Poor Braking Since New 2000 P 32 34Foot

[fayjim2]

My son bought a 2000 Winn. Adventurer 34 Foot new. Advertised as a 8.1 but was really a 454, but that really isn,t the issue. This rig has never had good braking action. If you think you need 4 lenghts to be safe you better go back 6. It panic stops poorly. Has anyone else experienced this and if so has it been improved by using different pads etc. Calipers and rotors have all been changed but it still the same. I forgot it even poor in the basic empty mode. Next question is the front coil spring suspension and shocks. If you go thru any sort of road irregularity it will bounce 4/5 times before smoothing out. It has a new set of Monroes on the front just like the ones at new, and recently he bought some Bilsteins for the rear but still no Change. Is there a good recommendation for the excessive road bounce after running thru a road bump.Its a 18000 lb chassis I forgot to say that earlier. Oh yea he would like to tow a tracker for a TOAD but is afraid because of the braking action. If you can help please respond Thanks Jim Athol Id.

[JonBrazel]

Not a whole lot you can do on improving the brakes on the P32 chassis but if you can give me a call i have a few ideas and also we can definitely help you out in making the coach ride and handle a lot better,

[az bound]

Another item to check would be the pressure in the airbags of the front suspension, assuming they are there, and no one has replaced the coil springs with ones that are not rated high enough for the load.
The minimum pressure is #50.

[Max Hubrich]

I had a P-30, Chevy 454 tag axle unit. I rebuilt all the brakes and still slid into the intersection. I then bought a "Brake Buddy" and put it in my little Saturn coupe, cranked it up to the max braking setting, and then, only then, could I stop the rig pulling the car. I know it improved my stopping distance by 50%.

Sad, but true.

[fayjim2]

So how do I get into the archives in regards to my original post. I guess what I,m trying to say is I,m pretty dumb on site use and I know there should be a waay to find out what others did 10 years ago about these problems. If you can school me on how to find this info it would be helpful

[az bound]

At the top of the forum in the tool bar you will find "search this forum". enter your search item and it will direct you to therads.
Jon Brazil summed up the brake issue quite well, not much can be done, but with experience you will get used to it.
I have owned two previous coaches on the P32 chassis and along with many others would be glad to assist in any way we can, just ask away.
The P32 chassis was in production through 2009.

[max49]

Fayjim 2, I also have an '04 P-32 and other than the brake pedal being so little and it takes a lot of force to apply the brakes hard, I did'nt like them at first but have just gotten used to them. I doubt if I could lock up the tires on dry pavement but I'm not sure any MH could.
Since it is a 2000 MH and it is now 2012, has some thing happened after 12 years to make you more concerned about it?
Every body says the P-32 does'nt have great brakes, and I don't see any thing great about them either, but 90+% of brake problems on this forum are from W20 and W-22 series WHs.
When you try to do a "search" for brake problems you'll literally have to sift out thousands of W series brake problems.

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by max49 ..When you try to do a "search" for brake problems you'll literally have to sift out thousands of W series brake problems.

It should also be noted that W Series brake problems sunset on or about January 2011. In the past W Series brake problems populated the top dozen threads or more however that topic seems to have fallen into history.

P Series brakes to the best of my recollection have always had a very high pedal and have required a firm application and perform well in bringing a motorhome to a controlled stop.

One can find out more information about P Series brakes by downloading the 2009 Workhorse Motorhome Chassis Guide. √

[edgray]

Quote:

Originally Posted by az bound The P32 chassis was in production through 2009.

Sorry Harold, but the P32 RV chassis was "sunset" (production ceased) at the end of the 2005 model year (around July 1, 2005). In its final year it was only offered in 3 GVWRs.

It was the W series gassers that continued production thru calendar year 2009, although some here have reported they have a 2010 model year gas W series chassis.
Ed

[az bound]

My mistake. I should have rememered that . Had a 2005 Airstream on the P32.

[az bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by edgray Sorry Harold, but the P32 RV chassis was "sunset" (production ceased) at the end of the 2005 model year (around July 1, 2005). In its final year it was only offered in 3 GVWRs. It was the W series gassers that continued production thru calendar year 2009, although some here have reported they have a 2010 model year gas W series chassis. Ed

No need to apologize for correcing my mistake.

[iRV4FUN]

#1 thing on my P32 to-do-list!

Every 2 years flush and replace the brake fluid.

Also, the P32 chassis has changed over the years. For example: the wide body.

All chassis have their short comings.

[fayjim2]

wow after reading all the responses about my sons brake issue I learned about when the sun will set andjust accept the poor braking or tow a car and use its brakes to stop the rig, Thats disturbing but you can only say what you know can be done and for that Thanks Jim Senn Athol Id. Also my son just bought a new set of air bags, they are red so maybe that will work

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fayjim2 ... or tow a car and use its brakes to stop the rig, that's disturbing

fayjum2, If it comes to that point the auxiliary brakes on the car are set with too much gain. Do not allow the brakes on the car to slow or stop the motorhome in any way. The brake in the car is only designed to stop the car and not the whole shootin' match.