Our Winnebago View suspension needed a few upgrades to minimize body roll while improving ride comfort. What were they and did they work?
After taking delivery of our 2019 Winnebago View 24D in Indiana, we drove it to Erie, Pennsylvania to visit my brother’s family. As we drove down the road loaded with our belongings, we were completely disappointed in the excessive body roll which made driving and riding in it practically unbearable.
Coupled with the terrible roads and the motorhome’s stock suspension, it felt like we were back on the Coast Guard rescue boats. I kid you not, we got RV sick; much like being sea sick.
Our small Class C motorhome rocked and rolled at every turn. At some points, it felt like we were going to tip over as we pulled in and out of driveways or parking lots.
We seriously wondered if we made a $165,000 mistake because our small Class C motorhome drove like CRAP!
After diligent research, Dan knew exactly what we needed to do to upgrade our Winnebago View’s suspension to improve the ride. He ordered the necessary parts and components needed to complete our Class C suspension upgrades. They’d be waiting for us at my brother’s house once we’d arrive.
Once we got to my bro’s house, we were blessed with great weather and a level location to do our RV modifications. Electricity was also available along with ample work space, lots of tools and of course, an extra set of man-hands to help. (Thanks Jim!)
So, let’s jump right in to show you how we improved our Winnebago View’s suspension with a few simple upgrades.
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Our Winnebago View Suspension Upgrades
Sway Bar
One of the first things we noticed when driving our Winnebago View was the terrible body roll when pulling into and out of parking lots as well as 90 degree turns.
The body roll is caused by an under-sized sway bar coupled with a very tall vehicle. Its’ very pronounced movement was terrifying the first time we experienced it. It felt like our Class C would tip over.
By replacing the factory-installed OEM sway bar with an upgraded sway bar, the driving experience improved a little.
It’s a fast easy bolt-on installation backed with a lifetime warranty. The Hellwig sway bar is engineered and developed for our Winnebago View’s application. And it includes high tech polyurethane bushings. It has high quality 4140 chrome moly spring steel. This prescribed sway bar for our Mercedes Benz chassis cost about $225.
Th sway bar installation is quite easy and can be done by most do-it-yourself shade tree mechanics. Just be aware, you will be laying underneath the chassis. So we recommend laying a large piece of cardboard or tarp on the ground just in case you drop washers, nuts or bolts. Oh, and wear clothes you don’t care about getting dirty or oily.
The only tools you need for the sway bar installation are basic metric hand tools (because it’s a metric-manufactured Mercedes Benz chassis).
The upgraded Hellwig sway bar does reduce the body roll so we benefit from better vehicle control. And, it greatly improved cornering traction for safer driving and cornering capabilities.
But, the motorhome suspension still requires careful, slow entry and exit into parking lots and driveways. We still had to do two more things to improve our motorhome suspension to the point of really falling in love with our View.
SumoSprings
The second part of our Class C motorhome suspension upgrade is the front and rear springs. Be aware, the part number for the SumoSprings is dictated by the weight of your motorhome and the type of ride you desire. We chose the black SumoSprings made specifically for our Winnebago View’s Mercedes Benz chassis. So, if you have even a slightly different chassis, you’ll need to research exactly which Springs you’ll need.
SumoSprings are a patented suspension product designed to enhance load carrying ability, stabilize sway, and improve overall driver control and ride comfort.
They are maintenance free, do not leak air, and do not require air-lines or compressors. SumoSprings are manufactured in a variety of heights, diameters and densities to support multiple front and rear applications.
They are manufactured from proprietary closed micro-cellular urethane providing a smooth and progressive spring rate with superior damping properties.
The SumoSprings on the left (photos above) are a manufactured compressed rubber block that take the place of the original factory bump stops.
Having them installed properly will help prevent the suspension from bottoming out when our motorhome transits over bumps, ripples, potholes and imperfections in the road.
SumoSprings are:
- Sold as a pair (left and right)
- Maintenance-free
- Enhances load carrying ability
- 900 (lb.) Capacity at 50% Compression
- Reduces and stabilizes sway
Similar to the sway bar we talked about above, you can install the SumoSprings yourself. Or you can have a professional or DIY mechanic install them.
The tools needed to install them was a flat head screwdriver and 12mm Deep Well Socket. For our Winnebago View, we installed the following (click the links below FMI). Each pair cost about $250 but is a worthwhile investment.
SumoSprings REAR for Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 (about $250 2021 prices)
SumoSprings FRONT for Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 (about $185 2021 prices)
SumoSprings has an excellent video with a great tips for the installation of the rear springs.
Fox Shocks
Replacing our View’s OEM rear shocks was the last of our Winnebago View suspension upgrades. And in our opinion, we should have done this installation first.
We opted for the Fox 2/5 Shocks from Agile Off Road. They’re only available through Agile Off Road.
