Community Forums

Iron Man · 08-20-2011, 06:36 AM

Yes I had issues with the alignment, they could not center the steering wheel after the tire alignment any tips Ken.

KenSherwin · 08-20-2011, 06:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LindyT

1. Crown compensation is a fantastic benefit
I find the fact that when I come out of a long curve, it's still pulling in that direction for a minute, to be somewhat annoying.

2. I feel the steering may be too light sometimes. I prefer more feedback and control. Unfortunately, the sensitivity feature is not on my unit.

3. I find, compared to my last non-CD coach, it produces a bit of a wandering effect requiring more correction in windy conditions, though the control is much better with CD.

4. Alignments are a hassle. (and the wheel is off)

5. I sure do wish I could adjust it (or disable it altogether.)

1. The Comfort Drive does not know where the road really is so it can't tell the difference between turning the wheel for a bend in the road and turning the wheel for a crosswind. What is happening is that it takes out the pull so effectively (most of the time) that you are annoyed when it happens for even a little while. You are exactly correct in how it acts on a long bend, but I can't help that without real lane position information.

2. A few people found the early settings a bit too light and others found it way too heavy, leading to the development of the control knob. I can't help you on this one.

3. Handling in wind gusts is largely a function of overall vehicle dynamics, affected by tires, weight loading, springs, shocks, and suspension layout. The Comfort Drive does not change the position of the steering shafts. A given steering wheel movement will produce the same effect on the coach, with or without the Comfort Drive.

(You are getting tired of me saying I can't help.)

4. The Comfort Drive does not change the position of the steering shaft so there is no excuse for the alignment guy to leave the steering wheel crooked. Alignment gets all the wheels, including the steering wheel, pointed in the correct directions at the same time and Comfort Drive does not change any of that. It is very straightforward fo align a coach with Comfort Drive. If they have trouble, they need to call the TRW help line. If nobody tells us the problems they are having, we can't clarify the instructions.

5. You can't adjust it but you can disable it. There is a 5 amp fuse to the ignition line of the Comfort Drive that you can pull, then it won't come on. If you can't locate the 5 amp fuse, there is also a 40 amp fuse to the power connector of the Comfort Drive, but the 5 amp fuse is the much-preferred one. Without the Comfort Drive on, it will drive just like a normal power-steered coach. I suspect it will feel really heavy and ugly because you are used to having Comfort Drive.

I hope this helps a little bit.
Ken

Lug_Nut · 08-20-2011, 09:52 AM

I agree fully with Ken regarding the alignment tech. I recently took my coach to Spartan to have an alignment. I had observed that my right front tire ran 19 degrees F. than the left regardless of the sun's position. This I monitored on my SmarTire readouts. Spartan had it aligned in no time and low and behold both front tires now match in temperature while driving. And, of course, the steering wheel was where it always is, straight. I have always had Spartan only work on my chassis, including even oil changes. This prevents the unskilled tech's from making unskilled adjustments.

Peter

jillie · 08-21-2011, 08:17 AM

I turned the control up to 6 yesterday but I found myself always trying to correct the steering. Does that tendency ever go away?

Route 66 · 08-21-2011, 08:19 AM

I believe one's first tendency is to over correct. It's best to make small steering movements.

Newmar's Comfort Drive test drive coach had a switch to turn the CD on and off.

You started your test drive with CD off and when it was switched on, it felt like the steering wheel became disconnected and your instinct was to overcorrect!

LindyT · 08-21-2011, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lug_Nut

This prevents the unskilled tech's from making unskilled adjustments.

Peter

To be fair, Spartan did the last alignment themselves. It's still not right (though they said they would make it so when I return.) He test drove it several times and brought it back to adjust. It's not terrible by any means, but enough to trigger my OCD. As an aside - everyone makes mistakes - they don't have to be "unskilled" and outside of the factory to do so.

The last time I was at Spartan, they topped off the oil hubs and left the plugs out. Fortunately, I stopped not too long after to see my wheels covered in hub oil and before the bearings were cooked. They overfilled the crankcase and blew oil all over the toad. Things happen - I still love the folks at Spartan; they're a great bunch of people. I don't fully trust anyone to work on my equipment personally - whether they made it or not. I do nearly all of my own service work apart from alignments - I'm fortunate enough to have a 6000sq ft shop and the equipment to do it all in.

--

Ken: Thank you for the info. I think I may be in the minority and have a hard time adjusting to it. I'd prefer a slightly more connected feeling, but I'm certain if I disconnected it, I'd quickly realize I took it for granted.

Nice work - it's brilliant engineering.

Thanks again, I appreciate it.

