Quote:
Originally Posted by charley patton
1. does anyone know the unloaded vehicle weight(UVW) of an ace?
2. what is the best product under a $1000 for improving steering/stability? i've read that the steering problem is due to too much weight on the f53 chassis, hence the reason for q1.
3. is it possible to remove that tv connector block behind the tv to bypass the over the air antenna in favor of a straight cable and satellite hook up?
thanks much
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We have a 2017 ACE 30.1 and can answer a couple of your questions
1. Never weighed ours, so I'm not sure of the weight
2. F-53 chassis just handle bad and Ford/Thor don't do anything to improve it I've added a Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer, a SuperSteer rear track bar and swapped out the OEM Bilsteins for KONI FSD shocks. The track bar was probably the biggest bang for the buck followed by the KONI's. Safe-T-Plus is difficult to quantify, but I look at it as more of a safety item to help keep the coach under control if we have a blow out. Track bar and KONI's were done at the same time and made a massive difference in handling. I'm also thinking about adding Sumo Springs, which take you well beyoud $1000. Also make sure you get the ACE aligned as we had a poorly aligned coach as picked up from the dealer
Costs for me (Installed everything myself)
Safe-T-Plus - $550, including mounting kit
Super Steer Track Bar - $525
KONI shocks - $358
If I go with Sumo Springs its going to be about $900 for the material and probably $200-$300 installation. Thats too big of a job for me.
3. We removed the amplifier and replaced it with a Winegard video distribution switch. This switch is no longer made but I found one on eBay that was new in the packaging. We found that the OEM amplifier had a bad coax connector on the cable input and we had to do a lot of wiggling to get a clean signal.
The distribution box has 6 coax inputs and can handle up 3 TV's plus a "VCR" output (dates it). The antenna input has amplifier power. It takes 12volts which I've tapped off of the awning circuit and run up the coat closet to the TV cabinet. I also have a 300 watt inverter to run the TV, DVD player and. Apple TV. The attached picture shows an in-progress installation. I've cleaned up the cable routing and built a small shelf for the distribution switch so I have room under for other stuff. Also installed 90 degree coax connectors so I don't have to deal with the bend radius of the coax. I removed the OEM amplifier switch and splitter that was stuffed behind it. Each cable was extended with a coax connector and short jumpers. I can now switch any input to any TV.
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