E450 ride improvement August 27, 2024, 08:15:16 am Hi all—did a search and found some answers, but am interested to find out what others have done to improve the harsh ride of the E450. My ‘07 23 1/2 TK on the E450 chassis literally rides like a truck! I picked it up from the seller in May and drove it 100+ miles home. Later when I checked the cold tire pressures, all tires were at 50 psi. At those pressures, the ride wasn’t too bad. Following the suggested inflation pressures on the door, I inflated the fronts to 65psi and the rear to 80 psi. Since then, the ride is not good. What am I doing wrong? Any suggestions?
Re: E450 ride improvement Reply #1 – August 27, 2024, 10:01:08 am Your tire pressure is almost certainly too high. For a RV, you need to inflate based on weight carried by each axle, not markings on the sidewall or door panel.Then use a chart from the tire manufacturer to determine the correct pressure for the weight.The Lazy Daze Companion: Search results for tireProper RV Tire Inflation | MICHELIN COMMERCIAL TIRESRich
Re: E450 ride improvement Reply #2 – August 27, 2024, 10:57:12 am You will want to check the DOT manufacture date on those tires. 50 psi is way to low in the rear, so if the tires are more than 3yrs old, they may have enough internal damage to be dangerous. Our '04 I set to 65 psi front, 70 psi rear, cold. Once cold pressure has dropped to 56 front and 63 rear, I re-inflate. Properly managed, tires are safe for about 6 years from the DOT date.Bilstein comfort shocks for the E-450 give a more controlled ride than worn-out Ford shocks.Steve 2 Likes
Re: E450 ride improvement Reply #3 – August 27, 2024, 12:10:22 pm I have run that same 65/70 psi as Steve on my 04 26.5 IB and found the ride to be best there. I have tried 2.5-5 psi +/- increments a few times and have always returned to that 65/70 for the best ride.Matt
Re: E450 ride improvement Reply #4 – August 27, 2024, 06:35:03 pm Your LD rides like a truck because it is a truck.Use Rich’s suggestion on setting the proper pressure and Steve’s to use Bilstein Comfort shocks or a stock shock.Our 23.5’ FL calls for 65 and 70. I fill them 5 psi over the recommended specs to reduce adding air frequently. I do not notice being 5 psi high.No matter what you do, it will never ride like a car.Larry
Re: E450 ride improvement Reply #5 – August 28, 2024, 07:34:01 am During last trip I noticed that my steering wheel was not smooth at 57+ mph (I knew that my air pressure was little high, not sure it was causing it). I usually drive around 55mph and I did not notice this vibration for too long during the trip. I went for regular service before current trip. Service folks changed the tires and oil change, filters and some other routine maintainance work along with battery change. I realized that steering wheel vibration was gone (I made sure that they put 60psi in front and 70psi in back instead of going through door sticker).I did not realize tire pressure can make so much difference ...To Larry's point, yes motorhome is Truck but after four years I do forget that I am driving a 27ft long truck :-) 18 wheelers in adjacent lane do not scare me anymore :-) 1 Likes
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Topic: E450 ride improvement (Read 283 times)
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