2008 Dynaquest Dynamax 27ST - Shock Upgrades? Suspension Upgrades?

[M1redskin]

Hello all, I have the above motorhome. Curious if anyone has upgraded the suspension whether front or rear on this style motorhome to help improve the bounce and perhaps roll... I know the prior owner actually changed the front axle to have a more desirable spring rate and associated ride but am looking at the back end currently. I understand from a Freightliner dealer that looked up the OEM shocks based on providing him the last 6 digits of my VIN number that this has heavy duty 15,000 lb rated shocks (each) on it already. But not sure the piston size... So whether shocks will help might be questionable. I do hear that there is an in-line meter valve on the air bag system that can help with the air bags not wobbling so much when a pot hole is hit on one side but other than that that is all I know of. Any assistance / thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[d23haynes57]

Everything suspension wise is a compromise. Reducing body roll and bounce becomes a stiffer, feel the road impacts more ride. Frist step is to make sure the shocks are even good. You have to pull them to test at least by hand. The 2 top brands of shocks are Koni and Bilstein. Extremely general the Koni will tend to give a better, softer ride and some are adjustable. The Bilstein's will be gas charged and usually offer more control.
Shocks will only control the rate of bounce or body roll. The reduce roll the usual mechanical fix it to add or upgrade the anti-roll, sometimes called sway bars.
Your coach is a bit challenged for the rear as you have that long overhang and weight behind the rear axle. This is designed to also keep weight of the front axle as there are only 2 tires up front and you have heavy chassis cab with engine up front. Those "motion control valves" help to control some of that bounce by controlling the air leaving the bag during impacts. The opposite of adding ping tanks to soften the ride. They may be worth trying in the rear.

 

[M1redskin]

Thanks - this MH is only 27' long so the overhang is not nearly as great as some of the other models. I think the shocks are in good working order but a check as you mentioned is something I will do. I looked into the Koni EVO but it is not designed for this era chassis. Gabriel and Bilstein have choices but I wish I knew my specific shock, which I'll take a look and find out underneath. Just not sure if I will make any real noticeable gains if I already have what could be a large piston heavier duty shock but perhaps with the right internal valving... it would make a real difference. I was hoping others here that would have done something similar already and could give me their real world experience. I'll probably look to put the metering vales in. I didn't notice a lot of sway on the two trips I took on it so far, so can't say sway bars is something I would look at for now. Thanks again though.

 

[d23haynes57]

Thanks - this MH is only 27' long so the overhang is not nearly as great as some of the other models. I think the shocks are in good working order but a check as you mentioned is something I will do. I looked into the Koni EVO but it is not designed for this era chassis. Gabriel and Bilstein have choices but I wish I knew my specific shock, which I'll take a look and find out underneath. Just not sure if I will make any real noticeable gains if I already have what could be a large piston heavier duty shock but perhaps with the right internal valving... it would make a real difference. I was hoping others here that would have done something similar already and could give me their real world experience. I'll probably look to put the metering vales in. I didn't notice a lot of sway on the two trips I took on it so far, so can't say sway bars is something I would look at for now. Thanks again though.

I have some experience and have seen most of the tricks for ride and handling for all sorts of coaches. For most upgrades the results are somewhere between incremental and imaginary often bolstered by the lightened wallet and inflated ego of "I installed this". While your motorhome is not that long, it is heavy for a class C design and that rear weight bias is there.
One area that many overlook is the choice of wheels and tires. It may be possible to use different size, design of tire and having the best inflation pressure. Everything starts with where the rubber meets the road. Tell mo what you have and maybe I can make some suggestions.

 

[M1redskin]

I have some experience and have seen most of the tricks for ride and handling for all sorts of coaches. For most upgrades the results are somewhere between incremental and imaginary often bolstered by the lightened wallet and inflated ego of "I installed this". While your motorhome is not that long, it is heavy for a class C design and that rear weight bias is there.
One area that many overlook is the choice of wheels and tires. It may be possible to use different size, design of tire and having the best inflation pressure. Everything starts with where the rubber meets the road. Tell mo what you have and maybe I can make some suggestions.

The tires are Bridgestone 265/70R19.5 - R238 model tires. I was reading where depending on the weight of the vehicle I could possibly reduce the air pressure on the tires to add a bit more cushion. I guess the proper way is to get it weighed to be certain of what to adjust it too - if it's possible. The MH is not a super harsh ride at all - part of this is just getting used to the fact that I am now driving a medium duty semi chassis vehicle. It's just much more bouncy than anything I have ever driven prior. The prior owner as mentioned, changed the complete front axle / suspension setup to give it more cushion on the front end. I was just looking to see what options I could consider in the back end. It's a super nice MH - almost unused with only 39K on it. Always stored inside in heated garage...

 

[M1redskin]

The tires are Bridgestone 265/70R19.5 - R238 model tires. I was reading where depending on the weight of the vehicle I could possibly reduce the air pressure on the tires to add a bit more cushion. I guess the proper way is to get it weighed to be certain of what to adjust it too - if it's possible. The MH is not a super harsh ride at all - part of this is just getting used to the fact that I am now driving a medium duty semi chassis vehicle. It's just much more bouncy than anything I have ever driven prior. The prior owner as mentioned, changed the complete front axle / suspension setup to give it more cushion on the front end. I was just looking to see what options I could consider in the back end. It's a super nice MH - almost unused with only 39K on it. Always stored inside in heated garage...

As a follow-up, the air ride seats definitely adds to the bounce in the driver and front passeger seat.