My new 2008 Tiffin Phaeton NON IFS has disc brakes

[rotts4u]

When I got my VIN number on my new coach I called Freightliner to ask some questions since I dont have any specs or brochures for 08s yet and was told that my VIN indicated a 266" wheelbase (I assume Tiffin trims it to the actual 228" used in the 36' coach I bought, and that it has air/drum brakes front and rear.

When I picked up the coach yesterday at La Mesa in Atlanta I noted that it actually has front disc brakes by Bendix. They feel great and stop the coach in a very short distance even without the jake brake on.

It was a pleasant surprise but I am surprised that both Tiffin and Freightliner though it had drums. Freightliner specifically said only the IFS models had discs.

[rotts4u]

When I got my VIN number on my new coach I called Freightliner to ask some questions since I dont have any specs or brochures for 08s yet and was told that my VIN indicated a 266" wheelbase (I assume Tiffin trims it to the actual 228" used in the 36' coach I bought, and that it has air/drum brakes front and rear.

When I picked up the coach yesterday at La Mesa in Atlanta I noted that it actually has front disc brakes by Bendix. They feel great and stop the coach in a very short distance even without the jake brake on.

It was a pleasant surprise but I am surprised that both Tiffin and Freightliner though it had drums. Freightliner specifically said only the IFS models had discs.

[vicsryd]

This is a surprise. You would think FL would have announced such an advancement in their press release for the new chassis.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Freightliner will build the chassis pretty much any way Tiffin orders it, but Tiffin should know what they got for the new Phaeton. Maybe another phone call to Tiffin is in order, to see if their info database has caught up to reality?

Are you able to tell (or find out) what front axle manufacturer FL used to yield this combination? For what its worth, the lowly FRED chassis has disc brakes and a solid front axle, so why not on a larger chassis as well?

[rotts4u]

Today I was on the phone with Tiffin about something completely different and mentioned that I was confused over the disc brake situation and they advised that " Oh yeah, on the newest chassis with the new Regen diesel configuration and the Cummins ISC 360 they now come with the front discs too, I forgot about that"

So I am still not sure if it is a Tiffin only option or on all XCs but at least an admission that I was not seeing things or received anything special.

[vicsryd]

There are baseline specs and a few options the MH manufacturers can choose from FCCC. This translates into chassis models like XCM, XCR and XCS. Go to Built on Freightliner web site you'll see a list of manufacturers and models by model year for all chassis. Unfortunately the web site has not yet been updated with 2008 model year specs.

If you look at the 2007 Tiffin Phaeton 36' you'll see the specs list the chassis as a XCR with raised frame rail versus a 2007 Winnebago Journey 36' (3000MH) which is a XCS with a straight frame rail. Tiffin opted for a heavier duty front suspension at 12000 GAWR versus Winnebago which is only 10400 GAWR. The engine offerings are different and if you dig you'll probably find more differences.

The thing that's sad about your conversation with Tiffin is they didn't educate the help desk folks or the dealers as to what to expect. They are the ones who selected the specific chassis for the coach from FCCC offerings not the other way around.

[rotts4u]

I also found out that my 08 was the 4th one off the line so perhaps that explains why they like Freightliner are not yet up to speed on all their specs and website info etc etc.

Mine does have the 12k front axle and the 20K rear if I remember correctly and I even had it weighed on the way home with a full tank of fuel and water and with 2 of us on board it was quite a bit under the weight published by Tiffin based on their calcs.

I think it assumes more people etc but still my carrying capacity is way beyond anything I will ever load in the coach. Another pleasant surprise for me to see I have some serious cargo capacity if I ever wanted to use it.

[rotts4u]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Are you able to tell (or find out) what front axle manufacturer FL used to yield this combination? For what its worth, the lowly FRED chassis has disc brakes and a solid front axle, so why not on a larger chassis as well? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>


The front axle is an ACC or AAC or something like that I was upside down. And it is a 12K rated unit with a 20k cap in the back

[vicsryd]

CCC is what it's really all about. I'd love to have 20K in the rear of my Journey. I only have 17.5K and have to worry constantly about exceeding GAWR.