Any Georgetown 351 owners?

[Larry Mac]

I would like to know if you are satisfied with the stock ride. Many owners of these motorhomes featuring the Ford chassis in the V-10 have felt the need to add additional sway bars or steering stabilizers to get a comfortable ride w/o the white knuckle experience. Just checking to see how your experience with the original factory chassis on this Georgetown has been?

[cjd10]

I had the front end aligned, made sure tire pressure was correct, and did the cheap handling fix. I am very happy with the ride and handling in my 351. CHF made a huge improvement without investing in other parts.
Don't know if it's still considered stock with the CHF though.

[Watertown]

Did the same as cjd, no issues. Only other thing that was worth every penny was to get a 5 star tune.
2013 351 ds, 6k miles

[kenandterry]

The CHF is free and made a big improvement.

Remember....it's a motorhome not a Ferrari. If you're in a hurry and expecting performance and handling for being in a hurry, maybe take the car.

Seriously....sit back and enjoy a more leisurely pace. It's not that bad.

[Iggy]

Originally Posted by Larry Mac

I would like to know if you are satisfied with the stock ride. Many owners of these motorhomes featuring the Ford chassis in the V-10 have felt the need to add additional sway bars or steering stabilizers to get a comfortable ride w/o the white knuckle experience. Just checking to see how your experience with the original factory chassis on this Georgetown has been?

What year is your Georgetown?
If it's new you may want Forest River to do a front end alignment ASAP because they only do that within the first few months only.

[Larry Mac]

Originally Posted by Iggy

What year is your Georgetown?
If it's new you may want Forest River to do a front end alignment ASAP because they only do that within the first few months only.

Haven't purchased yet. Still
Shopping for the right fit for us.

[Larry Mac]

Originally Posted by cjd10

I had the front end aligned, made sure tire pressure was correct, and did the cheap handling fix. I am very happy with the ride and handling in my 351. CHF made a huge improvement without investing in other parts.
Don't know if it's still considered stock with the CHF though.

Can you explain the process of the CHF?
I've heard it mentioned, but never heard an explanation of what it entails?

[camaraderie]

This is a pretty good link on the process of the cheap handling fix which is for any F53 chassis.
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f23/cheap...fix-72335.html

[cjd10]

Originally Posted by Larry Mac

Haven't purchased yet. Still
Shopping for the right fit for us.

Kind of hard to get a true feeling of how it's going to handle if test driving a new one that is probably out of alignment and may or may not have the correct tire pressure. Don't know about others but my coach rides and handles much better when fully loaded with fuel, water, and personal stuff.

[MikeFerg]

I don't have a Georgetown 351, I have the 280. After two years we got tired of the rough and noisy ride and had Sumo Springs and struts installed. The $1600 cost was WELL WORTH the expense. The ride is much smoother and quieter and we have much better control in windy conditions and passing big rigs.

[KP 351]

Hi Larry,
I have a 2014 model 351 and I would say the stock handling and ride were decent! Certainly not white knuckle, in fact on a day with no wind it is very relaxing to drive. It is however pretty dramatically affected by wind, and heavy truck traffic. This summer I decided that this coach was worth investing a bit to bring it up another level. I had installed a steering stabilizer, rear trac bar and rear sway bar. Yep, over 3 grand, last weekend I took my first trip since the upgrades. Let's just say I am overjoyed with the difference, from Rochester NY to Detroit and back, and windy all of the way out and back. Worth the investment in my humble opinion.


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[Vince and Charlette]

In my 2015 GT, I did about all you can do: steering stabilizer, TruTrac track bar, front and rear Roadmaster heavy duty anti-sway bars and Sumo Springs. After all of this, I'd have to say the Sumo Springs did the most good by controlling the bobbing and weaving. This and the CHF should do the most good at the minimal cost.

[Larry Mac]

Thanks MikeFerg , Vince and KP 351
Sounds like all I need is another $4600 after the purchase. Thanks for your experiences

[Vince and Charlette]

CHF is a piece of cake with even minimum DIY skills. Front Sumo Springs (which may be all you need) require one hole to be drilled and thre bolts to be tightened in place on both sides. Medium level DIY skills should make it an easy job.

