Community Forums

raayrob · 09-26-2011, 08:48 PM

Hi I hope someone can steer me in the right direction. I am a "Newbie" My wife and I just purchased a 2012 Thor Hurricane 31J. Has the V-10 gas engine. The ride is very rough and the steering is a little vague, Especially on the freeway. I'm concerned with fatigue on long trips. since it is a new vehicle we haven't changed or "Beefed Up" the suspension or steering. Does anyone have any suggestions?? THANK YOU!!!!!!

jfran304 · 09-26-2011, 09:00 PM

Get it weighed and use the correct air pressure in the tires for the weight. You can also add a steering damper (Safety Plus or such) to help with the steering.

After you drive it more you will probably relax some and it won't be so hard to keep it on the road.

Good Luck,
Jon

RickO · 09-26-2011, 09:08 PM

Hi and welcome to the forum!

As for the rough ride, IMO the first step is to get your coach weighed so you can make sure your tires are inflated properly. The only way to ensure that is to get the weight for each axle... go to the tire mfgr's inflation tables (you can find them on the web) and inflate your tires according to the weight and tables.

When I was a newbie and bought a brand new 40' DP I was really disappointed on our first trip because every little pebble on the road seem to send a jolt through the entire coach. The problems was that the dealer had inflated all 6 tires to the sidewall max and the actual weight of my rig was much lower than the max weight the sidewall PSI was intended to carry. I lowered them from 110 PSI to 90/95 and it now rides like a Caddy.

As for the "vague" steering, use our search function to get educated on the various items on the market and the pros/cons of each and how they play with your chassis. My rig had too much "wander" for my taste and I took it to Henderson's Lineup in Grant's Pass Oregon. They tightened up the steering gear, replaced the steering bell crank with a new model, installed "motion control units" to minimize side to side rocking... and installed a Safe T Plus steering stabilizer. I have had them on for 4 years now and am very happy with the handling of my coach.

Best of luck.

Rick

mfire1339 · 09-26-2011, 09:09 PM

Check the wall next to driver seat for tire pressure to start with. I would guess it is too high. A 4 wheel weight check is better. Then set pressures accordingly. That's just a start. More people will chime in soon. Good luck and welcome.

Mike

PlayItForwrd · 09-26-2011, 09:57 PM

No such thing as a motorhome that rides good. Or quiet. They squeak, squeal, rattle, thunk and bang on halfway decent roads, and little potholes that your car would barely notice, feel- and sound- like you just drove thru an open manhole...

Which reminds me-- whoever was in charge of building Interstate 80 thru Wyoming, needs to be strapped onto to a Harbor Freight furniture dolly and towed at 75 mph across all 400 miles of that BaDump-BaDump-BaDump-BaDump-BaDump-BaDump-BaDump-BaDump-BaDump-BaDump-BaDump-ing freaking nightmare!!

Vague steering? When 10 tons of wood and metal with a center of gravity 7' in the air is set in motion, getting it to change direction is a battle of physics! A 1961 Cadillac on bald tires handles like a Ferrari compared to these things!

Check your tire pressure, throw on a steering stabilizer, and get used to it! After 10000 miles or so, herding the thing around will be second nature!

bbeane · 09-27-2011, 03:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raayrob

Hi I hope someone can steer me in the right direction. I am a "Newbie" My wife and I just purchased a 2012 Thor Hurricane 31J. Has the V-10 gas engine. The ride is very rough and the steering is a little vague, Especially on the freeway. I'm concerned with fatigue on long trips. since it is a new vehicle we haven't changed or "Beefed Up" the suspension or steering. Does anyone have any suggestions?? THANK YOU!!!!!!

As O/Ps have said check weights, tire pressures, and alignment. After that you can spend lots of $$$ on "fixes" that may or may not help, but as PlayItForward said a motor home ain't no caddy or sports car and Ford chassis are known for their harsh ride. So slow down and enjoy the trip put on a few miles things will settle down.

ga traveler · 09-27-2011, 06:33 AM

Front airbags help the most. Ride Rite by Firestone are reasonable and easy to install.

navychaps · 09-27-2011, 11:29 AM

Here is something I did and it seems to help.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f23/cheap...fix-72335.html

TXUSGUY · 09-27-2011, 10:38 PM

Camping World did mine because I know and trust the Service Manager and techs.
I have a 2011 Allegro breeze so the following is just to give you an idea of cost. Currently on maiden voyage from Texas to Kansas. Man, what an improvement. Tommorrow I am havig the coached weighed so as to determine exact tire pressure needed and determine load balancing. Good luck. Huge difference whereas I had to really "actively steer" the RV. Steer Safe on my class c did great but this is better solve for the problems I was having.

