2019 Sunseeker2290s E450 V10 - First trip comments

[Panhandle Traveler]

Looking for forum feedback and comments after first long trip:

This is our first Class C Motorhome we have had towables and LQ horse trailers before. Spent a lot of time on the forum reading reviews, and hacks before the purchase

Traveled from Pacific NW to AZ 25 hours of drive time 1375 miles.

Pros - Motorhome is well put together - well laid out and easy to use once you reach your destination. Lots of space . Pleased with the unit overall.

Cons - Seems like the motor home is quite underpowered even to maintain safe hwy speeds of 60ish with out getting run over was running 2500-3k rpm often needing more. Obviously fuel consumption was high but I was expecting that. Tire pressure at 80 and bags at 42.
- Front end wants to walk occasionally over bumps causing steering correction.
- Felt every bump, crack, dip and imperfection in the road transferred through the motorhome to the driver -
- Very loud inside the motorhome when you hit any road imperfection
- lots of rattles bangs and general noise
- Wind noise was noticeably loud from the cab to the coach - so loud that you could not even really here the radio or communicate with your passengers
- Stability was another issue - from light to strong winds motor home took constant correction to address. If a semi came by it would push you to the right and then suck you back to the left as it went by happened with larger trucks too. Cross winds were the enemy as it seemed like everything was trying to blow you off the road.

Maybe this is all normal and rookies have to learn for themselves?

I have read lots of posts on upgrades and now would like the forums comments and suggestions to address the handling and the noise to make the trips with the family better. I also plan / hoping to tow a enclosed trailer not exceeding 4500 lbs all in at some point. i am questioning if this is the right RV for us?

[kenandterry]

I’m not sure what you’re comparing your cons to, however......

1. I’m wondering what your entire rig weighs in at, when you say you feel it’s underpowered for maintaining 60ish at 2500-3000rpm. You mentioned horse trailers, is that what you’re towing? What is the size and total weight of your trailer? Normally, I cruise around 60ish and the tach is closer to 2000rpm....all assuming you’re in 6th gear (overdrive)
2. A number of people have had their rig in for an alignment because they’re often out of spec after the “house and chassis” and modified since the Ford assembly of the cutaway chassis.
3. Remember it’s a truck chassis, not a car for ride smoothness.
4. Very little or no sound insulation.....it’s a truck.
5. Rattles and bangs......got all your kitchenware firmly secured....plates, glasses and any other hard surface items.
6. Wind noise is more pronounced with Class C overhang at front.......not aerodynamic at all.
7. Stability......you’re driving a brick. BIG FLAT surfaces for wind pressure.

You’re sounding like fairly normal experiences with a Class C, except, I think you may be overloaded somewhere.

[Panhandle Traveler]

Fair point on compairing - just maybe expectations

1. Using towhaul mode -un loaded as it is still freezing so we left the tanks empty just propane and fuel plus about 700lbs of gear including 2 humans - so not overloaded yet - no towing yet and it would be a 16 foot enclosed trailer no horses yet maybe other animals, atvs etc
2. Just had the allignement done when the tires were rotated last week as lots of people posted that
3. Got it - my daily driver is a gmc 3500 crew cab LB 2013 duramax so I figured getting used to a gasser was going to be a change...
4. Got it
5. Yes mostly seems like shower doors, stove, screen door, some window whistles - probably just need to work the kinks out
6. Makes sense there is nothing areo dynamic at all about it
7. makes sense just checking - thanks

normal is good - just checking in with folks with the knowledge.

Thanks again!

[kenandterry]

Last summer after 10 years, we downsized from a 35’ Georgetown Class A......now there’s a brick.....see the front of Class A’s?

Our preference was for a Class C without the front cab.....some call it a B+.
It handles like a sports car at 25’ and still the Ford Triton V10.

Comparing either of them to our Mustang or GMC Terrain......is a waste of time.

Mustang 0-60 in <5 seconds.
Georgetown 0-60 in >5 days.

[DougW]

If you know the actual loaded weight, check you tire pressure to be sure they are set correctly for the load. If they are too high it will make the ride stiffer, too soft and the Motor home will wallow whenever there is a breeze from the side. I always feel like there is some serious understeer in a motor home, the Class C was not as bad as our current class A. The sensation is kind of like having rubber tie rods. You just have to learn to live with it. A steering stabilizer will help with the bump steer and will help some with the trucks pushing you around, we put one on the Class A and it helps the handling quite a bit.

