Safe Tplus

[cmnelson]

I have a 2017 forest river forester 3011ds , I got it last April and it only had 2800 miles on it, it is all over the road and pain to drive. I just talk to safetplus in GA they gave me a list of things to make it drive better, total is $5000.00 which I can handle I’m just wondering if I need all the things they said. Sumo springs, steering stabilizer, shocks, sway bars, trac bar, front end Alingment. Anyone had all this done and if so what was the outcome? Thanks

[Reverse_snowbird]

I'd start with a front end alignment. We have a friend with a Sunseeker and that helped with handling. Then do the same thing you'd do with a car, have the wheels balanced.
Then check your weight. Are you overweight? These rigs usually have a very small cargo carrying capacity for their size. Is your load balanced within the rig?
Unfortunately, you're driving a big box down the highway and wind and speed are a factor. Hopefully, someone else will chime in and let you know what may help.

[cmnelson]

I was thinking that if you do Alingment first then add a bunch of stuff would you have to do Alingment again ? Thanks

[Duckogram]

I have not done “all” the things on your laundry list because it makes no sense to throw a ton of money at issues that may not exist.
So I will start by letting you know that my unit is a GTS which is lower and narrower than yours so it is slightly less affected by crosswinds and roll.
So I began with a Class C motorhome alignment aka Henderson Line Up. See the stickey at the top of this section. Fantastic improvement but not what I wanted.
Next was the Steering Stabilizer (not a dampener). I had a SafeTPlus on my previous unit and it was OK. I put the Roadmaster RSSC on this unit and it is fantastic.
But still getting tail wag with the toad. So I added the SuperSteer Track Bar (Panhard Bar).
I also fixed the leaked in the RideRites (you should already have them) and properly inflated them for my load and comfort.
Now my unit (30’) drives and handles like a Van. Lane keeping is a one hand operation and I am not beat up at the end of the day.
That is all I did because it is all I needed.
Would heavier Anti Sway bars make a difference? No doubt but not enough to justify the expense. How about Sumo or Timbren Helper “springs”. They would give you the same results as heavier anti sway bars + a harsher ride. No thanks.

Shocks would be an improvement over stock shocks if you install the the Bilstein Motorhome (Comfort or Standard) or Koni FSD’s for Motorhomes only. Anything less is likely to be a waste.

If you do not like the RideRites, Hellwig makes a helper spring to replace them. Same results but not readily adjustable. LP35 Part 9645 kit

Keep in mind that the affects of suspension mods are cumulative. There is no one silver bullet. Not even Liquid Springs at $10k will do it all.

[Duckogram]

Originally Posted by cmnelson

I was thinking that if you do Alingment first then add a bunch of stuff would you have to do Alingment again ? Thanks

If you are going to add front anti sway, shocks and a stabilizer it is best to align after the add ons.

[newRVer]

Check out this thread in which I posted my reply on what worked for me.

https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...rs-221224.html

PS. I did all the work myself which significantly reduces total cost.

RVr

[Houndwalker]

When I test drove my first Class C I was shocked at how poorly it handled. Once we bought (different rig) we pretty much did all those improvements and it helped quite a bit. Ours now tracks down the road much better - no more "micro adjusting" the steering wheel as I drive. The alignment was first and very noticeable. The RV shop that did the upgrades after the alignment was adamant that none of their work would impact the alignment and that seems to be true. Glad we did the upgrades but it still doesn't handle like a well built car or truck. And never will.

[kenandterry]

I’d like to jump in and comment on this thread, however being that I live in the Great White North here, my rig is parked for winter from November until April.
I can’t make any current comparisons because that was last year, and at my age, I can’t remember a lot of things that long ago.

I do remember driving our factory stock 2018 Sunseeker 2430S (once known as the GTS line) for an hour while chasing some rather nice SUV vehicles on some nice twisty secondary roads. I commented to my co-pilot how impressed I was on how our rig performed keeping up with the vehicles ahead. She said she enjoyed the ride also, and she’s used to my rather sporty aggressive driving when we’re in our Mustang. No severe body roll as I recall….in the motorhome.

We were fully loaded on our 3 week trip, with the Ride Rite bags set at 60psi, front tires at 70psi and rear tires at 80psi for reference.

It’ll never match the Mustang for handling, but we can’t cook or sleep in the Mustang either.

[Bill and Gail]

When I bought my 2016 Sunseeker 3010DS, I added the Safe-t-Plus and Roadmaster sway bars, front and rear. Roadmaster makes the RSS stabilizer, which is less expensive than the Safe-t-Plus

[ChrisParise]

For consideration, I've got a 2006 2860DS, 30.5' long.

When traveling it's always pushing its max carrying weight and I replaced the factory jounce bumpers with Timbren Helper Springs. My impression of them is quite favorable and a vast improvement over the factory bumpers. Their firmness is progressive as advertised and they are airless.

Other
1. Unit was a rental and had a steering stabilizer when I bought it - no idea of manufacturer.
2. Replaced the leaf springs last year as they were twisted, at least 1 hanger rivet was missing & bushings were shot
3. Had rear Monroe RV shocks along with the leaf springs
4. Ball joints were replaced in 2016

It's always gone down the road straight, never any white knuckle driving. After new leaf springs, Timbrens, and shocks it goes over expansion joints like a large SUV
Attachment 269268

[retcol99]

We bought our 2018 Forester 3011ds, with 7500 miles on it, in Oct 20 in PA, and drove it back to central TX thru Michigan, to get Bigfoot Levelors installed. Was a bear to drive on the interstates between PA, OH, MI, and IN, and then on down to central TX. Front end was wandering around--white knuckle driving. Got a chance invite to Peach Frog Rally at Yonah Mountain, GA, in June 2021, and on the way, we stopped at the Safe-T-Plus factory and had the steering stabilizer put on. This installation was recommended by several folks on this forum, so we called and got a reservation for installation. After installation was finished, just a bit over an hour, we did a test drive with the fellow who did the installation, and it tracked dead straight ahead. Drove the rest of the trip, about 2000 miles, over the next 9 days, and the modification was absolutely a miracle. We have about 16,500 miles now and we are still remarkably pleased with the change in the driving feel improvement. It's nearly a comfortable, one-handed, driving effort now. Can't tell you about all the other mods you're considering, 'cause we didn't have the money to add any more suspension changes at the time. We think the Safe-T-Plus was great money spent. YMMV