Wife fearful in Class A

Be careful about using something in the coach to line up with the center stripe or outside edge of the road. When we first went to Class A from a Class C, I lined up a screw on left side of dashboard with the center stripe. Then I would know I was centered in my lane.

My husband does most of the driving and normally we don't drive at night but I went on gambling trip with my sister (leaving husband at home). We were headed to Louisiana and went the back way (not I-10) to Kinder. Well, when the sun went down, I freaked out. It was only then that I realized I could not see the screw at night! LOL.

Diann

The perspective is very different in a class A passenger seat compared to a car or truck. We call it the Oh Geez! seat.

Fearful Wife update: We are purchasing a 2000 Monaco Knight 36Z Diesel Pusher. DH says the shocks look like the originals, so he's going to replace them with Koni or bilstein shocks. He says we'll see what difference that makes in the ride, then consider other modifications. Hopefully the new shocks will make me happy, happy, happy!

Thanks to everyone for your responses and suggestions, serious ones and the funny ones! Enjoyed reading them all!

We routinely travel from Michigan to somewhere in the south and site see along the way. We do not take direct routes. Not quite 5000, but it doesn't bother me to drive. I drove 17 hours straight more than once when the need arose. DH would have a harder time driving a lot of miles in a short time than I would.

To the OP and wife -- our class A felt like it was doing a lot of rockin and rollin also. We did 2 things that have helped -- if you have an F53 chassis, check out the cheap F53 fix. It will stiffen the ride a little, but help top the rockin and rollin. We did it and DH said he wished he had known about it 3 years ago. We also put a steering stabalizer on so that if we did go off the road or had a tire blow the steering would automatically return to center to help keep control. I have not ridden in the coach since this was done, but I can tell from following that it make a huge difference. I would probably rather drive than ride.

WeMosey wrote:
OP's wife here. I think one of the things that scares me is the irrational fear that we're rocking/rolling and about to tip over -- which I know in my head is not true. But I feel like I'm on a carnival ride. And I don't like carnival rides!

I really do want a MH, and DH is a good driver. I've just got to get over being a scaredy cat.

Thanks for all your responses:)

There are Class A's that don't give you that feeling. Our diesel does not - it's very smooth riding - even in the mountains. Perhaps you should keep testing various manufactures. They're not all the same.

When you find the right one you're going to love it! I'd also recommend that after you've had it for a while and feel better in it (and you will) that you learn to drive it. That will really make a difference and you'll be able to help hubby out on long trips. Good luck!

WeMosey wrote:
OP's wife here. I think one of the things that scares me is the irrational fear that we're rocking/rolling and about to tip over -- which I know in my head is not true. But I feel like I'm on a carnival ride. And I don't like carnival rides!

AH, now that... We can fix (Believe it or not)

There are three things many motor homes benefit from...

First, and most important to you is a SWAY BAR.. Sway is side to side rocking of the motor home, like fans at a rock concert First it is like this \.. Then like this | Then like this / then it sways back to where it started.. You want it to be like this |||||| all the time.

A Sway bar. .If it rocks, transfers weight through a torsion system so as to make it stay more upright all the time.


Next is a TRACK bar.. Also called a Pan Hard bar, this "locks" the body (Side to side) over the axle so it does not "wag"

When a motor home "Wags" the rear can move to the right as the front moves toward the left. This makes the driver think he is moving toward the center line and he then compensates
The pan hard bar, by stopping the wag, makes it drive much easier


Third is a steering stablizer

These devises, Such as the Saf-T-Steer or the Blue Ox True Center, do their best to keep you going STRAIGHT down the road.. They can be a big help if things go ... Wrong (IE a tire blows) by the way, but are of help when everything works as designed.

I put the last two on my RV,, Though only one (Front) track bar, I'll do the rear later if I get ye old round tuit.

othertonka wrote:
Most of the fear comes from the fact that new class A drivers have a tendency to drive too far to the right of the lane ....

Due to a left eye vision and perception problem, even in a car or P/U, I drive more toward the center or left side of a lane and watch the solid white line on the right hand side through the mirror, but DW still nearly drove me nuts on our first trip after we replace a C with an A. With her continuous shrieks, moans, muffled screams and sucking all the air out of the cabin in her usual theatrics, I finally told her to shut it up or ride in the back of the bus. By the end of the trip she finally settled down a bit and I finally let her start doing some of the driving.

My new to me class A, see sig., had only 13k miles on it. It handled like a boat in rough water until I put new shocks and tires on it. I can understand very well the OP wife’s comment.

I hope this helps.

We had a class A gas with a seat right behind the passenger seat. DW rode up front one time in the four years we owned it. She said I was always over the white line plus the big window. We just traded it for a diesel and have two full size couches. She sat in the front seat on the way home and was not scared. She had a better view and knew I was not over the line. Now she sits up front with me.

doxiemom11 wrote:
...We solved the problem. We had not other vehicle the 1st year. We now have a Jeep and I drive that following our Class A. So much nicer traveling and NOT being a raw nerve everyday we travel. I tried it for a year and did not get used to it. DH does drive slower, but still too close to that white fog line for my comfort.

Lets see, are you up to this trip following along in a Jeep? From NYS to Galveston Tx, to San Antonio Tx, to Marfa Tx, to El Paso Tx, to Tuscon Az, to Carlsbad NM, to Lometa Tx, to Nacogdoches Tx, and return to home south of Buffalo NY. About 5000 miles round trip.