[ttincali]

I have a 2014 351 and added front Sumo springs - great improvement on sway and handling large bumps.


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[HookupAndGo]

I have a 2013 351 and now have just over 18K miles on the unit.

I would have to say that it is important to get the alignment done from a good truck shop and get the wheels balanced. I know my shop did a slight camber adjustment to counter the crown in the road (most). I run my tires about 95lbs.

For the first 15K miles my unit was completely stock -- no mods to any of the chassis components. Honestly, I thought it drove rather well and didn't have any huge complaints. Did it sway with a passing truck or cross wind -- Yes, it is a big sail. My old truck pulling a trailer had the same thing. Funny, some trucks cause a bad wind disturbance when passing, others don't. In fact, I have had the odd cars cause the wind "pull/push" issue.

So, about at 15K miles I decided to add a the Roadmaster Steering Stabilizer -- more as a Safety precaution. I just did about 3K miles, much of which had winds involved. Did I notice an improvement? Hard to say, but i would have to say there was a subtle, hardly realized improvement. I was able to drive a lot longer not feeling overly tired from the semi-constant playing with the steering. I "think" that comes from the steering stabilizer.

I have NOT done the CHF but really have considered it -- read tons of pro's and con's, just didn't do it.

The units bump and sway, they are really big. If you have the extra $ and are really into "tuning" then plan on all the extra stuff. Honestly, you may find that the stock model, or a simple (free) CHF fix or, the ~$300 Stabilizer install (do it yourself) is enough. Plus, the stabilizer gives you the additional safety backup.

Just my thoughts -- oh, and some day I may put in the rear track bar and all the other niceties. But, I have been driving it for 3 years now and just put the stabilizer on. Spend or not...may not be required.

[jpow]

I have a 2013 351DS. The stock version was manageable but had quite a bit of tail sway with passing trucks or heavy wind. Did the CHF myself (and I'm not that mechanically inclined) and it made a world of difference. Does a strong crosswind still move the rig around a bit? Yes, you're driving a house, but the CHF reduced it considerably. We did 4,000 miles through 13 states running 65-70 mph throughout and never had a problem, even through the windy central plains states. I had to purchase a torque wrench and a bottle jack to complete the modification. I don't remember the cost, but certainly less than $100. If the CHF doesn't improve the handling enough, by all means try the additional equipment but the CHF was enough for me.


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[Larry Mac]

Originally Posted by jpow

I have a 2013 351DS. The stock version was manageable but had quite a bit of tail sway with passing trucks or heavy wind. Did the CHF myself (and I'm not that mechanically inclined) and it made a world of difference. Does a strong crosswind still move the rig around a bit? Yes, you're driving a house, but the CHF reduced it considerably. We did 4,000 miles through 13 states running 65-70 mph throughout and never had a problem, even through the windy central plains states. I had to purchase a torque wrench and a bottle jack to complete the modification. I don't remember the cost, but certainly less than $100. If the CHF doesn't improve the handling enough, by all means try the additional equipment but the CHF was enough for me.


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Can someone explain to me the steps for the CHF? It seems that one of the steps requires moving a nut and bolt one space( I was told there was two holes). But I also read where someone said it improved one phase of the ride, but compromised another?
Anyways everyone talks about the CHF, but I'd like to know all the steps involved.
Btw when I look up CHF, I always read about The CHF, but never really see all the steps involved.
Finally, does this affect warranty or could be used against you if there was an accident.

[mikel68]

Got front end aligned, Verify tire pressure every trip and check your shocks. Ours had shock mount issues, replaced by warranty.

Without the front end aligned it was a little more then I wanted to handle. Now, no problems. Handles well.

mk

[RJJ]

Originally Posted by Larry Mac

Can someone explain to me the steps for the CHF? It seems that one of the steps requires moving a nut and bolt one space( I was told there was two holes). But I also read where someone said it improved one phase of the ride, but compromised another?
Anyways everyone talks about the CHF, but I'd like to know all the steps involved.
Btw when I look up CHF, I always read about The CHF, but never really see all the steps involved.
Finally, does this affect warranty or could be used against you if there was an accident.

https://youtu.be/MozieIP58PY

Here is a video that explains it.


2015 Georgetown 329DS
2014 Chevy Equinox