Community Forums

JimM68 · 04-03-2011, 04:37 PM

Ya, point of reference and all that.

I loved that first RV, really I did. It got me into this at a point I could afford for "testing", and I'n never looking back....
But 11 tons and 36 feet on leaf springs is just plain SCARY!!!

I'm gonna do shocks next off season, konis if I can afford them. Sway bars? we'll see.

JDT · 04-11-2011, 09:44 PM

I got the front anti-sway bar mounted last Tuesday before we left for our trip to Branson on Thursday. Mounted the rear the week before. Got home today, 476 miles total.

I have a 242" wheelbase on a 39', 3" coach, which may be a tad short so it is not as inherently stable as are some longer coaches. My goal was to get a more stable ride with better tracking. The bars exceeded my expectations. As others have reported, tracking is greatly improved. What I really noticed is if I take my eyes off the road for just a second to check a guage I am not heading in a different direction when I look back to the road. Also, I can take the curves at higher speeds.

Another factor is easier handling in windy conditions. For parts of both directions we had rear/side winds at 20 to 30 mph. The pushing by the wind is still felt since it is a box going down the road but it is very controllable and only smaller corrections are needed. Trucks have little to no affect when passing.

The biggest bonus is the improved ride. Even though I have the Koni FSD's I would still get some jarring on the bigger bumps. The jarring is gone and what is left is a much smoother ride. I was a little bit concerned about the ride as I did not get the new air bags which is included in Source's kit. I don't see any need for them now.

Gordon66 · 04-12-2011, 07:17 AM

What do just the sway bars cost?

Dutch Star Don · 04-12-2011, 10:40 AM

I found just the the sway bars for $1832.00 at RVTOYOUTLET. That included shipping and tax in Ca.

MonacoMama · 04-12-2011, 11:50 AM

JDT- My understanding is that your coach kit would NOT include the airbags. Your model year did not require the new airbags. Your kit would include the shocks, sway bars and the steering stabilizer.

JDT · 04-12-2011, 08:34 PM

MM, that's good, I've spent enough on 8 Koni's, a Safe-T-Plus and now the bars. Time to get a satellite system that I keep putting off to get this other stuff.

Not sure about other places to order the bars but Jim and Scott at Source were extremely helpful and had Wayne, who I think works for Roadmaster, get involved when we figured out I had the wrong bar for the front. As I said earlier, I was sent a front bar for the 04 and earlier Diplomat/Endeavor since it was thought that when Monaco put the RR8R under the Ambassador in 05 they used the same chassis the Dips had in 04. It turned out Monaco used basically the same chassis for 05 on both lines. Got the correct one on 3 day express without having to return the wrong one first. Very good service and expert help when I needed it a few times during the install.

MonacoMama · 04-13-2011, 02:39 AM

JDT- You are correct...Wayne is from Roadmaster!

SacsTC really liked Wayne - we were supposed to meet up with him at QZ but I could not get the time off from work this year.

Wayne @ Roadmaster and the guys @ Source are a great resource when it comes to the RoadMaster chassis.

I DO wish you luck on your satellite dish!

Are you doing it yourself?

MonacoMama · 04-13-2011, 02:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diplomat Don

I found just the the sway bars for $1832.00 at RVTOYOUTLET. That included shipping and tax in Ca.

GORDON66 ...You may also want to contact the guys at Source to see if they will at least meet or even beat the price....

Gordon66 · 04-13-2011, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonacoMama

GORDON66 ...You may also want to contact the guys at Source to see if they will at least meet or even beat the price....

Thanks MM I'll give them a try.

Dutch Star Don · 04-13-2011, 09:21 AM

Okay.....I was full of baloney....I thought I had the correct part numbers 1169-109 and 1169-108 and had a good price from the RVTOYOUTLET. I double checked with Roadmaster and needed 1169-109 and 1169-110. RVTOYOUTLET has the 109 for $885.00 and HitchSource only sells the 110 for $1000.00. There were some weird combinations between stores. Source Engineering said they would send it to my door for $2100.00 (total). A local place place was the same, plus tax. They agreed to do it for $2100.00 also. I decided to help the local economy and let the local guy order them for me.

JDT · 04-13-2011, 10:48 AM

MM, yes I will do the satellite myself. I am really thinking about a portable type, like the Winegard Carryout. In our part of the woods (western edge of the Ozarks) there are many trees, pun intended. Most of our travels are to the mountains of Colorado, Branson, Mo, Minnesota and local lakes. (It's crappie season, yipee, got 23 yesterday and, man, do they taste good.) We rarely would have a good line of sight with a permanent mount so think the Carryout with the optional ladder mount is the way I'll go.

Don, I know you had some concerns you mentioned earlier about the bars affecting the ride unless you replace the air bags. I hope your results are as good as mine in improving it.

dennis46c · 04-15-2011, 11:29 AM

ROADMASTERTOWBARS site sells the 1169-109 for $810.95 and the 1169-110 for $828.63 or $1639.58 before shipping that appears to run around $130.

Dutch Star Don · 04-17-2011, 04:20 PM

dennis46c....Roadmaster won't sell the 1169-110 to you. It has to be purchased through Source or one of it's dealers.

DC Cruiser · 04-18-2011, 01:14 AM

I am about to bite the bullet on this kit based on what your experiences have been. By the looks of the comments on here no one has installed the whole kit with the new Bilistein shocks. It looks like everyone has just installed the sway bars due to the fact that most of you have already replaced your shocks and installed a steering stablizer already trying to improve the ride and handling. Has anyone put the whole kit on the RR8R chasis? It would be nice to hear what comments someone who has done the whole kit has.
Cheers