Palazzo Handling

[MikeCh]

I am in the process of purchasing a new Palazzo 33.6. When I drove it on the highway, I noticed a good amount of wander left and right. Took two hands on the wheel and a good amount of concentration to keep it in the lane. Speed was 55 to 60 mph and winds were light. When I asked the dealer about it, he told me I needed to load it and see how it handled. The service department says the units don’t come aligned that I would need to load the MH and align it then.

Can any Palazzo owner provide feedback and insight on how their MH handles? I just can’t imagine driving something like this for an extended period of time.

Thanks

Mike

[Arch Hoagland]

You'll need to load it, fill the fuel and water tanks and then weigh it.

Then go to the tire manufactures website and see what tire pressure is recommended for the weight on each axle.

Over inflated tires on an RV will cause the exact problem you are having.

My new 2004 Monaco came with a coupon for a free alignment once I had the coach loaded. Do an alignment...

[Flyer15015]

If it is new it is on air bags with new shocks.
WHY would you spend something north of $250k on a "new" unit that you cannot drive ?
I'd run away from that one.
Next thing they will tell you is that you'll have to throw thousands more on suspension mod's ?
Another reason to run..........

JMHO
Mike in Colorado

[appsol]

Once you have done the loading and adjusted the air pressure for the actual load you should see a big improvement.

When we bought our 2014 33.2 with 4,400 miles on it I did those things to get the tires inflated correctly for the load, and it still had wandering handling and a slight vibration from about 55-62 mph. I mentioned it to the selling dealer in Arizona and they said they couldn't find any issue. A year later I took it to a local Freightliner shop in Oregon for annual service, had them check the front end and align it, no change. So I thought that is just how it is.

Several years and about 40,000 miles later we were on a cross country trip. I went to the Freightliner Custom Coach factory service center in Gaffney SC for service, and mentioned the handling issue. After initial visual examination the technician and I went for a test drive with him driving, and a half mile later he said... "it's your tires".

I did some shopping, and got a good price using the FMCA discount from the local Michelin distributor, who delivered them to the service center. Removed the factory original Goodyear tires and replaced them with Michelin XZE tires, and it drove like an entirely different vehicle! No wandering and no vibration.

[MikeCh]

Very interesting about the tires. On our drive we got a high pressure warning from one of the rear tires. I’ll bet they are all overinflated!

[appsol]

Originally Posted by MikeCh

Very interesting about the tires. On our drive we got a high pressure warning from one of the rear tires. I’ll bet they are all overinflated!

Very likely. When Freightliner builds the chassis they probably just inflate to a cold max pressure figuring the coach builder or dealer will adjust.

The Palazzo line has come a long way since they first started building them. So if the floorplan fits you and your budget, I would not hesitate over that initial handling concern.

[LennyLinda]

Most new drivers have concerns. You are most likely over steering a little. As you get more comfortable you will find it easier to drive.

[khocke]

We recently sold a similar-sized coach, a Winnebago Forza 34T. It was a chore driving it due to the wandering. I had alignments, fiddled with all kinds of tire pressure, empty/full tanks, with/without a toad… nothing really improved the ride.

I came across this info too late. Agree with or not, it’s worth a read: https://rv.org/blogs/news/short-whee...o-hand-in-hand

[Behannig]

I have a 2014 33.2
Bought it in Atlanta and drove it home to Las Vegas. The only issue I noticed was a vibration from the left front wheel. Took it to a big rig tire shop and had them “force” balance the front tires. The left one was out of specs for it being round under the load. They rotated the tire 180 on the wheel and that made a big big difference. I also added a “Safe-T-Plus” system to the front. That made a big difference on gusts from the wind or passing big rigs once I got it adjusted to stay centered.
I didn’t notice any wandering even when I drove home from Atlanta with hardly any weight in the rig.
I would think an alignment would be completed by the factory……
Brent
2014 Palazzo 33.2
2014 Honda CRV

[MikeCh]

We loaded up the MH and went to get it weighed today. When I do the calculations, the front tires are 40 lbs over inflated and the rears 25 lbs over! The fronts need to be set to 80 lbs and the rear 95 lbs.

Thanks for the guidance on the tire pressures. Looking forward to getting them set correctly and going for a ride!

Mike

[Arch Hoagland]

You are going to see a vast improvement!

[TripleGGG]

Weight and correct tire pressure always makes a huge difference.

An alignment when fully loaded like you travel will also help tremendously.

I have a 2014 36.1 and run 100 in the fronts and 105 in the rears. All stock suspension and can drive all day long with one hand. No issues with big trucks passing, etc.

[Lockpro]

Originally Posted by Behannig

I have a 2014 33.2
Bought it in Atlanta and drove it home to Las Vegas. The only issue I noticed was a vibration from the left front wheel. Took it to a big rig tire shop and had them “force” balance the front tires. The left one was out of specs for it being round under the load. They rotated the tire 180 on the wheel and that made a big big difference. I also added a “Safe-T-Plus” system to the front. That made a big difference on gusts from the wind or passing big rigs once I got it adjusted to stay centered.
I didn’t notice any wandering even when I drove home from Atlanta with hardly any weight in the rig.
I would think an alignment would be completed by the factory……
Brent
2014 Palazzo 33.2
2014 Honda CRV

I did the Safe-T-Plus on my small Class C at the factory in Georgia for the exact reasons you were concerned about. I also inflated the tires to the tire manufacturers spec for the weight, ignoring the info on the door panel. I also had Safe T Plus add Koni shocks. Quite frankly the difference in handling was like night and day. Before the mods I was driving a truck. After the mods its more like driving a luxury sedan. My .02, YMMV

[MikeCh]

Took our first trip today. Reset the pressures to recommended levels and it made a world of difference. Went from white knuckles to an easy one handed drive. Thanks again for the advice!