I was wrong about everything! (Suspension problems, part 2)

[Naio]

We went on an expedition into town today, and got some real data.

First stop, the scale. My rig, loaded for travel, is only a hair under the GVWR. Like a case or two of water, or a full gas tank, under.

Next stop, my friend's trusted mechanic (not a suspension specialist, but an old guy with lots of experience who does not upsell).

He said that my leaf springs are not shot, Unlike the guys on the van forum, he thinks that basically never happens. He said they are flat because of the load, and since I have already added heavy duty shocks I should add a leaf.

He said the sway bar is ok. I am a little hesitant about this because I was not under the van with him, pointing at what I thought were cracks. But he said if they were cracks, it would be broken all the way through because of the stress it gets. Could it just have lines/ridges in the metal, at the bend points?

He did say I need bushings for the sway bar. Someone on the van forum said that was the best $15 they ever spent.

There is of course the question of whether adding a leaf, which requires fabricating new clamps, and changing the bushings, which means taking out the sway bar anyway, would save enough $$ to matter.

--

So.. what do y'all think? Am I doing the wrong thing to use this van as a camper, if it is going to be right around the GVWR all the time? Or can I beef it up enough that it will be ok for 10,000 miles? I am not trying to get another 100,000 out of it ;).

Previous thread.

[westend]

You might be mistaking "floppy" with the different characteristics of tires that are inflated 20-25 psi more than previous. The more inflation added will sometimes mean more tire movement from the pavement.

[Salvo]

Are your tire sidewalls just 3-ply? Are they strong enough? It's still a mystery what vehicle you have. But 3-ply doesn't seem enough for a fully loaded van. I would go with load range E.

[Naio]

Thank you folks, very much, for the tire advice :).

Yes, my friend agrees that he was being overly aware. I will try it out for myself in a couple weeks. I'm impatient!

[Chris_Bryant]

I agree with tire pressure- 45 psi was seriously under inflated, and because you are near the GVW of your rig, most likely they need to be nearer the 80 psi max. You really need to look at the charts Snowman9K gave, and follow his advice. I have a feeling that would make a *huge* difference.

[Salvo]

The front floppy feeling could be attributed to weak tire sidewalls. Do you have E rated tires?

[Snowman9000]

Maybe your friend was super-attentive due to the assignment, and what he observed in the front would not normally be noticed or concerning? I agree with those who say wait till you can drive it and see for yourself. It sounds like it is much improved.

As to tires, you can affect handling by playing with the pressures. Generally, if the front end feels too quick, you can help it with more rear pressure, or less front pressure. But, you don't want a pressure so low that the tires can't carry the load, and of course you don't want to exceed the upper limit either.

If you google RV tire pressure chart, you should come up with the industry standard chart showing the load each tire can carry at a given psi. So if you know your front axle weight is 3000 pounds, you can find the lowest psi for your front tires. Same for rear. Actually to do it right you need the weight at each of the four corners, but lacking that you'll have to use common sense and not go right to the lower limits. What I'm saying is that you could end up with say 80 rear and 50 front, or something like that, to make it handle properly.

edit: here is goodyear's chart:
http://www.goodyearrvtires.com/pdfs/rv_inflation.pdf

[Naio]

Thanks, christopherglenn!

[christopherglen]

If you are happy with the rear, up front the options are swaybar (larger then whatever is on there from the factory), and stiffer shocks. There may be a steering stabilizer option as well.

[wa8yxm]

You say a new leaf (Additional leaf) will require all this extra work.. I do not know.

I know that sometimes the suspension is not designed to hold the max GVW of the vehicle,,, Some companies are real good at short springing and such.

Have you considered http://www.airliftcompany.com/

Might be less expensive.

However as others have said, this will NOT increase your GVW or CCW (Will reduce CCW a few pounds (Shipping weight), but it will give you a bit more room to bounce.

[Naio]

@RICKIM: That WAS at a spring shop.

[time2roll]

I would call it done for the year. Take care of your hand injury first.

[RICKIM]

Like they ^^ said....go to a good/reputable spring shop. They do it every day and could also advise you on which way is the best.
That's all a spring shop does, springs, so their good at, and they have probably seen it all.

I can't see it taking them more than a day to do. I've had springs/leafs added on previous vehicles, both front and back and it doesn't take them more than a 8hr work day.

Good Luck
Rick

[Naio]

Update time!

I did two things, and they helped a lot, but they may not be the whole solution.

1. Put more air in the tires. When I bought my BFG K/Os, I asked the shop to put in 60-65. But they said no, no, you don't want that and put in 42. Since they are an independent local shop with many years experience (not some 19 year old at TiresRus) I figured they knew. And you all probably figured _I_ knew! But 60 front and 65 rear helped a lot. Should I try more? The tires are rated for 80.

2. Got new, custom leaf springs. I now have 5 leaves instead of 3, and a bit of a curve instead of flat!

On the freeway, my friend who drove the van to and from the shop (an hour each way) says it is far better, though it now seems a bit floppy in the front, instead of the rear. He says the shocks are fantastic, now that they have some springs to work with. Me, I still cannot drive due to hand injury, so I have to go by his reports.

Parked, it is now as stable with zero jacks as it was before with one. If I nod my head while lying on the bed, I can feel the van rock gently.

So, where do I go from here? Take it to another shop for the front end floppiness? The spring shop only does leaf springs. Or drive it till the next chance for non-emergency repairs, 1000 miles, a couple months from now? (I'll be staying in an expensive area in the meantime... although they probably have cheaper shops I don't know about.)

[Carb_Cleaner]

Salvo wrote:
Hey Carb, your bike brings back memories to summer of '71. Had bike like yours with sissy bar all packed up with pot, pan, tent, sleeping bags, etc. Rode cross country with girlfriend for two months, starting in LA, getting to Dallas, Chicago & Canada. Riding down HW1 from Vancouver with side trip to Tahoe was terrific. I could do it again, perhaps with a windshield next time.

Nice.
The longest we've gone on the bikes is 19 days. That pic was taken on a 10 day ride down/around the Blue Ridge Parkway, Summer of 2010. It's a 2003 (100th Anniversary) Softail FXST. I can't imagine selling it. My Significant Other, AKA Ol' Lady or My Gal, rides her own bike (now on her 3rd Harley, after the Sportster in the pic below), so I stuff blankets in my pack for a backrest.
Now-a-days, I have a feeling our bikes would go cross-country in our trailer behind the truck camper. Awesome riding out West. It's on our list. I don't know about riding the bikes 6,000 miles and sleeping on the ground in a tent, after having been spoiled by the camper (and getting older).




End of thread hi-jack.