Nice write up, Ron. A few years ago I installed Roadmaster front and rear bars on my purchased used 2006 Coach House 23' on E450 chassis. Huge difference; the sailor really sobered up. I used Roadmaster after I studied the installation instructions and info available online. The Roadmaster bars are a bit more difficult to install, particularly at the front. But the the way they are mounted makes them more effective than the Hellwig (hope I did not insult someone's religious beliefs). I installed the latest version of the very expensive Koni shocks, I am pleased with them.

[DirtRider]

Originally Posted by Atlee

Did you use a weight distributing hitch? Properly adjusted, it should have returned at least 1/2 of the weight back to the front axle.

I did use a WD hitch--an Equalizer 12k. I put a ton of tension on the bars, but still felt like I didn't put that much weight back on the front. I told myself I'd weigh with and without the bars to figure out how much was getting distributed, but never did it. I didn't feel like it could be much. To get 300lbs of weight on the front axle, the bars would have to introduce a massive torque at the hitch--that front axle has a ton of leverage.

I do know that without the WD hitch, my 650lb tongue weight translated to ~1300lbs on the rear axle, and ~650lbs off the steers. I wish I had weighed it with the WD bars, but laziness has gotten to me.