Help....smooth ride.

[SammyC]

I'm looking for ideas to get a smooth ride. My 2016 ace 31' what can i do to get a smooth ride? I feel every crack in the road so much that my GPS vibrates off the dash while driving. Suggestions,....new shocks, new tires ????? Help.

[Wrpt58]

First, Check your tire pressure.
When I got my Hurricane 29M, I'm pretty sure the tires were at 100 psi. I drove it that way for the first 5500 miles, feeling every crack and cigarette butt on the road. Then I read on this forum where Halfprice and SuperD were discussing tire pressures of 80 -85 psi. It got my engineering degree kicked into gear.
Long story short, I checked the Thor suspension plate by the driver's seat and it showed to run 82 psi, cold. I fretted over this a little, but changed it and drove it for another 4000 miles, loaded to 17300 lbs (18000 lb max). Smoother ride, almost as good handling, less fretting about tires overheating and blowing out in the hot CA/NV deserts in the summer.
If you have adjustable sway bars (two or more holes on the end of the sway bar), you could try moving the endlinks to the hole furtherest from the end of the sway bar and find less roll in the turns and handling.

Again, first check your air pressures and what the manufacturer and tire manufacturer recommend.

Just my 2 cents,
Recie

[SuperD]

Originally Posted by SammyC

I'm looking for ideas to get a smooth ride. My 2016 ace 31' what can i do to get a smooth ride? I feel every crack in the road so much that my GPS vibrates off the dash while driving. Suggestions,....new shocks, new tires ????? Help.

First, remember your coach is on a heavy duty truck chassis, it's never going to ride like the family car.

Like Wrpt said, tire pressure. Can't stress this one enough! Look at the sticker, should be near drivers seat, check cold inflation pressure. Get your coach weighed when it's loaded for a trip, this will give you better information for correct tire pressures.

These are mods mainly for handling but do affect the ride a little:
Steering stabilizer for safety (Safe T Plus)
CHF, affects body roll. Easy to do and it's free.
Rear trackbar, stops the waggin tail, especially around semi's
Front Sumo springs, replaces front spring bump stops. This one does affect ride.
Shocks, many people change them with varying degrees of results.

You can spend a LOT of money on the suspension, but in the end you are still driving a truck! I know that's not what you want to hear but it's the truth.

[Dippytwo]

I also have a 2016 ACE 30.1. I have done the Cheap Handling Fix (CHF), this has helped a lot with the ride and trucks pushing me around when they pass. I also run my tires at 82psi. According to the tire pressure chart from Goodyear I can run my tires at 80psi for my weight, but I talked to a Goodyear rep and was told 82psi was OK.

[SammyC]

Thanks for the info. I have tires at 82psi per the driver plate. I had the Safe T plus installed along with front and rear sway bars. To be honest I didn't find a lot of difference with the trucks pushing me around with these mods. I guess i can try the sumo springs SuperD talks about.

[gmc]

Originally Posted by SammyC

Thanks for the info. I have tires at 82psi per the driver plate. I had the Safe T plus installed along with front and rear sway bars. To be honest I didn't find a lot of difference with the trucks pushing me around with these mods. I guess i can try the sumo springs SuperD talks about.

The 'driver plate' states the tire pressure required at max weight... The suggestion is to have your rig weighed (at least 2 axle if not 4 corner) and set the tire pressure based on the real weight using the tire manufacturers info...

If you run at/near max weight - won't be a difference... If you run significantly lighter, you can safely run a lower pressure which will smooth out the ride.

Be aware if you change loading significantly, pressure may need to change too. Loaded for a 3+ month trip I am very near max weight... Short weekend trips - no where near...

Cat scales (and many truck stops) can do the 2 axle - or two axle plus toad - weights... I haven't found a place to get 4 corner weights locally or in my travels.

[SuperD]

GMC, if you want to get 4 corner weights here's how to do it. Find a scale with no obstructions on one side that isn't busy. Go in and tell the operator you need to weigh twice, once on each side, hopefully they will do it, some won't. Pull on the scales with the center of your coach on the edge of the scale, get weight, pull of, turn around and do the same thing with the other side.

The trick is finding a scale that isn't busy and a cooperative clerk.

[halfprice]

Originally Posted by SammyC

Thanks for the info. I have tires at 82psi per the driver plate. I had the Safe T plus installed along with front and rear sway bars. To be honest I didn't find a lot of difference with the trucks pushing me around with these mods. I guess i can try the sumo springs SuperD talks about.

I would consider the rear track bar before the sumos. I saw the best handling difference after installing rear track bar. I did install front sumos but haven't driven enough with them to say what they have done for the ride


Jerry

[Dragon70]

Originally Posted by SammyC

I'm looking for ideas to get a smooth ride. My 2016 ace 31' what can i do to get a smooth ride? I feel every crack in the road so much that my GPS vibrates off the dash while driving. Suggestions,....new shocks, new tires ????? Help.

Save your money. I have thousands in improvements and while it may have improved handling (very little) the ride difference isn't worth $1 of the money spent.

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Halibut214

Save your money. I have thousands in improvements and while it may have improved handling (very little) the ride difference isn't worth $1 of the money spent.

Unfortunately you are dealing with engineering reality that doesn't change just because it's ignored. And it's a point that should be discussed more often.

Adding heavy duty sway bars WILL make the ride worse, not better. It has to. Stiffer sway bars and CHF may improve handling but it also makes suspension less compliant to single-wheel bumps.

Whether average drivers can detect an adverse difference or not in a vehicle that rides poorly to start with is debatable, but stiffer sway bars (and CHF) are not going to improve ride quality. If anything it will make ride quality worse, not better.

[Dragon70]

Originally Posted by Chance

Unfortunately you are dealing with engineering reality that doesn't change just because it's ignored. And it's a point that should be discussed more often.

Adding heavy duty sway bars WILL make the ride worse, not better. It has to. Stiffer sway bars and CHF may improve handling but it also makes suspension less compliant to single-wheel bumps.

Whether average drivers can detect an adverse difference or not in a vehicle that rides poorly to start with is debatable, but stiffer sway bars (and CHF) are not going to improve ride quality. If anything it will make ride quality worse, not better.

Not sure I understand your point. Isn't this pretty much what I just said?

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Halibut214

Not sure I understand your point. Isn't this pretty much what I just said?

My point was to agree with you because too often the benefits of "handling upgrades" are discussed in a vacuum. And that's not fair to those that aren't told that their motorhome may end up riding harsher.

[gmc]

Originally Posted by SuperD

GMC, if you want to get 4 corner weights here's how to do it. Find a scale with no obstructions on one side that isn't busy. Go in and tell the operator you need to weigh twice, once on each side, hopefully they will do it, some won't. Pull on the scales with the center of your coach on the edge of the scale, get weight, pull of, turn around and do the same thing with the other side.

The trick is finding a scale that isn't busy and a cooperative clerk.

Haven't tried asking... can't hurt I guess... Cat scales published policy doesn't allow it: (source: https://catscale.com/how-to-weigh/ )

Our scales can give you axle weights and a total gross weight, however, they cannot weigh each corner of the vehicle. We cannot provide individual wheel weights and, to prevent damage to your vehicle as well as our scales, do not allow that type of weighing.

Typically they are the only ones I see.