Quote:
Originally Posted by snowhawk2
I have the same issue and an alignment won't help. I was at FL in Gaffney and they did the alignment and moved the steering wheel left and right one spline and it was still off a bit just a different way. It's annoying. sometimes on a perfectly flat road with no crown it is straight as an arrow but the comfort steer is influenced a lot by the crown and angle of the road in terms of how it rides, so I find myself steering a bit right and lefty while going straight.
|
A properly performed alignment will not only help but will correct the off center issue.
Generally there are only three alignment angles the shop is adjusting. Caster, camber and toe in. There are other angles such as king pin inclination and toe out on turns but these are usually only addressed after a collision. They require parts replacement and are not something you can adjust for.
The caster, camber and toe in can be spot on but if the tie rods are not correctly adjusted the steering wheel can be off center.
The crown built into todays highways can offer another challenge. Some shops will compensate for the crown by offsetting caster to prevent a pull to the right due to the crowned road surface. I prefer giving the left wheel
more camber ( 1/4 to 1/2 degree positive) to compensate for the crown and keeping the caster even side to side. Only a thorough road test after the alignment is done will verify the alignment is correct.
Ride height is another concern while doing alignments. It should be checked and be within specs. Another issue is the chassis builder sending out specs for a loaded vehicle or one which comes off the assembly line not knowing for sure what weight will actually be carried on the chassis? The options available for motor homes is extensive today. How would the chassis builder be expected to know how chassis # 1174 will be opted out? All the specs are arbitrary at best. When the chassis leaves the factory and sits in the MH builder's lot no one knows what is going to be put on that chassis. Can you imagine what a difference a full wide slide would make opposed to a small slide and how about multiple slides? The ride height could change drasticly. A change of only inch in ride height can affect alignment a lot.
In my opinion the completed build should be aligned at the body shop before being released to the buyer. Then you have the consumer to deal with. Some folks will travel light while others will load all their earthly belongings into the MH. More often than not I'm sure most pack for convenience rather than balancing the weight. Drop one side down with excess weight and you change every angle of the suspension resulting in an out of alignment condition.
Another variable is after use the springs take a set changing ride height. This is not so much an issue with air ride as long as everything remains the same.
Throw the 425# mother-in-law on the couch and the MH will pull to that side of the road. You just changed the camber 1/2 degree positive on that side. LOL
Lynn
Linear Mode
