2021 View 24V - Crosswind Driving Suspension Upgrades

[MWDaveT]

Has anyone upgrade the sway bar in the new Mercedes VS30 chassis to improve the handling in windy conditions? I understand its a better sway bar than in earlier Sprinters. Also any other upgrades to improve the handling during windy conditions?

Thanks
David

[Winterbagoal]

Don't they come with "Crosswind Assist"?

[MWDaveT]

Yes it has cross wind stabilization - first time it activated it scared the crap out of me - I really don't like it because you just don't know when it is going to kick in and it hits the brakes on one side of the RV

[Winterbagoal]

Isn't German engineering fun??

So if you replace the sway bar, the CW Assist is still going to activate unexpectedly based on whatever trigger mechanisms the little German engineers put in the software/hardware technology. Might make it worse, might make it better?
Just a thought.

[rprochnow]

Views and Navions aren't that aerodynamic - especially from crosswinds - basically a huge somewhat top-heavy brick on wheels.

When driving our 21VD (19 Sprinter chassis) in strong crosswinds, I've slowed down, not so much because of sway, but it felt like I could lose control.

Crosswind Assist provides a good reminder to slow down when the winds are strong.

Based on our first 7000 miles, haven't found any justification for replacing the sway bar or shocks.

[Phil G.]

Originally Posted by rprochnow

Views and Navions aren't that aerodynamic - especially from crosswinds - basically a huge somewhat top-heavy brick on wheels.

When driving our 21VD (19 Sprinter chassis) in strong crosswinds, I've slowed down, not so much because of sway, but it felt like I could lose control.

Crosswind Assist provides a good reminder to slow down when the winds are strong.

Based on our first 7000 miles, haven't found any justification for replacing the sway bar or shocks.

For what it's worth and it's too late for current owners, but - to me the Sprinter based motorhomes look too narrow for their heights. What this means is there is a big side wall "sail" to catch crosswinds without really enough width (track) between both rear tires and both front tires so as to provide a wide enough stance for good side-to-side lateral support.

That's one reason why the (harder and harder to find, new) Ford and Chevy van chassis based motorhomes probably have better crosswind stability regardless of their height - their tires are wider apart.

I'm guessing that the original design intent of the Sprinter and other modern van chassis types showing up under many Class C motorhomes was to provide a narrow delivery van footprint for use on city streets.

[Winterbagoal]

Originally Posted by Phil G.

For what it's worth and it's too late for current owners, but - to me the Sprinter based motorhomes look too narrow for their heights. What this means is there is a big side wall "sail" to catch crosswinds without really enough width (track) between both rear tires and both front tires so as to provide a wide enough stance for good side-to-side lateral support.

That's one reason why the (harder and harder to find, new) Ford and Chevy van chassis based motorhomes probably have better crosswind stability regardless of their height - their tires are wider apart.

I'm guessing that the original design intent of the Sprinter and other modern van chassis types showing up under many Class C motorhomes was to provide a narrow delivery van footprint for use on city streets.

I think you're probably right, considering the narrower streets in many of Europe's larger urban areas. Horse and buggy/wagon width. If you can't build it wide, build it tall to maintain interior cargo capacity.
I'm seeing some of the more popular former Ford/Chevy based class C motorhomes, migrating to the Sprinter cab chassis, too.
There's a few cities in N/A that are perfect for tall skinny vans. Downtown Boston, MA, near the state capital, comes to mind. Thought I was going to lose the mirrors on my Roadtrek in there a while back.

[crah]

Originally Posted by MWDaveT

Has anyone upgrade the sway bar in the new Mercedes VS30 chassis to improve the handling in windy conditions? I understand its a better sway bar than in earlier Sprinters. Also any other upgrades to improve the handling during windy conditions?

Thanks
David

Yellow Sumos in the rear and black sumos in the front will absolutely help with the crosswind on the new VS30 chassis (2020+ View). The new chassis has thicker sway bars than the previous generation but about 3/16 of an inch narrower than the hellwig aftermarket sway bar. Not sure if the 3/16 of an inch would or would not make a difference.

The crosswind assist is just a little lever sensor that is near the rear drivers axle that measures the distance between the axle and the house. Once you put on the sumo springs it will help with the crosswind. Not a miracle but drastically helps.

As others mentioned, the narrow track of the sprinter chassis doesn't help but you can definitely make it better. My neighbor raved about the View handling prior to my purchase. They have no mods. When I bought mine, I was overly disappointed with it's handling as it was the worst handling coach of the 3 I had. The sumos brought it back to satisfactory.

[Accipiter]

I've upgraded our shocks to Agile OffRoad Fox 2.5 heavy duty shocks and have been pleased so far. Really improved the ride and handling and they have been so popular they had at least a 5 week back log but well worth the wait. There is a very good face book group with tons of tips and upgrades people have done, you should go to the View/Navion Motorhome group.

[Geosman]

Our 2011 Via25Q on the 3500 Sprinter frame made the dogs sea sick on the first cross country trip. Replacing the rear sway bar with a Hellwig and then black Sumos on the rear with blue Sumos on the front made a day and night difference in handling with cross winds and truck blast. The View is taller and heavier so it likely is best outfitted with the heavier duty Sumos mentioned by Crah. If you have a creeper and a few hand tools it's an easy afternoon DIY job. There are lots of You-tubes to show you how. I found that using a little plumbers grease on the rear Sumos helped tremendously when getting them wedged back into the brackets. A 3 ton alligator jack and jack stands also come in real handy for lifting the frame for clearance and worker safety. If you don't already own these tools this is a good excuse to purchase them. Their cost is likely less than what you may pay others to do it for you.