KenSherwin · 08-22-2011, 06:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jillie

I turned the control up to 6 yesterday but I found myself always trying to correct the steering. Does that tendency ever go away?

Others might want to chime in here, but what I do when I start driving a strange big vehicle (and I have driven some STRANGE vehicles

) is to spend the first little while trying to move the wheel as seldom as possible, as slowly as possible, and as small a distance as possible, using as much of the lane as possible. In other words, try to not steer much. Every time you turn the wheel, you make the vehicle react to all sorts of loads, and chasing those reactions gets old real fast. This holds true regardless of the type of steering system.

Once I get used to what that vehicle want and how long it takes to react, it gets a lot easier put in just enough correction to stay in the middle of the lane.

By the way, if you think these coaches are bad to drive, I drove a tugboat pushing two loaded barges one time. I had all kinds of trouble aiming that thing until the pilot showed me the trick. He did the same thing: Steer a little and give it time to work.

Regarding where to set the knob, Almost everybody thinks 6 feels too hard or stiff. Almost everybody thinks 1 feels too "loose". It isn't really loose, which implies lash and unpredictable control. It's just very light. The "right" place is somewhere between the two and the "right" place is where what you see in the windshield, what you feel in the seat, and what you feel in the steering wheel all match, and only you can tell where that is. But you will recognise it when you find it.

Snoopkat · 09-25-2011, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jillie

I really like the CD in our Ventana. Backing into a spot is so simple - just line it up, release the steering wheel and let the wheels straighten, then back in. It was suggested when we bought this coach that I start at #1 on the adjustment dial and work up as I got used to it, I suppose to avoid oversteering. I'm now up to #3 and liking the feel.

Hey, Jillie, we are looking at the 2012 Ventana 3433.....wife didn't like the dinette setup in the 3434. How do you like the ride in your Ventana? Do you get much lean when cornering or bumpy ride on less than perfect roads? Any porpoising at all? I appreciate any feedback as we are making a decision pretty soon. Also, do you like the dinette setup in your new rig?

jillie · 09-26-2011, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sofakleez

Hey, Jillie, we are looking at the 2012 Ventana 3433.....wife didn't like the dinette setup in the 3434. How do you like the ride in your Ventana? Do you get much lean when cornering or bumpy ride on less than perfect roads? Any porpoising at all? I appreciate any feedback as we are making a decision pretty soon. Also, do you like the dinette setup in your new rig?

The dinette setup first: My husband and I really like it. It's just the two of us so we usually only pull it out to the first stop for meals. When on the road, we leave it all the way in so there's more room to move around inside and there's still room for a sandwich and a drink. For cards or company, we pull it all the way out. The buffet is perfect for our laptops with storage underneath the buffet for laptop bags, printer, notebooks, etc. A great office setup. When on the road, I move the front chair around to the back side of the table with the other chair. One chair slides under the table, the other rides with its back to the buffet. No more chairs sliding forward when I have to brake quickly.

For the ride: It's much better than our last coach from another manufacturer. For cornering, I make sure I don't exceed the speed limit on interstate ramps. Those yellow signs with the truck falling over is all the incentive I need to slow down. I'm a naturally cautious person so I'm not taking corners with any speed. The ride is also a lot better on this coach especially on bumpy roads. The old coach would have tossed us against the ceiling if we hadn't worn our seatbelts.

We would like to have a wider opening into the shower but it's an incentive for me to lose weight.

Overall, we're very pleased with our choice.

Snoopkat · 09-27-2011, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jillie

I really like the CD in our Ventana. Backing into a spot is so simple - just line it up, release the steering wheel and let the wheels straighten, then back in. It was suggested when we bought this coach that I start at #1 on the adjustment dial and work up as I got used to it, I suppose to avoid oversteering. I'm now up to #3 and liking the feel.

One last question, if I may, about your 2011 Ventana 3434....how does it pull the mountains with a vehicle in tow? What kind of speed can you maintain up a 6-7% grade with and without a toad? Thanks very much! I appreciate your help.

jillie · 09-27-2011, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sofakleez

One last question, if I may, about your 2011 Ventana 3434....how does it pull the mountains with a vehicle in tow? What kind of speed can you maintain up a 6-7% grade with and without a toad? Thanks very much! I appreciate your help.

I must admit that it can be a pull up mountains unless I get a good head of steam ahead of time. If I have to slow behind a vehicle, I'm done. The gearing between 4th and 5th seems to be missing something. I use 4th gear up to what seems to be its max and then shift to 5th, but the rpms drop so I'm soon shifting back to 4th. I can usually keep it at 60mph or thereabouts if I get my head start. That's with a toad. Without the toad it's better but I'm not burning up the asphalt either. There's got to be a better way to get over the mountain, just wish I knew what that is.