Steering a Motorhome

[The_Works]

We have been full timing for three years pulling a fifth wheel. We purchased a 2013 37' Winnibago Itasca Meridian. We have driven it for about 500 miles, it seems like I constantly need to be slightly turning/adjusting the steering wheel to keep the coach going down the center of the road. If I take my eye off the road to grab a drink the coach will drift, normally to the right. It doesn't seem to pull to the right just drift. I know its a bad comparison but while driving the one ton truck pulling a 42 foot fifth wheel I could pretty much keep one hand on the wheel and the rig would go straight down the road. My question is, since this is the only motorhome I've driven, is it normal to constantly adjusting and slightly turning the wheel to keep the thing on the road? Thanks for any useful information!

[jchonroad]

Had a similar problem with a long Class C we used to have. My best suggestion would be to get an alignment done at a shop the specializes in large trucks. Never had another problem after the alignment. We now have a 36", 2005 Winnebago Voyage that handles like a dream, compared to the C.
JMHO

[RayChez]

Air Pressure on the front tires is off and will make it wonder all over the road. I figure you have 22.5 265x75 tires on your coach. You need at least 100 lbs on the front tires. I really doubt that it needs alignment. I have had my coach for thirteen years now and 62 miles on it and the tires wear perfect. Your coach is new, alignment is not necessary.

[becker]

My comment: I have the same problem..... almost constant correction. Mine is an 08 Monaco Dynasty and the problem has been there since it was new. For a long time I thought it was me. I have had the alignment checked at three different shops..... all rv shops. I also have had it weighted (all 4 corners).
I got on this blog with my problem. Several posters told me of a dealership in Florida (I'm thinking Lazy Days but that was a couple of years ago and I'm not sure). They spoke very highly of them and said they (the Florida dealer) fixed the problem (and other problems) when no one else could.
I called the Florida dealer's front end foreman and he gave me the exact specs for the alignment. The last place that I had align my coach said they used those exact specs but it didn't help any. Last year (after 7 years) I put brand new Michelins all the way around and that helped a good bit.
I have pretty much resigned to the fact that it is just that way.
When we are at the different rallies, I pose the problem to other rvers, but no one has a A-B-C fix.
If and when I get close to Florida, I am going to stop by that dealership (if I can remember their name.)
If and when you get the problem squared away, please post the answer.
I will and I'm sure others would appreciate it. Good Luck!

[Ivylog]

I'd start by checking the toe in with a tape measure and a friend to hold against a rib on the inside of the 22.5 tire near the tread. Want 1/8" toe in. Weighing and setting air pressures is good and maybe someone with the same rig will post their pressures until you can get it weighed... hopefully all for corners.

I agree with 45Ricochet that it's easy to over-steer a rig this long compared to a PU. Often it's the nut behind the wheel of a DP that's the problem... less so for someone trying to drive a gasser Class A. You have to give smaller steering inputs longer to take affect... easier said than done but with some practice it's often just a little more pressure in the direction you need to go... hardly any movement of the steering wheel. Windy days can be a challenge and easy to start over steering it, but here again with practice it's amazing how little input it takes.

Before spending any serious money, work on not over steering it.

[Bruce_Brown]

Our previous DP did that some. We had an alignment done and while it was in spec it was on the wrong end of spec. Our alignment guy was top notch and suggested we set it to the other end of spec. It 100% cured it.

We now have Comfort Drive and that's a whole new level of the driving experience.

[Shot-N-Az]

The Works wrote:
We have been full timing for three years pulling a fifth wheel. We purchased a 2013 37' Winnibago Itasca Meridian. We have driven it for about 500 miles, it seems like I constantly need to be slightly turning/adjusting the steering wheel to keep the coach going down the center of the road. If I take my eye off the road to grab a drink the coach will drift, normally to the right. It doesn't seem to pull to the right just drift. I know its a bad comparison but while driving the one ton truck pulling a 42 foot fifth wheel I could pretty much keep one hand on the wheel and the rig would go straight down the road. My question is, since this is the only motorhome I've driven, is it normal to constantly adjusting and slightly turning the wheel to keep the thing on the road? Thanks for any useful information!

Welcome to the world of Type A motorhomes!

[enblethen]

Which chassis is the rig on? Freightliner?
Some of the comments would be true for a gas rig with the 13 foot rear overhang, but not a DP.

[Ed_Gee]

Lots of good replies have been made. Your steering, even with a short body coach, need not wander excessively. Those responses suggesting you start with steering allignment and tire pressure inspection are right on. Unfortunately most wandering is caused by other factors. There are a number of after-market devices that can help control this from better shocks, sway control bars, and other items. I had a new 30' motorhome that also had excessive steering wandering. Contrary to suggested policy, I went directly to a steering stabilizer ... in my case the Steer-Safe... and the result was like going from night to day. White knuckle steering immediatly became one finger steering for me. ( Not that I'd suggest anyone steer their RV with one finger). I had no regrets in this and the coach steering performed fine the remaining four years that I owned it. Had I to do that over again I might have gone with the SaftyPlus steering stabilizer due to its more elegant design, but they all do the same thing ... and as an added bonus they can greatly help emergency steering if you have a front tire blowout.