[LAT-LON]

Have any of you Sprinter 3500 owners considered or installed a rear trac bar to improve handling? If you have, how well did it work? I installed one on a 32' F53 chassis and it did wonders.

[Dmarcian]

From my experience the wind sway problem is related to weight and most importantly, balance. I travel heavy and can tell immediately if my weight balance is off. We move things around in the coach and storage areas to help with side to side balance. I installed sumos and they help tremendously. Haven’t tried Fox shocks but I assume they help too.

[LAT-LON]

Obviously weight and balance can be a factor, but the main problem with the chassis is the height to wheelbase width ratio. I've already done the sway bar upgrade and it helped some. The reason I'm considering the trac bar for the rear axel is that essentially the rear axel is suspended from the rear leaf springs and this allows the chassis/axel to shift horizontally as cross winds batter the side wall. I've installed trac bars on my two previous RVs (one a F450 cutaway and the other an F53) with very good results.








rvs

[Geosman]

The track bar is also a great way to stabilize the box hitch for towing 4 down. That box can be 6 or more feet behind the rear axel and the slightest wiggle between chassis and axle can move that box up to 2 or more inches either way sending the toad jockeying side to side. Without a track bar my old class C could not run over 45 before the toad started weaving like a banshee....tail wagging the dog! Track bar and a hitch clamp to hold the tow hitch tight in the box did the job. No problem towing even up to 70 mph when needed to pass slower vehicles. Best $ ever spent on an upgrade

[LAT-LON]

Thanks for the response. Hadn't thought about the hitch wagging the rear end. My Jeep tracks pretty true, but I could see what you're talking about. I've only found one vender who makes a trac bar for the Sprinter. Was hoping for more options. I think that upgrading the other suspension parts will be my last option. With the countries roads in their current shape, not really interested in creating a rougher ride.

[Coffie Drink]

I spent many miles driving in the wind. My 15 View G has the upgrades, Alinement, Hellwig, heavy Sumo, and Fox Shocks, Michelin tires.

My ELS workshop message came on twice on my trip this week. I at a stop wait 10 min and pull the neg cable to reboot.

[Elkman]

A sway bar is not designed to reduce sway for a tall motorhome but for sports cars. I did find that on my last SRW RV the addition of a Hellwig Big Wig rear anti-sway bar did smooth out the bumps as the shock to one rear wheel was shared by the opposite wheel - normally a con for a sway bar but a plus with the RV.



Too much sway indicates that there is not enough load support and so there is excessive movement on the springs and this makes the shocks work much harder. The Sumo Springs reduce the range of travel and are a good short term Band-aid. Last I checked the Sumo Springs only had a 2-year warranty and so not a good long term fix.



All the more reason to keep tire pressures at the recommended pressures so as to minimize side wall flexing.



There is also the novel approach of stopping and waiting for the winds to subside or to travel in the morning when the winds will be much lighter.

[rprochnow]

I checked with our dealer about adding a shocks or a sway bar, and they didn't recommend it on a 2019 Sprinter chassis.

[Elkman]

Sumo Springs are going to reduce lateral travel by the coach on the chassis and can be used at the front and or the rear and are available in two load support types for both.By reducing travel with the Sumo Springs the dampeners (shock absorbers) do not need to work nearly as hard and so it seems like an easy first step. Cost of $600 with labor to install. The Travato now comes with Sumo Springs front and rear which is an endorsement of them by Winnebago.

Upgrading the rear sway bar to improve handling is important if the motorhome does not have one at all. If one is already in place then it comes down to its strength and this can vary model to model and even by year of manufacture. Cost of $500 with labor to install.

More involved somewhat is replacing the factory struts with Bilstein 6 ones and or the rear shocks with Fox 2.0 or Fox 2.5 ones. Cost for front and rear is going to be roughly $1500 installed. With lots of porpoising I would start with upgrading the front struts and then evaluate the RV.
1) install Sumo Springs front and rear and then evaluate handling
2) install heavy duty sway bar like Hellwig 7777 and evaluate handling
3) install new rear shocks and or front struts

Some consideration should be given to putting heavy items in the basement compartments or in the lower storage spaces like the dinette for example with the Navion 24D and similar motorhomes.

In high wind conditions I tend to see RVer's continuing to push down the road while the big rigs with their trailers will stay at a rest stop and catch up on their sleep while waiting for the wind to subside.

[Elkman]

There are companies selling Sprinter 3500 specific sway bars and shocks and many happy customers whose opinion I would value above some guy at a RV dealer. It is always safe when someone does not have a clue about something to say "I don't recommend it" which ends the conversation but provides no information.

Winnebago is now putting Sumo Springs front and rear on all the Travato motorhomes it sells which tells me that they do improve the handling of these vehicles.
Important to appreciate and understand that the chassis that Winnebago uses comes straight from the Mercedes factory and it is designed primarily for use with commercial vans and not motorhomes. A van for a plumber or other tradesperson or a delivery service is not going to need the same load capabilities as a 11 foot tall motorhome. Winnebago adds the SumoSprings as it is easy to do but it is quite another thing to take items off the Mercedes chassis and put on third party parts, like a sway bar for example.

Important to appreciate the cost mulltiplier with most products. Adding a $400 heavy duty sway bar can increase the cost to the dealer by $800 and to the consumer by $1600.

I look for posts of people having problems with a particular device or application and then evaluate whether this applies to me and my application. I seldom go by the advice of a retail sales person or even the people at a vehicle service center as most that I have encountered are fairly ignorant and have never held a wrench in their hands (or a VOM).