Modifying Your Class C Motorhome for a Better Driving Experience with SumoSprings

by Mlowell of Axle Addict

My Class C Was Hard To Steer

I bought a 2021 Entegra Odyssey 33'6" and I love it, but during our first road trip, I noticed how active I had to be while driving the RV on the highway. I found I had to fight the steering wheel whenever a semi truck approached my side. I felt like I had to turn into the truck, so that the RV would maintain a path on the road and not get blown o the road. I just thought it was a normal thing with our new Class C.

I did some research in 2021 to see what I could do to make the drive more pleasant, and not something I would dread. I did come across some products on etrailer.com. Meanwhile I made some shorter trips where the steering issues were not so noticeable.

Then in April 2022, we took o to Fort Wilderness at Disney in Orlando. The ride down was not too bad. However, the ride back was rough. It was eight or more hours of fighting the steering wheel and RV to keep it on the road. Basically, the wind was up around 10-15 mph, and the semi trucks just kept blowing by. I fought the steering most of the way back, and was exhausted.

It was time to research again and hopefully find a product or products that would make a difference, and that I could install myself and not pay an arm and a leg for.

A New Steering Stabilizer And Sumosprings Made A Difference

After researching and reading a lot of reviews and similar stories, I decided on replacing the steering stabilizer and adding SumoSprings.

CLASS C RV SUSPENSION ENHANCEMENT NO. 1: STEERING STABILIZER

The first part that I installed was a new steering stabilizer by Bilstein. What a difference in just the product itself compared to the stock OEM stabilizer; just the sti ness in the cylinder was a big difference. I purchased mine from Summit Racing, but you can get them from an auto store, Amazon, or etrailer.com.

The installation process was not that bad. It took longer trying to figure out how I could get under the front end enough to remove and install the new stabilizer. Make sure, when you are installing the new stabilizer, to turn the steering all the way to the left.

I also had to place a small bottle jack to jack up the front end a little, so that I could install the bolt on the passenger side.

We took a short camping trip to FDR State Park a er the installation, and I felt like the new steering stabilizer made a difference in handling by itself. Before I always felt like I had to drive with both hands on the steering wheel, but on this ride I was comfortable and could enjoy it much more, and I used only one hand.

CLASS C SUSPENSION ENHANCEMENT NO. 2: SUMOSPRINGS

Next, I purchased the front and rear SumoSprings.

SumoSprings are designed to enhance your RV's load-carrying ability and stabilize the sway that happens in windy driving, or when semi trucks pass by. They improve driver control and comfort.

The rear SumoSprings come in different colors which designate their density. The density affects the amount of weight they can handle.

Blue: 40 density. For light and medium duty Black: 47 density. For medium and heavy duty. Yellow: 54 density. For medium and heavy duty.

Both the front and rear installation were pretty basic. I think the hardest part was just getting into a good position under the RV to be able to remove the original stock bump stops. The installation was maybe an hour, possibly less.

My Road Trip To Destin With New Stabilizer And Sumosprings

The true test after installing these parts was our 200-mile trip to Destin, Florida, this past June. We also included for the first time flat towing of our Jeep.

What a difference the new steering stabilizer and SumoSprings made in the overall comfort and driveability of our Class C RV!

I felt like I could actually enjoy the drive without constantly fighting the steering wheel. I felt like the modifications I made were well worth it. I would recommend anyone doing exactly the same for their Class C, or Class A, if they have the same issues I had while traveling.