Quote:
Originally Posted by Fyrflie
... have found with my 2001 P32 chassis is that it is very susceptible to over steer by the driver.
|
Will agree with Fyrflie, the Chevy P3-chassis are very sensitive to steering input.
Always joke with my wife that our P3-chassis loves cornering on mountain roads.
Over the years an effort to make our RV track better in a straight line, and be less susceptible to passing trucks, we have done many things.
In regards to the front springs sagging, and ruptured front bags. This is very common on all P3-chassis. When the coach was built GM did not know what body the RV manufacture was going to build, or where heavy components, like generators would be installed.
In an effort to have their chassis to work for the most manufactures, GM chose to add minimum capacity springs, and add air bags inside the front coils to fine tune the carrying capacity by adding air to the bags.
When the coach was new, this system worked quite well, and returned a superior ride quality. However, as the vehicles age, gravity and weight cause the springs to sap. Would believe GM never thought the coach chassis would be on the road 30-40 years (1992-1982 respectively).
Some have claimed the higher capacity aftermarket springs have damaged the lower control arms. Honestly, I believe it has more to do with bottoming out. Be that because the old springs were sagging, or the wrong springs were installed the result is the same,...cracking lower control arms.
If you go with new springs, you will want to go with Supersteer. They will need you to have your coach weighed (preferably 4-corner weights), and Supersteer will get you a set matched to your coach.
When I ordered mine 3 years ago, LF 2,260 pounds & RF 2,480 pounds. Called Supersteer and requested their 4,400-4,900 set off rated springs. They asked me for my wiehgts, and after looking through their stock, they sent me coils that had been tested (in their machine) to carry 4,800 pounds. That is what I .call customer service - a perfectly matched set of springs.
To Aeronauts original post, the P3-chassis does tend to be a bit quick to respond to steering inputs. Hence they are almost sporty, on a twisty road (IMHO).
My first suggestion is check that all the tie rods are in good condition, that the steering box is adjusted correctly, and that you are within the correct ride height, per Factory or Off Road Toy Box's info.
Our coach had one bad and one marginal tie rod. Our ride height was well out of specification. Our drivers bell crank was shot, and the rear leaf spring bushings were worn out.
This maintenance made a huge difference. Oddly the alignment did not do much. We did add a rear track bar. It helped. We also add a bigger front sway bar, and added poly urethane bushings to the rear sway bar.
All of these changes and maintenance repairs has almost completely changed how our coach handles. With that said, she still responds quickly to steering input.
Enjoy the resources below.
Off Road Toy Box has a great (free)downloadable PDFon the suspension and alignment:
http://www.offroadtoybox.com/RV/P-Ch...entProcess.pdf
Factory Service Manual:
https://www.gmcmi.com/wp-content/upl...sis-Manual.pdf
Chassis ID:
https://www.irv2.com/forums/f22/p-se...ned-21035.html
Linear Mode