I don’t know why you are having trouble maintaining a good speed, we had the same engine in our Class C and have it in our 38 foot class A as well and can drive at 70 MPH without a problem unless it is going uphill, then we lose some speed but not the extent you describe. It does downshift form 6th to 5th if there is any grade at all and will go into 4th on the hills but still maintains 65 pretty well. In the mountains it does not do all that great but I still pass all the trucks on the climbs so it could be worse. Also I have been towing 5,000lbs of trailer whenever I have been driving the motor home so I don’t expect it to do all that great on the climbs.

Our 3010DS had rear airbags and they helped a lot with the stability in crosswinds and with trucks passing. I ran them at 60PSI so a bit more air might help there. It will always get pushed around some because there is a lot of square feet of side for the air to push against.

They make sticky backed anti slip pads that are designed to go under throw rugs. They work great as shelf liners for the cupboards as they keep the dishes and such from sliding around and they cushion them to reduce the noise when going over bumps. A dish towel in the bottom of the utensil drawer also helps a lot. If there is rattling or banging from cupboard or closet doors and such you can try to adjust the catches so they hold the doors more firmly against the jamb or you can pick up some small sticky backed rubber bumpers to put on them. I have some that are clear silicone about 1/2 inch diameter and 1/4 inch thick that cushion the cabinet doors quite nicely.

Any motor home I have ridden in has been noisy compared to a pickup or car, it is just part of the way they are built, you are pretty much sitting over the engine and just have that plastic and little insulation between you and the engine so noise is going to come through. As mentioned, the aerodynamics are poor so wind noise is something you just have to learn to live with.

[BDenn]

The commits are right about air pressure. 5 to 10 pounds make a world of difference in ride. Have to set it up to weight. I am still working on mine. When I tested my Class C before buying it the air pressure was 45 lbs. It road great. When I took my first trip and set the air at yellow sticker on door PSI it was a rough ride. I now have a happy medium for the weight of my MH. My MH has a heavy duty sway bar in the back. Does well as can be expected in wind. Thinking about putting a heavy duty one in the front maybe a shock change eventualy.

[retireearly]

We have a similar motorhome and all the same complaints. I have tuned it by having an aggressive alignment done, adding Hellwing bars front and rear, a better steering shock, and adjusting the tire pressure to load. You likely can cut your front tire pressure down to 60 psi or so to reduce the float. Also, it does better without hitch weight, as that floats the front end without a WDH. This is one of the reasons we are going to flat tow over dolly. Next time we will get a longer coach, wheelbase is important.

[BrianRZimmerman]

The worst rattle and bang with our 3010DS was from the stove cover. A washcloth over the burners solved it.

[santara]

short wheel
base will ride rough every time

[ChrisParise]

The worst most perplexing rattle in our Sunseeker took us (me) 2 seasons to get to the root cause.

The coach door glass didn't have any butly tape or caulking between the glass and the window frame. The glass had been bouncing around, up/down, left/right, making all sorts of noises within the frame. I pushed against the glass, by accident, and immediately knew it was THE problem.

Easy fix. Disassemble, applied butly tape, reassembled.

It may (must have been?) A factory miss or because it began life as a 1 season rental someone broke the glass and it wasn't repaired correctly.

And speaking of excessive noise, if tire pressure, especially rear, is too high with too little weight, the result will be a rougher ride and noise from chassis vibrating up through the coach components. Rides better and quieter with weight.

Maintaining speed even with minor grades is pretty good with cruise control and in tow/haul mode.

[aldermanjb]

We put a Safe T Plus steering stabilizer and Bilsteen shocks all around. Made a big difference when driving in wind. Hit some high winds on 90 in the Dakotas on the way back to New York. Still hard to hold it on the road. We have a 2860DS (31 ft) on the Chevy Chassis.

[emm-dee]

My Forester CAT scale weight is 14,300. I drive a 6.2% grade on a regular basis and originally could only hold 50-52 mph. Added the UltraRV tune to the V10 and now it holds 58-60. Not much better. Like most Class C rigs it is going to be a rolling roadblock.

