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Got our Baby home!

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Denny & Barb

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  • Medicine Bow, Wy.
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    • Weather at my home
  • OwnPC: Yes
  • NewUsed: New
  • PurchDate: 4-08-2012
  • Model: 2350 Ford
  • ModelYear: 2012
  • Slide: Yes
  • IntColor: cafe
  • ExtColor: cafe
  • Location: Wisc. (Wittenberg.. N. Central)
Got our Baby home!
« on: June 11, 2012, 11:18:23 pm »
Barb and I picked our new 2350 up at PC on Wed and then took the long way home thru Michigan camping a few days at Sleeping Bear NS.

Have to say the purchase day was very uneventful with the PC staff being very helpful.

This is a nice quality coach with the added benefit that we could design it ourselves adding and deleting what we need and use.

As I have noted with other posts, the handling is a bit to be desired.  Apparently I should maybe do a wheel alignment and maybe have some heavy duty suspension changed.   Air pressure in tires appear to be 80 front and 70 rear. I may play with that a bit, since the door sticker shows somewhat less than that.  Anyone else have similar experiences and what seemed to give you the most punch for the buck? 

Denny and Barb 
Your Word our Lord is a light to my feet and a lantern to my path...  Ps 119

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Barry-Sue

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  • OwnPC: Yes
  • NewUsed: New
  • PurchDate: 10/17/11
  • Model: 2551
  • ModelYear: 2012
  • Slide: Yes
  • IntColor: Cherry
  • ExtColor: Classic Umber
  • Location: Michigan
Re: Got our Baby home!
« Reply #1 on: June 12, 2012, 08:24:44 am »
Denny and Barb

First things first congratulations on the new baby.  We have had two and the thrill never ends.

We had a 2008 2350 PC that exhibited some handling issues.  It took a little experimentation but we solved all the issues.  The first thing we did was get a front end alignment (it was out of alignment and required new adjusting cams, not uncommon) and reduce tire pressure.  To get the exact tire pressure the RV needs to be weighed fully loaded and ready for typical travel.  Next we added Billstein shocks to the front only.  The last thing we did was  install a Blue Ox Tiger Trac to eliminate the body sway from side to side.  What a huge improvement on the 2350.  We had the 2008 with slide in wind gusts up to 50 mph and there were no issues.  After these few changes the RV  drove like a typical F-150 with a cap.

This trac bar is different than the sway bar.  We kept the original front and rear sway bars, replaced the OEM shocks with Bilstein (front only) and added the trac bar.  We were very pleased with the ride and driveability of the unit.  Others have replaced the sway bars and added steering stabilzers but we did not find this necessary for our 2008 2350 unit.  We spent less than $1,000 for all these changes and the 2008 2350 drove beautifully.  Towing a 3,000 pound car was never an issue.


Barry
« Last Edit: June 12, 2012, 09:32:58 am by Barry-Sue »
Barry and Sue 
Current   2012 2551 w/Slide
Previous 2008 2350 w/Slide

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TomHanlon

Re: Got our Baby home!
« Reply #2 on: June 12, 2012, 10:40:46 am »
Hi Denny and Barb,

Congrads on the new PC. Our first PC was a 2010 2350 also. I traded it in on a 2012 2552 for the extra sleeping room. My wife does not like tight places like the bed in the rear of the 2350 or when the sofa was extended into a bed, so the twin beds work better for her. I loved the ability to go anywhere in the smaller 2350, but as they say "a happy wife means a happy life". Our 2350 was sold to someone in Illinois and has since been traded in on a 2552 again. It is now somewhere in Cali. It is the one on the Ford E450 with the third captains chair. So who ever owned it or owns it now might jump in here. I replaced all four shocks with Bilstein HD shocks. The front where the newer silver ones while the rear was the older yellow ones. At first (about 5K miles) the ride was harsh then is smoothed out. I replaced the rear anti-sway bar with Roadmaster bar. To tell the truth, I could not tell that much difference in the handling, so I would not do that again.  I never did get to adding trac bars or upgrading the steering stablizer like Barry did.

I have yet to replace the shocks on the 2552. I am waiting to see if Koni comes out with the FSD for the Ford E-450 which I have heard is smoother riding than the Bilsteins, at least the class A guys think so. Also Bilstein has replaced the front shocks with the silver ones used on Emergence vehicles and may soon (I hope) replace the rear ones.
« Last Edit: June 12, 2012, 10:42:55 am by TomHanlon »

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Barry-Sue

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  • OwnPC: Yes
  • NewUsed: New
  • PurchDate: 10/17/11
  • Model: 2551
  • ModelYear: 2012
  • Slide: Yes
  • IntColor: Cherry
  • ExtColor: Classic Umber
  • Location: Michigan
Re: Got our Baby home!
« Reply #3 on: June 12, 2012, 11:13:16 am »
Denny and Barb

Just to keep the record straight, I did nothing to the steering stabilizer.  I also made each change one at a time.  This way I was able to know exactly how each change was a benefit to me.

