add-ons November 11, 2012, 03:42:57 pm Yahoo Message Number: 135059How many have added steering stabilizers and sway bars to their rigs?thanks,Bill
Re: add-ons Reply #1 – November 11, 2012, 04:00:06 pm Yahoo Message Number: 135061Arby has a Steer-Safe but no aftermarket sway bars.George
Re: add-ons Reply #2 – November 11, 2012, 04:03:23 pm Yahoo Message Number: 135062Chug has a Hellwig anti-sway bar but no steering stabilizer. But Chug is on a Chevy chassis not a Ford.John A Wozniak Sent from iPhone Please excuse any typos
Re: add-ons Reply #3 – November 11, 2012, 04:24:59 pm Yahoo Message Number: 135063My USED 07 midbath with, optional Bilsteins shocks, came with a SteerSafe installed. The paperwork came with the RV. It is otherwise stock. Driving out of Joshua Tree NP into AZ I thought the wind was pushing it around some. I now think that was more due to a inexperienced driver. At that time I had driven the RV less than 200 miles. Last month driving back from the beach through some strong winds I felt much more at ease. At this point I would not alter the suspension. Understand I have a seven months and 5000 some odd miles of seat time driving an RV. John
Re: add-ons Reply #4 – November 11, 2012, 04:43:19 pm Yahoo Message Number: 135065We added a Steer Safe Stabilizer to our 2002 LD at the factory
Re: add-ons Reply #5 – November 11, 2012, 04:50:09 pm Yahoo Message Number: 135066"We added a Steer Safe Stabilizer to our 2002 LD at the factory in New Mexico. After driving it for about two years before selling I don't believe the Steer Safe was worth the money (about $450 installed)." My experience has been similar to Gale's. I added a Steer Safe stabilizer a year ago, but found that any difference in handling was all but imperceptible. Considering that it adds possible failure modes to an already complex system, in retrospect I don't feel it was a good value.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: add-ons Reply #6 – November 11, 2012, 07:52:28 pm Yahoo Message Number: 135072Quote "How many have added steering stabilizers and sway bars to their rigs?"thanks,Bill I've had the Saf-T-Plus almost since day one ('04 30'IB) and swear by it. It helps eliminate rut wander and keeps you centered in the lane. It is said that it does the same for a front blow-out. Just recently I've added an upgraded sway bar on the front end. Passing semis have hardly any effect now. Other RVs, well that's a different matter.Steve S. Lazy Bones & Jiggs
Re: add-ons Reply #7 – November 11, 2012, 09:28:38 pm Yahoo Message Number: 135074How many have added steering stabilizers and sway bars to their rigs? Bill - I added a Trac Bar (Hendersons) & Hellwig Sway bar to the rear of my 2003 MB. The sway bar provided a noticable reduction in the Tail wagging the dog syndrome while flat towing my Saturn.Lon 2003 MB in N. CA (Lake County)
Re: add-ons Reply #8 – November 11, 2012, 10:00:59 pm Yahoo Message Number: 135075I added a Steer Safe several years ago at a FMCA rally in Indio. The differences were remarkable for about a year. Better handling from passing trucks and especially in high power wind situations. I noticed that it become less efficient over time and I had it readjusted last year. Now I do have it adjusted free on an annual basis when we visit a major rally. We did have a blow-out in a rear wheel this past year and our LD handled it easily. So far we haven't experienced a blowout in a front wheel, which was one of the reasons we purchased a Steer Safe originally. However, we just purchased new tires all around (after five years) to reduce any problems for the future. I think that keeping the Steer Safe adjusted is the key!David (1998 LD MB)__ From: William bill.bussiere@...> To: lifewithalazydazerv@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sunday, November 11, 2012 1:42 PM Subject: [LD] add-onsHow many have added steering stabilizers and sway bars to their rigs?thanks,Bill[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: add-ons Reply #9 – November 12, 2012, 02:09:29 am Yahoo Message Number: 135081We have a 2005 MB with 115K miles on it. Over the years I have done the following to the suspension:Quote Had "cams" installed to better align the front end. Replaced the Ford front and rear sway bars with IPD (now Roadmaster) super duty units. Major difference in "body roll." Quote Replaced the Bilstien heavy duty shocks with Koni adjustable shocks. Shocks are set at one notch above the middle. Big improvement in ride at the expense of a slightly "looser" fronend. Quote Installed steering stabilizer (can't remember brand). Greatly reduced frontend side-to-side shifting, particularly on longitudinaly groove roads and in cross wind. Quote Installed track bar on rear axle. Reduced "rear body lean" in corners. We tow a Jeep all the time and it helps the Jeep track the LD better. When it comes to "handling" I was a bit spoiled. Prior to the LD we owned a 1998 GMC 1-ton, 4WD, extended cab pickup with a 10 ft self contained camper. Total gross weight on the road about 10,500 pounds. (A tad over the GVWR). We still towed the Jeep. IMHO the independent front suspension on this vehicle was great. You could take your hands off the steering wheel and it would go straight down the road. Not so with the LD. Even after all the suspension work you still must "stay on top of it." However, I have improved the handling enough that I will let my wife drive.I am now considering a new rig and have started to think about what suspension improvements it might need. I have heard that the newer Ford E-450's handle better than those of my vintage. I sure hope as I would rather not invest in signficant suspension modifications again.Doug[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: add-ons Reply #10 – November 12, 2012, 03:26:06 am Yahoo Message Number: 135082I dadded safe-t-brake with significant improvement
