Camping Worlds Flyer, an Alpine without a Sway Bar

[wolfe10]

Originally Posted by Hayduke

Koni 99's huh?
Is this a DIY replacement?

Yup, even with hand tools. And, no need to jack it up. Use jacks to raise the coach some and for safety-- safety stands.


Been there, done that.

[Old Scout]

….yup--x2 on DIY....Koni 99-series for front and 88-series for the rear....depending on who installed the last set--getting the mounting bolts loose, especially the ones on the top mounts--due to access, can be a challenge.....and as stated, you can, with the appropriate body-type, "skinny" under to get at both front and rear shocks....if you do use the jacks to lift the frame or leave the bags up--jack stands ARE mandatory!!!!

[Old Scout]

Back to the sway bar issue: my interest is really in how the air bags interact when you cross a speed bump or meet a semi on the road???? My generic understanding of a sway bar is that it "stiffens" the front end and ties reaction of one side of the frame and solid axle to the other side--think articulation.
The selling point for the after-market "motion control" valves seems to be to slow/reduce the rapid movement of air from the bags during a major "wobble" event. I installed new shocks and MC values on the rear axle but saw little improvement for speed bumps and driveway dips.
Bottom-line: overall handling/drivability of my 2003 Alpine has never been an issue but occasionally rearranging dishes in the cabinets has been.

[Ljwt330]

Originally Posted by Old Scout

(Snip...)

Bottom-line: overall handling/drivability of my 2003 Alpine has never been an issue but occasionally rearranging dishes in the cabinets has been.

LOL, my experience exactly


No matter how stiff a torsion bar, it will not remedy the initial rocking/rebound from a diagonal crossing of a speed bump or significant driveway exit. It may reduce or eliminate repeated and declining rocking, however, as well as "push" from passing semis. Those last two events have never been a problem with my Alpine, however.

[RVPioneer]

Originally Posted by Hayduke

Thanks everyone

It seems I do know what the "Walmart Wobble" is. That's when you go over a speed bump and all the dishes in the cupboard rearrange themselves.


Koni 99's huh?
Is this a DIY replacement?
We are headed to my FIL's house for several days. He was a mechanic, so he has a good selection of tools for me to use. I'm assuming I need to jack up the front of the coach? How heavy a jack do I need?

If you’ll be headed up I-5, Henderson’s in Grants Pass, OR offers a Road Performance Assessment for about $180. It includes a road test, inspection of suspension components, 4-corner weighs, tire pressure recommendation and I believe they did a chassis lube.

They may try to sell you on MCU’s or something else that may not be necessary. It is a for profit business after all. They are also very honest, in my opinion. When we had them do a transmission fluid and filter change they charged me for more fluid that was actually used. They informed me of the error on the invoice and I now have a $40 credit with them. I believe many shops would not have done that.

We hadn’t had the coach weighed previously and I wanted to get a professional evaluation before I started throwing money at it.