First I did the alignment - that helped a little but it also added a little oversteer.
Second I change the front shocks to Bilstein - that removed the oversteer and helped the handling somewhat
Finally I added the trac bar  - that took out all body sway and made a world of diffeence for overall handling.  Nothing more was needed.

Barry
Barry and Sue 
Current   2012 2551 w/Slide
Previous 2008 2350 w/Slide

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TomHanlon

Re: Got our Baby home!
« Reply #4 on: June 12, 2012, 12:19:41 pm »
Sorry Berry, I should of said " I never did get to adding trac bars like Barry did or upgrading the steering stablizer like some of the others did." At least I was thinking of you.  ;)

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ragoodsp

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  • OwnPC: No
  • NewUsed: New
  • PurchDate: May 5, 2012
  • Model: 3100
  • ModelYear: 2012
  • Slide: Yes
  • IntColor: cafe
  • ExtColor: cafe
  • Location: New Hampshire
Re: Got our Baby home!
« Reply #5 on: June 12, 2012, 02:13:05 pm »
D and B:

Congrats on your new purchase.  On my 2551S I did all the mods that everyone is speaking about (except the trac bar) Bilstiens, helwigs front and rear, raodmaster steering damper, front end alighment.  I noticed some improvement but not really not as drastic as you may have thought.  The E-450 always just seemed to have a mind of its own, it would go down the road straight but it would just seem to float like the rear wheels were over powering the front.  The biggest difference I observed was dropping time pressure down from the 80/75 recommended to 72/68, the coach then handled much better and i got rid of most of the float sensation.  I will say the longer wheel base on my new 3100 makes a huge difference and with all the after market add ons now on it it drives like a dream.  I would say i think you could get by with the softer Bilstiens vs's the heavy duty ones that are stiff and I hope soften up some with a few thousand miles on them.  Best of luck and enjoy the coach.  Ron
Ron Goodspeed

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Ron Dittmer

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  • Ron and Irene
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    • My 2007 2350 Phoenix Cruiser
  • OwnPC: Yes
  • NewUsed: New
  • PurchDate: June 2007
  • Model: 2350 Ford
  • ModelYear: 2007
  • Slide: No
  • IntColor: Cherry Green&Gray
  • ExtColor: Full Body Gray
  • Location: N/E Illinois
Re: Got our Baby home!
« Reply #6 on: June 12, 2012, 03:02:27 pm »
Our older 2007 E350 chassis, model 2350 is another story which does not relate well in this conversation except for the wheel alignment.

BE SURE when you take your rig for a wheel alignment, you have it loaded up as if on a trip, with empty waste tanks and full fresh water tank and propane tank.  It is best to take in the rig just after a weekend get-away, leaving all your gear, cookware & clothes inside, exactly where you'd normally keep them, because the distribution of the load influences the wheel alignment.  If you really want to get picky, place weights just behind the passenger and driver seat to simulate you and your spouse up front.  I threw my 140 pound weight set and tow bar hardware there to get it closer than if doing nothing.

About Koni FSD shocks for the E-series.  I read on www.rv.net that someone retro-fitted his E450 motor home with Koni-FSDs by changing the end bushings.  I don't know which FSD part numbers he used.  I wonder how well that worked out for him long term.
Ron (& Irene) Dittmer

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Denny & Barb

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  • 328
  • Medicine Bow, Wy.
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    • Weather at my home
  • OwnPC: Yes
  • NewUsed: New
  • PurchDate: 4-08-2012
  • Model: 2350 Ford
  • ModelYear: 2012
  • Slide: Yes
  • IntColor: cafe
  • ExtColor: cafe
  • Location: Wisc. (Wittenberg.. N. Central)
Re: Got our Baby home!
« Reply #7 on: June 12, 2012, 06:57:57 pm »
Well thanks  tymote tymote  for all the fine helpful comments.  I am loading the girl up as we speak to get her up to NORMAL weight and then will take your advice to first have the alignment done... OH... first I will lower the tire pressure (especially the front which is way over according to the door sticker), then get an alignment and then try better shocks and then the sway bar.... thanks...

Denny and Barb
Your Word our Lord is a light to my feet and a lantern to my path...  Ps 119

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keelhauler

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    • Our RV Page
  • OwnPC: Yes
  • NewUsed: New
  • PurchDate: 05/2012
  • Model: 2552
  • ModelYear: 2012
  • Slide: Yes
  • IntColor: Sunlit Maple
  • ExtColor: Sunlit - no paint
  • Location: Westlake, OH
Re: Got our Baby home!
« Reply #8 on: October 22, 2012, 11:07:08 am »
By the way. I just found out the Ford warranties the allignment. So they will allign for free if you are near a Ford truck dealer.
I just took my new 2552 in and the Toe-in was outside the specs. They corrected it and there was NO Charge at all.



John