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Old 08-12-2018, 01:43 PM   #1
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Model: Miramar
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EHF (Expensive Handling Fix) worth every penny

Our MH was purchased in Texas and we drove it home to East Tennessee. I knew from that initial drive that suspension modifications would be one of the first modifications I would make to the MH.

I opted for the EHF and had front and rear Roadmaster anti-sway bars installed along with the Roadmaster steering stabilizer. Front Sumo Springs have been installed as well and the rear Sumo Springs will be installed after the Thor warranty expires.

We just got back from our first camping trip which consisted of driving from East Tennessee to Myrtle Beach, SC and back. I-40 over the mountains is a nice section of road with a lot of hills and curves that challenge the suspension system.

The difference in ride and handling is amazing. My wife even commented on how much better the ride was.

My MH is the Ford F53 22,000 pound chassis and I highly recommend this upgrade. To me, the coach is much safer to drive and that alone is worth every penny.

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Old 08-12-2018, 02:24 PM   #2
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Glad to hear that the money was well-spent; congratulations!
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Old 08-12-2018, 02:40 PM   #3
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Model: ACE 27.2
State: Colorado
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Like.. "How Expensive Was it?". Would be nice to get some costs from folks for all or any kind of upgrades so that others who want to do the same can get an idea.

Lots of scammers out there, like my first maintenance, and had no idea of what costs are....the shop is highly rated, yet either is way overpriced or saw a senior (age) newbie to take advantage of.

Oil change, $172.50 for labor plus parts.

Tire Rotate $172.50 ( think that is the 1 hour labor rate, 1 hr min)

Outsource alignment $165.

Afterwards I discovered some old service records and that shop....in another state.... charge $59 for oil change labor!!!

This Thor Ace with Ford chassis wanders, feel every bump in the road, and maybe the upgrade(s) at the top of this thread would make sense.
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Old 08-12-2018, 03:23 PM   #4
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We also opted for an "EHF" on our 2014 ACE 29.2 purchased used in 2016. The previous owner had done nothing with the suspension; however, I determined it definitely needed enhancing after our first rip from Knoxville to Cincinnati and back on I-75, as it was borderline unsafe (possibly the reason the previous owner was a "previous" owner).

First addition was a Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer, which did very little if anything to improve the suspension issues; however, I believe it is a definite safety issue if one were ever to have a front tire blow out, etc. In fact, I did once drop the right front tire off the pavement (a significant drop) and was able recover quickly with very little effort and nor damage.

I then added Roadmaster HD front and rear anti-sway bars ($2,155 including labor), which made a huge handling difference -- no more getting blown out of your lane by severe side wind gusts or passing semis. Took the MH from Knoxville to San Diego and back (4,400 miles) with no handling issues despite a major storm coming up from the Gulf Coast with severe winds on our right side.

There was still the issue with the horrible road conditions (especially I-40 through Arkansas) transmitting every surface defect through the F53 chassis. Therefore, I added SumoSprings on the front (if you go this route, be sure to get the two piece springs or you may have issues when deploying leveling jacks), and SuperSprings on the rear ($1,633 including labor). I opted for the SuperSprings rather than SumoSprings for the rear due to GVWR issues with the 16K chassis (a whole other issue).

A front end alignment by a heavy duty truck shop (after all additions and fully loaded) rounded out all the suspension/steering upgrades, which IMHO were required to get the best possible performance out of the F53 chassis as substantiated during our last 1,100 mile round trip to Marblehead. Having said that, it is still a truck chassis at the end of the day and although considerably tamed from the stock OEM set-up, will never be like and DP with air suspension nor a car.
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Old 08-12-2018, 08:19 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lbatt View Post
Like.. "How Expensive Was it?". Would be nice to get some costs from folks for all or any kind of upgrades so that others who want to do the same can get an idea.