[GTN_and_Catz]

OP:
After the alignment's done and the tires are checked and other steering-related items are verified you may still have the same problem. I did and it was just as you've described. It turns a 300 mile day into a VERY uncomfortable exercise.

Although my 19.5" Goodyear tires appeared to be OK, they were almost 7 years old and I replaced them with Hankook's. The difference in handling and overall ride was gratifying ... but it didn't take care of all my issues.

After reading several posts regarding steering stabilizers I finally opted for SteerSafe's Steering Stabilizer. Their website is HERE. This has made a world a difference for me and I am now able to relax enough so that driving it across the flatlands with semi's passing me is no longer an issue. Hitting crummy, pot-holed roads is also a lot less stressful. I feel very much in control. Installation is very straightforward and easily a one-person job.

From SteerSafe's website:
Steer Safe is installed on the vehicle’s front steering arms and clamps on to the front axle. No welding is required. It’s simply bolted on. Steer Safe Stabilizer’s patented oscillatable fulcrum bar makes it the only true steering stabilizer on the market. It provides up to 400 pounds of preset tension on each front wheel working against any outside forces, helping to keep the front wheels pointed straight, even in a blowout situation.

Unlike hydraulic shock absorber stabilizers that hook onto a vehicle’s tie rod, Steer Safe offers protection from the front wheels to the steering gear box. No extra steering effort is required lessening driver fatigue. Maintenance is not required because Steer Safe is equipped with Delrin bearings which never require servicing.

If or When you need to throw some money at the problem, you might give SteerSafe or something similar a thought.

[Harvard]

Wandering can be the result of too little +caster. Normally the RH wheel has a bit more +caster then the LH to account for the crown in the road.

[Cloud_Dancer]

It's kinda normal to YOUR particular Winnebago due to fact that the wheelbase is too short for THAT long of a body. I can tell just by looking at a normal direct view of the side of it. From the standpoint of better directional stability, your motorhome should either have a longer wheelbase, OR a shorter rear OVERHANG.
Winnebago, and other RV manufacturers, have to compromise the design, in order to be able to sell THAT much motorhome for THAT price.
BUT, there's several things you can do in order to make sure OTHER less important things are as they should be. I would start with adding dead weight/ballast to the front end in order to make sure there's maximum allowed weight on the FRONT tires. This you do in order to have maximum caster authority.

[Mandalay_Parr]

enblethen wrote:
That is not normal.

I would get the rig weighed, adjust the air pressure to that specified by the tire manufacturer.
Then take it to a good alignment shop, not some tire shop.

X2 Alignment for sure

[wildmanbaker]

rgatijnet1 wrote:
No, it is not normal to have to input steering corrections all of the time but driving a Class A is different from a pick up truck. Naturally the road surface can affect your steering but after 500 miles you should have experienced different road surfaces. Wheel alignment is something that should be checked as well as tire pressure to make sure that all tires are balanced. They do make a steering stabilizer that is helpful to some drivers. It looks like a shock absorber mounted sideways to to your tie rod and is adjusted to keep your coach going straight on a flat road surface.
The cheapest thing to check is your tire pressure and then I would check wheel alignment. Four wheel thrust alignment is the best, if the shop is equipped to do it. This insures that your rear axle is pushing straight to your front axle.
After all of that is checked and eliminated as a problem, you will still find that the Class A drives different than your 5th. You should be able to relax behind the wheel, however.

Its not quite that simple. First the center of gravity on a MH is quite high compared to a pickup. Then you have crown in the road for water drainage. The alignment may be slightly off also. On multi lane roads, have you tried the left most lane to see if it does the same thing. A steering stabilizer is a little more than just a shock absorber mounted sideways, it usually has a big spring the is a compression and extension force, so it tries to keep the steering in a fixed location. This may or may not help because of road crown and the height of the center of gravity. Not only that, but it is not unusual to have 200 pounds or more difference in weight from side to side, which could contribute to the drifting. You can try adjusting tire pressure, but many have found this to be unsatisfactory to resolving the problem. I don't know if tire manufacturers have changed their pressure charts lately, but going low on air pressures can be dangerous, especially for the 19.5 inch rims, as they can come off the rim easily. In fact most of the 19.5 tires come off the rims after deflating them.

[Crazy_Ray]

I had front end alignment done, air was right, I ended up putting on STEER SAFE and no more being all over road. STEER SAFE worked for me. JMO

[45Ricochet]

I hear you OP. I thought the same thing last summer when we went from a 5er to a MH. After 3K miles now you kind of get use to it. I think I was not looking far enough down the road for my corrections. Setting up high and looking down and not out to the horizon caused me to over steer.
The biggest change is in windy conditions. The fiver wasn't bad at all. The MH is like a giant kite :B