Comfort Drive Guide, the revised edition is now available

[KenSherwin]

The article I wrote on Comfort Drive and posted in the files section has been revised per the suggestions I received from you folks. The original article has been replaced with the revised one and can be downloaded from:
www.irv2.com/forums/downloads.php?do=file&id=232

It now contains a very short synopsis of what it does, with no frills or explanations.

The background and guided tour are still there, as is the long Q&A session. A few if those answers have been elaborated just a bit at your suggestions.

Thank all of you who made suggestions for improvements in the article.

Once again, if you have more suggestions, I will be happy to work them into the next revision.

Ken

[KenSherwin]

I’m using this post to announce an article that I’ve put in the files section of IRV2 that discusses Comfort Drive in some depth. The article is now divided into 3 parts with suggestions on who should read what part when.

The first part is a half-page summary of the system features with no elaboration. This will be most useful to people who are only mildly curious.

The second part is the background behind the system, followed by a tour or demonstration that you follow while driving. That way, you can feel what is being discussed at that point. By the time you get back home, you will have seen, felt, and had described to you all the normal operating characteristics of the Comfort Drive. However, we will NOT demonstrate failed parts or other unusual things that can go wrong. This part should be useful to anybody who has a Comfort Drive and wants to explore what all it can do.

The third part of the article is a collection of more than 50 questions and answers that have been compiled in one place from 11 years of IRV2 posts and PMs and from 17 years of personal discussions with coach owners. Many of the questions center around ‘What happens if…….?’ This part will be useful to those few insatiably curious folks who want to learn all that can be said about this system. It should also be helpful for anybody who has just one or two questions about the system. They are probably already answered in there.

If you are at all interested in learning more about the CD, I suggest you download the revised article, located at

http://www.irv2.com/forums/downloads.php?do=file&id=232

and read at least section 2. You might then want to skim the questions in section 3 to see if any interest you. If you find that I have missed the question you particularly wanted me to answer, PM me or leave a post in this thread and I’ll both respond in this thread and update the article. My goal is to have a clear and understandable document that makes almost everybody happy.

I hope you will find this article enjoyable and useful.
By the way, in case you were wondering why I didn’t just post the article here, an 18-page is too long for a post. Also, in a few days, it will fall off the front page of the forum and be lost because people will not search for posts where their concerns have already been addressed. How do I know? As I reviewed all the threads that held my over 450 posts about Comfort Drive, I was struck by how many times the same questions came up. 450 posts and 50-ish questions……..you do the math.

[Aegon]

I'm amazed and thrilled that you would take the time to put together this guide for us. When we eventually take delivery of our New Aire, I feel I'll be better prepared to get behind the wheel.

Thanks Ken!

[lostinfla]

Yes, thank you for the information!

[Soniccruzer]

[emoji106]

[Coral]

Thanks for all the time and effort to produce the guide.

[kpecks]

Wow. Thx so much!!!

[Carrollsclub]

Thanks, this took time and effort. It is very much appreciated.

[lostinfla]

Thanks for the informative (and funny at times) explanation of the CD system. Like heated floors, I won't be without either one!

[cmaxcliff]

Fantastic article, thank you. I am very mechanical but did not understand the abilities and limitations of this system but now I get it and that puts my mind at ease as to wether or not it is working correctly. At times I have thought it could have been more effective but I now know why CD is more subtle.

I was unable to link to the referenced link shown where you talk about centering everything during a wheel alignment. Are you saying that the CD should be on while the alignment shop performs the alignment? Should the software also be used to check and adjust the centering prior to doing an alignment? I had my alignment done at a busy truck alignment shop where they were unaware of any additional procedure needed to align a CD equipped Newmar.

[Geaux Tigers]

I just read your guide and found it to be very interesting. I too appreciate you taking the time to write it.

My previous MH was almost identical in size to our Ventana 3436 but it was not a Newmar product. That product line had a reputation for poor handling and wandering on the road but I can truly say that I never experienced or noticed what many other owners complained about. I thought our old coach handled very satisfactorily and I had driven it as much as 750 miles in one day without feeling fatigued. Having said that and not knowing exactly what Comfort Drive did, I was amazed at how much easier the Ventana handled when we took it on a test drive. There really was no comparison. Comfort Drive is a major improvement. You and the rest of the development team did a fantastic job.

----- Jim

[JMWheeler]

Ok, the guide did confirm one thing for me. Column Drive is the same as Comfort Drive. On our maiden voyage with our 2018 Ventana, I heard an alarm and saw a message on the dash message center. It said Column Drive Off! Steering became very hard. After reaching our destination, we called the Newgle number and they got Freightliner on the phone with us. The Freightliner rep told me we should take it to a Freightliner service center. I called them for an appointment, which they don't make, and said they thought it was a Newmar problem, but they would be glad to look at it. Is there a way to turn the Column Drive on without taking it in? I anticipate driving 1-1/2 hours to the service center only to learn they don't work on them and it needs to go somewhere else.

[KenSherwin]

Originally Posted by JMWheeler

It said Column Drive Off! Steering became very hard. Actually, it steered just like a coach without CD, but compared to having it work, it's really stiff, isn't it?

After reaching our destination, The good news is that it's completely safe to drive with it shut off. You will not be stranded someplace with strangers. Finish your trip if you feel you will be better off with your local service.

The Freightliner rep told me we should take it to a Freightliner service center.....they thought it was a Newmar problem, but they would be glad to look at it. TRW's customer is Freightliner, not Newmar, so it is in fact a Freightliner problem.

Is there a way to turn the Column Drive on without taking it in? If the problem is intermittent, turning the key off for at least 30 seconds will reset the CD. If it still doesn't work, you have an actual problem that must be looked at with the software diagnostic tool.

I anticipate driving 1-1/2 hours to the service center only to learn they don't work on them and it needs to go somewhere else. Any shop that can work on Cummins engines or Allison transmissions has the hardware to check a CD. All they need is the diagnostic software.

Please see my answers in red.

[KenSherwin]

Originally Posted by cmaxcliff

At times I have thought it could have been more effective Please discuss with me what you mean by "more effective". Perhaps PMs might work better for that.

I was unable to link to the referenced link shown where you talk about centering everything during a wheel alignment. Which link? http://www.irv2.com/forums/downloads.php?do=file&id=150 just now worked for me.

Are you saying that the CD should be on while the alignment shop performs the alignment? Should the software also be used to check and adjust the centering prior to doing an alignment? As I said in my article, they SHOULD NOT reset center on the CD to cover up a poor assembly or alignment. The only time the CD needs to be on is to measure center when they set the drag link length.

I had my alignment done at a busy truck alignment shop where they were unaware of any additional procedure needed to align a CD equipped Newmar. There only 15,000 CDs on the road compared to probably millions of trucks so I'm not surprised.

Please see my responses in red.