Help with WH P30 ride quality.

[wildtoad]

My new to me Hurricane on a WH P30 rides OK but I'm looking for suggestions as to how to improve it further. Here are the "Facts"

1) Brand new Michelins, unflated to 80 PSi which is according to both the sticker in the MH and from the Michelin website.

2) Brand new coil spring air bags inflated to 75 psi.

3) Bilstien shocks, don't know how old, but look to be in decent shape.

4) NO Steer Safe, No Safe-T-Plus, just a steering damper shock which I assume is standard (but could be wrong)

The "issue":

When going down the road, I feel every imperfection in the road. I'd swear if I ran over a gum wrapper I'd know it. Steering wheel wobbles a bit from every bump of course so looking for ideas.

Thanks for any and all input.

Tom

[az bound]

You can try lowering the pressure in the air bags. #75 seems a little high. #55 is the recomended minimum. If my memory still serves me I ran #67 in my P30 and #69 in my P32. Don't afraid to experiment with different pressures as long as both bags are the same pressure. It's never going to ride like the family car, it,s a truck.
How many miles on the shocks?

[wildtoad]

Quote:

Originally Posted by az bound You can try lowering the pressure in the air bags. #75 seems a little high. #55 is the recomended minimum. If my memory still serves me I ran #67 in my P30 and #69 in my P32. Don't afraid to experiment with different pressures as long as both bags are the same pressure. It's never going to ride like the family car, it,s a truck. How many miles on the shocks?

I'll lower the psi some. When I bought the mh both bags were shot and as a result the tires had rubbed against wheel well trim. Took the tech at CW a very long time to get the old ones out has they were stuck to the coil springs. Don't know how many miles on the shocks as I've only owned the unit for two months, but the mh only has 39k miles on it total. Don't know if they are orig or replacements.

Thanks for the response.

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ;906752 Don't know if they are orig or replacements. Thanks for the response.

wildtoad, There is a technique that is used to properly situate the air cylionders by completely removing the weight off the front suspension, deflating the bags and re-inflating them.

P SERIES FRONT COIL SPRINGS AND AIR BAG CYLINDER
The air bag cylinders should be inspected periodically for signs of deterioration, damage or leaks. To verify possible leaks with the air bag removed from the vehicle, inflate the bag and submerge it in water and check for air bubbles. The standard track suspension system, 4,880 lb. or 5,500 lb. GAWR, utilizes an Airlift Heavy Duty Bag, Workhorse part no. W8803508. The wide track suspension system, 6,000 lb. GAWR, utilized a high-pressure air cylinder from its introduction in Nov. 1999 to Aug. 14, 2001, Workhorse part no. W0001111.

Beginning on August 15, 2001 a new coil spring, Workhorse part no. W0000991, was integrated along with the Airlift Heavy Duty Bag, Workhorse part no. W88035508, on all wide track 6,000 lb.

GAWR suspensions. The new coil spring originally was blue in color for ease of identification during the change then returned to the standard black starting in the production week of December 1, 2003. Regardless of the spring color the new coil spring is approximately 12% stiffer then the previous spring and is a direct replacement for all P32 chassis. Inflation
pressures in either air bag cylinder should be maintained at 50 PSI minimum to avoid chafing.

Maximum pressure for the Airlift bag used on the 4,880 lb., 5,500 lb. and the 6000 lb. post Aug. 15, 2001 GAWR suspensions is 90 PSI. The high-pressure air cylinder use from Nov. 1999 to Aug. 15, 2001 on the wide track 6000 lb. GAWR suspensions has a maximum of 110 PSI.

Air bag cylinder pressures will vary depending on load and preferred ride quality. Workhorse suggests initially setting the cylinders at 50-60 PSI for the 4,880 lb. axle and 80-90 PSI for the 5,500 lb. and 6,000 lb. axles. Finally air bag pressure should be adjusted for personal comfort and load within outlined recommendations. The general rule is higher inflation pressure firmer the ride quality.

Note: From the factory, Workhorse only supplies air cylinders on the front suspension; any rear air cylinders are aftermarket or installed by the body manufacturer.

Service Tip - For units that appear to have a low front ride height due to operating at near front suspension capacity or if air bag cylinders have been run below minimum recommended pressure:

1. Jack up the motor home by the middle of the front cross member and allow the wheels to hang.
2. Remove the air from the air bag and re-inflate the air bag to the proper pressure.
3. Lower the unit and bleed off air (as necessary) to maintain proper air bag pressure.

