CHF on Challengers
 

Hey, folks -

Have any of you done the CHF to your Challenger? If so, did you just do the stock mod and what were your impressions on handling afterward? I know there’s a LENGTHY CHF thread and have read quite a bit of it, but there are a lot of folks on there who have rigs other than the Challenger, and I was hoping for more specific impressions. I was planning to do this to ours some time ago but wasn’t able to get to it. Now that I have a bit of time left before we head to Texas, I wanted to revisit the issue, along with any other experiences (good or bad) you’ve had in trying to improve the ride and handling of the coach, using the CHF and/or other mods like Sumo springs, etc.

Thanks!
Mike

Mike,
I have a 2017 Challenger 37YT that I did not like the overall handling and front steering/suspension. First I went with Roadmaster (RSS) steering stabilizer for steering wander. That didn't help much so I went the expensive CHF way and replaced my front and rear sway bars. That did help, but I still had more input at the steering wheel than I wanted so I went with the rear Ultra RV track bar.
That was the best mod so far. Since I had spent that much on handling I figured what the hell - go with Koni FSD shocks all around. I was mostly happy but poorer. Then I had something done that I should have had done from the beginning - front end alignment. I can drive with one hand and also not be overly concerned with trucks passing me. I won't be adding Sumo's.

Good luck,
Glenn

I also would like to hear from someone who has installed the the Wacko A/C silencer. With no air dump how cold does your cockpit get? In my Challenger the overhead bunk covers up four vents that with the silencer would create the air flow that help cool the driver's area. Just how can they added to the equation?

Glenn - Thanks for the info! And you made a great point about front end alignment. We’ve had a Safe-T-Steer and a Blue Ox rear track bar on for quite a while, but I can’t say they improved handling much. But I *finally* went and had the front end aligned, and WOW did that make a difference. I’d like to reduce the sway a bit, which is why I’m thinking about trying the CHF. But front alignment is what I’d recommend to anyone who has any concerns about handling in general. I’ll probably be getting that done once a year as part of general maintenance. I’ll probably try the CHF on the front and see how that works, then think about doing it to the back and go from there. I’ve heard good things about the Sumos, but those are pretty $$.

Question: did the Konis help soften the ride any?

Mike,

Read this and get a feel for suspension mods and in particular about Koni FSD's.

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f23/best...rs-497642.html

Glenn

Glenn -

Thanks for that! I have that open in another tab and will go over it in a bit.

In the meantime, does anyone have any tips for reinstalling the dog house in the Challenger? I took it off (easy enough) to cover it in Dynamat Hoodliner, which also was easy enough. All that was on the dog house was a scant layer of Reflectix-type material that was all bunched up near the back of the dog house. Oy. I need to replace the front gasket, which is a rubber “D” shaped gasket that they stuck the adhesive onto the carpet on the forward bulkhead. :facepalm: But I’ll be danged if I can get the bolts to line up with the nuts in the spring clips in the floor. I know that probably sounds silly, but I’m not the handiest guy in the world, and I think I exceeded my quota of cuss words while wriggling around on the floor, lol!

37KT Passenger Slide Rollers
 

One of the things that’s bugged us for a long time was the noise made by the main slide on our 37KT, which is a cable system. So, as if I had nothing else to do, I got down and did the low crawl along the entire slide, lifting up the carpet and underlayment to check out the rollers. Lo and behold, two of the rollers that are inboard of the others (some of them are set up in triple mounts) were literally grinding off the outer plastic casing on the roller mounts! I don’t know if the rollers were defective when they were installed, or the casings have slipped somehow. I sort of doubt the latter, as I tried tamping down the casing, to no effect.

So, I cut off the excess on both rollers, and replaced the one in the rear with the spare roller that was just sitting in the metal channel, and replaced the front roller (now trimmed). MUCH QUIETER and easier movement of the main slide!

Slide roller problem
 

on a 2015 37kt, the big rt rr slide has rollers on the bottom and one of mine looks like the axel in no longer attached to the bracketon one side, currently i don't run it out all the way for, last time i did it was scary getting it back in , had to lift one corner while dw ran the switch.haven't dug into a repair yet, ia it possible to do a roller r+r without removeing slide?.

If the 2015 37KT is like ours (2014.5), the rollers for the main slide are easily, if awkwardly, accessible from the inside when the slide is extended. I haven’t checked to see if you might be able to get to them without putting the slide out all the way - ours was fully extended when I was doing this.

But actually removing the rollers is pretty easy: the spindles are spring-loaded, so you just push it in the spindle to free it from the bracket (you might need a screwdriver or something to push it far enough). Note that they only push one way. Then you just pop out the other end of the spindle from the opposite end of the bracket.

I’m also far from an expert on these things, but I’d definitely have someone check your slide to make sure everything’s working right!

Dynamat Hoodliner on Engine Dog House
 

I think one of the best mods I’ve done, and one I wish I had done as soon as we got the coach, was adding 3/4” Dynamat Hoodliner to the dog house over the engine. I didn’t measure the decibels before/after, but when I turned over the engine after reinstalling the dog house, the difference in the sound level, even at idle, was AMAZING. I revved the engine a bit, and again, an amazing difference!!! And I believe it will have a similar impact on the heat that radiates from the dog house, as well.

This was a pretty easy project (and I finally did get the dog house back on with some suggestions from my dad, lol!). A single roll of Hoodliner was enough to do the entire doghouse. I also taped up the seams using some Reflectix aluminum tape. Since the original gasket fell off, and didn’t even cover the entire length of the front face of the dog house, I just cobbled together a gasket by cutting 1” strips of Hoodliner and sticking them on the face of the Hoodliner lining the dog house and the forward edge of the dog house itself. You can hardly see it, and it at least covers the entire gap now.

Once I have more time, I’m going to try and line the underside of the driver/passenger area with Dynamat or a similar material to do a little more sound deadening and, more important, provide a radiant barrier against the heat from the engine (Reflectix would also work for that).

We had to have that same large slide fixed 4 times! They had to take the entire slide off. It’s just too heavy. So frustrating! Camping World never got it right! They kept RV for months. Finally went somewhere else! It’s fixed now, but I worry each time I put it out!

Wacko A/C Silencer
 

Has any Thor Challenger owner installed the Wacko silencer on the front A/C?Other than noise reduction, are you happy with it?

I'm interested in this too. Especially by losing the in-unit vents in the living room, does it make the cooling in the very front less effective?

Wolf Creek Pass Colorado
 

Well we crossed over Wolf Creek Pass on Hwy 160 in Colorado just a few days ago in our 2017 Challenger 37YT flat towing my 2014 Honda CRV. I was nervous about tackling the big Colorado passes in this big rig. But I have to say the Challenger did ok. We topped out at 10,856 altitude. The rig was in 2nd gear turning 3500 rpm and we were going about 25 mph. Going downhill I first put her in 2nd gear (manually) to let the engine break and try and stay below 40 mph. But the rpms just kept building and I had to use the breaks periodically. So I put her in 1st gear. In 1st gear the rpms were stable at 4000 and we were doing 19 mph. So we just rode the whole way down those 7% grades doing 19 mph and I never had to touch the breaks.

HWY 160 has passing lanes so the slow rigs are not much of a problem.

I was happy to see we could get over these type passes without too much drama. :)