Ride seemed harsh in back during test ride.

[Letsgoagain]

Good Evening,
This afternoon the wife and I took the motorhome out for a spin so I could check out how the new refrigerator I just finished installing rode.
I noticed while I was in the back hallway next to the refrigerator while my wife drove that whenever we hit a bump that it just seemed harsh. Not from th new refrigerator area but it seemed like it would be a jolt transferred through the rear tires up into the framework and into the various parts of the motorhome.
Rear tires are kept at 85psi per my motorhome weight and Michelin inflation charts so I know its not the tires.
Do shocks go bad often? I had Koni's put on front and rear about 50,000 miles ago. Wouldn't think they would go that fast.
I have noticed this some in the past but not as much as today. I do most of the driving so I don't go to the back while underway much but it definitely seems more pronounced.
Do any of you notice this on your motorhome. Don't really know if this is normal or if I should get worried.
Appreciate any thoughts on what you think might be going on.

[Doggy Daddy]

Koni warrantees their shocks for 300K miles/3 years.
If you already have front and rear anti-sway bars, I would suggest Sumo Springs
SuperSprings Self-Adjusting Suspension Stabilizers

[SPA48]

I carry 100lbs in my rear tires---you might be a little lite in your rears---I would bring them up to at lease 95lbs and then retest the ride---just my opinion!!!!



steve

[K7JV]

Out of curiosity, I took the manufacturer's loading / pressure table for the tires on our motorhome ('06 Dynasty, 42'), and graphed it. Based upon the graph, if you extended the curve downward, the indicated pressure would be a mere 65 psi. The minimum inflation pressure specified for the tire, however, was 80 psi, so that is where we have always kept ours. There is nothing but minimal and even wear at 50,000 miles, and the ride is very good. I credit much of the ride quality to the S-series chassis, however.

As for tire pressure, I would suggest getting your coach weighed, and following the tire manufacturer's recommendations for inflation.

Regarding the ride and the noise in the back of our coaches going down the road, it is surprising how big the difference is from the front to the rear. If you have a tag, the ride should be considerably smoother and the hard bumping you are speaking of would surprise me, a bit. On ours, I find the road bumps to be more severe up front than I do in the back. But on our coach we have roughly 7,300 pounds (115 psi) on each front tire and less than 4,500 pounds (80 psi) on each rear and tag tire. Big difference.

I don't know that I would be too worried, but do be aware of any change over time, if you can. I would expect there to be some increase as our chassis and bodies can't help but loosen up a bit over the years and the miles and the bumps.

[George Schweikle]

Anti sway bars have no effect on ride or stiffness when traveling in a straight line. These components only come into effect during a turn or when the coach is blown sideways by wind. That's why they are called anti sway bars

Originally Posted by Doggy Daddy

Koni warrantees their shocks for 300K miles/3 years.
If you already have front and rear anti-sway bars, I would suggest Sumo Springs
SuperSprings Self-Adjusting Suspension Stabilizers

[redtail]

Is the coach lighter no water waste tanks empty ect. i have had that experience. on the first drive of spring when a fair amount of the normal load is missing.Once i load her up it goes back to normal

[Happycarz]

I think Doggy Daddy might no be familiar with the proprietary Roadmaster chassis built by Monaco that is being discussed here.

This chassis is already on an air bag suspension, and has no metal leaf springs. The product in his post is for a chassis with leaf springs and would probably solve issues for some folks by adding air bags to their leaf springs.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by Doggy Daddy

Koni warrantees their shocks for 300K miles/3 years.

HEAVY DUTY TRUCK & BUS: KONI North America LLC warrants all new KONI shock absorbers to the original retail purchaser against defects in materials and workmanship, excluding mounting hardware and bushings, when used under normal operating conditions for a period of 3 years or 300,000 miles, whichever occurs first. This warranty does not apply to, and KONI makes no warranty for, shock absorbers that have been:

• Not purchased new by the current owner.
• Modified or installed improperly.
• Bent or broken indicating abuse.
• Supplied as Original Equipment on any vehicle manufactured outside of North America.
• Used on any vehicle that has been modified for a use other than or in addition to its originally intended use.
• Used for an application that is not specified in the KONI literature.
• Used on any vehicle for racing, off-road, or other driving competition.
• Exported for use outside of the United States and Canada.

So, maybe and maybe not!

[Letsgoagain]

Originally Posted by redtail

Is the coach lighter no water waste tanks empty ect. i have had that experience. on the first drive of spring when a fair amount of the normal load is missing.Once i load her up it goes back to normal

I believe redtail may have hit the nail on the head. At least I hope so. Didn't think about it but the motorhome is lightly loaded right now. No water in any of the tanks, no clothes, no food, most of my tools are in the garage so I would say it was light. I'll have to check it out next month when we head out again.
By the way I've had the motorhome weighed on a truck scale while pulling the jeep and the tire air pressure was set on the motorhome as recommended in the Michelin tire pressure charts accordingly. I keep them a little higher to build in a little safety factor.
Thank you all for your replies.