Community Forums

Hugmongous · 04-09-2016, 03:09 PM

yep.. well aware of the trailing arm issue.. thanks though.

flynnwalter · 04-09-2016, 05:24 PM

Hugh & Deb
You have received good info about the RR4R problem. The good news is that it (porpoising and very bad ride) can be fixed. Bad news is it takes money. You will need to replace the trailing arms at a minimum, and to stop the porpoising get the Source Engineering Ride Enhancement Kit. You need a four corner weighing as many of the Caymans & Neptunes are notoriously heavier on one side of the rear--often the passenger side. Without the four corner weighing you won't know and could be seriously under inflated on the heavy side. Ours is 2700 lbs heavier. We also went up two tire sizes as the OEM Goodyears were maxed out like solid rubber tires, transmitting every bump to our teeth. A chunk of change and a good bit of hassle. Only you can determine if its the coach you want to keep for a good while. Good luck and feel free to PM me for more information.

-Gramps- · 04-09-2016, 06:12 PM

Don't let I-95 and 295 around Richmond/Petersburg be the determining factor about new shocks....those roads are so bad that new shocks might not make a good difference at all especially over the washboard like bridges and overpasses there. We just traveled the same roads on our way up from Florida, worst stretch of road we have ever been on since we bought our coach. I thought the coach would shake itself to death at times...good thing we velcro all the cabinet doors shut.

Hugmongous · 04-09-2016, 07:16 PM

Gramps.. actually that is the best confirmation I have had. When we drove from West Tx., back to Atlanta when we purchased the coach, a couple of years ago I thought that stretch of I20 through LA was bad and at that time we had Goodyears and they were overinflated. After putting on the Michelins and getting it weighed and proper inflation, it rode much better... that is until we encountered the roads around Richmond/Petersburg.

Thanks to everyone for your input and educational info.

cdinatl · 04-09-2016, 07:46 PM

My new Bilstiens this year made it ride like a Cadillac. Replaced old worn out Monroes.

2008 Holiday Rambler PDQ Ambassador 360 ISC
2015 Jeep Rubicon
Blue Ox tow Patriot brake

daledrob · 04-09-2016, 09:14 PM

Everyone talks about replacing the shocks but no one says how many miles they have on their motorhome in between replacements. Whether it's 25,000 50,000 hundred thousand miles,help me out! Please!

spyderRV · 04-09-2016, 10:11 PM

My 1999 F53 and 45xxx miles. New Blisteins made a world of difference. Old shocks were shot, pushed in easy and one was leaking. Has new Goodyear G647s.

Happycarz · 04-09-2016, 11:19 PM

Dale,
I put 14,000 miles on the role-poly Monroes and replaced them Koni FSD's.
I just replaced the Koni FSD's with Bilsteins at 66,000. Koni's were starting to porpoise. They were a good shock when new, though.

passerby · 04-10-2016, 05:42 AM

Just replaced my shocks with Bilsteins comfort ride, 134,000 miles.
I have a different chassis and length so take that into consideration.
The original shocks were also Bilsteins and were in surprisingly good condition for 16 yr old shocks. Couldn't tell a whole lot of difference. My MH rides nice BUT those potholes and expansion joints are no fun. Added a Sate T Plus too, and it made a big difference in control of handling. (not the ride though) I was hoping too that it would be a softer ride with the new shocks.

flynnwalter · 04-10-2016, 06:40 AM

Hugh & Deb
The RR4R chassis is 'unique'. The comments from folks owning non RR4R coaches simply do not apply to our situation. It is a lot more serious than shocks, it is a safety issue. Contact Source Engineering Source Engineering Inc | Custom RV Chassis | Eugene, OR and speak with Jim. He will not steer you wrong. Then decide if you like this coach enough to plunk down perhaps $5k for both the trailing arms and REK kits. Specially valved Bilstein shocks are in the REK kit. Just replacing the shocks is not going to make an RR4R stop porpoising--however tempting it might appear. I remember more than one owner trying that route and having it fail. Then going with Source and trying to sell their new Koni shocks. Good luck.

captw3 · 04-10-2016, 06:59 AM

Check out the tread by onechaddude on the rr4r chassis modifications and upgrades. My Neptune rode great through the I95/I 295 corridor in the Richmond area. I made many updates that tamed the ride greatly. Our rigs are very similar in that they share a chassis.
Only you can decide if the money spent is worth the return. I spent a lot but plan on keeping this MH for many years. It now suits my needs very well.

Rick

onechaddude · 04-10-2016, 01:41 PM

Hugh,

Just wanted to drop a line since captw3 pointed out the thread on our chassis. I invite you to join in and follow our thread on chassis improvements. A fellow "wanderer", Steve aka CaymanPilot and I are in a search to try to correct some of the shortcomings of our rr4r chassis. We are in the process of trying a couple different options and so far are having some success. Hopefully in the next few weeks we will have a conclusion to our findings. We are trying to find a somewhat economical approach to helping our coaches.

I personally have changed shocks before adding the source engineering ride enhancement kit and did notice a slight help with ride but not very much. I would suggest use the $$ you would spend on shocks and use that towards the rek from source.

Only you can decide how much $$ you want to spend to upgrade your coach. Steve and I are hoping to be able to help others keep costs down and add enjoyment to their driving and coach ownership experience. Best of luck.

Chad

Hugmongous · 04-10-2016, 05:55 PM

Thanks Chad.. I have been following that thread since it started. ... and thanks again for your invaluable help in getting my Air Force One installed.. it's working great.

onechaddude · 04-10-2016, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hugmongous

Thanks Chad.. I have been following that thread since it started. ... and thanks again for your invaluable help in getting my Air Force One installed.. it's working great.

Absolutely Hugh. I'm glad I could help. The air force one works great for me. So much easier to hookup and unhooking than the brake buddy it replaced.

As far as the chassis, in a couple weeks we will know the results of the bushing install from Steve and we can decide what's the best investment at that point.

If you've followed the thread, you've read about my sway bar install. Not the easiest job but not too bad, however not the cheapest either. It does however almost completely eliminate the "Walmart wobble" (thanks to vanwill for that term). Stay tuned and hopefully we will be able to help your quest.

Chad