2019 Navion 24D Suspension Upgrades

Skylake · 05-20-2019, 02:39 PM

I have a 2019 Navion 24D on a MB Sprinter 3500 chassis. I want to upgrade the suspension to include: rear sway bar, Sumo springs and rear shocks. The more I research, the more difficult this project becomes, due to the various options available and my late model RV.

I've talked to SDTrucksprings, Sprinter Upgrades and Shock Warehouse and this is what I think I know:

-The new Hellwig sway bar for 2019 is model number 7777. There is no price, nor specifications yet. Is there another model # that works? I thought I read the model 7254 fits, but I cannot confirm this.

-The Sumo springs come in two versions for front and rear. Front: SSF-106-47 @$156 (1,000 lbs capacity) and SSF-327-47 @ $151 (1,400 lbs capacity). Seems like the 327's would be a good choice. Rear: SSR-338-47 @ $217 (900 lbs) and the SSR-339-47 @ $494 (4600 lbs). The "339's" attach at the top and bottom, unlike the "solo" 338's. Does anyone have the 339's installed? Thoughts?

-I found Koni FDS rear shocks for my RV at Shock Warehouse 8805-1056 @ $157 each and will likely order these as they are listed for the 2019 Navion.

Any other thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated on this much debated subject.

Thanks,
Bob

WinnieView · 05-20-2019, 03:23 PM

We installed all the same 6 months ago but ours is a 2014. Except for the Konis from Shock Warehouse (which can be slow to ship) we found all the other parts for the best price on Amazon. (All four of our Sumo Springs attached at the top only.)

Old Crows · 05-20-2019, 10:11 PM

Exactly what we have on our 2014 View Profile 24G.....except for the sway bar. OEM struts on front & Koni FSD on rear. The OEM bar is satisfactory. Points to consider:

1. Sumos and rear shocks are not difficult to install. You can do this "step wise" installing one upgrade at a time and doing some "testing" before going the next one. I went with rear Sumos drove for awhile and added the front pair.

2. Rear shocks were added some time later when it became clear to me that the OEM dampers were going away at 14,000+ miles. The FSDs were selected after some very careful and lengthly study of the different types of dampers available. That included bespoke dampers with custom valving. FSDs are about as close to ultra high tech electronically controlled or magnetically controlled shocks......but are purely mechanical devices and are affordable.

3. Tire pressures are a critical element and may be often overlooked as a factor in handling and driveability. No higher than the placard on the driver's door sill. Usually, because you are below the GVWR a bit, you can sneak down a couple PSI. You need flexibility in the sidewalls to absorb and control the upward motion or bounce.

4. I'm of the opine that the Benz Boyz in Stuttgart and the Continental Crew in Hanover collaborated on the specifications for the tires and suspension on the Sprinter to give the best all around performance. Change the tires and you have introduced a new set of variables requiring a different solution.

5. RVs are not sedans, SUVs, sports cars or "sporty" cars....do not expect your RV to handle or drive like one..... They are like a baby elephant tripping down the road in a tutu and ballet slippers. The best you can do is to come to a grand compromise that gives you about a 98% solution 95% of the time.

6. Coaxing a baby elephant down the road takes a bit of patience and a new skill set.

Old Crows · 05-20-2019, 10:25 PM

Regarding the rear Sumos.

The 900# standard version is the choice for most applications including a plan to tow a "TOAD" 4 down as a 4 down set up has minimal hitch weight. If you are going to consistanty tow a trailer with a high or at max hitch weight you may wish to consider the beefier version as that setup cantilever more weight on the hitch.

Old Crows · 05-21-2019, 06:16 AM

Same with the front Sumos.....the "light" ones. The are blue.

Bigger is not better.

Seymour2Lane · 05-21-2019, 10:21 AM

I bought our 2016 24v in March and drove it from Mesa 1600 miles home. Ordered the Sumos and Helwig right away. I went with the Helwig 7254 sway bar and Sumo SSF-106-47 for the front and SSR-338-54 for the rear. Huge improvement that was noticable on the 3 mile drive home from the shop. I chose the heavier rear Sumos because we travel with two 50lb ebikes on the rear rack and we run near the max GVWR. Will add shocks as needed.
Agree with Old Crows (usually do) that these upgrades can be done in stages and doing so will allow you to see the individual improvements.
BTW, I did try to do the install myself but have back and neck issues which were aggravated by all the crawling and jacking so I took it in. My rv shop's rate went from $115/hr to $140/hr because I bought the parts and that hurt.
Good luck, regards, Mike

Skylake · 05-21-2019, 11:36 AM

Thanks Mike. How do you like the Sumo 338-54's on the rear? Some have found these was too harsh. I should have mentioned I often mount a 255 lb scooter on the rear of my Navion. Do you think I would I be better served with the 54's on the rear?

