Post-Alignment Wander

[Automobilist]

Just had a new set of Toyo 22.5" tires installed on our '02 Journey. Had them (truck service shop) do an alignment as well, because it had a slight pull to the right but otherwise handled well. We took it out last weekend, and I was surprised that the handling was far worse than before we had it aligned. Primarily, it has a lot of "wander", sway and oversteer. Very, very tail happy, prone to oscillation / overcorrection. As in; I could feel the yaw axis at the front wheels. Lost it's on-center feel too.

I checked tire pressures, all right around 105-110 lb. Also checked tire temps for evenness, and while the center sections were slightly warmer than the edges, not much difference, maybe five degrees. Our coach had been fairly relaxing to drive, but now it's a stressful two-handed experience.

I'll be taking it back to the shop this week, but any bright ideas on this? Really made it not fun to drive...

Ed

[Pusherman]

First thing to do is to have your coach weighed and set your front tire pressures according to the manufacturer's recommendations based on weights at each wheel.

An over-inflated tire will make your coach wander all over the place. Your inflation sounds high to me, but I don't know your weights.

Once you have this done, depending on the ride, go back to the shop that aligned it and discuss your issues with them. You have then at least taken care of step 1: Proper tire inflation.

[IC2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Automobilist Just had a new set of Toyo 22.5" tires installed on our '02 Journey. Had them (truck service shop) do an alignment as well, because it had a slight pull to the right but otherwise handled well. We took it out last weekend, and I was surprised that the handling was far worse than before we had it aligned. Primarily, it has a lot of "wander", sway and oversteer. Very, very tail happy, prone to oscillation / overcorrection. As in; I could feel the yaw axis at the front wheels. Lost it's on-center feel too. I checked tire pressures, all right around 105-110 lb. Also checked tire temps for evenness, and while the center sections were slightly warmer than the edges, not much difference, maybe five degrees. Our coach had been fairly relaxing to drive, but now it's a stressful two-handed experience. I'll be taking it back to the shop this week, but any bright ideas on this? Really made it not fun to drive... Ed

Besides parts wear which should have been found by the mechanic, generally an incorrect caster setting will often be the culprit though toe out can also cause a problem. Here's an easy guide; Wheel Alignment A Short Course

And that wander - it can be caused by the rear suspension as well

[Gary RVRoamer]

Sounds like excessive tire pressure on the front wheels. Get it weighed and see what is actually needed for your tire load.

[smlranger]

I'm with Gary and Don....I'm betting tire pressure. When I got my new G670's, they inflated them to the max (125 psi). I thought I was driving a 28,000 lb squirrel. After adjusting my tire pressure for my actual load, all was well. However, 105 is what I run in my front tires.

[Automobilist]

OK, good advice. I lowered the fronts to 95# and took it for a ride. Handled great, problem solved. IR temp readings confirmed even temps across the board on the fronts. Rears still a touch hotter in the centers, so will drop them five pounds before next trip.

Thank you, success!

[Pusherman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Automobilist OK, good advice. I lowered the fronts to 95# and took it for a ride. Handled great, problem solved. IR temp readings confirmed even temps across the board on the fronts. Rears still a touch hotter in the centers, so will drop them five pounds before next trip. Thank you, success!

Don't forget to have your coach weighed. Then you KNOW that 95# is the correct pressure to run or not.

I have Michelins and I do run at 95# in the front tires based on my front tire position weights, and the coach rides well. When I first picked it up 4+ years ago, they had the front tires set at 110psi from the factory. WOW - as Gary said it felt like a squirrel running all over the road.

[Automobilist]

Yes, will do.

[Automobilist]

Just returned from our first trip (600 miles) towing a 5,000# trailer. I had to "drive" the coach constantly making corrections. I've driven RV's thousands of miles, and know it should be much more stable. Every passing SUV, pickup, or truck would cause it to sway. It made the trip VERY fatiguing. Not fun... The only thing that looked amiss once we got home, was the left inside dual was looking low. I'll check it when I get home from work, but it was visibly soft.

[ichn2go]

Ride height is another area you might look at..Good Luck

[Dgold2]

One thing to think about is your toe-in. The specs call for little to no toe-in to allow for maximum tire wear from the front tires. While these settings are great for tire wear, they do little to prevent wander. I went through this several years ago when the shop set my toe-in at 0. I was all over the place. I did some on-line research and I called Henderson's and was given recommendations to increase the toe in up to 1/4" (measured from side to side), but it may lead to a little pre-mature wear of the front tires depending on how many miles a year you traveled. Since I never wear out my tires before they age out, I decided to increase my toe-in.
I started out with 1/8" of toe-in and although it was a lot better, it still did not give me the on-center feel that I was looking for. I then took it up to about 3/16" on each side and now I have that positive on-center feel and no wandering. It is unbelievable how much difference it made.

This was performed on a Freightliner XC chassis circa 2001, so YMMV depending on application.

Hope this helps!
Dgold2

[Dgold2]

Here is an older link with a lot of good discussion about steering wander.
XC chassis steering - no more wander

[B52Guy]

Auto,
I read your two posts about your steering problems. I have a 97 HR and it drove fine for the 6 months I first had it, then got new Toyos put on and the steering wandered badly. I researched here and found lots of advice with most focusing on weighing and fixing tire pressure first. Did so, lowered mine (like you did) and it completely solved my problems. I noticed you also were "fixed" then when you started towing you had problems again. So how have you solved it?

[Automobilist]

It's in getting a new set of Michelins on it right now... Tire shop credited me full cost of the Toyo's they previously installed. I'll update after I pick up the coach and drive it a bit.