Stability control

[Phedley]

I have a just acquired 2007 winnebago Navion that has stability control issues. I’ve checked tire pressure air bag pressure all is good. Any suggestions on how to correcting this horrible feeling of being out of control?

[navegator]

Another item that un-stabilizes the RV'S is to much weight in the overhead bins, higher center of gravity over all specially galley items as an example plates made of porcelain, caned goods ETC. rather than using some thing lighter, we started off with plastic dinner ware made by Ingrid LTD. and wife latter bought a set of Corelle and substituted for the plastic.

The plastic dinnerware weigh more than the Corelle and all glassware is acrylic, all coking utensils are aluminum made by Tefall they ride under the sink in cloth bags for rattle abatement, the BBQ rides in the toad, and all heavy items ride low this ensures that the center of gravity is as low as possible since a good gust off wind will push the RV and being top heavy will tend to steer to the opposite side of where the wind comes from or the bow wave push is, this motion is amplified even more than when the center of gravity is lower, that leads to stability problems.

navegator

[rjstractor]

Harvard wrote:
Your unit has too little caster.

Not very helpful, as the OPs motorhome is on a Mercedes chassis.

To the OP, I haven't seen too many handling complaints about the Mercedes chassis. Part of may be your expectations, depending on what they are. Although some say they do, these things don't drive like SUVs. Have you owned other motorhomes?

I haven't seen anyone mention weights. GVWR is pretty low for a motorhome this size, and it would not take a huge overload on the rear axle to make it handle terribly. I would start by knowing your weights.

[Snomas]

I installed front and rear sway bars, Bilstein shocks, safeT steering arm, wheel aligjment corrected tire pressure and it made a great improvement to my driving experience

[MDKMDK]

Phedley wrote:
I just installed the yellow sumo springs what a difference. I will be putting them on the front. Thanks for the update!

Good news? I've decided to wait for a while, and a few more miles to add the fronts to my chassis. The rears do seem to help, so I may not need the fronts after all, but I have them, if needed. Weather is starting to chill up here, which also helped decide which way to proceed.

[bobndot]

Does anyone know if TL Stableloads help on these rvs ? Might be another option for some experiencing side to side motion. They worked well with my pickup hauling TC’s.

This link explains and reviews what they are.

https://www.torklift.com/blog/entry/customer-review-stableloads-suspension-stabilizer?format=amp

[Phedley]

I just installed the yellow sumo springs what a difference. I will be putting them on the front. Thanks for the update!

[MDKMDK]

klutchdust wrote:
The curb roll on my 30' Cambria was minimized by the addition/changing of the shocks to Koni vs. what Ford installed on the chassis. Curious to see what the Sumo can do. Was under the impression they were meant to be more of a weight bearing device.

They're a constant contact compressible bump stop between the suspension and frame, is how I would describe them.
At least the ones I'm trying are. I have added the yellow rears (1400lbs combined support at 50% compression) SSR-338-54, and so far, they have done what they promised. I'm seeing reduced push/sway due to cross winds/big truck bow wash, and I used to bottom out the tail, if I left/entered my driveway a little too fast. That hasn't happened either.
I was impressed enough that I ordered the fronts SSF-106-47 (1000lbs at 50% compression) hoping to add some more stability to cornering and curb roll. Even a bit of improvement will be worth it. Still waiting for them to arrive.
My factory shocks are Bilsteins, and I haven't read anywhere that changing them out was worth the effort/cost, so I'm waiting to see if the Sumos alone will give me enough improvement.

[klutchdust]

The curb roll on my 30' Cambria was minimized by the addition/changing of the shocks to Koni vs. what Ford installed on the chassis. Curious to see what the Sumo can do. Was under the impression they were meant to be more of a weight bearing device.

[Phedley]

Yea bought some of the SumoSprings also. The yellow one. Have not installed yet. Let me know how your results are. I’ve driver 18 wheelers and such but never this bad.

[MDKMDK]

No, on doubling the shocks or other hardware.
I am in the process of adding Sumo Springs to try to mitigate the curb roll, and sway from driveways and 18 wheeler bow wash. If the handling improves, that would be a bonus, but I'm only after a low speed rock and roll improvement. These things have very mushy suspension, and the gap beteeen the frame and suspension bump stops is pretty wide, probably to soften the ride, but the trade off is serious wobble entering/exiting even slightly angled grades and driveways. If it works, great. If not, no harm done.

[Phedley]

Has anyone doubled the rear shocks and stabilizer? Another words the rear suspension would have 4 shocks and 2 sway bars. What’s your thoughts.

[Gjac]

MDKMDK wrote:

mgirardo wrote:
I would start with an alignment. Replacing or adding parts before having the alignment checked could be a waste of money. If it needs new ball joints, they find that out during the alignment.

-Michael

Agreed on not throwing money at it, and adding all the usual suspects that others suggest, before getting the alignment check. It's easy to spend a fortune on these vehicles, and get negligible results, and ride is a very subjective topic, after all.

Good advice. The other thing I would do before the alignment is to check your weight distribution of the MH each tire should carry at or near as possible the same weight. If not try to redistribute the stuff you carry. If it is on a Mercedes chassis they usually ride better than the Ford stock. What chassis do you have? How many miles on the MH? Do you see any unusual tire wear? Do you feel vibration in the steering wheel or seat? Has it ever been aligned by the PO? If you can answer some questions we can help you narrow down you handling issues.

[MDKMDK]

mgirardo wrote:
I would start with an alignment. Replacing or adding parts before having the alignment checked could be a waste of money. If it needs new ball joints, they find that out during the alignment.

-Michael

Agreed on not throwing money at it, and adding all the usual suspects that others suggest, before getting the alignment check. It's easy to spend a fortune on these vehicles, and get negligible results, and ride is a very subjective topic, after all.

[klutchdust]

mgirardo wrote:
I would start with an alignment. Replacing or adding parts before having the alignment checked could be a waste of money. If it needs new ball joints, they find that out during the alignment.

-Michael

Doubtful that anyone that has upgraded their suspension from stock has any regrets. Just changing the shocks on my Cambria eliminated the side to side roll and that awful RR crossing banging that is all too frequent. Alignment, done right, will help for sure.