Just how good is Comfort Drive?

[MackDaddy]

Looking to purchase a new moho diesel push with tag and trying to decide between the Newmar 4320 with the comfort steer and the Allegro Bus with Powerglide chasis. Anyone with thoughts on either ...looking forward to comments from some of you experienced rv'ers

[powerboatr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MackDaddy Looking to purchase a new moho diesel push with tag and trying to decide between the Newmar 4320 with the comfort steer and the Allegro Bus with Powerglide chasis. Anyone with thoughts on either ...looking forward to comments from some of you experienced rv'ers

i watched the videos at tiffin about the powerglide chassis
WOW its built

sort of made me want to trade off my rig.

["007"]

Welcome MackDaddy to the Newmar forum and irv2.
Here is a LINK to Comfort Drive for Newmar and other links to Newmar construction.
Check the links to right window to Comfort Drive.
Good luck in your quest join the Newmar family.

[VACMAN]

MACKDADDY,, Do yourself a favor. Don't take anyone's final word for it.. You must drive a NEWMAR with COMFORT DRIVE to test for yourself. I think it is the best thing since sliced bread. I have had a couple Coaches in the past, and have driven a few of friends. The one thing (for me) was that when I drive them the hands are at a constant movement to keep the rig centered up. But when I drive my car I just put a finger on the wheel and drive and don't have that constant movement of the wheel. With The COMFORT DRIVE it is the same as a car,so relaxing. In looking at coaches I will be honest I saw a few different MFG's that I liked better.. But after test driving a COMFORT DRIVE, I had made up my mind I wanted 3 things. Bath and 1/2, Tag axle, and comfort drive. The newmar was the only one I could get with comforty drive. Every time we go out I tell my wife, "I just love the way this thing drives". Just my opinion..VACMAN

[DonnaB]

You'll find everyone has an opinion, so here is mine. We opted for the Newmar (07 because of the ULSD issues and none of that kind of fuel available in Mexico). We chose a 40' model due to the fact some National campgrounds just cannot accomodate the longer busses. Even the 40' is a problem with some. It was a hard sell for our dealer to get us into a coach with a Hydro-Hot. Now we would never do without one. Hot water is only a part of the reason. Quieter (inside the coach) and the registers are not in the floor but next to the floor in the walls (ever step on a register right after it has blown hot air barefoot?). But with our coach, we only have to fill our propane tank once a year. Granted it uses some fuel which will affect overall mileage, but not enough to be a concern. We chose not to have the engine aux heat source to the Hydro-hot because of the bad experiences others have had with leaking hoses. The unit maintains hot water well enough that the time it takes us to get from location to another location isn't long enough for the hot water to dissipate.

But the major reason for us to go with Newmar as opposed to Tiffin was because Newmar would custom build (up to a point) whereas Tiffin was locked into production and any changes would have to be done after delivery. We had over 50 options which were not covered by the standard checklist which we would have had to have paid Tiffin labor to remove existing to install new. That being said, there were a couple things that Newmar refused to do for no apparant reason. One was not putting in a larger TV up front (32' instead of 26') because it wouldn't fit. It would have fit, without any modification to the cabinetry, but it was a definite NO. Next year it was standard on the same coach.

We drove a coach with comfort drive and am envious of that feature, but not enouogh to have waited for the next year when it was standard but with the ULSD engine.
Both Tiffin and Newmar have exceptional customer service and you would be well served to go with either one. My choice was Newmar and have never looked back. We purchased our coach from Lee's in OKCY and would recommend them if you are interested in Newmar.

don

[Spikester]

Comfort drive takes the fatigue out of driving an RV. I have had several RV by different manufactures, all with this chassis and that chassis (John Deere/Oshkosh, Ford, Freightliner) the Comfort Drive sold me on Newmar/Spartan combo. After driving for 5 to 6 days, 6+ hours a day I do not need to rest up due to the driving stress for a day or so. Can pull in, set-up and ready for 18 holes. Could not do that with any other MH I have driven. IMO 2 different coaches with floorplans that I like, one with Comfort Drive, one with-out, my choice would be the Comfort Drive everytime.

Spike

[nodine]

This Comfort Drive sounds like it works like a Blue OX TruCenter. The TruCenter gave our coach that car like feel and makes it very relaxing to drive.

Bob

[FreeRain]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MackDaddy Looking to purchase a new moho diesel push with tag and trying to decide between the Newmar 4320 with the comfort steer and the Allegro Bus with Powerglide chasis. Anyone with thoughts on either ...looking forward to comments from some of you experienced rv'ers

Go for the Comfort Drive!! I had a 2007 KSDP and couldn't keep it in the road. had it in many different shops for alignment and steering check but it always checked out just fine. Still it wouldn't drive right at all. My wife totally refused to drive it. I could only drive for 3 - 4 hours a day since it was too much work to go any farther. Traded it for the exact same coach only a year newer and with Comfort Drive. Difference of night and day. This thing drives like a dream. I would much rather drive it than any other vehicle we have. Now my wife wants to drive all of the time. You just can't beat it. You have to drive it for yourself and really see the difference. Good luck.