This may provide some ride height improvement as the air bag tends to stretch lengthwise slightly with this procedure.

[max49]

I have an'04 P-32 on a 05 Daybreak. I run 95 psi in all tires. 90 psi in the air bags. It rides too soft and smooth in my opinion except over washboard stutter bumps. I assumed it was IFS which I really don't think belongs on a truck
I wish I could take some your suspension stiffness , I can't imagine how u got it on a P-32.

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by max49 I assumed it was IFS which I really don't think belongs on a truck

Max, You indeed do have an independent front suspension (IFS). No need to assume. Plz explain?

[max49]

I "assume" I would credit the IFS for the smooth ride. It just doesn't look very macho on a truck. And I don't like numerous moving parts to wear out. I'm glad it has all those grease fittings but I'd like a straight axle.
I've seen my exact MH on a Ford and it does look higher , more ground clearance and beefier. Probably better suited for the places I force my MH to go. But, " I gotta love the one I'm with"
And no one has heard me ever complain about the smooth ride and, I think it handles great, unless its real windy.
I know that sounds odd since I've seen so many complaints about MH handling.

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by max49 And no one has heard me ever complain about the smooth ride and, I think it handles great, unless its real windy. I know that sounds odd since I've seen so many complaints about MH handling.

That's right Max, don't sell your ride short. What might be well suited for you would be a W18 with the solid front axle.

You I know exactly what your ride would be. I did a report on it a few years ago and I think it was a Fleetwood X2 or something like that. This was exactly at the same time that WCC came out with the UFO. It was a W22 with black traction vinyl floors throughout, bunk beds for the kids and a color keyed bike hauler trailer on the back. Talk about trail biker friendly this thing was the ultimate bike machine. Even had a built in central vac for all the sand you would be tracking in. Not 1 carpet anywhere. Side mounted grills and tool boxes in the compartments. Even had a compartment mounted TV for those nights sitting under the awning.

[iRV4FUN]

Over time Workhorse made soom good modifications. I like my P32 ride. The only mod on my P32 Chassis was the addition of a rear trac bar and it made a huge difference.

Bilstien shocks are a good shock.

My ride is best with a full fuel tank. My chassis ride is not the greatest if I haven't dumped my gray & black tanks.

Air bags are always set at Damon's recommended 75 psi.

My most effective and cheapest fix for the P32 wide track is grease. The P32 has a bunch of zerks and this chassis needs to be lubricated. Because there are so many zerks that a quick lube mechanic could miss, I take it upon myself to search and lube my chassis. Your owners manual should have a page (pg. 167) that will help locate most of your zerks. I've found a few that are not in the book.

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iRV4FUN Your owners manual should have a page (pg. 167) that will help locate most of your zerks. I've found a few that are not in the book.

iRV4FUN, I have found that lubricating a P Series is like a career move.

I lost track of how many fittings there were.

[Billieg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildtoad My new to me Hurricane on a WH P30 rides OK but I'm looking for suggestions as to how to improve it further. Here are the "Facts" 1) Brand new Michelins, unflated to 80 PSi which is according to both the sticker in the MH and from the Michelin website. 2) Brand new coil spring air bags inflated to 75 psi. 3) Bilstien shocks, don't know how old, but look to be in decent shape. 4) NO Steer Safe, No Safe-T-Plus, just a steering damper shock which I assume is standard (but could be wrong) The "issue": When going down the road, I feel every imperfection in the road. I'd swear if I ran over a gum wrapper I'd know it. Steering wheel wobbles a bit from every bump of course so looking for ideas. Thanks for any and all input. Tom

First, I'd say if the steering wheel "wobbles" the steering box is not adjusted correctly or your bell crank is bad. Feeling every bump is shocks so put on some Koni FSD's and feel the difference. I'd also replace the steering damper with a HD one. I did all that to mine and a lot more ($2,200) on the front end alone but now it's a pleasure to drive.

[FrankO]

Quite a few of us have taken the Bilsteins off and mounted Koni FSDs with dramatic improvement in reducing/eliminating the harshness of the ride. Costly but well worth it IMHO.
Frank O.

[tom112]

I don't mean to highjack this thread but I have to have the airbags replaced on my P32 . The shop tells me that the new airbags have a solid plate on both ends and cannot be replaced without droping the front end. They say you cannot just lubricate and slide the new ones in. Are they riping me off ?
thanks
tom

[az bound]

All of them I have worked on have the plates top and bottom but are not attached to the bag. You need to locate a shop that knows what they are doing.