Hi Jim - I'm not up on the Tribute coach chassis, so ignore parts that may not be pertinent to the Tribute
!
On our 04 Allure 40' with tag. The Koni Adjustable SP1's era shocks were not a good choice by the factory. Checking history on this board, and talking with Justin at Koni, this was a bad call by the folks that owned CC at that time, National, as they wanted a very soft/floating/Cadilac ride... Koni, according to Justin, strongly advised against the size shock they had called for - especially on the front axles IFS. (Same CC OEM Koni Ajustable shock that came on our rig, was the shock I had installed on our 28' Bounder F53 front beam axle....). Koni also advised that the FSD shock was not a good mix for our rig's IFS, as it would be 'overwhelmed'....)
I wanted as good of handling, I call it BMW handiing on other posts, for the rig. Comfort in driving, but more for safety and emergency situations. So I did two upgrades on handling (well three if you count the new 12R XZE* Mich's shoes):
1) Road Kings (older generation, not the new 3")
2) Super Steer Motion Control Unit (MCU's) to help on quicker 'setup' of the air bags. For our application, Henderson's Lineup recommended under 30K Lbs for the front axle, and over 30K Lbs for the rear. The IFS seemed to work well for CC's with the under 30K Lbs MCU.
Very pleased with the feel of the handling after these modifications.
On the Roadkings, when talking with Lonnie before purchase. He suggested I go ride the rig for awhile with the shocks the way RK's sets them for this application. But if I was not pleased with the handling, that they would 'revalve' them for me at no charge.
So if you are not currently pleased with the handing of your rig, and feel the RK's are not 'up to the job' - a call back to Lonnie for his input on if 'revalving' might be a good option for you - is only the cost of a phone call.
But it sounds like you may have more issues then only shocks. Shocks play a part in the all up suspension handling of these rigs. You may have other suspension items that need to be addressed. Reminder I do not know the Tribute chasssis characteristics, but I would wonder about
:
-Air bags (if on this chassis) properly working and robust enough?
-Bushings in good shape? If rubber, is Urethane upgrade an option?
-Sway bars? Does the chassis have them? Are they propery sized?
-Etc.
If you are in the area of Hendrson's Lineup, they do go out and test drive with you in your specific rig. The tech's have a good reputation for doing a solid analysis of your coach and how it handles. They then can provide you with options to address areas that need improvement.
If you are in the Florida area, I think it is Jordans (Or Josams?) that has a very good reputation for dialing in chassis.
If your Tribute is a long term rig for you, one you will use for many years ahead, then taking the time to work thru the handling - will pay back dividends over easier and more comfortable driving. Heck, a safety item, as if you are fighting handling problems, that can add to fatigue faster...
Wish you the very best on this, and you might also post on the CC User Yahoo board to ask other Tribute owners what they may have done to help handling?
Smitty
Linear Mode
