Suspension Improvements

[Roger]

As often noted in this forum, my 1999 24RB on the Ford E-350 chassis
rides very rough. The rear axle seems to be the main culprit as the springs
are very stiff. The installed air springs don't seem to be much help other
than leveling the coach when loaded. Before a Florida trip this Summer, I
decided to see what I could do.

My first item was to install Bilstein F4-BE5-E074-HO shocks on the rear.
This was a much harder job than I anticipated as the upper mounting
point on the passenger side is above the muffler and heat shield. I had
to get a friend to help me. Alas, a trip down a back woods rough road
showed no discernable improvement. Perhaps sophisticated
instrumentation might have shown a difference but it was not apparent
to the driver!

The second item was the installation of a Hellwig 7085 rear stabilizer bar.
This was a much easier installation. Of course the mounts for the bar
wanted to go in the same place as the mounts for the air springs! Fortunately,
the inboard bolts for the air springs mated up with the bar hardware nicely.
Another trip down the road showed no ride improvement.

However on the trip to Florida, I did notice a significant improvement in
the handling. The coach was much less "tippy". When a bus or 18 wheeler
went by there was just a gentle nudge requiring very little steering correction.
On the way back, we drove about 100 miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia.
This is a twisty two lane road in the mountains. Again, I noticed improved handling
in the corners. The coach seemed very stable with much less lean.

Still looking for the Magic Bullet!

Regards, Roger