This Thor Ace with Ford chassis wanders, feel every bump in the road, and maybe the upgrade(s) at the top of this thread would make sense.
We have a 2017 Hurricane 29M and our suspension mods have been minimal. Started with loading, weighing and setting air pressure. Then CHF and Saf-T-Plus finished with front end alignment. All together we have spent $725.00. I wanted the alignment done last to 'true' up the other work. Had the alignment done at a Ford dealership that sells medium duty trucks. During the alignment process they replaced the steering box under warranty. The coach drives well on county roads, state highways and interstates. We are no longer pushed over by passing 18 wheelers and dips in the pavement are less noticeable but I have not driven it in crosswinds above 25 mph. It will never drive like my Nissan or Honda but the handling characteristics are now acceptable.
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Old 08-12-2018, 09:59 PM   #6
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If it works and you are happy, it was a good investment
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Old 08-12-2018, 10:09 PM   #7
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I agree!
The person who gets to decide; is the one writing the checks!
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Old 08-13-2018, 01:20 AM   #8
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I purchased all of my parts from the eTrailer website. My total charge was $3,003.65. In addition to the sway bars and Sumosprings, I purchased extended bolts needed to install the rear sway bar. That cost also included new bushings for the factory rear sway bars but they did not fit my coach. Unfortunately the dealership discovered this as they tried to install so parts were unreturnable.

Installation was a little over $1,700 but that included a few other items and fixing the bushing issue.

Like I said, Expensive Handling Fix.

Also like I said, worth every penny when I think about that cost amortized (yes, I am an accountant) over the many miles I plan on traveling in the years to come.
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Old 08-13-2018, 06:57 AM   #9
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how would you tell what has been done?

So this always makes me curious. We bought our Vegas 24.1 2015 used. It badly needed a front end alignment, but after that was done it handles almost as well as our car. Trucks make no difference, and tight curvy roads (our last one was driving down to Mendocino CA) are pretty fun.


So, the previous owners must have done something, but I have no idea how I would figure out what that might have been. Any clues?


Andy
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Old 08-13-2018, 11:29 AM   #10
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Andy, you can visually inspect for steering stabilizers, helper springs of all types (including Sumos and air bags), track bar on rear axle, aftermarket shocks, etc. Shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes.

With your E-Series, you can also measure diameter of sway bars and compare to Ford specs. That could take a few minutes longer. The CHF doesn’t work on E-Series so no need to check for that.

I expect highest probability of your motorhome being stock. I doubt most motorhomes get suspensión upgrades.
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Old 08-13-2018, 12:13 PM   #11
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I agree: most people just buy them and drive them. Given that yours didn't even have the alignment done it is very likely nothing else was done either.
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Old 08-14-2018, 02:58 AM   #12
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We have a 2018 Hurricane 29M that was good for a white knuckle experience. Decided to go with an EHF and couldn’t be happier. The wife and I did the installation so we saved a few bucks. We added a rear sway bar, rear track bar, replaced the front sway bar and installed a Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer. Also had the alignment checked, weighed the coach and adjusted tire pressures.
Driving is now relaxing!
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Old 08-14-2018, 07:49 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by Jchadwi View Post
We have a 2018 Hurricane 29M that was good for a white knuckle experience. Decided to go with an EHF and couldn’t be happier. The wife and I did the installation so we saved a few bucks. We added a rear sway bar, rear track bar, replaced the front sway bar and installed a Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer. Also had the alignment checked, weighed the coach and adjusted tire pressures.
Driving is now relaxing!
What name brand of rear and front sway bar did you install and did you need any special tools for the job? Did you have any special bolts that were needed for the rear track bar?
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Old 08-15-2018, 11:36 AM   #14
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Model: Hurricane 29M
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The rear trac bar and sway bar are from Ultra RV Products and the front swar is a Hellwig from SD Truck Springs. Didn’t need any special tools but a 1/2” impact was handy and all the hardware was included in the kits.
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Old 08-18-2018, 10:00 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MiramarTN View Post
Our MH was purchased in Texas and we drove it home to East Tennessee. I knew from that initial drive that suspension modifications would be one of the first modifications I would make to the MH.

I opted for the EHF and had front and rear Roadmaster anti-sway bars installed along with the Roadmaster steering stabilizer. Front Sumo Springs have been installed as well and the rear Sumo Springs will be installed after the Thor warranty expires.

We just got back from our first camping trip which consisted of driving from East Tennessee to Myrtle Beach, SC and back. I-40 over the mountains is a nice section of road with a lot of hills and curves that challenge the suspension system.

The difference in ride and handling is amazing. My wife even commented on how much better the ride was.

My MH is the Ford F53 22,000 pound chassis and I highly recommend this upgrade. To me, the coach is much safer to drive and that alone is worth every penny.
How much did it cost?
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Old 08-18-2018, 11:19 PM   #16
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THOR #12286
Quote:
Originally Posted by rspickel View Post
How much did it cost?
I did a post earlier on the Expensive portion. My parts total was $3,003.65 and I paid the dealership a little over $1,700. More detail in the previous post.
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