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There are 3 axis that come into play in handling.
- Up/Down
- Side to Side - yawl
- Roll - Sway
Now in simplistic terms:
- Item 1 is controlled by the shocks
- Item 2 is controlled by trac bars like UltraTrac
- Item 3 is controlled by sway bars
But, the following will have a big influence on what you need to add and how much is added.
- Coach wheelbase
- Suspension style - coil springs or leaf springs
- Coach weight
- Weight distribution
- Overhang - stretched chassis
- Tire size and pressure
- Roll center
One last thing that RV owners look at is steering wheel correction. A steering stabilizer provides some relief from the consistent steering wheel correction. You might consider:
- Safe-T-Plus - Available from Brazel's
- Steer Safe
- Blue Ox True Center
Do you need Shocks?
As discussed in the UltraTrac section, shock absorbers do make a the difference in how your coach handles.
When I bought my coach it had OEM Monroe's installed as my OEM chassis, as the chassis was manufactured in December of 2003 and the coach was delivered in April of 2004. Bilstein shocks were not integrated into the production line until about April of 2004. So, when I drove my coach home from the dealer, a 3-hour drive, through the Texas hill country I was not pleased. I had all I could do to keep it on the road, as I had to slow down from all the porpoising and constant steering correction. I just figured that after I got it loaded in road trim all the bouncing and steering correction would either stop or be greatly reduced. The bottom line after adding all our gear, a full tank of gas, 1/4 tank of water, pilot/co-pilot onboard, getting it weighed, dropping the tire pressures from 110 lbs all around to 90/85 it was much better. But, I still had the tail wagging the dog problem, 18-wheeler push and was still porpoising like crazy.
After a lot of phone calls and a lot of finger-pointing between the OEM, the
OEM Service Center, my Dealer, and Newmar I got Newmar to pay for a set of new
set of Bilstein shocks. My reasoning was I had a 2004 coach that was advertised
with Bilstein shocks as a standard option and I didn't get them along with the
50 degree steering upgrade. This made a world of difference, no more porpoising
and less steering correction. But, it didn't fix the other problems.
These shocks give a very firm ride, too firm for some and ok for others.
Now if you want a softer ride and still get some feel of the road then Koni FSDs are for you. I bought a set from a friend who removed his Bilstein's installed the Knoi's. But, he felt that he lost the feel of the road and re-installed the Blisteins. I installed them are they work perfectly for me. I originally left the Bilsteins on the rear.
But, on 8/6/2008 I installed Koni's on the rear. This change made the ride even more comfortable.
Now if you have a very long coach and a lot of weight in the rear the Koni Van Hool bus shock is for you.
This photo is from a 39' Gulfstream on a W24 chassis. The owner swears by them. He says, "These shocks took all the bounce out of the rear". They are about twice the size of a Knoi FSD.