Re: add-ons Reply #11 – November 12, 2012, 08:28:18 am Yahoo Message Number: 135086"Doug Baker" wrote: Replaced the Ford front and rear sway bars with IPD (now Roadmaster) super duty units. Major difference in "body roll."....Installed steering stabilizer (can't remember brand). Greatly reduced frontend side-to-side shifting, particularly on longitudinaly groove road and in cross wind. --- My 2003 TK was delivered with Bilsteins (one rear shock was installed incorrectly at the factory, and the front bushings on the original set disintegrated, so the rig now has a "new" set of Bilsteins), but I drove it over 5000 miles in varying weather and road conditions before adding front and rear IPD (as Doug says, now Roadmaster) anti-sway bars and a Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer. For me, the improved handling and control were well worth the cost of the add-ons. And, as "davidmichael" suggested, keeping the steering stabilizer (whether a Steer Safe or Safe-T-Plus) adjusted properly makes a big difference in the handling quality. (As does maintaining proper wheel alignment, of course!)As ever, YMMV.Joan
Re: add-ons Reply #12 – November 12, 2012, 08:50:08 am Yahoo Message Number: 135088My '08 MB came new with a steering stabilizer, a "shock absorber", bolted into the front steering system. I looked at Steer Safe at one point, not because I felt my rig was unstable, but more as a consideration in case of blowout. The Steer Safe is a series of bars and springs that go on each side at the wheels and act to resist turning of the wheels. This means that, when driving, small corrections as on a highway are almost unaffected while turning the steering wheel will get progressively harder the farther the wheel is turned. In the case of a blowout, those springs would resist somewhat the tendency of the steering wheel to turn toward the bad tire, thus helping with stability. The rig will still pull toward the blowout, and the Steer Safe only helps with larger deflections. Now, the failure modes - Any failure mode that I could anticipate - a failed spring, debris in the mechanism, a shifted arm, a bent arm - all result in a fairly strong pull on the steering linkage away from straight line. I weighed the pluses and minuses. There seemed to be a possible small benefit in one circumstance, no benefit most of the time, a definite minor detriment all the time (harder steering wheel turn), and multiple possible serious detriments with any failure. I do not have a Steer Safe. As to a shock absorber based stabilization system, I have one, stock, that seems to be working and I see no need to supplement or replace the heavily tested factory system with a generic aftermarket item. Sway bars clearly let one tune their ride. Stiffer means less sway when cornering, but more sway with uneven road surfaces, and vice versa. So far, I feel no need to make a change.Ken F in NM
Re: add-ons Reply #13 – November 12, 2012, 09:21:53 am Yahoo Message Number: 135089It has always been a mystery to me why the manufacturers don't include these things from the factory. Or at least make them options. It's not as if they don't know what a cut-away van is going to be used for. Why should we have to put on add-ons to make the driving safer?Dick
Re: add-ons Reply #14 – November 12, 2012, 02:01:11 pm Yahoo Message Number: 135098"It has always been a mystery to me why the manufacturers don't include these things from the factory. Or at least make them options." If I buy another new LD, I plan to get only those options that only LD can install. Everything else will come from someone else. Like Joan, I broke an LD installed Bilstien within a year. If failed internally and was discovered by my frontend shop the first time I went in for alignment. Bilstien refused to deal with my frontend shop and with me. I was told that they would deal only with LD as LD bought the shocks. I had to get Vince involved. He got me an RMA from Bilstien. I got the shock from the frontend shop and shipped it to Bilstien. They sent me a new one and my frontend shop installed it. Neither Bilstien or LD would pay for the installation or shipping. Fortunately not all of LD's suppliers are this way. "It's not as if they don't know what a cut-away van is going to be used for. Why should we have to put on add-ons to make the driving safer?"LD thinks that their rig is the best handling, safest Class C on the road. Ed Newton used to give prospective buyers a "test ride" to emphasize this point.Doug[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: add-ons Reply #15 – November 12, 2012, 02:23:41 pm Yahoo Message Number: 135099"Doug Baker" wrote: If I buy another new LD, I plan to get only those options that only LD can install. Everything else will come from someone else. --- Every now and then, thoughts of getting a new LD wander through my head, but I come to my senses when I realize that before I got the thing tarted up to my satisfaction, I'd probably have become "unroadworthy" or dead! At the least, I'd be parked in Larry's driveway for a year! Guess I'll keep what I have! ;-)Joan
Re: add-ons Reply #16 – November 12, 2012, 03:43:12 pm Yahoo Message Number: 135101"...before I got the thing tarted up to my satisfaction, I'd probably have become "unroadworthy" or dead!"QuoteJoan JoanHey, we've still got a lot of miles to go on our odometers. What surprises me is that my bucket list seems to grow longer as time passes despite how hard I work at trimming it down.Steve S. Lazy Bones & Jiggs
Re: add-ons Reply #17 – November 12, 2012, 03:55:16 pm Yahoo Message Number: 135102When I was using the term "manufacturers" and "factory", I was talking about Ford, not Lazy Daze.Dick
Re: add-ons Reply #18 – November 12, 2012, 04:20:45 pm Yahoo Message Number: 135103Our only suspension add-on was the Bilste
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