Bill.Satellite wrote:
You will not have any problem driving any of the coaches you are considering. Comfort drive? Just a marketing gimmick. They all drive great!
Having owned Comfort Drive for almost 10 years now I can assure you it's not just a marketing gimmick. :W
Ivylog wrote:
It's a active centering device instead of a passive one...more complicated like IFS. A good handling coach does not need any add on's to the steering.
Prevost, Newell, Foretravel and bigger Monaco's all use 10 airbag suspensions' solid front axles and no sway bars.
In the video on C drive...bragging about a 365 front tire is used for a better ride is BS. It's used because the rig is poorly balanced with a overloaded front axle.
What CD does is make a good driving coach even better. It has nothing to do with IFS as it was also available on their straight axle units back in the day.
The 365 tires were needed due to the heavy front axle. MHs today are heavy.
As far as Newell goes, they are now using Comfort Drive (they call it something else, but it's the same system) so apparently they too see the value in it.
Mr.Mark wrote:
I watched the Comfort Drive video. I think there is a little BS going on there. I should preface this by saying that I have never driven a coach with Comfort Drive so I'll keep an open mind as those of you who have it seem to praise it. The guy at Newmar said that the coach he was driving was on a Freightliner chassis so maybe that chassis needs correction and benefits from Comfort Drive.
I drove our '08 Dynasty (42 ft.) with one hand many times and did not have wind problems or truck passing problems as the guy in the video professed that was corrected with Comfort Drive. The Roadmaster chassis has a computer that monitors and corrects air pressure in the 10 airbags to resist swaying, etc.
Our Prevost surely drives like a dream and I don't even have to use my hands! LOL! (jus kid'n). We go down the road straight as an arrow windy or not with only slight correction in the wheel if extremely windy.
Safe travels,
MM.
I didn't watch the entire video but I the first few minutes I would agree with. On a calm day it's hard to fully appreciate the benefits of CD. When the strong, gusty winds come up it where it shines. We were fortunate, when we did our original test drive we were able to compare 2 otherwise identical units back to back on a gusty, windy day. The difference was enough where we decided to order our '08 as opposed to taking the deal on the '07 leftover on the lot.
We recently returned from a 1,200 mile trip, I do the 600 miles each way in one sitting and arrive refreshed. Our longest run was 5,500 miles in 10 days. I did every mile of that trip and not once was I fatigued.
I know it's hard to fully understand just how much of a game changer CD is, and in most cases 1 test drive doesn't even begin to tell the story. I will also admit when we picked ours up it was a nice calm day and I questioned myself as to if it was really worth it. It took around 2,000 miles for me to settle in and trust how much better it drove. I know never is a long time, but after having CD for almost 10 years, right now "never" is when I think I'd consider a MH without it. It's just something thats hard to explain to someone who hasn't lived with it.
