hello everyone

are these roadmaster suspension worth the money and do they work as well as they claim , I have to do something because I love my X but it sucks as a tow vehical . well its slowly getting better I have added rear sway bar, new E load rated tires fine tuned my reese hp Dc but still just not as stable as any of my previous tv have been my camper is only 8600lb gvrw tw about 850lb and this thing has been quite the challenge to tow but like I said it is slowly getting better with each upgrade . so anyone with these install can you let me know how you like them . thanks Dan

 

Dan,

I have purchased a RAS off Ebay and will be installing it shortly. After all the research most people swear by it.... I feel your pain towing,. I have added airbags, sway bar, shocks, dual cam sway control. As with your comments each time it et a little bit better,.,,,


One of the TOW Master will chime in soon and give you there .02 cents.

Good luck

 

I'll say a little about the RAS here (you can see many of my posts if you do a search...I've got install photos posted here somewhere).

I installed the RAS last summer the NIGHT BEFORE I left on a 2000+ mile towing trip.

The towing and handling characteristics of my setup improved greatly following the RAS install.

Granted I have a Hensley hitch...but even before the RAS with the Hensley...I had the rear end of the Ex get pushed around more than i'd like...which in turn resulted in my needing to put steering wheel input in to correct things...and I'm not even talking about high cross wind situations...

Following the RAS...the rear of the Ex is much more 'predictable'...you KNOW what to expect vs being at the will of the springs...

Case in point...this past weekend I towed home on the interstate at 60-62ish mph. I was fighting a 25+ gusting mph CROSS-WIND...the Ex handles these situations wonderfully now.

In fact...I leave on June 6th for a 4000 mile towing trip including the Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, Arches and up and over the Rockies down into Denver...I have that much confidence in this setup...NOW...

My mods are in my sig...not too plentiful. But IMO the necessary mods to tame the BEAST we drive since Ford compromised on the spring pack for 'family' pleasure which is counter to towing performance in many cases...

So to answer your direct question...I can say confidently YES.

And oh BTW...there was an Ebay seller selling these RAS for $100 DELIVERED to your door...I paid over $250 for mine...and at $250 I feel it is well worth it...

And one last thing...I noticed your tongue weight to loaded trailer weight relationship you listed...if those are verified numbers from a scale...you are tettering on the LOW SIDE of stability just from tongue weight (or lack of)...10% is the minimum you should have of the LOADED trailer for natural anti-sway towing. 12-13% is much better...a balancing trip to the scales is possibly in order to move around some load to get your tongue weight to a more optimal % for stability. Also do you carry fresh water? If so...where are the tanks in relation to the axles? Do you notice better handling going to the site or coming home from the site? If different characteristics...what is physically different in your loading to vs from?

Do you have a picture of your DC setup also?...with a picture I can usually spot if something doesn't look quite right (like nose high trailer which is worse for handling, etc...)...just some thoughts.

Hope that helps!

If you have any questions at all...fire away...there is a great bunch in this place all willing to share!

joe.

 

thanks Joe for the advice the numbers of my trailer tw are not from a scale they are estimates, I readjusted my reese from the post on rv.net I think it was moderate L Adams and that made a great difference . I have a bid on a new set of rad on ebay right now its under a hundred and ten dollars and it is new and in the box . I ll do a search for your install if I win the bid thanks

 

Yep - I'm with Joe on the RAS.

I installed it on my 01 and had a dramatic improvement both towing and empty; and I do not have a rear anti-sway... just the RAS. I'm trying to decide now if I'm even going to bother with a rear anti-sway.

I can tell you air pressure is a huge factor... both on the trailer and on TV. On our last trip (first with the RAS) I was feeling really disappointed because I still had a lot of sway. On a fuel stop I checked and found my TV tires @ 55-65 psi and the TT tires @ 55 psi. So I aired all of the TV tires to 80 and 65 for the TT... rode better but something still wasn't right.

Next most important thing - proper hitch set up. I had not changed my Equalizer after I installed the RAS (which raised the rear of the X about 1.5 inches). So on another stop, I raised my L brackets one notch and now I have the perfect towing combo.

With every change that you make to your X, you need to remeasure and adjust your WD hitch of needed.

OK - so back to your original question... Yes, I think the RAS is worth the price.

 

I was fortunate and found the ebay deal that Joe mentioned, 120.00 shipped to my door. I installed it and it made a significant difference, well worth the money even at full price.

 

thanks guys for all the info will defintely install a set of ras on my X DAN

 

Dan,

Another vote for RAS. I got mine on eBay for $100 shipped to my door. They do come up from time to time on there at a discount. I love mine - a huge difference. I also do not have a rear sway bar. I am thinking about still adding one as I replaced the front springs with U-code equivalents, and then had to add 3.5" tapered blocks to the back to make it even. I am thinking a rear sway bar would help counteract the extra leverage I injected (although the RAS seems ot be doing fine thus far, but haven't logged too many towing miles since all the changes). So, I am debating between trying to find a salvage stock one (as I don't feel the pressing need for a high performance, new one) or do I spring for the Helwig? If I hadn't swapped the springs, I wouldn't be doing anything else.

Casey

 

Is RAS lift friendly?

 

I'm not sure no that - I guess it would really depend on the type of lift and the height. If you just lifited the axle by adding additional blocks, then it should work OK - if you did a body lift, it would really depend ont he distance between the axle and the rear spring hook. If you look at the installation instructions on their website, you get what I'm talking about.


*Disclaimer - I'm no lift expert*

 

Depends on the type of lift. If you only have blocks in the rear then it should work fine.

The RAS attaches between the spring pack and ubolts and the rear leaf spring hanger.

 

As part of the procomp 6 inch 2wd suspension lift, you get a full leafspring pack. No need for blocks to get the truck level.

So no go on the RAS?

 

I would say that you should measure the distance from the leaf spring hanger to the u-bolt pack, I will go and measure mine and look at the instructions to see wha the range is. Funny I have a Procomp lif but they used blocks...

 

the manufacturer say the RAS system is for stock suspension vehicles only

 

Mine worked...Fabtech blocks tho...