[PariseauPete]

Welcome to the realities of Class C!
Life is a compromise
Cabin noise is high compared to pulling a trailer and riding in a pickup. But motorhome is so much more practical.
I only use tow/haul for hills (up or down).
For highway cruising I find that all it does is up the rpm, increase noise for only minor increase in speed.
Also wind has a huge effect on speed. With a tail wind across the prairies 110 km/h (65 mph) or more no problem. But with a head wind a whole different story! often down to 90 km/h (55 mph).
I like to drive by rpm. Sweet spot seems to be around 2000 rpm for this engine and vehicle speed will be what it will be.
Also lower speeds mean a much more relaxed drive
Enjoy

[BehindBars]

Your tire pressure is probably unnecessarily high. I weighed my Ford E-450 Sunseeker multiple times with different loads and I set the tire pressures according to the weight I expect that they are carrying. My front axle is only around 4000 pounds, so typically run the front at 65 PSI max. The rears are at around 72 PSI unless I am heavily loaded, then I go higher. The recommended pressures on the door jamb label are the pressures needed to support the respective full axle ratings, not necessarily what you need based on your load.

If your load is light, and because your motorhome is small, I’d suggest dropping the air spring pressure to 10 or 20 PSI.

Go get the front end alignment adjusted. Forest River does not do it after building the house on the chassis. If the motorhome is under 90 days old, FR will pay up to $300 for the owner to get done IF it is found to be out of spec as delivered. Adding more caster angle will help the motorhome track straight with less driver input.

You can throw aftermarket upgrades at the suspension and steering and make it marginally more stable and better handling.

Because the manufacturer does not do it, it will be the owner’s job to eliminate rattles, wind whistles, and things that bump. There are tips on the forum to help, but for sure if you have not taken special measures to pad, pack away, or lock down loose items, then yes, there will be a lot of noise behind you. Here is an example: is your microwave’s glass plate wrapped up or padded in a towel or something, or is it just bouncing/rattling in the oven? It will take time to resolve some of the noise issues, but it can definitely be improved.

I find the V10 power to be totally adequate. I choose to drive at 63 mph for decent fuel economy and safety/relaxation. Your satisfaction with it’s power will be based on your expectations, I suppose. The E-450 will have no problem towing a 4500 pound trailer.

[Fun Boy Tours]

When we picked up our 2290S the dealer only had about 30 psi in the air bags, the 250 mile ride home was a "Oh God what have I done" thrill ride! When I got home I increased it to 60 psi and the ride was dramatically improved. Loaded we have only booked about a thousand miles (thanks for nothing Covid) but have found (so far) that 75 in the airbags, 70 in the front tires and 75 in the rears works well. Like others above, I drive by the RPM's. I keep it around 2k which ranges from 55 to 65mph. It turns out that 60mph is the sweet spot, at least for me.
And did I mention, we LOVE our 2290S?!?!

[BehindBars]

Originally Posted by Panhandle Traveler

Fair point on compairing - just maybe expectations

1. Using towhaul mode -un loaded as it is still freezing so we left the tanks empty just propane and fuel plus about 700lbs of gear including 2 humans - so not overloaded yet - no towing yet and it would be a 16 foot enclosed trailer no horses yet maybe other animals, atvs etc
2. Just had the allignement done when the tires were rotated last week as lots of people posted that
3. Got it - my daily driver is a gmc 3500 crew cab LB 2013 duramax so I figured getting used to a gasser was going to be a change...
4. Got it
5. Yes mostly seems like shower doors, stove, screen door, some window whistles - probably just need to work the kinks out
6. Makes sense there is nothing areo dynamic at all about it
7. makes sense just checking - thanks

normal is good - just checking in with folks with the knowledge.

Thanks again!

Regarding point #2, what were the degrees of caster setting after the alignment was completed? It is recommended to get it close to 5 degrees if possible.

[ChrisParise]

What BehindBars said ^

[davidgle]

I have weighed my 2019 Sunseeker 3010ds both times I've had it out. It has been close enough to max weight that it will be cheap insurance to continue that practice. The wind noise is horrific. Since we can't use our back window for driving, we intend to try a sound deadening curtain behind the front seats.

[BehindBars]

Originally Posted by davidgle

I have weighed my 2019 Sunseeker 3010ds both times I've had it out. It has been close enough to max weight that it will be cheap insurance to continue that practice. The wind noise is horrific. Since we can't use our back window for driving, we intend to try a sound deadening curtain behind the front seats.

If you develop a sound curtain behind the cab, please post details. I have entertained the idea of doing that for long trips.

[kenandterry]

Originally Posted by BehindBars

If you develop a sound curtain behind the cab, please post details. I have entertained the idea of doing that for long trips.

I’m sorry. I couldn’t hear you. What’d you say?