Bob

Seymour2Lane · 05-21-2019, 02:33 PM

Bob, Having made a couple of trips since the install, I'm glad I went with the heavier duty Sumos. I don't notice any harshness with expansion joints that some have reported and they seem to dampen the side to side roll a bit though that is probably due to the Helwig. The biggest difference is on the front where the coach used to dive into corners and now feels much more progressively/evenly dampened. I kind of wish I had done the improvements in stages so I could see the individual differences.
I also had the front end alligned which was off a bit and pulled left a little. After recovering from this round of 'outfitting financial hemoraging', I'll be looking into shocks and if there's any spare GVWR left, do the HWH jacks.
Huge thanks to all who have guided me through this with all of the helpfull posts and advice. I've also done several of the mods shown by "On the Road with Ron" on youtube (thanks Ron). Regards to all, Mike

Skylake · 05-21-2019, 08:37 PM

Thanks to all for your input, particularly Mike who put me on the the Sumo 338-54. I've ordered the Koni FSD rear shocks (8805-1056) from Shockwarehouse @ $336 including tax, Sumo springs (106-47 front and 338-54 rear) @ $402, and the Hellwig Sway Bar #7254 @ $233. Springs and sway bar ordered from SDTruckSprings. All shipping free. I plan to install everything myself with the help of friend.

We're heading to Traverse City, MI next month from Pensacola, FL and should get a good feel for the differences in performance.

Thanks again,
Bob

wshardlow · 05-27-2019, 02:45 PM

Just wondering how everything worked out...thanks.

Deny · 05-28-2019, 06:17 AM

Had a new view in 2014 , kept it 23 months

We noticed how they feel "overweight" and ride like an elephant on uneven terrain, but rode great on good roads.

I too wonder about the results.

Good luck on your quest, and, please let us know

Skylake · 05-28-2019, 06:26 AM

So far, I've only received the Sumo Springs and haven't had time to install them. Hope to get the other parts by next week and get to work on installation. I'll report on the experience as soon as I can.

Thnx,
Bob

RJ2 · 05-30-2019, 06:21 AM

You’ll never look back on that one . Like night and day . Would not let let the wife drive prior to that install. Was constantly looking in mirror to get a better grip .
Now she drives , find myself driving with one hand ,
Never worried about big rig blow by . I’ll never under stand how anyone will keep the view without upgrading the suspension , . Yes , the white knuckle
Phrase hit home , first outing . Less than a 1k suspension upgrade, to make a wonderful handling vehicle . .

wshardlow · 05-31-2019, 06:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RJ2

You’ll never look back on that one . Like night and day . Would not let let the wife drive prior to that install. Was constantly looking in mirror to get a better grip .
Now she drives , find myself driving with one hand ,
Never worried about big rig blow by . I’ll never under stand how anyone will keep the view without upgrading the suspension , . Yes , the white knuckle
Phrase hit home , first outing . Less than a 1k suspension upgrade, to make a wonderful handling vehicle . .

Just curious...what did you install for upgrades?...thanks.

wilbur

bkg · 05-31-2019, 11:38 AM

I too made the upgrade on our 2019 View. I went with the Hellwig 7254 sway bar, for rear SuperSpring Sumo SSR-338-54 and SuperSpring Sumo SSF-106-47 for the front. No shocks were changed.
All were changed out by myself in our driveway.
Definitely stiffer in a good way, no sway (side to side) and going over drive curbs such as into a fuel station - I don't feel like the MBS chassis bottoms out.

As a tip, keep in mind that your Winnebago year model is not the MBS chassis model. In my case I have a 2019 View but my MBS chassis is 2017. This will make a huge difference to those that get the newest model Winnebago on a 2019 MBS chassis.

mlowry100 · 06-01-2019, 10:13 AM

Hi all,

I have a 2015 view 24G. We would like to upgrade the suspension to help with the Rig blow by. We have done a lot of research but am confused on what would be best. Can anyone please advise where we should start?

bkg · 06-01-2019, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlowry100

Hi all,

I have a 2015 view 24G. We would like to upgrade the suspension to help with the Rig blow by. We have done a lot of research but am confused on what would be best. Can anyone please advise where we should start?

I would start with the Hellwig sway bar - that is what it is intended to improve; sway. In fact some RV manufacturers change the MBS factory sway bar to the Hellwig when building the coach.

Keep in mind that you are not going to totally get rid of the "push" or blow by. It is the nature of the RVs of almost all types.

If you're still not happy then consider the Sumo springs on the rear.

Mooneypaul · 06-01-2019, 04:17 PM

I have the same rig. I would recommend Agile Off Road Tuned Shocks. They eliminated the rocking driving off of uneven surfaces. Agile recommends no change to stock sway bar. See the change before doing anything else.

After that maybe add blue Sumos on the front. I have rear Sumos and considering removing them.

Coffie Drink · 06-03-2019, 11:23 AM

My 15 ViewG has Fox, Helwig, heavy Sumo rear, the lighter up front. I run my tires lower than most. I weighed and use the Michelin tire pressure. The Goodyear site is the same.
My View has levelers and sat dish. I am running near the max so your needs may be different. My experience is my View is very good. I did each upgrade one at a time. I last added the heavy sumo and removed my lower spec sumo. I find this addition was nice. I just did a trip from the Seattle area to Winthrop WA. This drive is two lane, runs along rivers with good wind. The View handles very well. I tow a 17 Ford Fiesta. After a four year process I have my View close to perfect.

mlowry100 · 06-03-2019, 11:31 AM

Thanks for that reply It is very helpful!