The more MH's I see, the more confused I get

[Steve N Sal]

Even with ours you feel a bit from trucks passing but not bad at all. Other then that it drives great for us. I wanted (or thought I wanted) a diesel but after factoring the maintenance costs over a gas chassis I'm glad we decided on the gas again. The only thing I think Newmar should have done with our particular coach is put it on the W24 platform rather than the W22. JMHO Good Luck with your decision.

[mikron]

Originally Posted by Ron & Dee

I hope I'm not hijacking this thread

But talking about stability, my MH rocks back and forth while just setting in a turn lane when cars go by

Ron

X2, but with addition of the Safe T Plus steering when moving on the road 99% of handling problems gone.

[TerryO]

Originally Posted by bukzin

Newbie question...

What is meant by a 'tag axle'

Is that the 3rd axle I see on the big DP's ?

Thanks

That would be correct. It's called a tag because it is not a drive axle, it just "tags" along bearing some of the load.

[RickO]

Originally Posted by bukzin

Rick,

What changes did that outfit suggest?

Which did you do?

Thanks!

They suggested a Safe T Plus steering stabilizer to help with road wander.

... Super Steer Motion Control Units to help with the side to side rocking.

... and the Super Steer Bellcrank which helped a bit with "loose" steering but mostly because I saw it as a far superior design to the OEM.

I did them all and have never regretted it.

Rick

[George Schweikle]

Same thought about not highjacking the thread, but I respectfully differ with mikron's comment:

While the different versions of steering stabilizers have their proponents, and they apparently help some people's steering, these gadgets will not do the same thing as upgrades such as swaybars, track bars, or shock absorbers. A steering stabilizer will not cure lean, rear sway, or bounce.

For typical front engine, rear drive motorhomes:

LEAN (Rocking) is affected by sway bars (actually, anti-sway bars)

BOUNCE is affected by shock absorbers

REAR SWAY is affected by track bars (Panhard bars)

FRONT SWAY (directional instability) may be affected by a steering stabilizer but, if the front is blown by a passing truck, I don't see how something that tends to keep the wheels pointed straight helps if a steering correction is needed in response to the front being pushed sideways.


Originally Posted by Ron & Dee
I hope I'm not hijacking this thread

But talking about stability, my MH rocks back and forth while just setting in a turn lane when cars go by

Ron

Originally Posted by mikron

X2, but with addition of the Safe T Plus steering when moving on the road 99% of handling problems gone.

[bukzin]

Rick,

Approx, how much money were your additions?

Thx!

[RickO]

Originally Posted by bukzin

Rick,

Approx, how much money were your additions?

Thx!

As I recall, the alignment, four corner weight, Road Test Performance Assessment, and the items I mentioned above pushed really hard on $2K.

Rick

[Ramzfan]

I have to interject a personal opinion on this matter...I have owned six motorhomes in my life. I began with a 25' class C and after 10 years graduated to a 32' Class A gasser. Since then, I have had a 36' gasser, a 36' DP, a 37' DP and now a 36' DP again. I have tried all of the tricks with the gassers...sway bars, SteerSafes, Shocks, Banks Power Packs, etc. In my humble opinion, once you get behind the wheel of a good Diesel Pusher, you will never go back to gas. They have more power, smoother power & ride, more comfortable and less movement for you to fight during windstorms or large vehicles passing you. You mentioned the expense of finding one...I recently bought my 2006 Itasca Meridian 36G for $84,500 and it only had 19,000 miles on it. The deals are out there if you're patient and know what you're looking for.

[USMCRET]

A decent diesel can ABSOLUTELY be had for under $100K. If you are going only by asking price, you are going to exclude a lot of good coaches from your search. You won't know what something will sell for until you negotiate with a seller. You'll be surprised.

[topdownman]

Shop around. In April we purchased a 2007 Sportscoach 40 foot DP on a Freighliner Chassis for $79000. We bought WAY under book, but good deals are out there. Best decision I ever made. This thing drives like a dream compared to my HR gasser.

[Jack1234]

Originally Posted by RickO

Rather than just beginning to add aftermarket parts, another option for you might be to take a drive north to Grants Pass, Oregon and make an appointment at Henderson's Line Up. They offer a Road Test Assessment where you tell them what you think you're experiencing and then they take your coach out for about a 10 mile test ride with you along for the ride.

