Motorhome sway

All of this I in a Country Coach that is new? I didn't know Country Coach was back in business but I don't keep up with them anyhow.

FuelFunnel wrote:
I read all 4 pages so far, and I have yet to see where the OP states how sharp the turns are or what the DOT's posted speed for the s-curve is. All that was stated was, "a long sweeping right turn and an immediate left turn at 20 mph almost rolled over"; yet about ½-dozen replys say he was going too fast, or driving it like it was a Porschorgini or something. If the posted safe speed is 25, and other coaches are negotiating the s-curve at 30 MPH without issues, is he still driving too fast at 20 MPH? The OP is obviously trying to fix a dangerous handeling problem and make it safe to drive.

Then maybe he should find someone qualified to fix it. Or quit making alterations to the standard equipment. There is a lot of question the OP hasn't answered by people trying to figure out what he's up to. Yet he just ignores it by starting another thread about the same thing.

Maybe he should just leave the air bags alone.

I read all 4 pages so far, and I have yet to see where the OP states how sharp the turns are or what the DOT's posted speed for the s-curve is. All that was stated was, "a long sweeping right turn and an immediate left turn at 20 mph almost rolled over"; yet about ½-dozen replys say he was going too fast, or driving it like it was a Porschorgini or something. If the posted safe speed is 25, and other coaches are negotiating the s-curve at 30 MPH without issues, is he still driving too fast at 20 MPH? The OP is obviously trying to fix a dangerous handeling problem and make it safe to drive.

WNY Pat wrote;-

Here are two equally good references for adjusting your air ride suspension:
http://www.rvtechlibrary.com/chassis/height.htm

And if you have 8 air bag, here you go: http://www.beamalarm.com/Documents/ride-height-adjustment.html

I checked the rvtechlibrary and thanks for the advice. I noticed that the front single height control valve was very much to the left front side. Being that the front air bags are united, would that not dangerously increase the center of gravity in a sweeping right cloverleaf turn.

Hope you get it fixed correctly Jack. Good Luck, Rooster

:h

O.P. may have lost contact here...new thread started that seems to be on the same subject or even possibly the same incident. New thread

jackgilliat wrote:
I started a repair business in 1965, retired and sold in 2002. I have not repaired a motor home air suspension system since but at that time considered them to be unsafe. I hope that motor home companies will respond with detailed information about any air suspension improvements.

Please let us have a polite constructive discussion that might help us be safer.

Has anyone ever seen a 40 ft motor home with large tires on the front and smaller tires on the back. I did and asked the owner why. He said the factory recalled it because the front tires were defective.
They were replaced at no charge. I asked if the replaced tires were exactly the same as the tires still on the rear. He said yes. His motor home has two front height control valves and one rear height control valve (tripod system). I found a newer motor home the same as his and climbed under. As I expected the height control valves were two on the rear and one on the front (tripod system).

On a hot sunny day, a motor home traveling east on an asphalt highway with a 10mph wind from the south entered a right turn cloverleaf. It was towing a small vehicle with it's own braking system. The motor home was equipped with tripod air suspension, two height control valves in the front and one in the rear. At the end of the cloverleaf the traffic light turned red and while stopping, the left front tire blew. I believe it blew because of the left front height control valve causing it to carry more weight than it was designed to do, particularly in the turn and braking at the same time. Also, if the towed vehicle had an empty vacuum booster or for some other common reason was not functioning, it could have further pushed up the rear of the motor home.

Here are two equally good references for adjusting your air ride suspension:
http://www.rvtechlibrary.com/chassis/height.htm

And if you have 8 air bag, here you go: http://www.beamalarm.com/Documents/ride-height-adjustment.html

mowermech wrote:

jackgilliat wrote:
Most buses and motor homes have side to side rear height control valves and one front center height control valve ( tripod air suspension). The left rear air bag pumps to a maximum of 135 pounds in a sweeping right turn while air transfers through a one millimeter opening from the left front air bag to the right front air bag. An immediate left turn allows the motor home to shift its weight onto an empty right rear air bag. The dangerous situation is further increased by acceleration and the fact that the right front air bag greatly increases the height of the center of gravity.
These facts have been confirmed by a study of :-
Highway and Urban Air Suspension Accidents
1. Exiting long sweeping curves.
2. Negotiating the second curve of close alternate turn.
3. Negotiating a curve either during or immediately port torque application.

"MOST buses and motorhomes..."
There is that over-worked word again!
Mine doesn't have air suspension, I guess it isn't part of that "most".
Given the responses to the posts that have been made, and the lack of information about the coach in question, I have nothing more to add to this thread.

and mine is a diesel pusher, but is not on a air suspension or arched springs.

jackgilliat wrote:
Most buses and motor homes have side to side rear height control valves and one front center height control valve ( tripod air suspension). The left rear air bag pumps to a maximum of 135 pounds in a sweeping right turn while air transfers through a one millimeter opening from the left front air bag to the right front air bag. An immediate left turn allows the motor home to shift its weight onto an empty right rear air bag. The dangerous situation is further increased by acceleration and the fact that the right front air bag greatly increases the height of the center of gravity.
These facts have been confirmed by a study of :-
Highway and Urban Air Suspension Accidents
1. Exiting long sweeping curves.
2. Negotiating the second curve of close alternate turn.
3. Negotiating a curve either during or immediately port torque application.

"MOST buses and motorhomes..."
There is that over-worked word again!
Mine doesn't have air suspension, I guess it isn't part of that "most".
Given the responses to the posts that have been made, and the lack of information about the coach in question, I have nothing more to add to this thread.

jackgilliat wrote:
I installed air gauges to the four air bags in a Country Coach. LF 40psi / RF 40psi / LR 100psi / RR 60 psi. The coach was new, sway bars, tire pressures, height control valves, all systems and parts in perfect condition. Took it for a test run, in a long sweeping right turn at 10 mph under the posted, the LF and RF slowly equalized. The LR climbed to 120 psi and the RR went down to 40psi.

1. Just how do you have time to watch those gauges when making those turns. No wonder it feels like it is going to tip over.

2. The air psi did exactly what it was suppose to do. If you add any devices to the system that changes the air pressure, you are changing the factory specs! Where did you get your automotive engineering degree to do that?