Driving an A that pulls and weaves, a question

[Rg8043]

I know this topic has been discussed ad nauseam, but I have always received excellent advice from this forum, so here is the background for my question. I have a 29 ft Winnebago class A gasser with sumo springs and on my last trip I experienced an extreme amount of pulling both left and right, so much that the person following me commented that I was constantly weaving. My review of the many posts I've read dealing with this issue suggests to me that the first thing I have to do is check my alignment and confirm that I have the correct air pressure in my tires.

I am wondering about how many people experiencing the pull and weaving solved their problem with an alignment and adjustment of air pressure, or should I be looking into installing either a rear trac bar or a safety plus which I understand brings the coach back to center (which is what I try to do when driving, after a pull).

TIA for your response.

[Skip426]

Add to your list of " First things " get your coach loaded for travel weights !

Everything and everybody you had when handling poorly and full of fuel and get to the scales.

Front axle/ rear axle then compare the weights to the listed FAWR and RAWR of the chassis.

You need weights for proper tire inflation ; BUT ; if you're overloaded , no amount of $$$ spent will cure the issue .

[txcpl]

A safe t steer or similar should help with the steering you describe. also get the coached weighed and adjust the tire pressures according to manufacturers chart. then get your coach aligned. thee 3 should help the steering of your coach.

[blueridge-fl]

We used to own a Winnebago Vista and the things that helped with the problem you describe are:

1) Alignment. Don't take it to a dealership to be aligned, take it to a truck chassis/frame shop. A good shop will test drive your coach before and after. They will also ask what problems you are experiencing.

2) Safe-T-Plus. Unfortunately, this product gets oversold as a cure all but it will help with sloppy handling and is nice to have in the event of a blow out. Make sure you get the alignment first as it is likely to be most of your problem.

3) If your problem is push from passing trucks or side winds, a trac bar will make a big difference.

[Domo]

Listen to @skip426 regarding proper tire inflation.

When we first got our NTU MH, it "drove like a truck" and would meander due to wind, crown, etc.

Got good fully loaded corner weights and dropped the over-inflated from dealer tires from sidewall psi (120) down to 90 front and 95 rear. Suddenly, the MH drove much, much better.

MH already had a safe-t-steer and once adjusted, I could drive with two fingers (Yes, I do use both hands.).

[twinboat]

Check your sway bar links and bushings. I had my F53 handling well on the way to Florida and a hot mess heading North. I hear a new clunk and think a sway bar bracket broke but I can't look right now, due to a COPD flair up. I was so bad that i had my daughter fly down to drive it up and I though it was her driving until the last leg from Penn. to NY, when I drove it home.

[SafariBen]

Even beyond the axle weights, if you have more weight to the rear and front, it will wander worse than if the weight is more centered, with the same axle weights. Might not be your problem. Hard to guess what is your top problems, but that keeps us busy.


Check tie rod ends, ball joints, other suspension components, before getting the alignment, or let them tell you what to replace, then bring it back. Can't align worn components.

[JohnKoz]

I had experienced bad steering 'wander' from the day I drove my Entegra home from the dealer. Given a strait & flat road it behaved as if it was a windy day.

I'm still trying to get it aligned (long story) however one main thing helped a great deal. I discovered that the steering gearbox was not adjusted properly and there was a significant amount of play/lash in the steering. I measured it as 1.5" (circumference) of steering wheel travel before it engaged the tires.

Once I tightened this down, I got it down to about 1/2 inch and it's already phenomenally better.

So, in my case it wasn't that the wheels were out of alignment but given no control the RV was left to wander from side-to-side.

I will still get an alignment as I don't expect that I've seen the entire problem.

-John

[PKI]

Good comments above by others on your problem.

You said "pull" to left and right. That is not quite the same as a push which can occur from a bow wave or break in cross wind from a passing vehicle. If the pull happens even when there are no passing vehicles, the rear axle may be moving on you.

New tires on our SUV tried to follow the rain groves in the highway. That gave the pull that you describe. Our problem went away as the tires aged a bit. The same problem can occur to a larger extent when the highway has depressions in the road surface from winter chain use. The problem is aggravated if your front track is narrower than the track of the semi-trucks that produced the wear tracks.

Directional stability problems can also occur if the steer tires on a class A are lightly loaded, and the rig has a short wheelbase. If you find that the issue is more prevalent as fuel is consumed, moving heavier gear forward in your basement storage might help.

[sagardner290]

We just purchased a new coach and noticed the same thing you did. We took it to get aligned and now I don't experience the back and forth on the steering wheel.

[vgolec]

I agree with the alignment recommendation. We have a 38' class A on a Freightliner chassi and it made a big difference in the handling. Good luck, hope you solve it.

[Wedge204]

What is a safe-t-steer?

[JimmyO23]

Originally Posted by Domo

Listen to @skip426 regarding proper tire inflation.

When we first got our NTU MH, it "drove like a truck" and would meander due to wind, crown, etc.

Got good fully loaded corner weights and dropped the over-inflated from dealer tires from sidewall psi (120) down to 90 front and 95 rear. Suddenly, the MH drove much, much better.

MH already had a safe-t-steer and once adjusted, I could drive with two fingers (Yes, I do use both hands.).

Domo, one hand on the steering wheel and the other on your coffee doesn’t count as driving with 2 hands. 🤭🤭🤣🤣🤣

[MrMikeC]

Originally Posted by JohnKoz

I had experienced bad steering 'wander' from the day I drove my Entegra home from the dealer. Given a strait & flat road it behaved as if it was a windy day.

I'm still trying to get it aligned (long story) however one main thing helped a great deal. I discovered that the steering gearbox was not adjusted properly and there was a significant amount of play/lash in the steering. I measured it as 1.5" (circumference) of steering wheel travel before it engaged the tires.

Once I tightened this down, I got it down to about 1/2 inch and it's already phenomenally better.

So, in my case it wasn't that the wheels were out of alignment but given no control the RV was left to wander from side-to-side.

I will still get an alignment as I don't expect that I've seen the entire problem.

-John

John, Mike here. Your response here has made my day. I've been struggling with the cause of my steering wheel play since day 1 as well. I have a 2022 Alante 31V, 32' 2" long, relatively short wheel base, toad is a 2017 Wrangler sport. I've already installed the rear tract bar and front stabilizer. This helped, however the rig continues to wonder on uneven roads and I have to anticipate 18 wheelers passing by preloading my steering to the right (when in slow lane). After many hours of searching yesterday I found out I have the TRW steering box on my Rig. I cannot find any other adjustment point other than the lock nut and straight blade screwdriver adjustment bolt on the top of the steering box, on the inside to the frame rail. The 64 page PDF has no mention of adjusting this, however, there is one you tube video and several other email exchanges referring to this adjustment. If you would, please confirm that this is what you adjusted, how much you turned it (clockwise I assume). One mention was an 1/8th of a turn, another a full 1/4 turn etc. P.S. I easily have 2-3 inches of steering wheel play.
Best regards, Mike.