Shocks for F53 Chassis

[Skipper]

Koni vs Bilstein vs Monroe for F 53 chassis. Which will provide a softer ride on bad roads?
Koni is supposed to be a softer ride than Bilstein but described by some as harder. Monroe is described as a softer ride but with increased sway (although some have said less sway). Bilstein is said to be the between of the two; a smooth highway ride but still hard on lesser bumpy roads. This is for a F53 chassis 31 ft Winnebago Itasca. Forget cost-it is known.

 

[Professor David]

Replaced my old shocks with Bilstein but now wish I would have paid out for the Koni shocks. The Bilstein shocks are really good but I've heard the Koni shocks are even better. I suppose it depends on your budget.

 

[Onyrlef]

Koni vs Bilstein vs Monroe for F 53 chassis. Which will provide a softer ride on bad roads?
Koni is supposed to be a softer ride than Bilstein but described by some as harder. Monroe is described as a softer ride but with increased sway (although some have said less sway). Bilstein is said to be the between of the two; a smooth highway ride but still hard on lesser bumpy roads. This is for a F53 chassis 31 ft Winnebago Itasca. Forget cost-it is known.

Nothing short of a $25k suspension overhaul is going to stop an f53 from riding like a school bus on rough roads, it will just ride a little less like a school bus. Air bags, keeping the tire psi at the mfg'ers table and slowing down helped mine some, but softer isn't exactly a comparative adjective for use in a sentence with f53 except in an extreme relative sense. Pickup any brochure for a MH built on an f53 chassis and there will be a paragraph describing the steps the mfg'er has taken to make their chassis suck less, kinda like those commercials you see at the Superbowl every other year assuring you, this time we really mean it otherwise those movie stars wouldn't be dancing, Diet Coke doesn't taste like s#$@ anymore.

 

[Adventurous Traveler]

On my 2011 Georgetown on the F53 the OEM shocks were Bilstein's. But, I agree with Onyrief that the F53 is the F53 and virtually no upgrade is going to make it ride like a BMW.

Do the Cheap Handling Fix, maybe a beefier rear sway bar, and a front steering stabilizer and that's about as good as it gets. After six years of owning my GT, I did not mind the ride at all. It was what I expected, especially since I was a little experienced driving Ford trucks (they all steer and ride the same, not counting F150s). We had stuff on the kitchen counter, and a lamp on the dinette that we never removed for trips and almost never, maybe 5 times, ever fell off.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Shocks have very little to do with ride comfort - their job is to keep the wheels in contact with the pavement when the suspension starts jumping around. In other words, steering and safe handling rather than ride. If you want real ride comfort, you need that $$$$ suspension upgrade that Onyrief talked about.

Worn shocks allow the suspension to rebound excessively (aka "porpoise"), so any new shock ought to improve ride in that sense. The OEM Bilsteins do well and I see little reason to spend more, but the Koni's may last longer and provide some advantages in certain nasty road conditions. Supposedly the new Koni Evo for the F53 is a great fit. And if one of the adjustable Koni models fit, it might allow you to tinker a bit with the settings. The Koni's are excellent, but maybe not worth the substantial extra cost.

You need to get a little more specific about what annoys you about the ride before you decide on where to spend more money. Chances are it's something better addressed with something like improved roll (sway) bars, air bags, Timbrens, or something other than shocks.

 

[Skipper]

Overall there is no problem with handling or ride just a rough ride on a bad roads. For example, Some Louisiana Mississippi roads are not well maintained; thus a sizable hole or bad pavement joint feel and sounds like an explosion

 

[Onyrlef]

Overall there is no problem with handling or ride just a rough ride on a bad roads. For example, Some Louisiana Mississippi roads are not well maintained; thus a sizable hole or bad pavement joint feel and sounds like an explosion

I hear you, I firmly believe I-20 through Shreveport-Bossier doubles as a bombing range for the B-52’s out of Barksdale.

 

[Ray-IN]

Overall there is no problem with handling or ride just a rough ride on a bad roads. For example, Some Louisiana Mississippi roads are not well maintained; thus a sizable hole or bad pavement joint feel and sounds like an explosion

The only solution(cept for a $25k suspension replacement) for that is _ slow down. When a MH is built on a medium-duty truck chassis, it's gonna ride like a truck.
That is one reason commercial F550 medium-duty trucks have optional air-ride seats; but the suspension still takes a beating.

 

[Skipper]

I normally run between 55 and 60 slowing down on bad roads. It’s those holes, gaps, bad over passes,etc that sometimes shakes it up.

 

[dabrooks]

Over inflated tires will also make the ride more harsh.

 

[DonTom]

Which will provide a softer ride on bad roads?

In case you have the same problem I had with this F53. Check your tire PSI sticker INSIDE the RV and make sure your psi is not above that.

My sticker said "82 psi" but all six of my tires had 100 psi. Too much air pressure makes a very rough ride.

See my thread here.

-Don- Barstow, CA

 

[PancakeBill]

The big fix I did on my 97 Southwind 35' was to have the springs retempered plus replace shocks. The retempering was reasonable. shocks I went heavy duty. Had the steering stabilizer already. That combination made me upset that I had not done it before.