Community Forums

pawpawboyce · 06-05-2011, 08:09 PM

i have an 06 itasca meridian 39k and i love everything about it but the ride. i have 17,000 mi. and recently put a new set of tires on it hoping to get a little better ride. no resullts. is there any thing i can do to improve the ride of this coach. could it be shocks? when i'm cornering it feel like it will turn over lol, and to drive across an acces into a service station is really scary. my coach is immaculate from stem to stern in and out.

the biggest jolt is driving on state/us older highways which run smooth for a few miles and then get rough. it's hell to feel the bumps right up to the steering wheel and i tried to cure all rattles, but they come out big and loud with bumps. i know freightliner want's their product to ride as smooth as possible for a motorhome chassis. is there any type of add ons accessories by frightliner or whomever to improve the ride?

thanks

incidently, i will not drive on I-20 anymore in mississippi, since it's the worst.

Fred Cooper · 06-05-2011, 10:12 PM

My chassis is older (2000 Hol Rambler) on Freightliner (probably 1999) chassis.

I've gotten improvement by:
(1) installing larger, higher load range tires and running lower tire pressure per actual wheel weights and load/pressure chart.
(2) replacing original shocks with Koni FSD shocks

If you haven't weighed your coach and adjust tire pressure according to tire manufacturer's charts, that should be your first step.

Fred

Arch Hoagland · 06-05-2011, 10:34 PM

The biggest, easiest to check factor in ride is tire pressure.

Set your tires to the recommended pressure from your tire manufacturer. You need to know what weight is on each axle or tire if you can weigh all 4 corners.

Elkhartjim · 06-06-2011, 05:30 AM

[QUOTE=
If you haven't weighed your coach and adjust tire pressure according to tire manufacturer's charts, that should be your first step.

Fred[/QUOTE]

...and the biggest reason for a rough ride.

MaverickBBD · 06-06-2011, 11:35 AM

I would suggest Koni FSD shocks. It makes an incredible difference with the ride.

RickO · 06-06-2011, 11:43 AM

Had the same issue when my 07 Ellipse was new. Tire pressure (after weighing the coach I could lower them from 110 to 90) fixed the rough ride and Henderson's Motion Control units really helped the side to side rocking... especially when entering/exiting driveways.

Good luck...

Rick

historyljc · 06-08-2011, 11:28 PM

All the above give good advice. Even if you take all the advice it's not going to smooth out I-20 from Jackson, MS to Louisiana. (I haven't been on I-20 east of Jackson so cannot address that strech.) And if you think that's the worst there is, don't go on I-20 around Boosier City, LA; I-10 from the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge to Lafayette, LA; I-40 aroung Okalahoma City, OK; or I-10 from the east end of I-12 to the Mississippi line - east bound is the worst it has some 4 inch drops between sections of concrete. The only thing you can do when you hit one those place (or a zillion other spots on our illustrious interstate system) is to slooooow waaaay dooooown.