Picked out my sunseeker! Now time to plan the tweaks.

[Chris_tulls]

Just put an order in on a new forest river Sunseeker LE 3250DSLE! Tentative arrival date is November for the walkthrough/checks/etc.

Those of you with a class C (we are moving from a TT), what accessories or upgrades did you do right away. I am already planning to put in a break controller, swap the seats for lariat seats, swap the radio, add sway control. Anything else should be on the list?

[BehindBars]

Originally Posted by Chris_tulls

Just put an order in on a new forest river Sunseeker LE 3250DSLE! Tentative arrival date is November for the walkthrough/checks/etc.

Those of you with a class C (we are moving from a TT), what accessories or upgrades did you do right away. I am already planning to put in a break controller, swap the seats for lariat seats, swap the radio, add sway control. Anything else should be on the list?

The first thing you should do is plan to have the front end alignment checked and adjusted. Forest River gets the chassis from an upfitter who got it from Ford. FR builds a house on it, and ships it to the dealer without bothering to ensure the front end is aligned to Ford specs. (Mine was found to be delivered to me outside the Ford alignment specifications range). If you check yours and it is out of spec, FR will reimburse you for the alignment adjustment cost (up to maybe $300), but you need to do it within something like 90 days. Unfortunately, it's all on the buyer to arrange to get this done. The RV dealer may not have a clue, so contact FR warranty rep for your service area.

Getting the alignment set properly with the caster up around 5 degrees will probably do more for handling and easy driving than the other stuff you can throw at it. Even if yours is found to be within spec, you will still benefit from increasing the caster angle.

Next, weigh your motorhome after you have fully loaded it for travel, so you can set your tire pressures for the load they actually carry, which may be but is not necessarily the tire pressures shown on the door jamb label.

[Chris_tulls]

Originally Posted by BehindBars

The first thing you should do is plan to have the front end alignment checked and adjusted. Forest River gets the chassis from an upfitter who got it from Ford. FR builds a house on it, and ships it to the dealer without bothering to ensure the front end is aligned to Ford specs. (Mine was found to be delivered to me outside the Ford alignment specifications range). If you check yours and it is out of spec, FR will reimburse you for the alignment adjustment cost (up to maybe $300), but you need to do it within something like 90 days. Unfortunately, it's all on the buyer to arrange to get this done. The RV dealer may not have a clue, so contact FR warranty rep for your service area.

Getting the alignment set properly with the caster up around 5 degrees will probably do more for handling and easy driving than the other stuff you can throw at it. Even if yours is found to be within spec, you will still benefit from increasing the caster angle.

Next, weigh your motorhome after you have fully loaded it for travel, so you can set your tire pressures for the load they actually carry, which may be but is not necessarily the tire pressures shown on the door jamb label.

Thanks. Alignment is on my list to check, along with things like the framing of the tub/shower. I already had them add the additional sway/stability bar for the steering as well. Fingers crossed on this dealer, they seem to know the common issues from the uplifter (they noted a few things they do before we can take ownership that are on my list)

[BehindBars]

Originally Posted by Chris_tulls

Thanks. Alignment is on my list to check, along with things like the framing of the tub/shower. I already had them add the additional sway/stability bar for the steering as well. Fingers crossed on this dealer, they seem to know the common issues from the uplifter (they noted a few things they do before we can take ownership that are on my list)

The Sunseeker Classic now comes from the factory with a thicker Hellwig rear sway bar and 4 Bilstein shocks. Maybe the Sunseeker LE does, too. Maybe your dealer is replacing the front sway bar and replacing the steering stabilizer with an aftermarket unit. Nothing wrong with doing those changes. Another modification some people do is add a rear track bar.

I never did the front sway bar or the separate rear track bar, but my present LiquidSpring set up includes a track bar as part of it's hardware. I see now that the track bar seems to make a big handling improvement, I think more so than the sway bar upgrades.

I personally would remove the rear Firestone air bags that the upfitter installs, but you can try them and see what you think.

[Chris_tulls]

Originally Posted by BehindBars

The Sunseeker Classic now comes from the factory with a thicker Hellwig rear sway bar and 4 Bilstein shocks. Maybe the Sunseeker LE does, too. Maybe your dealer is replacing the front sway bar and replacing the steering stabilizer with an aftermarket unit. Nothing wrong with doing those changes. Another modification some people do is add a rear track bar.

I never did the front sway bar or the separate rear track bar, but my present LiquidSpring set up includes a track bar as part of it's hardware. I see now that the track bar seems to make a big handling improvement, I think more so than the sway bar upgrades.

I personally would remove the rear Firestone air bags that the upfitter installs, but you can try them and see what you think.

Yes, you are correct. the front stabilizer is on the list to add (i dont think it has one right now, but i could be wrong). and yes, the rear sway bar is the Hellwig. I'm going to research LiquidSpring, thanks for the tip.

