Community Forums

Fredk20716 · 09-25-2021, 12:13 PM

Trying to stop the wobble when a tractor trailer goes by or I'm in ruts on the road. What is better a rear trac bar or a front beefed up torsion bar replacement?

I also have a TOAD....

P32, 2002 Fleetwood Terra 32S

wolfe10 · 09-25-2021, 12:24 PM

Before even considering suspension add ons (and, yes there are some that will help), make sure your basic suspension is in good condition.

If still the OE air bags inside the front coil springs, verify that they are properly inflated.

Verify no play in any of the steering components, including bell cranks, steering box, ball joints, tie rod ends, wheel bearings....

Fredk20716 · 09-25-2021, 05:18 PM

New tires, aligned, new shocks new driver side bell crank and steering stabilizer.

Fredk20716 · 09-25-2021, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfe10

Before even
considering suspension add ons (and, yes there are some that will help), make sure your basic suspension is in good condition.

If still the OE air bags inside the front coil springs, verify that they are properly inflated.

Verify no play in any of the steering components, including bell cranks, steering box, ball joints, tie rod ends, wheel bearings....

New tires, aligned, new shocks and air bags, new driver side bell crank and steering stabilizer.

Arch Hoagland · 09-25-2021, 06:09 PM

What pressure are your tires set to?

Over inflated tires will cause it to wander.

edgray · 09-25-2021, 06:36 PM

The rear trac bar gives the best bank for the bucks, IMO, but that was on a W-22 series chassis. I would think it would be similar improvement on your P32 series chassis. The “push” you are feeling isn’t really a steering issue, but rather is caused by the side to side motion allowed by the rear spring shackles. A trac bar eliminates much of that lateral movement.

Isaac-1 · 09-25-2021, 06:58 PM

I see you live in SE Florida, my advice is to take it to Josams in Orlando, and have them evaluate it and follow their suggestions, as they are probably the best suspension shop for P series chassis coaches in the eastern US.

Also your steering box may need adjusting, I know a 1/3 turn of the adjustment screw on mine made a night and day difference in road handling with big trucks would pass. Just be careful, over adjustment can break the steering box causing loss of control going down the road.

George Schweikle · 09-25-2021, 08:25 PM

X2. I added a track bar (technically a Panhard bar) to our previous P-chassis Safari Trek, and it made a significant difference in stability when passed by an 18 wheeler.

Quote:

Originally Posted by edgray

The rear trac bar gives the best bank for the bucks, IMO, but that was on a W-22 series chassis. I would think it would be similar improvement on your P32 series chassis. The “push” you are feeling isn’t really a steering issue, but rather is caused by the side to side motion allowed by the rear spring shackles. A trac bar eliminates much of that lateral movement.

Cat · 09-25-2021, 09:56 PM

Had a P32 tried several things when chassis was brand new. Trac bar provided the most improvement for highway driving when cars and truck are pushing you. But do make sure your steering system linkage is tight. Safe Travels

D Gardiner · 09-25-2021, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fredk20716

Trying to stop the wobble when a tractor trailer goes by or I'm in ruts on the road. What is better a rear trac bar or a front beefed up torsion bar replacement?

I also have a TOAD....

P32, 2002 Fleetwood Terra 32S

Based on our 1996 178" wheel base P30 (P31832) w/ 4wheel disk brakes.

Tail Wag:
When we towed a friends car, I did notice that the extra 3000 pound car exasperated the tail-wagging the dog issue. As others have said the rear track bar from Super Steer fixed 80% of the issue.

Steering Wander:
The drivers Bell Crank was the biggest contributor to the problem.
Replacing the blown front air bags made a small improvement.
Had a tiny (and I mean tiny) amount of play in two steering tie rods. Replacing those made a huge improvement.

Side Sway:
Replacing the worn out sway bar bushings made a huge difference.
The bigger 1-5/8" front sway bar made a marginal improvement.

PS. Passing Semi trucks now have minor effects. With that said, we have driven in 30+ mph 90° mountain-gap winds. Those types of winds will still upset our rig, and we drop our speed accordingly.

Mark_K5LXP · 09-26-2021, 08:17 AM

The P32 is a delivery truck. Load it down with a crappy house on top and the result is predictable. You can pile on no end to bolt on fixes which can all help in some way but you'll never turn a P32 into a Prevost. Factor in that the P32 has limited service and support due to obsolescence and that puts it into the category of it is what it is. Do you want to put that much effort and expense into an RV that has this little remaining service life left. I've just gotten used to the way it drives and am enjoying it for what it is.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

jspringator · 09-30-2021, 03:07 PM

This is what I have done to mine.

Front springs to replace airbags, 2 bell cranks, 2 bell crank arms, new poly bushings on sway bars, front and rear, (you may be able to get thicker sway bars; I couldn't) Timbren front, Sumo Springs rear, new Bilstein shocks all around, rear track bar, SteerSafe, new tires, and after all that an alignment. My MH has a short wheelbase to length ratio (long rear overhang) and is particularly sensitive to weight behind the rear wheels. I ditched the spare and got a lighter mattress.

Weigh your coach and adjust your tire pressure based on your ready to camp load on each axle using the inflation/load chart for your tire size. In my case, this made a huge difference. The recommended air pressures was so high I literally bounced on large bumps. I also recommend a tire pressure monitoring system.

I understand the limitations of the chassis, but after completing a multi thousand mile trip last week I can say it handles pretty well. The alternative is to spend 80-100 thousand dollars on a newer one that may be only marginally better.