Hellwig anti-sway bar opinion...

[Rolle]

Had a similar experience. Did order it from a dealer on the East Coast. They had it for 250USD. After receiving one automated email/week that the Swaybar was delayed I called Hellwig direct and asked what the delivery time was. 4 weeks was the answer. I told the guy that I already had been waiting 5 weeks. He asked what dealer I was dealing with. Next day I got an email with tracking no from the dealer that the sway bar had been sent from Hellwig. It arrived next day! Hellwig sent it with next day delivery. I suspect that the dealer had not updated the price on their web page (today they have;-) ) and was hoping I would cancel the order.

[Johnynorthland]

Originally Posted by Rolle

Hard to compare Mercedes and Ford chassis....

Owning both I agree, but the class B, 24’ sprinter I had was very top heavy and bobbly to me, handled much differently than my 28’8” long, class B, E450 for sure.

My E450 does not feel top heavy at all to me. It’s wheel base is longer and wider. My E450 was a bare!, But after all the work I had done to the E450 suspension it’s manageable now and very comfortable to drive. The sprinter would also benefit from adding a track back for sure! Any of these motor homes would! It’s pure physics.

[2naEagle]

Originally Posted by 2naEagle

I'm fixing to do the Deluxe Everything plan to it. Roadmaster sway front and back, steering stabilizer and SuperSteer SS450 trac bar.

Got the front and back sway and steering stabilizer on. Definitely makes a big difference. It's a cringing shame they don't go ahead and put this stuff on at the factory.

[ViperOne]

I’m in the process of ordering the Hellwig sway bar and Fox Shocks for the rear of my Jayco Melbourne 24L. While I’m at it I hope changing front shocks to Koni or Bilstein will improve ride and handling over these rough interstates we travel on!

[rodpod]

Originally Posted by J2048b

Now if u have a class c with jride plus, is it recommended to upgrade any of the sway items??? Id love to get feedback as we just got a 2018 29mv and i want it to ride as smooth as possible with as little sway as possible...

I also have a 2018 Greyhawk 29 MV. I installed the front Hellwig sway bar and a roadmaster steering stabilized before a 2 month 6000k mile trip throughout the SW national parks. They made a tremendous difference. No more white knuckle driving. One tip, be careful if you get the sway bar, when installing the front suspension bolts they are easy to strip out so don't over torque them. One other thing, if you don't have the vented generator door on your unit you should get it if you'll be using the gen out in the desert areas.

[Dgibbster]

Yes indeed the factory front sway bar nothing compared to the Hellwig one i just installed today while doing my oil change. What a huge difference with the steering stabilizer first and now just driving it i can feel the difference with the sway bar. Rear sway bar next on the list, after i install Recpro recliner in place of sofa.

[Johnynorthland]

In my opinion JRide is nothing more than a marketing tool. Does it make a difference?, yes but very little unless you have an RV under 24’ and 10,000 lbs!, but the salesman will tell you it does! I spent a lot of time and money on upgrading my brand new Redhawk’s suspensions just to get it to handle decent!

[rodpod]

Originally Posted by Johnynorthland

In my opinion JRide is nothing more than a marketing tool. Does it make a difference?, yes but very little unless you have an RV under 24’ and 10,000 lbs!, but the salesman will tell you it does! I spent a lot of time and money on upgrading my brand new Redhawk’s suspensions just to get it to handle decent!

I have a 22K Greyhawk and the Jride makes a huge difference. The Redhawk didn't have it when I bought my unit The hellwig helper spings, bilstein shocks and the hellwig rear stabilizer are a significant upgrade from the standard Redhawk suspension. The price to upgrade the Redhawk to achieve the same ride would be very expensive. So my experience is very different from yours.

[Johnynorthland]

Originally Posted by rodpod

I have a 22K Greyhawk and the Jride makes a huge difference. The Redhawk didn't have it when I bought my unit The hellwig helper spings, bilstein shocks and the hellwig rear stabilizer are a significant upgrade from the standard Redhawk suspension. The price to upgrade the Redhawk to achieve the same ride would be very expensive. So my experience is very different from yours.