[BehindBars]

Orher things I so right away:

Put dimmer switches on all lights, especially the under awning LED strip light.
Put a fuel shut off valve on the generator so you can avoid storing it with fuel in the carb.
Put covers on all roof vents that don't already have them.
Put a drain valve on the water heater tank.
Put an adjustable thermostat on the water heater.
Get floor mats for cab area.
Remove two or three dozen stickers from the exterior.
Put liners in all cabinet bottoms and outside storage bays.
And towel rings/bars.
Fix all the stuff that was built wrong at the factory.

And many, many other things . . .

[RvGuy03]

@BehindBars,

How did you install a dimmer switch on the Awning and Interior lights? I would love to do this on our 2018 Sunseeker 3050S.

Thank you

[Duckogram]

Originally Posted by RvGuy03

@BehindBars,

How did you install a dimmer switch on the Awning and Interior lights? I would love to do this on our 2018 Sunseeker 3050S.

Thank you

BB posted this back in January…

https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ml#post2487103

[Luke Moseley]

I would sit down and write up an extensive check list for your walk thru. Start at the front and work to the back. Check every switch, pump, faucet, light, toilet, slide, seal, electronics, drawer slide and latch, each window, the AC...You get the picture.. I'd spend as long as it takes to go over every system on that rig and don't take it off the lot until every single item is fixed. You've undoubtedly seen all the QA discussions about new RVs . Once you take possession you're at the dealers mercy. Good luck!

[RvGuy03]

Originally Posted by Duckogram

BB posted this back in January…

https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ml#post2487103

Awesome, thank you!

[Sergiop]

Originally Posted by Chris_tulls

Just put an order in on a new forest river Sunseeker LE 3250DSLE! Tentative arrival date is November for the walkthrough/checks/etc.

Those of you with a class C (we are moving from a TT), what accessories or upgrades did you do right away. I am already planning to put in a break controller, swap the seats for lariat seats, swap the radio, add sway control. Anything else should be on the list?

When you have the seats out you could pull the flooring out and put some heat/noise insulation down. On the engine cover also. I’m not sure how much heat the V8 generates compared to my V10, but if the passenger floor is too hot to be barefooted, it will make it cool enough. It also made my generator quieter since it’s right behind the driver’s seat.

Put Reflectixs in cabinets on the wall facing outside to slow the heat or cold.

Check drawer slide mounting screws, usually they only have 2 screws per slide and they work lose. 3 or 4 can be used to help strengthen it. Put wood glue in the hole first.

[n1acguy]

Originally Posted by Chris_tulls

Just put an order in on a new forest river Sunseeker LE 3250DSLE! Tentative arrival date is November for the walkthrough/checks/etc.
Those of you with a class C (we are moving from a TT), what accessories or upgrades did you do right away. I am already planning to put in a break controller, swap the seats for lariat seats, swap the radio, add sway control. Anything else should be on the list?

Our 20 is built on a 19 chassis. I knew going into it I would need to do some suspension mods.
First I had it aligned. A little better. Then I replaced the stock sway bars with the heaviest Hellwigs. Still had some push when passed by trucks that was now clearly rear axle steer, so added a track bar. The track bar really did the trick.
Now, these will feel weird if the front end is light compared to the rear axle, so loading it forward as much as possible really helps.
Since I tow with a dolly I've got 100 lbs or so tongue weight that is about 11.5 feet from the rear axle, so that effect is maximized. We removed the outside fridge that is all the way aft since we never use it. Made a big difference. We may reinstall it once I get a vehicle I can flat tow and get rid of the tongue weight.
Whatever the stock shocks are, are fine, once we realized that we needed to load forward as much as possible. No more understeer.
Your rig is about 1.5 ft or thereabouts longer than ours, and these things are really stretching the limits of the E450 chassis. Anything you load fully rear is like putting a large pry bar on the rear axle.
When we first got it, on our maiden trip loaded with fresh water and towing, I ran it across a Cat scale to see where we were at. Rear axle was a couple hundred over, and the front very lightly loaded comparatively.
I highly recommend putting it on a scale as you intend to travel, making your first trip a short one, just to see how things are.
In our case the whole thing weighs about 18,000 combined.

On a trip back from Yellowstone last fall, we encountered winds on 70 that would have been brutal and dangerous without the mods, but didn't even wear on me that much.
Other than the jackknife couch, we don't have immediate plans to make any other mods. The front seats are fine for us. These are entry level motorhomes, and we realize that.

[n1acguy]

I'll add that we don't have the heat issue in the cab. I think the factory added an exhaust shield that keeps heat off the passenger floor on later models.

[hunter99]

I have the forester version of that Sunseeker. Share pics on the Lariet seat upgrade. That's a good idea and I just looked and can find reasonable ones on car-part finder.

My biggest gripe with this floor plan is the tiny awning. I have figured out a Carefree Pioneer awning (manual) can be added to the slide and shouldn't cause any issues. Noce thing about that one is the hardware can be ordered black or white and it can be ordered in custom lengths. I also removed the Nautilis shower thing and put in an Arcadia one from SEA (Shower Enclosures of America). Much better and more room. Use the 54" version if you decide to look into it.