There HAS To Be A Better Way To RV Than THIS!

[Sheilag1848]

Several questions jump to mind, all of which are probably retoric; Did you test drive over different types of roads? Did you have the tire pressure checked and compare the result to the rating on the tires? Did you drive until you were either satisified or totally frustrated? I think you get the drift of my questions. And not trying to make this go from bad to horrid, BUT, do you think that this purchase was any different from other purchases "BUYER BEWARE" applies perhaps more with a vehicle than any other purchase. I truly am sorry that you are experiencing buyers remorse and I honestly hope your issues can be resolved. But, this is on you. Be a Responsible Buyer. Good Luck

[DesertRatt]

"But, this is on you. Be a Responsible Buyer."
-----------

Well of course it's on me! I didn't blame anyone. I paid my $23,500 in Benjamins to the seller and never said another word to him. That's about all the responsibility needed.

My complaint was just that - - my surprise at how a modern RV rode. No, I didn't get to drive it, and made my own decision to "take it as is, where is, for the agreed on price", because in July, in SoCal, RVs were selling within HOURS of putting them up for sale. While I was inspecting this one, the owner was taking calls and lining up back up buyers. I took the risk with no regrets. SO WHAT if I complained about the ride? As it turns out, it's a fact that these things ride like covered wagons - I discovered many, many other people with the same complaint? So what?

I've now invested beaucoup bucks in new suspension, and I am getting the ride nailed down. What the heck is "irresponsible" about that? Maybe you should read the whole thread @shielag1848 to get a better understanding of the situation?
Sheesh.

[deucehotrods]

Originally Posted by Sheilag1848

Several questions jump to mind, all of which are probably retoric; Did you test drive over different types of roads? Did you have the tire pressure checked and compare the result to the rating on the tires? Did you drive until you were either satisified or totally frustrated? I think you get the drift of my questions. And not trying to make this go from bad to horrid, BUT, do you think that this purchase was any different from other purchases "BUYER BEWARE" applies perhaps more with a vehicle than any other purchase. I truly am sorry that you are experiencing buyers remorse and I honestly hope your issues can be resolved. But, this is on you. Be a Responsible Buyer. Good Luck

This forum is for us to help each other, not to offer condescending criticism. Apparently you have never bought a used motorhome in the real world!

[AJMike]

Originally Posted by PapaJ1952

Class C's are tanks.

I have a Winnebago Fuse, a Class C diesel on the Ford Transit chassis and it is anything but "a tank". It rides smoothly, it is comfortable, has plenty of power and I look forward to going on every trip.

Perhaps the Class Cs you have been in were "a tank" but I do not think that is a valid generalization.

[raytaylr]

Well, I ran a 27' class A on the Ford V10 running gear 14k miles from No. CA to Boston and back and had many jarring stretches. 19.5 Sumitomo tires are truck tires, I assume more truck what your Suburban ran.

Roads back east, especially in the "mid-west" present expansion joints that grow with the freeze and thaw of winter and drove us to vibration madness as well with the bang, bang effect. Lower tire pressure and air bags in the rear helped but it was still a "truck" ride.

Good luck.
~RT

[Leslie Mike]

We've had a 2003 Minnie Class C for about seven years. We love it too! The air bags set to 50-80 really made a difference.
I know our Ford-250 runs rougher than our Ford-150. And, yes the Minnie F450 is rougher than those others. With some of your adjustments (suggested here), I'm sure you will find an acceptable and safe ride (and a whole lot less money).
We have driven ours across country, and yes, some roads are tough! But over-all, all is good. Have fun and enjoy your Minnie. It is a nice RV.
Mike Leslie
2003 Minnie

[Robert T]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned in this thread is speed. We have a 2010 Itasca Navion (same as View), and I have discovered that it rides much better if I keep my speed down to 60 mph.

[DesertRatt]

Originally Posted by Robert T

One thing I haven't seen mentioned in this thread is speed. We have a 2010 Itasca Navion (same as View), and I have discovered that it rides much better if I keep my speed down to 60 mph.

My average speed is 58 normally, and around 65 on Interstate.

[YGoHom]

Originally Posted by DesertRatt

My weight was #3740 front and #8160 rear with full tank of gas and fresh water.