My Redhawk came with JRide not JRide plus. And it was ALL OVER THE ROAD OUT OF THE DEALER! This was my 3rd RV. So I have some experience, and growing up my dad had pop ups and TT’s. I did not change the shocks, they are still OEM. I did the following;

Road master Refex stabilizer
Positive caster alignment
Firestone Ride Rite rear air bags
Super Steer Track Bar
Front Hellwig sway bar.

Now it’s comfortable to drive, I’ve said on this post and others, best improvement above was the track bar followed by the airbags then the sway bar and alignment, the steering stabilizer helped but mostly with return to center on ruddy roads not with sway. This is just my somewhat, former, professional opinion. I was an automotive suspension and alignment specialist in my younger years, but never did anything on heavy vehicles or truck suspensions larger than work vans and pickup trucks. But these RV’s are not built with handling in mind, rather profit and marketing.

Every little thing you do to improve the OEM on these rigs will improve the handling somewhat but the above I did, as a complete package, did the trick!

[ViperOne]

How difficult was it to change the front sway bar

[Johnynorthland]

Originally Posted by ViperOne

How difficult was it to change the front sway bar

If you Are use to working with tools it’s not to bad. If you do it on the ground laying on your back is not to bad.

You will need a torque wrench. The bolts that hold the bushings in are a bit hard To get in and out and are easily cross threaded. I sprayed all the bolts a day before with Penetrating oil, then once all the bolts are out clean the threads out with brake cleaner spray to get the oil off so the lock tight sets up properly.

Holding the sway bar in place once the bushings are lubed up is a pain by yourself! Try are get someone to help you.

[RetiredOne]

Originally Posted by ViperOne

How difficult was it to change the front sway bar

I changed both the front and the rear. I thought the front wasn't too bad, as long as you watch out, and don't strip out the smaller rear bolts.

Doing the rear sway bar, trying to support it while bolting it up was a real bear.

[Pfflyer]

Originally Posted by ViperOne

How difficult was it to change the front sway bar

On the Sprinter forum there is not a lot of talk about the front sway bar as far as handling goes. Most of the users there replace bump stops, shocks and struts in class C mods. I just went with Sumo bump stops in the front and so far and I am happy.

[ViperOne]

What brand and where did you Purchase Upgraded front sway bar. Hellwig doesn’t sell the front ones. Anyone have experience with Fox or Koni Shocks and struts?

[Pfflyer]

Originally Posted by ViperOne

What brand and where did you Purchase Upgraded front sway bar. Hellwig doesn’t sell the front ones. Anyone have experience with Fox or Koni Shocks and struts?

I have version 1 of the fox shocks tuned to my weight, Hellwig bar and sumo bump stops on the rear and love them. The only change I made to the front was HD Sumo bump stops. I have read a lot of people went with Koni's all the way around on Sprinters and liked them. Most of the responses this thread have been Ford chassis owners.

[ViperOne]

Thanks everyone for sharing your Sprinter Chassis upgrade experience.

[TravelinTim]

Has anyone with a 2021 E450 chassis upgraded the front sway bar to the Hellwig? Their website list the 7718 for 1997 thru 2020 so I called Hellwig customer service and they told me they don't have one for the 2021.

If you check the Roadmaster website they show using the same sway bar as the 1997 thru 2021

[Dgibbster]

Does your stock front sway bar have a tag on it still? Maybe can see if the same as my 2018. And unless ford has changed their chassis should be the same fit.

[TravelinTim]

Actually I have not picked up my 2021 MV yet so cannot check it until next Thursday when we take ownership. I want to make this upgrade along with steering stabilizer before I get it out for a first trip. The 2021 chassis is different from the previous 24 years as they now ship with higher HP/Torque V8 engine. I would imagine that could have caused some changes in parts that get bolted on underneath.

That's why it is confusing that Roadmaster advertises the same sway bar as the older V10 chassis.

[Dgibbster]

I will tell you that if you at least replaced the steering stabilizer with the roadmaster reflex and adjust your rear hellwig helper springs to 2” clearance it will make it handle like it should at least stock, then the sway bars will help with any additional side to side sway.