Test drives?
There has been a lot of discussion of late regarding poor handling/ride quality found in newly acquired motorhomes. This is usually followed by these same folks spending thousands of dollars, often o...
Forum Discussion
I am guilty as charged. My first MH was a 31 foot Fleetwood Storm and I didn't buy it for its handling. I really liked the layout and the fact that I could sleep 10 comfortably with 6 separate beds. I regularly camped with two adults and 5 girls.
The test drive was really a test to see if I could handle this beast or not. I knew this was an 18,000 pound long and tall vehicle and I knew it wouldn't drive like a car. We took it on the highway and drove back to the dealer, maybe 10 miles total.
After driving it a few times in the wild, I began to wonder if the handling couldn't be better so I read as much as I could on this forum and found that, yes, I could make small changes (proper inflation, cheap handling fix, alignment) to improve the handling. I was so inspired by this, that I eventually made big changes as well (Rear track bar and Kelderman air suspension).
The last two years of ownership on that coach were pure bliss. It handled beautifully and I even took it out west for a 7,000 mile trip and to Montreal from Florida. I ended with 27,000 miles. In hindsight, I don't know what I could have done better when I purchased the vehicle other than demand that they do the alignment before I took possession of the coach but I didn't know better.
The test drive was really a test to see if I could handle this beast or not. I knew this was an 18,000 pound long and tall vehicle and I knew it wouldn't drive like a car. We took it on the highway and drove back to the dealer, maybe 10 miles total.
After driving it a few times in the wild, I began to wonder if the handling couldn't be better so I read as much as I could on this forum and found that, yes, I could make small changes (proper inflation, cheap handling fix, alignment) to improve the handling. I was so inspired by this, that I eventually made big changes as well (Rear track bar and Kelderman air suspension).
The last two years of ownership on that coach were pure bliss. It handled beautifully and I even took it out west for a 7,000 mile trip and to Montreal from Florida. I ended with 27,000 miles. In hindsight, I don't know what I could have done better when I purchased the vehicle other than demand that they do the alignment before I took possession of the coach but I didn't know better.