They then provide you with a written assessment of how they feel the rig handled and a prioritized list of options which they can perform to address any problems. I did this with my brand new DP and it made a world of difference.

Rick

I always find your story to be one of the most depressing on this forum. As someone new to this form of recreation, you decide to purchase a NEW Motorhome from a (supposedly) reputable manufacturer.....spend hundreds of thousand $$$$...and your first stop is at an aftermarket performance handling shop! Wow...what a ringing endorsement for Winnibago Industries. If I was the President of Winnibago, I'd personally deliver to you a brand new tag-axle Itasca Eclipse with the stipulation that you quit telling your story on this forum.

Seriously, the reason all these aftermarket performance handling shops & all these aftermarket gizmos exist, is that this Industry has a real problem with design engineering. Quality Control is also a nightmare, but it is one thing when the cabinets fall off the wall and quite another when your NEW Motorhome can't drive down the highway safely. Seems like Gas chassis are the worst offenders in the handling department and complex DP's run away with the QC problems.

So........if you are planning to upgrade your current MH.....I would suggest you read everything you can on this and other forums, educate yourself as much as possible about the design & engineering of the ones you like....AND...TEST DRIVE. Find one which is safe and drives well and then fall in love with the floorplan.

There are, in fact, many many rigs out there that are a pleasure to drive and also reasonably safe.....oh & also look good inside.

Good luck.

[jauguston]

Jack,

I don't think Ricks story is as bad as you make it out to be. I totally follow his train of thought and it is similar to mine. You never know if what you have just spent a bunch of money for drives as good as it can be made to unless you have someone that has vast experience with there rigs and they KNOW if what you got is as good as it can be or not. I would like to know that answer right away rather than put up with a less than perfect setup for years before finally having it checked. I do't believe for a second that the assembly line low wage RV assembly personel go to any great effort to make each one perfect. Throw it together and move on to the next one is more likely.

Jim

[dennis45]

Originally Posted by Yasir

Hello, and thank you for this forum, I have read great advice and have seen many units that it all got me confused. Here is what I need help with and I appreciate all of you.

I own a 36 ft 94 Flair, low miles and wonderful but got tired of holding on so hard when a trailer passes by or if it is windy on the road. So I decided to look into Diesel and prices are just crazy. I wanted to put $50k down and possibly finance another 25-50k but I can't find something descent.

My question is, would a gas MH that is newer and longer than 36 ft be more stable on the road? My trips are about 300 miles round trip for now and all the readings I have done indicate that DP are for longer trips.

Thank you all,

Take a look at this link. It was VERY helpful with our decision on buying our MH. They do a real good job of explaining what makes these rigs either good handling or down right dangerous.

https://www.rv.org/

[USMCRET]

Originally Posted by Jack1234

I always find your story to be one of the most depressing on this forum. As someone new to this form of recreation, you decide to purchase a NEW Motorhome from a (supposedly) reputable manufacturer.....spend hundreds of thousand $$$$...and your first stop is at an aftermarket performance handling shop! Wow...what a ringing endorsement for Winnibago Industries. If I was the President of Winnibago, I'd personally deliver to you a brand new tag-axle Itasca Eclipse with the stipulation that you quit telling your story on this forum.

Seriously, the reason all these aftermarket performance handling shops & all these aftermarket gizmos exist, is that this Industry has a real problem with design engineering. Quality Control is also a nightmare, but it is one thing when the cabinets fall off the wall and quite another when your NEW Motorhome can't drive down the highway safely. Seems like Gas chassis are the worst offenders in the handling department and complex DP's run away with the QC problems.

So........if you are planning to upgrade your current MH.....I would suggest you read everything you can on this and other forums, educate yourself as much as possible about the design & engineering of the ones you like....AND...TEST DRIVE. Find one which is safe and drives well and then fall in love with the floorplan.

There are, in fact, many many rigs out there that are a pleasure to drive and also reasonably safe.....oh & also look good inside.

Good luck.

I could not agree more. There are times I feel the industry owes a motorhome's first owner a wage for being a beta tester.