I checked the Michelin specs and decided on 50 PSI front and 60 PSI rear. After getting America's Tire to remove the %*&#@ HubCaps the put on with an air wrench, I set about removing air. Who knew it would take another 2 hours, to realize the valve stems are hidden, go find some sort of extensions (crappy ones), fiddle them on, and then discover my pressure gauges barely fit, barely work, etc.

Well, finally got the right pressure and went for a 10 mile ride. It IS an improvement. Not so much in character as in degrees. The bumps are all there, but quieter, more "bump" less "BANG!". It was worth the time to get it to the right pressure, but I don't think I'm done.

I think the wildly bad aspect of the chassis is the rear axle. It's about as sophisticated as a covered wagon. What's clearly happening is that the rear axle jumps off the pavement and shudders and twists on the way down. The rear axle contributes about 3/4 of the roughness, and the clanging and banging, while the front is bumpy, but well behaved.

I may visit a speed shop that has done some special work for me in the past, and see if perhaps "drag bars" would keep that shuddering and twisting down. I think it's not rocket science, even though not in my wheelhouse.

It's great that you weighed the RV to get a better tire pressure, but how do those weights compare to the MAX front and rear? You really want to compare as a percentage, and be somewhat evenly loaded, like 80% of front and 80% of rear. Not 60% front and 110% rear. Also, the more weight, the smoother the ride.
As you've been told, Bilsteins have been horrible in EVERY situation that I've ever tried them. They are far too stiff. Go get some cheap Monroe oil filled shocks, NOT gas shocks.

My first Class C was a 2001 on a Chevy chassis. Rode like an empty U-Haul truck.
The next was a 2013 on a Ford chassis, disc brakes all around, V10 and 5 speed. That was the most comfortable and drove like a sports car. Long wheelbase on a short E350 chassis.
Now I have a 2018 Class A that had its own issues. Mostly due to the incredibly short wheelbase. All of that has been fixed. I tried Bilsteins and immediately took them off. They made a normally decent road feel like a washboard dirt road. The stock oil shocks are just fine.
Spread the weight around in the RV, lower the tire pressure, throw the Bilsteins in the trash and go for another drive. I bet the ride improves.

[DesertRatt]

Originally Posted by YGoHom

It's great that you weighed the RV to get a better tire pressure, but how do those weights compare to the MAX front and rear? You really want to compare as a percentage, and be somewhat evenly loaded, like 80% of front and 80% of rear. Not 60% front and 110% rear. Also, the more weight, the smoother the ride.
As you've been told, Bilsteins have been horrible in EVERY situation that I've ever tried them. They are far too stiff. Go get some cheap Monroe oil filled shocks, NOT gas shocks.

My first Class C was a 2001 on a Chevy chassis. Rode like an empty U-Haul truck.
The next was a 2013 on a Ford chassis, disc brakes all around, V10 and 5 speed. That was the most comfortable and drove like a sports car. Long wheelbase on a short E350 chassis.
Now I have a 2018 Class A that had its own issues. Mostly due to the incredibly short wheelbase. All of that has been fixed. I tried Bilsteins and immediately took them off. They made a normally decent road feel like a washboard dirt road. The stock oil shocks are just fine.
Spread the weight around in the RV, lower the tire pressure, throw the Bilsteins in the trash and go for another drive. I bet the ride improves.

Tire Pressure:
After getting the weight of each axle, I simply used the Michelin chart to arrive at the right pressure. They show the weight supported and the pressure. Isn't that the right way?

Bilsteins:
I'm just horrified to have to "throw them out" - that's basically a $1000 mistake by the time I replace them with something else.

Secondly, isn't the shock also to reduce body roll and porpoising, and other handling character? Not just ride quality? If I go to a wimpy soft shock, won't I lose handling characteristics?

Thanks for the comments, YGo!

[1237dmctlc]

Originally Posted by DesertRatt

Tire Pressure:
After getting the weight of each axle, I simply used the Michelin chart to arrive at the right pressure. They show the weight supported and the pressure. Isn't that the right way?

Bilsteins:
I'm just horrified to have to "throw them out" - that's basically a $1000 mistake by the time I replace them with something else.

Secondly, isn't the shock also to reduce body roll and porpoising, and other handling character? Not just ride quality? If I go to a wimpy soft shock, won't I lose handling characteristics?

Thanks for the comments, YGo!

