19.5 versus 22.5 tires
So I have had my Winnebago Vista 35F gasser for 3 seasons now. It feels like when driving down the road I'm constantly sawing back and forth on the wheel to make it go straight. Then factor in trucks ...
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Get the front end aligned. That was the best money I ever spent. Have it done by a shop that does commercial truck alignments. Probably will need to have the caster adjusted, and that means unbolting the axle from the springs and inserting shims. Before ours took constant correction. Afterward you can stay on track easily unless you have to apply heavier pressure in which case we have the gearbox slop below.
Re the CHF- After extensive trialing different settings both drivers agree we get the best handling with the rear antiroll bar in the inner holes (most stiff) and the front antiroll in the outer holes (less stiff). Stiffening up the front antiroll made the coach more sensitive and less inclined to track straight. Probably not true for all coaches.
I installed a rear track bar. Honestly felt no change from that.
Next issue to address is the steering gear box has some free play in it. If the direction of the road crown changes or the wind and you have to go from holding left to holding right then there is 2-3" of play at the rim of the steering wheel before the gear takes up the slack. I'm going back to Ford for that and insisting on a new steering gear.
I also find directional stability is better at 90 psi in the tires. That's what Newmar recommends. Following the usual advice to weigh and then air accordingly we ran a lot of miles at 80 psi. At 80 it rides more smoothly but has less stability. I'm going to try it one time with 100 in the rears just to see what the difference is. There is a clear tradeoff between smoothness and stability when it comes to pressure.
YMMV. Good luck!
Re the CHF- After extensive trialing different settings both drivers agree we get the best handling with the rear antiroll bar in the inner holes (most stiff) and the front antiroll in the outer holes (less stiff). Stiffening up the front antiroll made the coach more sensitive and less inclined to track straight. Probably not true for all coaches.
I installed a rear track bar. Honestly felt no change from that.
Next issue to address is the steering gear box has some free play in it. If the direction of the road crown changes or the wind and you have to go from holding left to holding right then there is 2-3" of play at the rim of the steering wheel before the gear takes up the slack. I'm going back to Ford for that and insisting on a new steering gear.
I also find directional stability is better at 90 psi in the tires. That's what Newmar recommends. Following the usual advice to weigh and then air accordingly we ran a lot of miles at 80 psi. At 80 it rides more smoothly but has less stability. I'm going to try it one time with 100 in the rears just to see what the difference is. There is a clear tradeoff between smoothness and stability when it comes to pressure.
YMMV. Good luck!
