New to RV life literally and figuratively

[Chandra-ESC]

I purchased a new Thor Four Winds 19Z from Best RV Center in Turlock, CA and drove all the way to Colorado Springs. The motorhome is built on Ford E 350 Super Duty V8 Chassis. The drive was harrowing since the doors to the Motorhome kept rattling violently, and the vehicle would shudder and shake even If I hit an uneven surface let alone a pot hole. It seemed as If the vehicle did not have any shock absorbers. I am worried and concerned that I got a defective vehicle. I want to know what I can do to fix it so I can have smoother ride when I start travelling. I am planning on long RV trips visiting state/national parks for 3-4 months at a time. Any help, advise, and recommendations are most appreciated since this is my very first RV adventure at the age of 70. This is on the top of my bucket list!

 

[Lt Keefer]

Check your tire pressures and have the front end alignment checked. A light duty motor home like yours should ride pretty good.

 

[ducksface]

Check the tire air pressure.
Other than that you need about 10,000 miles of butt time to determine if it's the vehicle or you.

There may be nothing wrong except Wrong expectations.

Don't let anyone talk you into modifying the rv until you get some time in the saddle.

Some folks loves dem a parts cannon.
Parts will never ever make up for self.

18 year olds with no experience drive ratty old versions of your box truck every day with no mods, with no load balance, bad brakes and sloppy steering.
They do just fine.
So will you when you get some miles under you.

 

[ducksface]

For others:
Rent an rv of the class you think to buy.
Drive it for a week.
Enjoy it...or don't...but then you'll know.

 

[Jimbo57]

As for the doors rattling check seals thought should be good . Maybe as you get it loaded may smooth out a little. But remember it a big box flexing , get some foam shelf liners and we have as little glass as possible for dishes ( coffee cups acceptable) something’s you will have to get used to

 

[Bob Nodine]

I purchased a new Thor Four Winds 19Z from Best RV Center in Turlock, CA and drove all the way to Colorado Springs. The motorhome is built on Ford E 350 Super Duty V8 Chassis. The drive was harrowing since the doors to the Motorhome kept rattling violently, and the vehicle would shudder and shake even If I hit an uneven surface let alone a pot hole. It seemed as If the vehicle did not have any shock absorbers. I am worried and concerned that I got a defective vehicle. I want to know what I can do to fix it so I can have smoother ride when I start travelling. I am planning on long RV trips visiting state/national parks for 3-4 months at a time. Any help, advise, and recommendations are most appreciated since this is my very first RV adventure at the age of 70. This is on the top of my bucket list!

Being new to RVing your expectations are based on passenger vehicles and small trucks. A quite, smooth ride in an RV usually comes with significant cost and weight. Think big, heavy, Prevost, etc. That said, a common mistake made by many is to air the tires to the maximum rating on the sidewall. Dealers usually do this on motorhomes they sell because they do not know what the weight is or how you will load the RV. The first thing you need to do is take the RV fully loaded, with the fuel and fresh water tanks full, to a scale and weight it. The scale will give you a weight by axle. Divide the front axle weight by two and assume each front tire is carrying that weight. Download the load table for the tire you have and air it to the PSI required to support that weight. For the rear axle divide by 4 and assume each rear tire is carrying that weight. Use the weight table PSI for dual tires and air the tire to carry that weight. Once you do that do as others have said and get some miles behind the wheel.

You will soon learn how to drive and respond to wind and trucks and it will be almost automatic. You will feel the wake of vehicles as they approach you and know they are about to pass you without even looking in the side mirror. And learn to slow down because you are not driving the family SUV. Driving these smaller motorhomes is like trying to carry a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood in the wind. Don't expect to drive 70 or 80 MPH. Most of us cruise between 60 and 65 MPH. You should be enjoying your trips and avoid a schedule where you have to be there in a hurry. As we get older we tire sooner as we drive. When I was young I would often drive 600 to 700 miles in a day. In June I will be 79 and at 250 miles I am ready to end the day. We try not to drive more that 300 miles in a day.

Reducing rattles and cargo noise takes some time and effort. The door may need adjusting so it is tight. You should have to slightly pull the door against the rubber seal to engage the latch. Also, screens can be loose and rattle. Inspect things. Pay close attention as to how you store items in drawers and cabinets. Items will often bounce and cause noise when you hit a bump. Line shelves with towels or bubble wrap to reduce noise when stuff bounces. We wrap most dishes and pots and pans in bubble wrap to keep them from banging and clanging.

You might also be interested in this post I made a few years back:

We managed to reduced the wind noise in our Class C

We went from a Class A diesel pusher to our current Class C and immediately started trying things to reduce the noise while driving. We pulled the doghouse, both seats, and the floor covering and installed noise reducing insulation. That helped but at interstate speed we still had a lot of wind...

www.thorforums.com

 

[paulwadley]

Congrats on the purchase. Many have said that you need more time driving it to really understand how it is driving. That is very true. A motor home is much different than a car or pick up truck in how it handles on the road. The rattles you hear while driving can be addressed one at a time. Figure out where the noise is coming from and look at ways to eliminate or reduce it. We currently have a 2022 Thor Miramar 37.1 Class A motor home. I typically drive about 300 miles per day and found that if I average going 62 mph I get the best fuel economy from the Ford V-8. I also am towing our car behind the motor home. When we travel, I place hand towels between the items we store inside our microwave to keep them from rattling while on the road. We use plastic dishes and cups to reduce weight and noise. The door can be adjusted if it is making noises while driving.

Paul

 

[Jimbo57]

When you make adjustments to the door make sure the rig is flat and level inside so the box is most likely square. The latch can be adjusted on the door jamb. As for the screen door maybe a couple foam weather strips added to hold it snug

 

[Chateau_Nomad]

Welcome to the 70 club. I just joined this month! I have a class C that's not a lot larger than yours. First... consider that Ford built this chassis originally for commercial vans, so utilitarian use is most important, NOT comfort/handling. Think a plumber getting from the shop to a job site. You won't hear much bragging about the comfortable quiet ride or how it tracks easily around corners. But it gets him from point A to point B reliably.

Your new motorhome is a fairly flimsy box sat directly on the chassis frame rails. It's put together with staples, glue and thousands of square head screws... you'll find many loose ones mixed into the sawdust left behind drawers.

Do yourself a big favor. Just make sure everything works, then go ahead and take a few trips. As was said get several thousand miles of SEAT TIME. You'll gradually figure out where all the rattling comes from, and start using foam and rubber shelf lining to quiet things. Many folks on this forum (me included) installed sound deadening foam under the floor in the cab AND inside the engine cover... search for "sound deadening".

Resist the urge to start throwing expensive suspension modifications at it... it will NEVER drive and ride like your daily driver. As others have said... check your tire pressures. If it tracks straight on straight flat highway without pulling, the alignment likely isn't too far out of whack.

After those few trips, try the sound deading tricks... then come back and tell us about your adventures!! Remember... it's a motorhome... use it like a rolling hotel room!