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Old 10-19-2022, 02:50 PM   #1
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
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THOR #16495
Suspension Upgrades?

I have a 2014 Chateau23U and it sets on a 2013 Chevy Express cutaway. I was looking at adding SumoSprings to it ,but thought I would ask if this was the best way to go from the group? We are just starting to use our RV and love it, however I would like it to handle better if possible.

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Old 10-19-2022, 03:16 PM   #2
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Model: ACE 27.1
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Welcome to the group and thanks for putting full MH info in your post.

Since most Thor MHs are built on the Ford chassis that is where the experience lies. You may be heading down this road without any replies experienced in your chassis. Maybe express what you don't like about the current handling and how you would like it to improve. That could get you some generalized fixes. But to start:

Weigh the coach fully loaded for camping - Adjust tire pressures to the actual load.
Have it aligned in the same "ready to camp" loaded condition.
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Old 10-19-2022, 03:35 PM   #3
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Ted is correct!
Comparing the handling of the Ford with the Chevy is comparing apples to watermelons.
I've driven enough of both to say the hands on the wheel with white knuckles both feet in the stirrups kidney belt wearing & hope it doesn't find a rut in the pavement handling of the Ford is horrible compared to the 1 handed steering of the Chevy.
Correct tire pressures & alignment, if needed, should be about all you'd need. By correct tire pressures I mean whatever the sidewall states as max cold pressures. Weighing is a good idea so you'll exactly where your at, but don't be tempted to deflate any tire from that information or run different pressures in individual tires. If your not very near the GVWR of your rv loaded headed out somewhere you will after a few trips, stuff gets loaded in & much of it never gets unloaded.
Many will disagree with this, which is absolutely their choice as it is yours, just my 45+ years of rv experience.
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Old 10-19-2022, 03:37 PM   #4
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Model: Chatea 31E
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I used to have a Chateau 23U and now have a Chateau 31E, but both were on the Ford platform so I don't have direct experience with the Chevy chassis.


However, in general, these are the things that tend to help:
- First, get a good alignment done.
- Big swaybars front and rear.
- Upgraded shocks (Bilstein, Koni, etc.)


On the Ford a steering controller helps a lot (Saf-T-Plus, Roadmaster, etc.), but I don't know about the Chevy.


Helper springs or bumpstops (like the Sumo springs) can help if the suspension is heavily loaded, like on my big 31E. The 23U isn't as big and heavy so the extra spring rate might not be needed.
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Old 10-20-2022, 12:12 AM   #5
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Model: Four Winds 26B
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chateau14 View Post
I have a 2014 Chateau23U and it sets on a 2013 Chevy Express cutaway. I was looking at adding SumoSprings to it ,but thought I would ask if this was the best way to go from the group? We are just starting to use our RV and love it, however I would like it to handle better if possible.
I have a much newer Chevy chassis. Sumo springs are the only modification I did to it, and it did improve the ride and handling on bumpy roads noticeably. On the Chevy, no other changes are needed. I did both front and rear, and did the install myself. It'll never drive like a car (it's a commercial box truck chassis after all) but the Chevy does pretty good.

With the age of yours, if it has some miles on it you may also need new shocks.
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Old 10-24-2022, 02:36 PM   #6
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Thanks for all of your replies. I will order the SumoSprings and install them when they do their Black Friday sale. I just returned in it from the weekend and while driving home the wind took off my awning from the RV. I had never heard of this happing before. Is this a common thing or am I just curse with this RV? While I love it, I am beginning to think of it like a boat (we all know what that stands for). Any suggestions on what to look at for a replacement awning?
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Old 10-29-2022, 07:33 PM   #7
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Model: chateau 23U
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Originally Posted by Chateau14 View Post
Thanks for all of your replies. I will order the SumoSprings and install them when they do their Black Friday sale. I just returned in it from the weekend and while driving home the wind took off my awning from the RV. I had never heard of this happing before. Is this a common thing or am I just curse with this RV? While I love it, I am beginning to think of it like a boat (we all know what that stands for). Any suggestions on what to look at for a replacement awning?
I have a 2015 23u on a 2014 Chevy 3500 and love it (after a year of debugging the Thor assembly mistakes). Had since new. I discovered that over rough roads the bump stops on the front were grossly inadequate with metal-to-metal contact and knocked my frontend out of alignment. Sumo (SuperSpring) bump stops fixed the ride and preserved the alignment. I bought the black ones and installed them by jacking up the front under the frame and replacing them. They screw off by hand; even a liberal arts major can do it!
The ride was unchanged, which I really like and there hasn't been any bottoming-out on rough roads! The ride is stable with minimum sway, and I see no need for any other suspension tweaks. BTW strong cross winds will always be a challenge; you're drivng a billboard!
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