Bill h, and others:
OK, now that I understand that I have a heavier frame P30 22' coach than usual, I am back to selecting the best shocks & stabilizer. What I did was to raise the front air bags to 70# and set the rear lower at 40#. (When I took the rear bags down to zero, it only gained one more inch. And, the bags need to have at least 10# to prevent chaffing, so I decided that 40# would leave room for loss during travel.) Front bump stop to metal is at least 1 1/2" plus.

From the above discussions, I think that I will install a Bilstein BE3-2645 Stabilzer.
For the front shocks should I use the Bilstein B46-1173 (heavy duty) or the B46-2137 (comfort ride)? I am leaning towards the comfort ride. For the rear, the only one listed in Bilstein is B46-1587. Considering that I have a heavy P30 chassis, would the Bilstein be too stiff? Should I consider a different brand of shock for the rear?
best to all,
Allan Pacela of Solvang
P.S. The current Bilstein RV Application Brochure (on their website) only lists the stabilzer for the Chev P30. It does not list the shocks at all! However, the various dealers still show the shocks on their on-line lists. I hope that Bilstein is still providing P30 shocks!

Allen, I think the coach should handle best when level. After having mine aligned, I had a little leak trouble, and started a couple of trips with the rear high. I seem to remember the handling being a little better as the rear settled down closer to level. A little less darty as trucks blew by.

But the most important thing is to have the alignment done at the frame level angle you will be driving.

You will like the Bilstein stabilizer and shocks. Since your front weight is not particularly light, I would go for the hd shocks. Your rear is fairly light, so perhaps Monroes would be a good choice. I know Bilsteins are so much stiffer than stock that some Pees require the upper mounts be reinforced. Everyone I know who has used Bilsteins has been very happy, but I can't recall if any of them had shorties. One friend had a 24' Southwind and loved his Bilsteins, but he like stiffness in general, more of a sports car guy than one who wanted a Lincoln Town Car ride. Shocks are a personal choice. If you ever drive down Montezuma or down from Lake Isabella to Bakersfield, you might like a little more stiffness. Your rear springs appear to be so stiff that shocks might not be a big consideration. Does the back feel bouncy? Do you feel any wallowing?

Check http://eshocks.com/

I hope other shorty owners will contribute here.

Under my 1983 25ft today and to my suprise it has 10 leaf spring on the right and a 9 leaf spring on the left. This may explain why it list to port. It is also way above height chart in rear and if I can get a picture inserted it will show why.


Charles

This is a follow-up on the thread of "How to Improve the Ride and Suspension of a 22' Barth" of one year ago, with conclusions. Thanks to the advice of Bill h and many others, I can report that I greatly improved the ease of steering and ride of my short 22' Class A Barth (Regency style, 1996 chassis Chev P31132-52, 137" wheelbase) as follows:
A. Alignment is Critical to Ease of Driving
I measured the chassis frame angle using a crude plastic compass and weight to be 2 1/2 degrees, (high in rear). By adding that angle to the Chevrolet suggested 3 1/4 degree Caster (with a 4 1/2" front ride height), I had the Caster readjusted from L 3 degrees to L 5 5/8 degrees; R 2 5/8 degrees changed to R 5 1/2 degrees. Camber was set to L 3/8 degree; R zero degree. Toe-in was zero degrees. RESULT: Driving is now very easy; holds the road with minimal adjustment of the steering wheel! Much improved. My thanks to all that taught me what to do.
B. Shocks Changed to Monroe
After much reading of postings, I decided on Monroe for a softer ride than Billstein. I was not disappointed when I installed: Front Monroe 557003; Rear Monroe 557004; and Stabilizer: 555944. The ride might have a tiny bit more left to right sway, but not enough to be of concern. And, the Monroes are much cheaper than Billsteins. I purchased from Stengle Bros. at a good price.
C. Air Bags; Portable Inflator
Buying a small Campbell Hausfeld portable cordless inflator, and having installed air lines from the air bags to convenient locations on the rear bumper and inside the front hood, I can now easily check and reinflate the air bags for a great ride, while on the road.
Best regards,
Allan Pacela of Solvang, CA

Always great when someone comes back with results.

If anyone is interested, the final version of the tome I put together is available at

http://users.sisna.com/cebula/P-Chassis-AlignmentProcess.pdf

dated July 29, 2006.

Dear "Relative" (Mike):
The "tome" you put togeher should be required reading for any Barth owner who wishes to know how to align his or her Barth for the best ride. Thank you for your excellent work! I used your P Chassis Manual (the tome) in aligning my Barth and the results were highly worthwhile, to say the least.
Allan