Rear stableizer

I've been told by many coach owners that putting a rear stableizer bar, or whatever you call it, in the back rear of a motorhome will greatly make a difference in the ride. Is their truth to this and has anyone done this? Thanks

Sandyc...

Front and rear sway bars will not improve the ride of the coach at all.  They will improve how well the coach  actually handles.  Cornering, side winds, quick maneuvers are really where you see a significant difference compared to OEM equipment.  The E-450 is a rugged chassis that I found rides hard unless you have are caring a full tank of water and fuel.

Your E450 should already have a rear stabilizer bar opposed to the E350 which may not be there until 2015 models.  If your complaint is being pushed aside by gusts of wind and passing trucks then you'll notice significant improvement adding a rear track bar which limits lateral movement between the chassis frame rails and drivetrain.

Hi Sandyc,

Just reiterating and elaborating on some of what ragoodsp covered.

Starting in 2008, every E350 and E450 chassis comes with a front and rear stabilizer bar, straight from Ford.  What many RV owners say is that because motor homes in general are at or close to the max weight limit of the chassis capability, along with their shear mass, they recommend replacing the stock stabilizer bars with heavy duty stabilizer bars.  Heavy duty stabilizer bars are much thicker and come with harder bushings that are made of polymer instead of rubber which makes the bars respond better.

The purpose of stabilizer bars is to prevent the coach from leaning in turns, and be less influenced by broad-side gusting winds.  Mind you that most PC owners with model 2551 and longer, are generally pleased with their PC just as they are, without heavy duty stabilzer bars.  Models 2100 and 2350 benefit the most from the upgrades.  It has to do with the ratio between the wheel base (distance between axles) and the length of house overhanging behind the rear axle.

BTW, If buying an older motor home, keep in-mind that Ford did not install any rear stabilizer bar on the E350 until 2008.  Adding to that, the design of the front stabilizer bar on both the E350 and E450 prior to 2008, the standard Ford front bar becomes ineffective with the miles driven due to the end link bushings referred to as "rubber donuts in the lower control arms" wearing out quickly.  So if buying a 2007 or older, it is a very good idea to install both a heavy duty front and rear stabilzer bar of which their design is excellent for long term reliability as well as performance.

Oh, I see randallandchris also commented above.  His 2015 date mentioned is actually 2008.

Sandy

The term sway bar and track bar are sometimes used interchangeably, however, they address two separate issues.  As Randal stated the track bar is designed to "limit lateral movement between the chassis frame rails and drive train".  This lateral movement is usually felt when large trucks pass or with high/gusty side winds.  The sway bar is designed to limit body roll in turns or curves.  Replacing a standard sway bar with a heavy duty sway bar may help in turns but will do little or nothing to limit this lateral movement.

We had a 2008 2350 that had a lot of lateral movement.  This lateral movement was virtually eliminated after installing a Blue Ox Track Bar.

Barry

Adding one more comment here to all this confusion.

When anyone talks about stabilizer bars, anti-sway bars, and sway bars, they are talking about the exact same thing.  A rear trac bar is something different as Barry-Sue Barry covered.

For the record, a front trac bar would apply only to some class A motor homes with a solid front axle.  You can't add a front trac bar to a class C because they have independent front suspensions.  I think there are a few rare exceptions such as the Ford E550 chassis offered a few years around 2002-2003.  I think it has a solid front axle so a front trac bar could be added in that case.

Our 2007 Ford E350 chassis with a PC-2350 built on it's back has heavy duty front & rear stabilizer bars, a rear trac bar, heavy duty shocks all around, and a Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer.  Our rig with all those upgrades handles very nicely.  So there is hope, but as always it comes at a price.

So Sandyc, are all the replies making sense  , or are you thoroughly confused? 

Ron Dittmer

The Lone Ranger here!  I live in one of the most windy parts of North America and I find my 2350 stock from the factory to be perfectly fine going down the road.  I never fight the rig at all when being passed by eighteen wheelers or with a cross wind gusting pretty doggone high.  Maybe I am just used to winds and that is why I seem to be the Lone Ranger on this forum concerning handling.

I don't mean to be disrespectful to anyone having problems with the handling, but am I the only owner that just seems to be trouble free and have a green light???

Paul

Added blue ox Trac bar to my 2350 to help when towing  it also decreased sway from wind and trucks without toad.

Paul - you aren't alone!  Our 2350 handles beautifully regardless of wind and passing trucks.  Maybe we're the lucky ones or insensitive to difficult handling.  I'm happy!

Janey (still restless in Michigan - leaving 12/5 for warmer environments)

I have heard a few 2350 owners are happy with their PC just as it is without the suspension upgrades.  I suppose it depends on what you are used to, or maybe the conditions have not yet been testy enough.

My brother swore his 22 foot Starflyte on a 1998 E350 chassis handled beautifully.  I followed behind him one day and I witnessed his rear end swaying and swinging all over the road, yet he thought all was fine.  That is until I convinced him to add a heavy duty rear stabilizer bar....he had no rear bar at all.  He didn't realize how bad it was until it was made much better.  Now he says it's perfect, but I know he could use a heavy duty front bar as well.  I guess you don't know what you are missing until you have it.

I feel there is a big safety factor at hand as well.  But safety is a very hard sell.  With the upgrades, the rig is more firmly planted on the road.  When misjudging a curve on a mountain byway, the upgrades improve steering control and braking while in the turn.  It takes only one serious "oops" and you could pay a whole lot more in vehicle repairs, or worse yet hospital bills.  Then the $1000-$1500 in chassis suspension upgrades suddenly makes $en$e.

Then there are the lesser benefits like more comfortable driving (less driver fatigue) more comfortable for your passengers, and improved stability while parked.

So, how do you know if you could benefit from such upgrades?  You can perform a simple test as described HERE.

Wow. I'm impressed this subject was addressed so quickly. Yes, I'm still confused and overwhelmed with the different replies. My 2013, 3100 is rather new to me, so I'll stick with what the factory has and see for myself how she handles. I don't mind spending the bucks to get it right, but if not necessary, why do it. Many thanks with so many replies  .
Sandy

We just added heavy duty anti-sway bars to our 2016 2351 on a 450 chassis we took delivery of in August.  It does make a difference in stability.  We had sway from semis passing us on the expressway, we only drive about 60 MPH, so they pass us frequently.  The place we really noticed the sway was on BIG bridges with high winds.  I'm not very comfortable on bridges anyway, and crossing them in 25-35 MPH winds was a bit challenging.  We especially had a hard time on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel.  Coming up out of the tunnel in high wind was VERY noticeable and could move you half a lane on the road.

We haven't done a long trip with the new anti-sway bars, but it was very windy when I brought it home from the shop and I could already notice the difference.  I agree with Ron, I think it's a big upgrade in safety.