New to us 2010 Winnebago Aspect questions

[normt50]

I'm glad to have found this forum, and been accepted. My wife and I are retired and bought a 2010 Winnebago Aspect in 2020.

I want to do some upgrades to smooth the ride and make it easier to drive. I'm a retired pastor, so I can't do a lot of things.

I've done a lot of research and it seems I've narrowed my list down to four things: Front end alignment, new shocks, sway bars, and the Safe T Plus steering control.

My first problem is confusion. I've been crawling around under my unit and I see that there are sway bars and something that looks like a 2010 version of the Safe T Plus steering control. Should those sway bars be replaced in the thought it will make a big different in handling? Could that unit that looks like a Safe T Plus steering control really be the same thing--and should I consider upgrading?

I'm certain I'm getting the alignment and new shocks, but I wonder about the other two items. (I also saw Firestone Air type shocks in the rear and I wonder about their value if we don't heavy load, and if they need to be replaced).

Thank you for any help.

[Eagle5]

Hello Pastor Norm,
If you see evidence of oil leaking down the casing of the shock absorber, then certainly they need to be replaced. Also, high mileage can be a good reason to replace them.
Regarding the alignment, it could be that the Safe T Plus steering control is no longer centered, so you have a chronic pull either to the left or the right. When you have the alignment checked, I would hope the technician doing the work will set the Safe T Plus where it should be, and he should be able to advise you of its condition.
As far as the anti-sway bars, the bushings holding them in-place can get worn, so perhaps you would benefit from new bushings. Do you see any air gaps in the bushings? Can you wiggle the anti-sway bars around with your hand? If so, then new bushings would be what you need.
The air shocks would be another thing I would ask your alignment technician about. If you do set their pressure, I'm sure you would have noticed if they leak-out. In looking at the brochure from 2010, it appears that of the two floor plans, the larger 30C would tend to be more overloaded, as both have the same E-450 tonnage. I do like lifting bags better than air shocks.
Welcome to the forum.
Eagle5

[creativepart]

Hi and welcome.
The Ford chassis did come from the factory with front and rear sway bars. Not super beefy however. For the rear, companies like Roadmaster and Heilwig sell a much heavier duty additional sway bar but for the front they sell a beefier replacement bar to replace the OEM bar.

Fords don’t come with a steering stabilizer from the factory but a previous owner may have installed one.

Steering stabilizers help limit wandering on the road. New sway bars help with body tilt on turns and uneven roads. New shocks control bouncing or porpoising.

There are other suspension upgrades people do, as well. Track bars help better locate axles to prevent unwanted movement. Your Ford has a front track bar standard, so adding a rear can help with drivability. Sumo Springs are helper springs that go on your leaf springs and countrol jounce and body tilt (somewhat).

All these things help with control but none do much to improve ride at all. It’s a heavy duty truck chassis and will always ride like a heavy duty truck.

Adjusting tire pressure can help. It is more than just lowering tire pressure, you have to take your fully loaded RV to a scale and get accurate weights on each axel or corner, consult your tire chart for load info and set your tire pressures based on this info.

Speaking of tires, if you haven’t already, read the DOT production dates on each tire and replace all of them, regardless of mileage, if they are between 5 and 7 years old. You get to decide how many years you feel is “safe” to go between tire replacements.

Enjoy your new RV!

[hank857]

Hello, we have a '12 aspect 28J. Its a fair to middlin rig but its only for me and the wife. We have the wrap around (horseshoe) seating and we really dont care for it but basically are stuck with it.


Yes the unit has stabilizers front and rear and many say to go aftermarket, but I find they work well enough. Issue is if you have air bags to assist in loading. I found that you will need to play with the settings until you find whats right. I run 65-75psi in ours. Tire pressures also need to be experimented with as too many just set to max on sidewalls and that will cause harsh ride and also cause the unit to wander. I run 55-60 in front tires and 65-70 in rears. Doing so with air bags and tires has helped any issues with tracking and ride.


I dont know about the 2010 with a a front stabilizer but mine has one and other on the winnebago aspect cambria site (https://aspectcambriarvforum.forumotion.com/) indicate theirs do also. I have new brake pads and shocks to install on mine as well as a new stabilizer. shocks and stabilizer are from Monroe which I have seen good reviews on. Many say bilstiens but some have also said not to go that route too! Come on over to the site and ask there. Its kinda slow now but is starting to get active again since the bug is pretty much on the run and folks are starting to think about life again.