I wanted to update on what I call my 'numbness while on center', and the coach having a tendency to wander some while heading straight down a non crowned highway, and no wind condition.
I had Colton truck help me on a few items. This included replacing the Passenger Side X's 2 Goodyear Air Bags, to match the X's 2 Firestone (9459's) on our coaches Drive Axle. (Covid parts shortages, resulted in non matching air bags being installed on the Drive axle with our Chassis Refresh at purchase. The GY and FS bags are referenced as being compatible, but minor differences between them were noticeable while driving. So Kaiser helped me with the sourcing of matching FS 9459's, and Colton installed them for me, saving probably $1K in fuel to avoid running to Eugene, OR
!).
Colton also did an all axle alignment, and the front Steer Right was off quite a bit, which had the right and left steers working a bit agains each other. ParkHouse Tires in San Diego, installed 6 new Michelin X-Lines about four weeks ago. We moved the new when we bought the coach about two years ago, to the Tag Position. The right tire wear was irregular, as well as the left had signs of unusual wear too. They should be fine on the Tag, and will over a few thousand miles, wear back into a matching condition. It was this wear pattern, that had me wondering what happened to the All Axle Alignment that Kaiser did with the Chassis Refresh. We all know that some our highways are less then in stellar condition... A few heavy impacts to Pot Holes - can, and does, impact alignments
!
We bought the coach with ~40k, and now are art ~53K...
Finally, I also had Colton install the Source Engineering Comfort Control Check Valves (Which 'check' in the direction that matters on bag stability, and 'not check' in the other direction. Were as I believe other Check Valves 'check' - in both directions.
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So still breaking in the 6 new shoes, steers included. And I did decide to run with 5 more PSI, going from 120 to 125PSI on the Steers. I also bumped the Drives from 105 to 110PSI - nor doe load, but to see if the tad higher PSI effects MPG.
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Back to the subject of the post. After the changes, and IMO a combination of getting the matching FS 9459's on the Drive Axle (Which frankly do the highest work in Left to Right stability of the coach, and Alignment reset properly on the Steers (Drive and Tag were fine, and I also asked Colton to set the Front to the Higher End of the small range of ride height. Probably went up about 1/2" higher, so was close to the top of the range already.) - I'm pleased that the coach on our run from Colton to San Diego, and then on over to Yuma, the wandering or slight lane drifting is much reduced. Still have the 'on center' numbness, and 'steering wheel slack', but I feel with he Super Steer SS400 Steering Dampener also helping 'on center' - the coach is very probably a good 60-70% more relaxing to drive.
On the run down I8 East from the San Diego mountains to the desert floor, the front 'set' faster on the curves. As well as the coach would do a single bounce, on expansion joints that would previously do a double bounce. I feel the Source Engineering Comfort Control Valves have helped the Front End Set faster. (On our Allure, I also had the CC Valves added to the Rear Drive (Single Bag on each side, where as the Magna's Drive have X's 2 on Each Side (Not Outer and Inner, but in series Front to Back of the axle.). Source Engineering would have been pleased to sell me X's 4 CC Valves for the Rear Drive Bags too - but, suggested they were not needed. So, I decided to run with on the Steers. And, I'm pleased as is.
(As FYI
! The coach came with Road Kings 2 1/2" diameter shocks on the Steer and Drive, and Kaiser replaced the Koni FSD's Gold on Tags.)
Overall, now with ~13K miles of set time, in all kinds of conditions, including side winds gusting into the low 60's (Not like I wanted too be in the winds, but we slowed down to the mid 50MPH, and the coach was stable enough to continue the ~20 miles we had to go to reach our park.) - all of this except the last 500-600 miles before getting the matching FS 9459's and CC Valves... I feel the Magna handles predictably, and now with the incremental improvements from the Colton visit - is a fine riding coach! (Sure, I'd love to retrofit with TRW Comfort Steer - but that ain't going to happen. And Howard's are no more:(!).
One big plus, and one of the reasons we wanted to shift form the Allure to the Magna, is the added safety of the shorter stopping distances via the Front Disc Brakes. We had an occasion to make a very hard slow down to avoid an Over The Road Trucker that miss judged a stopping distance, and had to swing his cab over into our lane (Two lane, and we were in the left lane at about 55MPH to pass the 20-25 truckers backed up into a weight station going East out of El Paso.). Even with the heavier weight of the Magna vs the 40' Allure - those Disc's brought us down to a slow enough speed to just slide by the front fender of that tractor truck, and NOT go off the shoulder down into a center divide gully. I believe I would have made contact with that truck, and still been going 15-20MPH's faster - if I had been in the Allure. (NOT knocking the Allure. But just as I wanted more HP/Torque for speed capability reserves with the ISX (As well as Braking HP via the Jake, which was also on in this stop, in Stage 3) - the combo of Jake and Disc, made a difference on this one! All IMO
!).
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Enough rambling. But I've had may fellow RV'er's contact me on my thoughts on the 'handling of the Slant Nose Magna/Affinity/Intrique' - due to my comments here, and on Facebook, as I was sorting things out. And I wanted to confirm that I feel the slight numbness On Center - is not near of a bother as I had first felt it was. Obviously, my front end, and probably non matching Air Bags on the Drive - made negative difference!
Best to all,
Smitty
Linear Mode