[Robsons]

We justed picked up our 09 Allstar 4154 w Comfort Drive. Let me first say that I've never driven a class A before this and I haven't read the manual on what Comfort Drive is supposed to do so all my statements are based on our maiden voyage of a five day trip of 1600+ miles.

The tech at the dealership that was showing us everything described that the CD would help when there is a heavy cross wind that you are having to compensate for by keeping your wheel turned into the wind. By turning the knob, the unit will figure out how to recenter your steering wheel over 5 minutes or so. That sounded intersting but not that practical to my ears since wind is a constantly changing variable as you drive.

What i found by experimenting on the ride home was that the CD seems to tighten up the steering at the higher settings and soften the steering in the lower ones. That's pretty useful for sure. When i'm in city driving, i drive at the lowest setting. When I'm on the highway with no wind, I drive at a low to moderate number. When I'm in a mess of wind or lots of high speed traffic, I found that being at a higher setting gave me a tighter steering wheel and felt like I had more accurate control.

It's interesting to hear how people are so tired after a long ride. That must be a benefit to CD that I'm just taking for granted since I have never experienced anything else. I drove 12 hours my first day and was tired but not from steering or maintaining control of the coach.

Maybe I'll read the owner's manual now...

That's my two cents.

[Dav5942]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robsons We justed picked up our 09 Allstar 4154 w Comfort Drive. Let me first say that I've never driven a class A before this and I haven't read the manual on what Comfort Drive is supposed to do so all my statements are based on our maiden voyage of a five day trip of 1600+ miles.

As important, if not more so than the CD, is the fact that you are driving a "mid-engine" coach(with no tag axle necessary). After 50,000 miles with the ease of driving an ME we can attest to(IMHO) no comparsison to driving a DP.

Our choice of a Newmar was based on the fact that only Newmar and Travel Supreme offered the floor plan we were looking for and Travel Supreme would not do the specials we were looking for. If we were buying a new coach that more than one manufacturer offerered the same floor plan we would go with a Newmar(as others have said) just to be able to custom design it with specials(we have over 60 specials in our existing coach all done by the factory at a VERY reasonable cost).

[VACMAN]

If a person wants the CD in a used Newmar, I think I am correct in saying they had the CD in the higher line coaches (mountian aire and above) in 2007. But they did not put it in the Dutch Star until 2008. ..VACMAN

[Route 66]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VACMAN If a person wants the CD in a used Newmar, I think I am correct in they had the CD in the higher line coaches (mountian aire and above) in 2007. But they did not put it in the Dutch Star until 2008. ..VACMAN

Correct, CD was highline only in 2007. Starting in 2008 it was in all diesels.

I wish I had it.

[KenSherwin]

Robsons: You discovered that the driver-controllable steering knob controls the stiffness or efforts at the wheel, not something to do with crosswinds. You are exactly correct and the tech was wrong! The crosswind compensation is continuous and automatic. Not only do you not have to mess with it, but you can't mess with it. It just works. You said that having it set higher or tighter in traffic or wind gave you a feeling of more accurate control, and that is the intent of that control. It lets YOU find the adjustment that gives YOU the best feeling of control for the particular condition You find YOURSELF in at any particular time. Did you notice any emphasis on the YOU in there? It doesn't make any difference what the coach designer, the chassis designer, or the steering gear designer likes. They aren't driving, you are, so you get to make the decision on how it should feel at the moment. If there was ever a device created solely for making life better for a driver, this is it.

When I start driving in the morning, I like it a bit heavier, and then as the day wears on, I lighten it up so that it is turned almost all the way down by supper time. On the other hand, when my back gets stiff and I ought to stop and walk around outside a little, I crank it up all the way to full heavy, lean on the wheel and drive with my shoulders and elbows. Disappointing to know that anyone would do that, isn't it? I'm sure I'm the only one who doesn't stop as often as he should!

I know some people who stiffen it up in the wind to help hold it on center, and others that make it lighter so that it's easier to steer. Which opinon is right, and how did the designers intend it to be used, you wonder? The answer is that they're both right and it was intended to be used however the driver wanted to, whenever he wanted it.

As for being tired, There is an SAE paper on it that shows the Comfort Drive (TRW actually calls it the ColumnDrive) performs about 75% of the work is steering, while the driver provides about 25%. Because it is a powered device between the steering wheel and rest of the steering system, it can reduce the efforts and reduce the friction of steering in a that no aftermarket device that attaches to the axle can accomplish.

MackDaddy: Others have suggested that you drive one and form your own opinion, and I strongly agree. I have tried for years (and failed) to find words that other would belive to describe what a ColumnDrive-equipped coach feels like. Just be warned that it will feel really different for the the first 5 minutes as you are puttering around the parking lot. It will feel a lot different out on the road, so don't form an opinion too soon.

[Jetsmania]

Hi! You could have not received a better report then from Ken Sherwin! He is the inventor of Comfort Drive. We are on our second coach with it, and will not purchase one without, (especially with the adjustment dial). As far as Power Glide chassis goes, they may make nice videos, but time will tell if it is a great chassis. It has not been out that long. May turn out great, maybe not. As far as Spartan Chassis, under Newmar Products, you know that they are proven and have nationwide service facilities for them. I do not know where Tiffen has made arrangements, or if they have, to service their chassis in case of problems. Paul