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Old 07-05-2021, 04:07 PM   #1
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Rough Riding P32

I'd like to start by thanking everybody that offered ideas and advice that helped me get my fuel delivery problem behind me, Thank You. So now on to the front end. My '04' P32 seems to have one heck of a harsh ride in the front end. My service manual states 80psi for the tires and 90 psi for the front coil helper air bags. I'm curious as to what everybody else runs as far as psi for tires and bags and if anybody has done any trick stuff to soften the ride. I also believe my rig has the original Bilsteins on it with 15k on them. Thank you in advance for reading my post. Vroom
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Old 07-06-2021, 03:33 AM   #2
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I just bought a 2000 P32 and had the same questions. No need to make out the PSI I have about 2400lbs on each tire and chart shows I only need 65ps1 I haven't tried yet.
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Old 07-06-2021, 06:43 AM   #3
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Is your suspension stock? The PO of my P32 made it "better" which resulted in catastrophic failure, necessitating a complete suspension replacement this past spring.

Surprisingly, returning it closer to stock made it ride noticeably better (though not 'great'). The configuration I have now is near-stock springs, Firestone air bags and Koni FSD shocks. I've experimented running different pressures in the bags and found that the only perceptible difference is between 0PSI and 90PSI. The chevy documentation for the P32 implies that the air bags aren't optional, so I set mine for 90PSI and leave them there.

Since you have few options to improve anything with this chassis you could try the shocks first and see if that gets you closer. I've resolved that what I have is as good as it's going to get, it's no air ride bus and never will be.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
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Old 07-06-2021, 06:54 AM   #4
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Vroom,

You need to get some weights and refer to your tires charts for the tires you have.

I did 4 corner weights on my P32 (previous MH) and ran 85PSI in the tires and the airbags.

It rode really well most of the time, but there are some roads even DP's will ride rough.
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Old 07-07-2021, 11:10 AM   #5
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Rough Riding P32

Mark B.,
Yes, front suspension is stock. I did replace upper and lower ball joints (due to the previous owner getting carried away with the grease gun and blowing the dust boots to shreds) and while I was there I installed a fresh pair of replacement air bags. Excuse my motorhome ignorance but what is "The PO"? Also, where did you buy your Konis and would you have the part number? Thank you for your response, your info is greatly appreciated.
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Old 07-07-2021, 11:18 AM   #6
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Rough Riding P32

69Stang,
Could you possibly explain "4 corner weights". I'm not 100% sure I know what you mean. Thanks for your time.
Doug, aka Vroom
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Old 07-07-2021, 11:43 AM   #7
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"PO" - previous owner.

Ball joint boots I've seen are made to "leak", the ones I just put in even have a notch you orient inboards so excess grease doesn't end up towards the brake. My OEM joints were non greaseable and the boots were well shot, so I would lean towards boot failure vs damage.

I got my koni's from Ultra RV but you can get them from numerous sources. 8805-1006 were the ones I got but I'd enter the VIN at their site and make sure you get the right ones for yours.

Mark B.
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Old 07-07-2021, 05:57 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vroom View Post
69Stang,
Could you possibly explain "4 corner weights". I'm not 100% sure I know what you mean. Thanks for your time.
Doug, aka Vroom
Sure. Here is a good article on how to do 4 corner weights.

https://www.motorhome.com/motorhomes...r/weigh-to-go/
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Old 07-07-2021, 09:50 PM   #9
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First step is to get it weighed and use a tire inflation chart like https://www.rvtirepressure.com/asset..._Inflation.pdf to determine correct tire pressure, for my 17,000 GVWR 2002 P32 I run 75 psi on the front and 80 psi on the rear axle. After that you need to adjust your front air bags, the proper way to do this involves measuring the gap on the font bump stop. Correct clearance should be between 2 -2.5 inches at the front bump stop on the A arm.


Aftermarket upgrades include replacing the factory springs and air bags with SuperSteer no airbag springs, switching to Koni FSD shocks, etc.
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Old 07-08-2021, 05:51 AM   #10
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Originally Posted by Isaac-1 View Post
Aftermarket upgrades include replacing the factory springs and air bags with SuperSteer no airbag springs,
The SuperSteer springs are what I attribute to my control arm failure and while a sample of one isn't proof, I would review that option critically.

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f22/work...on-522943.html

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Old 07-09-2021, 10:52 AM   #11
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Drop the pressure in the front air bags. I run mine @ 50 lbs. That's where the previous owner ran them on recommendation from the Workhorse dealer he used for service.
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Old 07-20-2021, 12:36 PM   #12
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Rough Riding P32

All good info, thanks. I'll try lowering the pressure to 50 psi first, because it won't cost anything, then go from there. Thanks to all again, Doug aka Vroom.
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Old 07-20-2021, 03:39 PM   #13
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Skimmed through the posts so this may have been mentioned.

Tires! Some brands ride better than others. The original Michelins that came on ours rode great. I replaced the two fronts with some cheap Chinese made tires and ended up with a firm ride that I hated. Didn't matter what I set the tire pressures at, it was rough. Finally ended up installing Bridgestones all around. Not quite the nice ride of the Michelins but definitely cheaper.

Might be off here but I'm thinking that a tire with a higher load range might make for a firmer ride because of its extra plies/belts?
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Old 07-21-2021, 12:12 PM   #14
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Rough Riding P32

Mudfrog,
You maybe on to something with tires. The tires on my rig were purchased by the previous owner. They are new with only a few hundred miles, Made in China, 12 ply rating, 5 steel cord tread, regroovable, 1 ply steel cord sidewall. In your estimation would this make up a hard tire? Thanks Doug.
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