Shock Absorbers 2008 Itaska 40 WD

[Davusmc]

I’m considering replacing and or upgrading the shocks on my 2008 Itaska 40 WD. Has anyone done so, any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks.

[ziaptrn]

You can do it. It's a dirty job, but none too difficult.
You'll need the replacement shocks - search here or on irv2.com for many, many, many discussions about Bilstein vs Koni vs Monroe vs Sachs vs Gabriel vs some other brand I'm sure that I'm forgetting.
No need to jack up rig and there is enough room under most coaches to do just sitting in driveway etc.
Highly recommend spraying bolts top and bottom with penetrating oil such as PB Blaster or similar for 1-2 days beforehand and it makes the job that much easier.
Otherwise, the shocks are secured with large nuts and bolts that aren't too difficulty. A cheater bar to lengthen the lever arm can help a lot for some recalacitrant bolts - but with a little persistence they come right out.
Re-torque after replacing shocks and you are done.
Made a huge difference in side-to-side "waddle" and being passed by big rigs on the freeway - our 2008 has about 54k miles and the stock shock absorbers were toast and not doing anything to help.
Happy to help further if need be, but it really is a very straightforward unbolt, replace, replace bolts.

[Davusmc]

Thanks for the info. Very valuable. I think mine are toast also. 70k miles. I’m sure some brands must be better than others. Thanks again.

[Jim_HiTek]

I went with Bilsteins on my 36' Bounder and they immediately cured the porpoising I had. But my butt isn't calibrated well enough to say if they made much difference in the ride over and above the padded captains chair. I decided on the Bilsteins because of the age of the RV and expected lifetime of the shocks.

[Davusmc]

John do you have a recommended source for the Bilsteins. The shops I’ve called around here don’t stock. Thanks

[ziaptrn]

Here are two options that I have used in the past.
https://shockwarehouse.com/
https://www.finditparts.com/

What I usually do is get the specific part number(s) and then "shop" using internet searches and the like. I've had some luck on eBay as well so long as you have the exact part numbers, etc.

Happy Hunting!

John

[bsamole]

www.ajusa.com

[ElCaminomanT]

Having personal experience with both Bilstein and Koni shocks on multiple different vehicles, I've found the Bilsteins are great on my truck and my Jeep but NOT so good for MH applications, just my observations. I put Koni FSDs on our old moho and holy smokes, what a difference! The DP has some fairly new Bilsteins on it and up front with the IFS, they are way to small to deal with the load the IFS puts on them and the coach bounces a LOT when they start to get warm which is only a few good sized bumps. Will be replacing with the Koni EVO up front and the Koni FSD out back when the funds are available. I highly recommend them.

[ElCaminomanT]

Finally got around to replacing the front shocks on our Vectra. Picked them up from UltraRV, have always had great service from them. All I can say is WOW what a difference! The motorhome used to bounce a lot in the front, especially if was a bouncier road and the shocks would heat up and fade. the Konis simply do not have that issue. Smooth and controlled is the name of the game with Konis, another reason why I highly recommend them!

[Jim_HiTek]

I just put Bilsteins on the rears back in August '19, and immediately noticed an improvement in the handling when I was going over curbs and that sort of thing. Less rocking back and forth as the RV transitioned curbs or potholes in RV parks. Then in early Jan '20 had a pair put on the fronts and immediately noticed that how much better the RV reacted to road issues. Bumps, transitions, speed bumps in RV parks, that sort of thing.

Next time I'm going to try the Koni's but for now, pretty happy with the Bilsteins.