Installing Bilstein B6 Camper Advanced Struts on 2016 Winnebago View

Okay, this post is moving on to the next part of upgrading our suspension. These are the front struts. We also know that they are in need of replacement.

So since we are not traveling right now, it's good to make a couple posts of the things that we've done to the motorhome, to make our traveling better!

Keep in mind, these pictures and information were from our maintenance done during Labor Day weekend at home. We were in between our trip to US 2 West, and then we took off again and went on US 2 East. 

It was going to be a very hot muggy day, but Steve wanted to get these struts replaced. We parked the front of the motorhome in the shade as best possible and decided the quicker we did this job, the better before the sun advanced too far into our work area.

Yes, I did make a video of the entire process. If you would like to watch that, here's the link to my YouTube channel with the complete video from start to finish.

He ordered up the struts for our 2016 Winnebago View on a 3500 Sprinter chassis from Shock Warehouse. They were $199 each plus free shipping. Here is the link

https://www.shockwarehouse.com

Here is the complete list with part numbers and where we ordered each part from for what we needed to do this job.

Everything arrived quickly and we were able to start the removal and replacement right in our own driveway.

Steve has all the gear ready, as well as secure blocking and jacking for the front of the motorhome.  I help as much as I can, and I'm the go-fer to get the parts and things that he maybe forgot. But usually, he has everything assembled and ready to go. 

The arrows below are showing how far the sun is moving forward on the motorhome. It's the sun comes up from the east on the far side of the garage and pokes its head over the roof, with the receding shadow moving towards the front of the rig. This is why we want to get it done before we are out in the blistering hot sun. For some reason the temperatures were really high and things were extremely muggy.

His first step was to remove the entire wheel and make sure everything is blocked up securely.

On the inside he needs to loosen this nut at the top of the strut post. It is located underneath the carpet under the front dash area inside the cockpit of the motorhome. Pretty convenient that it's not all grubby and rusty and full of gunk up in the engine compartment.

He easily got the old struts off because they were very worn out. He compressed them down and popped them out with no problem at all. Luckily, the nuts and bolts were not rusted so they removed easily.

The old one is the black one on the right,  and the new one is the yellow one on the left.

Once he had them off he did a little demonstration on the video linked above. I took some still shots of his demonstration. It shows how easily he can compress the old shock. Very little effort needed. Yes, they were in need of replacement.

The new shocks are specifically designed for the Winnebago View on the Sprinter chassis 3500. They are made for the additional weight of the camper portion which is added to the Sprinter frame. That was something lacking in the original design. That is why Bilstein calls these their "Camper Advanced B6 struts". 

It definitely took more effort to compress the new one enough to get it lifted up and put into place.

There's a tiny little wire with a clip on it that you need to be really careful to not dislodge it or bend it or rip it apart. This is part of the ABS brake sensor wiring. It's all computerized. Don't break that wire, it's really costly to replace! 

So he had carefully balanced the entire hub on some extra jacks and blocking to make sure this wire did not get pulled or yanked in any awkward direction.

Once the strut was into place he was able to slide in the bolts. One to hold the strut, the other to adjust the camber (alignment).

We had ordered a new camber bolt for each strut, as well as a boot and a mounting plate and strut stop. But since the originals were still in good condition, we didn't use any of the other parts. 

(We later found out during the alignment, that the Mercedes dealership would prefer the original camber bolts and not the new ones we had bought. Good thing we had taken both types with us to the dealership!)

He torqued up the lower mounting bolt to 129 ft lbs., per the specs from Bilstein. The upper camber bolt was just put into place in a pretty good position until the alignment that would be done the next morning at the dealership. 

Steve put the wheel back on, torqued everything up, and now we are able to remove the jacks and safely put the rig back on the ground.

Now he just needs to tighten up the top nut on the inside of the strut, under the dash in the cockpit of the motorhome. A little allen wrench is inserted in the top to keep it from pivoting while he tightens up the bottom nut.

By this time, the temperature had increased and it was extremely hot and humid. We both needed a well-deserved break before we put away all of our tools. This humid weather just is not comfortable for us in our old age!

After a quick breather, we got up and put things away. It's always good to get it all stowed away where it belongs each time after we're done. That way we aren't losing things or misplacing them or having things walk off mysteriously. 

Now we fired up the rig and took off for a test drive! 

As we headed out of town, the first real test are the very, very bumpy railroad tracks within a half mile of our house.  

WOWSERS!!!! What a difference! With these new struts, in addition to the new shocks a few days before. We noticed in incredible change in the handling of our rig. 

Incidentally, a Hellwig sway bar had also been added by the previous owner. In case any of you were wondering.

We got home and parked the motorhome in it's spot. It's ready now for our next adventure. 

(After the alignment at Mercedes in Appleton the next morning)

These new improvements will greatly assist with the rough roads up to Alaska for the summer of 2025.

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And here's my darling Mr Steveio, looking somewhat pleased with himself. It's because of his skill and knowledge and willingness to tackle these jobs that makes it more budget friendly for our travels. 

I know sometimes I sound like I'm bragging about him. But really, I am so proud of him being able to do this stuff. I know that it's something that I can't do by myself. And paying somebody else to do it really is tough on the budget. 

Thank you, Steve!