1. SAFE-T-PLUS, CLS A W #42230 972 $555.99
2. LABOR $111.00 (LABOR RATE $119/HR)
3. BRACKETT KIT POWER GLIDE CHASSIS
TIFFIN ALLEGRO - UNITED SAFETY
APPARATUS (SAFETY PLUS) #T-195K2.5 902 $ 84.00

Z714X4 · 09-27-2011, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raayrob

Hi I hope someone can steer me in the right direction. I am a "Newbie" My wife and I just purchased a 2012 Thor Hurricane 31J. Has the V-10 gas engine. The ride is very rough and the steering is a little vague, Especially on the freeway. I'm concerned with fatigue on long trips. since it is a new vehicle we haven't changed or "Beefed Up" the suspension or steering. Does anyone have any suggestions?? THANK YOU!!!!!!

Raayrob,

On my new 35QBA Allegro I had a similar experience. Brand new motorhome and I didn't like the way it drove.

Since my coach came with front and rear sway bars and a front trac bar I decided better shocks would be the most helpful for the ride and a rear trac bar would help with the wind and prevent some of the pushing around from the big rigs. I installed Koni FSD shocks and Henderson trac bar. Wow, what a difference they made!! We just got back from a trip and I'm a really happy camper! The expansion joints on the freeway were much better (50% better) and I feel the wind issue from big rigs has been 80% fixed. That's huge.

I was really tempted to get air bags and almost did... and might still. But for now I'm really happy with the improvements I made.

PM me if you want any more answers or help.

Midniteoyl · 09-28-2011, 01:22 AM

And of course, the most likely true problem is the fact that you are new to this and havent got the 'RV feel' ingrained yet... Its not a car.. Its not a truck, or even a truck towing.. Its a bus with the center of gravity 3'-4' higher than normal with speeds 2x faster, and you are over the wheels and not behind them...

JimM68 · 09-28-2011, 12:19 PM

Ok here gooes. Sorry in advance, as a former f53 driver and current diesel pusher owner, I've paid my dues and earned the right...

Your F53 based brand new motorhome rides like the front engined leaf spring equipped ups truck it is.

Get used to it, or upgrade to an air suspension rear engine diesel pusher.
It's really not the bad, my biggest problem with the one we had was the noise, not the ride.
But you can bandaid it till the cows come home, it still is what it is....

Note that what it is is a damned nice motorhome for half the price of an equivalent dp. Just get used to it i'd say.

AppleValley2 · 09-28-2011, 01:03 PM

We dealt with the same issues when we purchased our used motorhome. My husband said the MH was "rolley poley" when driven down the road. The mechanic called it "the tail wagging the dog". We had front and rear trac bars installed and a Saft-t-plus for the steering. We went thru SuperSteer in Grants Pass, OR. They were very informative and these fixes definitely improved the ride!

But my husband says there is still a lot of "play" in the steering wheel. He said it was tiring because he was actively having to keep the coach in the lane. Maybe we will check into tightening up the steering gear.

Benny367 · 09-28-2011, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raayrob

Hi I hope someone can steer me in the right direction. I am a "Newbie" My wife and I just purchased a 2012 Thor Hurricane 31J. Has the V-10 gas engine. The ride is very rough and the steering is a little vague, Especially on the freeway. I'm concerned with fatigue on long trips. since it is a new vehicle we haven't changed or "Beefed Up" the suspension or steering. Does anyone have any suggestions?? THANK YOU!!!!!!

There are Many threads on this very same topic, So it's not just you who thinks the ride is a bit harsh with a F53 Chassis

Oh and another comment, you don't DRIVE a motor home, you guide it!

Here were my comments/observations on this topic:
I have a 2006 Ford F53 Motor Home chassis and can tell you that there is a DRAMATIC difference in ride quality when the rig is loaded versus unloaded. Dramatic improvement when the motor home is loaded, a Lincoln like ride when loaded. Rides like a buck board when unloaded. FYI I have Bilsteins and 22.5 Alcoa Aluminum wheels.
check out this thread: http://www.irv2.com/forums/f23/impro...is-103472.html