Wheel base to length ratio

rgatijnet1 wrote:
Drive it and find out for yourself. I think you will find that it drives just fine. I have had short wheelbase and long wheelbase RV's and really didn't notice much difference.

. What was your short WB MH and what was the WB compared to the length? In theory I know the longer the WB the better the ride, just like larger tires should give a better ride but the real question in practice can you really tell the difference in ride if you did not know before hand if the tires were 19.5 or 22.5 or the WB was 190 ins or 208 ins?

We have a 33' on 22k chassis with 22.5 wheels. It drives well. Wouldn't want to go to shorter WB or lighter chassis but haven't had any experience.

I have a HUGE overhang. Drove bad until I put on rear sway bar. No problem now. Edit, Track Bar, not sway bar. Sorry.

Gjac wrote:
I am looking to buy a 33 ft Class A MH on a WH chassis, 20,000 lbs. The wheel base is 190 in. Can any one here comment on how the MH rides with this wheel base. I have a 208 in wheel base now on a 33 ft MH on a P-30 chassis and it drives fine. I drive it with one hand like a car. I know that how a MH rides is very subjective and there are a lot of other variables besides WB/lenght ratio so I will obviously test drive it before I buy it, just wondering if anyone here has had any handing issues with a short wheel base.

There is a lot of used on the market so I would shop around, my 33 footer has a 208 inch wheel base on a 20,500 lb chassis and would not want it any smaller or less weight capacity.

Gjac wrote:
I am looking to buy a 33 ft Class A MH on a WH chassis, 20,000 lbs. The wheel base is 190 in. Can any one here comment on how the MH rides with this wheel base. I have a 208 in wheel base now on a 33 ft MH on a P-30 chassis and it drives fine. I drive it with one hand like a car. I know that how a MH rides is very subjective and there are a lot of other variables besides WB/lenght ratio so I will obviously test drive it before I buy it, just wondering if anyone here has had any handing issues with a short wheel base.

Can't say for certain, obviously, but you are also going from an independent front suspension to a straight axle and not so sure you have any sway bars front or rear on the WH. I think I'd be looking at the overhang behind the rear wheels, if anything and so as to keep the tail from wagging the dog so much. Test drive will tell you something as well, but you'll have to be at speed with trucks going by you, for telling the whole story.
My old gas coach, was a P32 and had a tax axle as well, so it did just as well in a side wind, as what we have now with other factors to consider.

WB/OL is probably the most important determinant of handling under adverse conditions.

But, certainly there are others:

Weight distribution is important-- an under-loaded front axle really degrades handling.

Suspension components come into play. Our front shocks are Koni 99 series (double the piston area of Koni 88 series and in a very different league than most OE shocks).

Sway bars, track bars, on air suspension 4 vs 3 ride height valves-- all these are contributors to both ride and handling.

You also gotta figure in that some drivers don't handle rough conditions as well as others.

wolfe10 wrote:

rgatijnet1 wrote:
Drive it and find out for yourself.

A VERY tough assignment. As with no cross wind and/or 18 wheelers flying buy, you really can't check out the conditions under which handling "flaws" will reveal themselves.

Physics is physics. The longer the wheelbase for a given overall length of coach, the better the handling under adverse conditions. Absolutely something we considered in buying our coach. Coach length 38.5'. Wheelbase 260". WB/OL= 56.3

My current MH has a ratio of 52 and as I said it drives fine. But I have talked to a lot of owners with the same chassis and ratio and they said it was a white knuckle ride. I know I can't test it under real conditions so I was hoping someone would comment on the handling of this type of chassis with a short WB.

rgatijnet1 wrote:
Drive it and find out for yourself.

A VERY tough assignment. As with no cross wind and/or 18 wheelers flying buy, you really can't check out the conditions under which handling "flaws" will reveal themselves.

Physics is physics. The longer the wheelbase for a given overall length of coach, the better the handling under adverse conditions. Absolutely something we considered in buying our coach. Coach length 38.5'. Wheelbase 260". WB/OL= 56.3

My 95 Bounder F53 is 33' long on a 190" wheel base and drives very well. It doesn't ride like my CRV but I find it acceptable. All the nonsense about wheel base to length ratio is just that. All I have done to the chassis is set the toe-in correctly and added a panhard bar to the front axle. My wife has driven us through the twisty roads of Arkansas with no problem.

Richard