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Old 06-01-2023, 12:42 PM   #1
Kahaone
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Default What is best first fix for side to side sway?

I am on a tight budget, so cannot afford all the sway bars, track bars, shocks, and spring helpers at once. So what is the general concensus as to which should be the first item to look at to relieve side to side sway in a 33' class A?
Thanks for your input, and remember, I am on a tight budget!
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Old 06-04-2023, 01:27 AM   #2
Bike Dr
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Hello thats a broad question!
First what type of class a? Gas or a diesel pusher
And sway can come from more then the coach itself, meaning do you have a toad?
Improper towing conditions can cause very bad swaying.
And suspension and steering potential problems.
Most basic check is swaying bar bushings, ball joints and bad steering components.
Larger items are king pins and so on,
All mentioned can be checked with a jack and a bar to check for un wanted slop in any of the areas briefly mentioned.

This should help get you started on what look for.

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Old 06-04-2023, 08:33 AM   #3
Kahaone
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Sorry, I am a newbie!
I have a 2003 33' Gulf Stream Sun Voyager, V 10 gas engine. I am not currently towing anything, but will in the future.
I did a search online and found sway bars, shocks, track bar, and sumo springs all reduce sway. But, I cannot do all that at once. Looking to do whichever would give the best bang for the buck to begin with, then add other components later.
I saw the cheap fix for front sway bar. I looked and previous owner already moved bolts down to 2nd hole on sway bar.
Where should I begin, with the understanding that most current parts are probably stock, from factory.
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Old 06-04-2023, 12:26 PM   #4
Bike Dr
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Ok I see!
Then I would determine where the sway is coming from, is the sway more in the rear due to weight possibly or in the front caused more by steering.
That will help in knowing where to start for your budget.
I mention weight because if you are new, sometimes people tend to get over excited and pack way to much of items they think they need and over weight the rv unaware and will cause unwanted sway.
Keep in mind that class a units are more top heavy and do move around more then your average vehicle's.
Good shocks also make a big difference if yours are original replace them you will feel unwanted sway in turns because the front wants to dip down because the shocks are worn and don't help keep the front stabilized.
Just a few more areas you can check before you start spending tons of money.
And keep a good eye on your tire pressure also makes a huge difference!

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Old 06-04-2023, 06:13 PM   #5
Kahaone
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Thanks for the help Bike Dr!
I will hunt up some new Koni shocks for the motorhome and start there. It is not a weight issue, because it is empty. I am in the process of renovating a beat up RV. No bed, couch, or other furniture yet. But it does sway as if top heavy quite a bit!
So, new shocks will be my starting point.
Hopefully in several years I will be able to give as much advice as I recieve! Thanks again.
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Old 06-04-2023, 09:33 PM   #6
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You are very welcome and go for it. That's how I started until I was able to work my way up a little. It's a great learning and living experience! If you have some mechanical skills and are willing to do the work the reward is that much sweeter in doing all of our own work on our coach. Still more to do but that's half the fun..

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I hope to hear more of your progress on your project and will help in any way possible.
Be safe above all..

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Old 06-05-2023, 09:23 AM   #7
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Don't forget the tires!! Once you know the actual weight you are running, be sure the tires are inflated to the pressure recommended for that specific load. Not all tires have the same functional sidewall stiffness, and maybe the previous owner opted for tires that gave ride softness over the needed support stiffness, so look for that.


At least with the proper tires and inflation, you can get back to near the designed roll stiffness of your coach and maybe improve the sway performance over what you experience now... This should not be a budget issue -- For safety reasons, you are going to replace tires that are more than 8 years old (without regard to how much tread may be remaining...) so do your research on the best choices for your specific load parameters.


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Old 06-11-2023, 10:07 AM   #8
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I would look at the rear sway bar bushings, the F53 is bad about heat in the rear of the Coach. Meaning that the sway bar bushings will melt away. That is what I found on my 2008 Gulfstream Independence 38’ F53. It felt like it was going to tip over. I would recommend replacing them. Then take it for a drive. Most can replace them on your own. I would go with polyurethane bushings not that much to purchase. https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=...ww8IlBE&adurl= Link to some on Amazon. It will make a difference on what weight F53 chassis you have. This would be the least expensive thing to replace first. Then something that wasn’t on your list is the Saf T Steer, it was the most improvement I did on my Coach. It took the white knuckle driving away along with the rear bushing. You can do the chf on the rear also, if it hasn’t already been done. This is what I would do then save up for the Koni shocks next. Hope this helps.
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Old 06-11-2023, 10:49 AM   #9
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Default Caster needs to be 5+

https://www.rvforum.net/threads/e350...-caster.40337/
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Old 06-12-2023, 07:49 AM   #10
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For me and my older 98 Sun Sport, I did the Henderson rear Track bar and changed out both of the front and rear swaybar's bushing with Roadmaster kits. I did take an extra step and added the rear axle spring lifts and the tail end was sagging. I can say that doing the spring addition was challenging, if not dangerous as they are under tension when clamped down.
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Old 06-13-2023, 06:50 PM   #11
Kahaone
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I checked rear sway bar bushings. They do look as if they are worn, but hard to tell for sure. So I ordered a new set to put on. Looks like a cheap and easy place to start.
Thanks!
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