MBS getting moved around in the wind

[dcluvtohunt]

Sumo Springs solved the problem with our 35’ Georgetown.

[sailski]

I have owned and driven a dozen full sized American made vans including a class C motorhome. I now have a 2017 Forester MBS 2401WS and was astounded at how much semis and wind gusts pushed me arround. IMHO the main problem with the Sprinter is the narrow rear axle, but there isn't much I can change about that although I did consider wheel spacers. I ended up installing Sumo springs and changing the shocks to Konis. It has made it more tolerable but not great.

This summer I had the wheels aligned because the front tires were wearing on the outsides and the owner of the shop recommend that I increase the tire pressure from the factory recommended 61 lbs to 70 lbs in the front and 75 in the back. This also made an improvement in the handling. The MB dealer had recommended this shop as they did not have equipment to align the Sprinter. The alignment shop owner claimed the 61 lbs factory recommendation is too low and that he has seen this tire wear problem on other Sprinters. My best guess is that 61 lbs is great for a work truck where you unload it at their end of the day but not for a Motor home that always remains with most of it's load and is at or near it's max when you drive it.

[DaveJordan]

Originally Posted by sailski

My best guess is that 61 lbs is great for a work truck where you unload it at their end of the day but not for a Motor home that always remains with most of it's load and is at or near it's max when you drive it.

Hmm. The 61 lb. (or thereabouts) pressure recommendation is actually based on a tire pressure table. This link is for a fairly exhaustive document on tire pressure from Goodyear:

http://www.goodyeartrucktires.com/pd...dinflation.pdf

One of the first tables in the document includes the MBS LT215/85R16 tire type. My Solera has Continental Vanco tires, but I couldn't find similar info online from Continental. That being said, I did find a few tables from other manufacturers and it appears that all tires with the same specs (LT215/85R16) have the same recommended pressures.

Note that there are different "load range" letters associated with the LT215/85R16 tire size. The load range letters (C, D, or E) reflect the maximum load & pressure for a particular tire. The Vanco's are load range E, with a maximum pressure of 80 psi. But the recommended load and pressure values are the same regardless of the load range - you just can't go to as high a load / pressure on a D as you can on an E.

Dave

[sailski]

Originally Posted by DaveJordan

Hmm. The 61 lb. (or thereabouts) pressure recommendation is actually based on a tire pressure table. This link is for a fairly exhaustive document on tire pressure from Goodyear:

http://www.goodyeartrucktires.com/pd...dinflation.pdf

One of the first tables in the document includes the MBS LT215/85R16 tire type. My Solera has Continental Vanco tires, but I couldn't find similar info online from Continental. That being said, I did find a few tables from other manufacturers and it appears that all tires with the same specs (LT215/85R16) have the same recommended pressures.

Note that there are different "load range" letters associated with the LT215/85R16 tire size. The load range letters (C, D, or E) reflect the maximum load & pressure for a particular tire. The Vanco's are load range E, with a maximum pressure of 80 psi. But the recommended load and pressure values are the same regardless of the load range - you just can't go to as high a load / pressure on a D as you can on an E.

Dave

Dave thanks for the link. The 61 lbs is the pressure posted by both MB & FR on the drivers door jamb. You should use the charts you posted with your actual weight to find out what the tire manufacturer recommends with the load you are carrying.

The posted maximum weight for the front axle is 4410 lbs and 7720 for the rear. At that weight 61 lbs PSI is correct according to the chart. However, at 26,000 miles all my tires have wear on the outsides that indicates they are under inflated. Therefore I will up the inflation to 70 PSI in the future.

[emm-dee]

The only thing I’ve added to the E450 is the Safe-T-Plus steering thing and a wireless controller for the air bags. Feel minor push/pull when big rigs pass but only if they’re going a lot faster. Tires always at 80 psi.

I’ve ridden in the cab of an 80,000 pound big rig and learned even they get pushed a little when getting passed by another rig going 15-20 mph faster. So, no matter how much you spend on stuff you cannot eliminate all push.