Ro646a wrote: I told them I would not accept those old tires, so he suggested the Michelin XZE tires. He had a set in stock that were made just last month. I went ahead and bought them and I'm really happy with them. We are on a trip right now and the MH rides much smoother and handles quite well. I don't know how they will perform long term, but for now, I'm quite happy.
Just wanted to post a quick note about some great service I received from a parts company.
My 2007 Winnebago Sightseer was not equipped with any rear mud flaps. The full width flap that I installed worked great for a number of years, but became a problem when trying to level the coach on a rear sloping incline. After much internet searching I came across a company called Fleet Oil and Truck Supply. I was looking for individual flaps for each set of wheels. Their parts representative, Rocky, was very helpful, and provided great customer service.
The new flaps (manufactured by Betts Spring) are installed and work perfectly. Thanks Fleet Oil and Truck Supply.
I'm thinking that allot of the problems that people are having, aside from the ride issue, if from the weight distribution. I have an '06 Hurricane 30Q, and the only issue I've had is with the ride. No wandering, wag the dog, only occasionally being blown around by a speeding big rig. I do have allot of overhang, but I inflate the rear bags enough to put more weight up front. I adjust the pressure of the bags on the fly so I can adjust for the road. Maybe we should focus on redistributing the weight in our coaches to improve the handling before spending big bucks on all the mods? Anyone here focused on this?
I have 2002 F53 with 178" wheelbase. I did many modifications on this motorhome since I bought it new and two of them I consider mandatory:
1.) Steering stabilizer
2.) Banks Power Pack and Transcommand
Steering Stabilizer-installed Bilstein Shock #F4-BE3-6735-H1 and bracket kit #B4-BOA-0000213. The bracket kit is overpriced but at a total expense of US $200.00 it is well worth it. The reason for installing the steering dampener kit was three occasions when I experienced violent shimmy. On all three occasions we were going down hill about 35-40 mph and hit a bumpy road that triggered the vibration. My factory F53 manual confirmed the shimmy occurs at about 40 mph and is usually caused by worn front end components. Well there is nothing worn on my front end. The textbooks I consulted suggested that too much positive caster can cause low speed shimmy. The normal positive caster is in the 3.0 degree range. The Ford recommended caster angle for F53 is over 4.0 degrees positive and could be the reason for the shimmy. And adding air bags on front axle make the situation worse. The reason Ford recommends such high number is to improve directional stability. The positive caster angle is responsible for you to be able to ride a bicycle with hands off steering. I did not realize how much side to side vibration I had in the steering wheel until I installed the stabilizer.
Banks Power Pack: I had a problem with broken exhaust manifold studs on previous motorhome with 460 engine so I new I would be installing headers on the new one. When I started the installation at around 18000 km on the odometer I found the last stud on the passenger side broken and gone. The one immediately ahead broke when I put a socket on it. This was few years ago. Now at 60000 km the exhaust is trouble free with the exception of sometimes rattling catalytic converter heat shield-a Ford part. The Power Pack is not cheap and it took me long while before I decided to spend the money but I am glad I did it. The problem with a stock manifold is that front end is heated by one cylinder only while the rear end is heated by five cylinders so laws of physics dictate there will be problems with expansion and warping. Besides one look at the way the manifold is designed will show there is no comparison between the Banks headers and the stock manifold.
The Oil analysis and lubrication learning center wrote: Ford is bumping up against its CAFE requirements and recommends SAE 5W-20 oil for most of its engines in the United States. It claims SAE 5W-20 is optimal for fuel efficiency and wear.
To determine if SAE 5W-20 oils provide the same level of protection as SAE 5W-30 oils, Dagenham Motors in England, one of the largest Ford dealers in Europe, was consulted. SAE 5W-30 is required for warranty purposes in England, and SAE 5W-20 is not even available. If SAE 5W-20 were better for both fuel economy and wear, why would Ford not recommend it for its same engines in Europe?
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