TIP: These shocks fit most 2015+ Sprinter 3500 Class C motorhomes & heavier 4wd 3500 vans. Agile Off Road requires the last 8-digits of your VIN# to verify shock fitment. Failure to include this information may cause shipping delays.
These Fox 2/5 Shocks eliminate wallowing, instability, and harshness from the ride of our Mercedes Sprinter 4WD 3500 & 3500 Class C RVs.
The Agile Tuned Fox shock absorbers take a heavy-duty Fox 2.5 series shock (originally designed for heavy, high-mileage semi-trucks) add a custom length shaft and tune the damping to give you a more comfortable, capable, and predictably handling vehicle both on & off the pavement.
This is a bolt-on suspension upgrade for second generation Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 3500 series (4WD only) & Class C 3500 RVs in both 2wd & 4wd configurations.
You or a DIY mechanic can install these. Or, you can hire professional installer. Installation time is about an hour or less and does not requires any specialty tools.
For what it’s worth, we hired a professional installer as Dan didn’t feel comfortable doing this suspension upgrade himself (he had a shoulder injury). That, and he didn’t have the proper tools.
Watching our installer, he carefully used a bottle jack to support the motorhome’s frame. Then, he used a floor jack to compress the new Fox 2/5 Shocks to slip them into place and bolt them into place. Now, our motorhome suspension upgrades are complete and our travel days are much more enjoyable!
Winnebago View Suspension Wrap Up
If you own a Winnebago View or Navion or other brand’s small Class C on similar chassis, you’ll want to get these motorhome suspension upgrades installed. They will greatly improve the stability, sway and roll of your motorized RV.
I won’t go so far as to say the motorhome rides like a sports car, but the ride improvement is remarkable and results in a much more pleasant travel day. Sure, we still must creep slowly when entering or exiting driveways or sharp turns, these suspension upgrades are worth it. Your ride will be much more comfortable and you won’t be reaching for the barf bag.
Check out our other 2019 Winnebago View upgrades
Solar & Energy Management Upgrades for our Small Motorhome
Come take a tour of our Winnebago View 24D!
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Great article! I own a 2019 Jayco Melbourne 24L built on a 2018 MB Sprinter chassis. I’m in the process of chassis upgrades. I’ve completed Sumo and Hellwig upgrades. Waiting on my Fox 2.5 shocks to arrive. I’m hoping the upgrade improves the rough ride experienced on some of our interstate travels.
Claude, thanks for stopping in to read this! You’ll love the Fox shocks! If we were to do it all over again, we would have installed those first. They DO make an incredible difference! Let us know what you think once you get them installed on your Melbourne. Be safe out there! -Dan
Thanks so much for your great information. We are the new owner of a 21016 View and will get started with these upgrades. I have been reading a lot and will do the exact suspension system you have created. Does it help at all to replace the front struts as well as the new fox shocks in the rear or do new or different struts make any difference. Thanks in advance. Paul
Thanks for sharing your experience. I read another blog or article from a guy who says he removed his sumo’s after the fox shocks and that helped his riding preference. Curious if you have tried this yet?
Hi Jason, thanks for taking the time to read our blog. We have not removed our sumo springs even though we also have the Fox shocks. Since they’re already on, it just helps with the stability of our motorhome. We’ll just leave well enough alone. Besides, since we are full-time, we ditched the old shocks anyway as we have no way to store the old ones. Hope all continues to be well with you. Be safe. -Dan
If u had your time over would u have placed the 2.5 Fox shocks on and left off the sumo springs? Also can’t get those shocks so wondered what u thought of the Komi FSD Shocks?
Hi Steve, thanks for reading. Yes, Dan said we should have installed the Fox shocks first. We think the sumo springs work as well as we thought. The ride improvement happened after installing those Fox Shocks. Sorry, we have no experience on the Komi FSD shocks so we can’t really offer assessment or opinion. Have you joined the Winnebago View/Navion Facebook Group>? Lots of great info and help there.
Thanks D & L, great article on suspension. Will def come in handy, for a much needed upgrade. We are living in California, planning on trip to PA soon. Purchased a 2018 Veiw D a few months ago, now on to your next art on energy upgrade! Thanks again, B / V
Hello – this is a fantastic article ! I’m curious if anyone has any experience with the Koni FSD shocks which are also being recommended probably because the Fox shocks are on backorder so long. I only want to do this once and be sure what I do directly has an impact on the sway from wind and passing vehicles that makes this 2021 View tough to drive.
Great article, thanks. I will order parts as soon as we get home.
Have you done anything with seating? Captains chairs are horrible. I already changed the sofa/love seat to 2 power recliners by Thomasville from camping World. HUGE difference
Hi John, OH, we SO understand about the cockpit chairs. They are horribly uncomfortable. No, we’ve not replaced them but are looking into an upgrade. We’ve heard several change out different seating inside their Views and Navions. It’s all personal comfort, style and preference. So glad you love your power recliners. That makes a nice relaxing area to watch TV or read. Best wishes and safe travels!