A little scary

[GrandmaLee]

First time ever riding in a class A motorhome. I was not the driver. Went from Chicago to Florida and back. I felt so unstable in there---like everything was loosy goosy with a sensation of toppling over. Is this normal for the first few times? and will I get used to it?

[winpa4k]

My motorhome did the same thing when i first owned it. I could not for the life of me understand how could relax driving these things. Then I checked the tire pressure and found the outside tires each down 20lbs. Brought all tire up to the same lbs and it rides like a dream, Very stable.

Not saying this your problem, good luck.

[sowego]

We've noticed you are fairly new MH owners. I fully agree with suggestions from other posters about your chassis possibly needing to be upgraded. Even after an upgrade you may still notice some sway and movement in the suspension when rolling, entering the coach and walking around. You are in a large rig, riding far of the ground so even the slightest movement is more noticable. After your upgrade, which I think is well worth the investment, you should be happier. Yet, as others have said...it takes time to get used to the ride and feel of a MH going down the road.

[Koop]

If the driver (your husband) felt fine but the passenger (you) felt unstable I would think it was just something you need to adjust to. I recall my wife having moments of anxiety the first couple of times we took our coach out. Your perspective is much different in the front seat of a MH than what you're used to in a car. You sit much higher and you're in front of the steer axle. This can make turns feel un-natural. My wife doesn't have a problem with it anymore and I know our coach is very stable compared to some I've driven - it just took a few rides for her to adjust.

[Daveinet]

I have a very inexpensive solution for you. Watch a bunch of these episodes, and after that, riding shotgun on American roads won't bother you one bit.
http://www.history.com/shows/irt-deadliest-roads/videos#irt-deadliest-roads-the-death-road

[RFCN2]

Mine glides down the freeway like a locomotive. Serenely stable. I would say your ride was not normal. National makes good motor homes so something is amiss with it.

[John_Joey]

Still have it safety checked. It will give you peace of mind.

After that, take the steering wheel and let your husband be the passenger. It would do you both a world of good.

More then once has a husband got a heart attack while on the road leaving the wife to fend for herself.

[doxiemom11]

I had the same problem our first trip to Alabama and back to MI the next spring. Especially on curves where I felt like I was going out into the ditch. We put a steering stabalizer on and it did help, but I was a raw nerve from riding every day. It was to stressful. We didn't have a vehicle the first year - only a motorcycle. We now have a Jeep and I drive the Jeep following the motorhome. Maybe someday I'll try it again, but I'm pretty comfortable following behind.

[koda55]

My DW cannot sit in the passenger seat. The window is to big and it scares her, plus we had a bad steering gear box and the class A tended to wander all over the road. Have replaced the gear box and now have no wander. We have a chair right behind the front seat and that is where she sits. Now she is not afraid.

[GrandmaLee]

wildmanbaker wrote:
Lee, even though its not a Ford, the same fixes should apply. The first 6 month we owned our MH, the DW was scared to death I was going to run off the road on the right side. I suggested that she look in the passenger side mirror and she could see the shoulder line was still outside of the edge of the MH.

Hubby felt fine driving...just that the steering wheel was a little sensitive..IT WAS ME that was scared !! He said I was "driving" in the passenger seat up front. And it did not help that it was pouring rain on Saturday in Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana while we were driving up. I think I just need to get out of the front seat, take a chill pill, and go sit down at the table and busy myself with something other than looking at the road constantly. I will take your advice and look at the mirror

[Daveinet]

deandec wrote:
New MH drivers may tend to oversteer during their first trips. Some folks oversteer in their automobile.

This can cause your discomfort without any mechanical causes.

Oversteer, over correction is caused by the lack of response to steering input. This can be corrected with trac bars. The W22 desperately needs trac bars (which is different from torsion bars, which it already has). Any time you move the wheel, the springs flex sideways. This gives a delayed response to steering input. That delay, causes you to turn even harder. When the coach finally catches up to how far you have turned the wheel, you have turned it too far, and now need to turn it back. You will constantly wonder down the road, always correcting. While you can change your driving habits and slightly improve the situation, the real fix is trac bars. Spend the money and correct the root cause. You also should know that year of coach may have had a recall on shocks, as the OEM were considered too soft. I know the recall covers '04 W22 chassis, so that may end up being your chassis too. Just so you know, model year and chassis year may be significantly different. See if you can find out what brand of shocks are on it.

[John_Joey]

GrandmaLee wrote:
Not Ford chassis---it's Chevy.

My knowledge is mostly ford, but in your case I would have someone who knew what they were doing inspect the bell crank. Regardless, take the unit in and have it safety checked.

Nothing worst then getting use to something that can be fixed. If it checks out OK, then onto the next steps.

On edit:

Also, if that thing has helper airbags, check them to see if they are holding pressure.

[deandec]

New MH drivers may tend to oversteer during their first trips. Some folks oversteer in their automobile.

This can cause your discomfort without any mechanical causes.

I did learn the first time my DW drove the rig that the white line marking the shoulder appears to pass right down the middle of the navigator's chair.

That can also be disconcerting until the navigator learns to look in the starboard mirror to assure that the rig is not off the road....

[rgatijnet1]

GrandmaLee wrote:

wildmanbaker wrote:
I will make a wild guess and say that it has a Ford chassis. What you are feeling is side to side roll, or waller. Early Ford F53 chassis have very soft spring rates that allow side to side roll. It may not have a rear Pan Hard bar/Track Bar either, which allows the rear axle to oscillate under the chassis in a circle. If it does have a Ford chassis, the first thing to do is check if it has a rear track bar. If not, installing one will make a big difference. Moving the sway bar links to the inner hole will give greater resistance to roll also, and does not cost anything. After these mods, adding either aux. air bags, or Timbrens to increase the spring rates. When we first got ours, I though it would turn over in slow turns, as it would lean over until it hit the bump-stops.

Not Ford chassis---it's Chevy.

GM engine but a Workhorse Chassis. The front and rear sway bars on the WH chassis are solid mounted with no rubber bushings. With a toad behind the coach that should minimize the swaying.
How did the driver feel that the coach was handling?
Most coaches, if loaded light on the front axle, will tend to drift a little bit. Easily corrected by shifting some weight up front.
Inflate tire pressure to the the maximum inflation pressure listed on the side, for the maximum load and see if this does improves things.
IF your husband thinks that it drives OK, it may just be that you will have to get used to the ride. You are up higher and in a much different position than in most vehicles. it does take some getting used to.

[wildmanbaker]

Lee, even though its not a Ford, the same fixes should apply. The first 6 month we owned our MH, the DW was scared to death I was going to run off the road on the right side. I suggested that she look in the passenger side mirror and she could see the shoulder line was still outside of the edge of the MH.