Shocks are designed basically to keep the tires in contact with the road. It absorbs or dampens the rebound and compression of the suspension whether its coil or leaf springs. Shocks are velocity sensitive so the more they move on bumpy roads the more resistive they are. Of course different type of shocks and I'm not just referring to brands, I also mean gas or oil filled react different. I think sway bars are more for porpoising or side to side movements not shocks. Its why folks put thicker sway bars. Thicker are stiffer so helps keep the opposite side tire on the road.Rear Trak bars help stiffen up the rear axle even more from side to side motion.

[Rick 99037]

I hear many comments hear about tire inflation and adjustments in pressure. But tire pressure is not first about comfort. It's about the required pressure to hold up the vehicle safely, while keeping the tire flat on the road, and running cool.
The right pressure is what the manufacturer said to use. And that was derived by weighing your vehicle model and floor plan, and using tire size and weight charts to get the right pressure. I acknowledge adding water adds weight, but the manufacturer knew this too. And that's why they put the tanks where they did. Over inflation is bad. It makes the tire harder than needed, and bulges the center of the tire tread area, wearing the tread center, reducing road surface traction, and making a harder than necessary ride. And though underinflation softens the ride, it wears the tire shoulders prematurely, makes them run hot, and makes the tires more squirmy. So just don't get to adventurous with pressure adjustments.

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by Rick 99037

The right pressure is what the manufacturer said to use. And that was derived by weighing your vehicle model and floor plan, and using tire size and weight charts to get the right pressure.

Sorry, but that is not accurate description for a motorhome. It would be great if the manufacturer did this accurately and separately for each vehicle. Unfortunately, that is simple not the case at all.

The weight and tire settings placard on your motorhome is a generic chassis/motorhome weight plus an estimated maximum total weight. The inflation chart on your motorhome is NOT the actual weight of your motorhome and the PSI indicated is a maximum not a recommended ideal setting.

First, they don't individually weigh each empty motorhome as it leaves the factory.

Next, they make an estimate of the highest possible approved weight that the motorhome COULD POSSIBLY carry.

They do this once on a pre-production unit that's built for certification and testing.

Your motorhome may weigh many hundreds of pounds less than this theoretical maximum provided by the manufacturer on it's weight placard on the wall of your RV.

And, those of us that have weighed our fully loaded motorhomes know this to be totally the case.

[68SILVER]

I would think the tire pressure being that low would cause a handling problem.

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by 68SILVER

I would think the tire pressure being that low would cause a handling problem.

How low?
Too low is a lot of problems. What are you referring to specifically?

[Rick 99037]

I stand corrected. Thank you.
So using that, one would need to weigh each axle themselves, look at a tire size weight chart, and adjust pressure for each axle accordingly.
But that still leaves a proper pressure based not on the comfort of the ride, but proper tire pressure for the load carried.

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by Rick 99037

I stand corrected. Thank you.
So using that, one would need to weigh each axle themselves, look at a tire size weight chart, and adjust pressure for each axle accordingly.
But that still leaves a proper pressure based not on the comfort of the ride, but proper tire pressure for the load carried.

Absolutely, if after weighing you find you can drop your tire pressure 10 psi or so you coincidentally get to reap the benefits of a better ride and even longer tread life (though you'll probably never wear out RV tires before they age out).

In almost every case weighing and setting tire pressures by actual weight results in lower pressures than the placard on the wall of the RV.

[Rick 99037]

Fair enough. And your comment about the tires aging out before wearing out, that's why when I replaced my 15 Yr old factory michelin's, I didn't put michelin back on ether.

[creativepart]

Originally Posted by Rick 99037

Fair enough. And your comment about the tires aging out before wearing out, that's why when I replaced my 15 Yr old factory michelin's, I didn't put michelin back on ether.

It's pretty much recommended that motorhome tires be replaced approx 7 years after the date of manufacturer (not 7 years after put on the RV). This applies to all brands not just Michelin.

If the tires are inspected regularly and not showing crazing or cracking you can sometimes go as long as 10-years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7scHIvjyBk

[Rick 99037]

I'm all over that, but I bought it used. I was surprised he hadn't replaced them, even though they actually still looked great; and I literally drove it from his house to the tire shop.
And for the record, tire shops typically refuse to repair a 10 year old tire - even for a nail. I found that out the hard way. It still had lots of tread, but it didn't matter. This would typically lead to the replacement of at least 2 driven tires. I did all 4.