Jayco Melbourne, Steering is loose?
We have just gotten a 14 Jayco Melbourne and my husband sees nothing wrong with the steering but when I tried to drive it I had a hard time driving it for a long time because the steering wheel had l...
Forum Discussion
First, it is a truck chassis with recirculating ball steering and a high steering ratio, so it will have a little more play and more movement for a given effect when compared to the tight rack and pinion systems used on almost all front wheel drive cars and small to mid-size SUVs today. Day to day I am switching between a Honda Fit and an E-350 van, and there are definitely some driving adjustments to be made. But I am so used to the E-350 that it is the Fit that doesn't feel quite right, steering feels twitchy with no real center and lacking proportional feedback and return to center (but that latter part is because of the programming of the electric power steering).
But as J-D says, proper tire inflation is critical on the front of this van chassis (and many other trucks in this weight class). The tires are chosen to support heavy loads on the rear, and the same tires are used on the front so they are interchangable. If you inflate to maximum pressure on the sidewall, rather than for actual load on the tire, you lose a lot of the contact patch and grip on the road. You also lose part of the turning power generated by tire flex.
Inflation pressure the first thing I check when someone says their van or class C is wandering, but it is more of a feeling of being loose on the road than it is excessive play in the steering wheel. Play in the steering is best measured when standing still. Any additional wheel movement observed when driving would be from alignment or tire contact issues, rather than slack in steering mechanism.
But as J-D says, proper tire inflation is critical on the front of this van chassis (and many other trucks in this weight class). The tires are chosen to support heavy loads on the rear, and the same tires are used on the front so they are interchangable. If you inflate to maximum pressure on the sidewall, rather than for actual load on the tire, you lose a lot of the contact patch and grip on the road. You also lose part of the turning power generated by tire flex.
Inflation pressure the first thing I check when someone says their van or class C is wandering, but it is more of a feeling of being loose on the road than it is excessive play in the steering wheel. Play in the steering is best measured when standing still. Any additional wheel movement observed when driving would be from alignment or tire contact issues, rather than slack in steering mechanism.
