Handling improvements (1 Viewer)

[cornevisagie]

Hi
New to motorhomes, just got a new one and our 1st. Need to get use to the size and handling, but was wondering what people has done to theirs to improve handling, less rolling etc?

I believe options to be:
1. Change the 15in wheels to 16in with a lower profile tyres?
2. air suspension on the back?
3. Torsion bar on front?

Keen to hear what you did to yours and the difference it made.

 

[Just smiffy]

Welcome....

Going round corners and roundabouts slower helped...

 

[Landy Andy]

Rear air assist. Massive improvement

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[tonyidle]

Coach-built or A class motorhomes don't handle - that's PVC territory! Think of it as a front room on wheels. Improvements should be aimed at increasing comfort, reducing road noise and rattles, and maybe reducing roll. Lower profile tyres will reduce comfort and increase road noise and rattles. Air assist can reduce roll and produce a more cushioned ride and are worth fitting.

 

[RubyOptics]

Comfort and handling on a vehicle are pretty much diametrically opposed. You could indeed change the tyre size and profile and fit a thicker torsion bar, but ride comfort is going to be drastically affected. Not only will you be able to tell the religion of any caterpillar you run over, but the amount of rattling will increase to "crashing" levels i would imagine! I have no experience with air suspension, so I can't really comment on that, but I've done enough suspension work on my car to know that you can improve handling, yes, but at a price that isn't just financial.

 

[jezport]

Full air suspension is the ultimate handling improvement

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[funflair]

Full air suspension is the ultimate handling improvement

Plus active damping

 

[joe and sue]

I have always found that the manufacturer's set up works fine for the average user, as stated earlier in this thread, any mods to improve one aspect of handling / comfort / noise, usually have adverse effects in other areas.
I have modified suspension etc to improve handling on some cars, MGB for example, but comfort went out of the window.
Just remember that you will be driving what is essentially a commercial vehicle, not a sports car.
Find best cruising speed and enjoy the journey, a bit slower than you may be used to but you will see more.
I would rather spend my money on travelling and enjoying the MH as it is
Joe

 

[WynandJean]

Hello and welcome from West Midlands.

Wyn

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[Tea Bag]

Hi.
Handling. First m/ho was a Renault Master PVC drove nice,second m/ho had the Alko half at the back,this went,was sold on, quick sharp,because it did not fit in with my style of driving and rolled around like a drunken duck when asked to Slalom ( Each to their own ). Now back with a Fiat Ducato PVC. This,like the Renault goes where i point it with no fuss.
Active Air suspension is the way i would have thought,it transformed the comfort of HGV's , so i cannot see why it doesn't do the same on m/ho's. You won't get all of the outlay back when you sell it,but remember you have had fair use out of it while it was on.
Tea Bag.

 

[cornevisagie]

I have always found that the manufacturer's set up works fine for the average user, as stated earlier in this thread, any mods to improve one aspect of handling / comfort / noise, usually have adverse effects in other areas.
I have modified suspension etc to improve handling on some cars, MGB for example, but comfort went out of the window.
Just remember that you will be driving what is essentially a commercial vehicle, not a sports car.
Find best cruising speed and enjoy the journey, a bit slower than you may be used to but you will see more.
I would rather spend my money on travelling and enjoying the MH as it is
Joe

No worries Joe, wasn’t planning on drag racing, but it feels a bit to wobbly. Assume the dont fit air suspension to keep cost down, so happy to fit that, just wanted to check if those that did it found it a useful upgrade.

 

[jezport]

I have always found that the manufacturer's set up works fine for the average user, as stated earlier in this thread, any mods to improve one aspect of handling / comfort / noise, usually have adverse effects in other areas.
I have modified suspension etc to improve handling on some cars, MGB for example, but comfort went out of the window.
Just remember that you will be driving what is essentially a commercial vehicle, not a sports car.
Find best cruising speed and enjoy the journey, a bit slower than you may be used to but you will see more.
I would rather spend my money on travelling and enjoying the MH as it is
Joe

First of all the suspension on even current vans is very poor, Just bog standard van leaf springs on the rear are usually flattened out when the conversion is added.

A sports car suspension modifications cannot be compared to those required on a motorhome. For sports you want it low and hard. For a motorhome you are not looking to lower it or harden it. With a full air suspension you will remove body roll, add extra absorbsion of bumps and road noise, improve braking as no nose dive on hard braking and you are adding a fully computer controlled system that monitors and adjusts the suspension as you drive.

As well as transforming the drive it reduces internal rattling, reduces stress on the internal components of the conversion. This all reduces cabin noise.

There are other benefits. you can raise the rear for steep ferry ramps, lower the van for loading, Raise for off road and tilt to empty water tanks.

You are no-longer driving a commercial vehicle as it handles more like a Range Rover and doesn't get effected by side winds as much and is safer in emergency situations. We had acar pull straight out on a slip road in front of us and I think we were saved from hitting them by the air suspension keeping the van straight and level during emergency braking.

Our extra high top ducato was very poor before being sorted and now has the same suspension that they fit on ambulances.

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[thebriars]

My suggestion would be to do nothing for at least a year. By them you will be used to the way it handles, a year closer to the next van, and smugly enjoying all that money you didn't spend.

 

[pappajohn]

Tyre pressures make a big difference to handling and comfort.
Don't rely on the 80psi/5.5bar stickers..... Experiment with lower pressures.
My last C class ran 64psi rear and 52psi front
No undue tyre wear and didn't overheat no matter how far we drove.

 

[Lenny HB]

16" van wheels actually run higher profile tyres, lower profile tyres are not something you want unless you like a boneshaker ride.

Full 4 C air suspension is the best way to go we have never regretted it and as Martin says if you can afford the extra 3 grand for active air damping even better.

Do it now if you leave it a year or more you won't want to spend thousands on the van.

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[Eddystone]

I agree with pappajohn.
Try different tyre pressures first.
Making any modifications to a brand new vehicle is likely to affect warranty.

 

[TerryL]

First make sure the tyres aren't "out of date". There is no legal age limit, they are reviewed at MoT time on condition, basically enough tread and the tyrewalls are not cracked or damaged in any way.

That said, tyres do eventually get, ahem, tired and don't perform as well as new - this is particularly relevant on motorhomes that generally have a low mileage as using the vehicle actually improves the tyre performance, something to do with the release of a lubricant that "relaxes" the tyre (not sure of the technical term).

Then make sure the pressures are okay - ignore the base vehicle recommendations as they don't take into account the vehicle is, to all intents and purposes, fully loaded at all times, a rare situation for white van man. Get the axle weights then ask the tyre manufacturer - except Michelin who usually say 80 lbs all round which is too high in most cases.

I fitted air-assist to the rear cart springs as part of a weight upgrade and straight away noticed a significant improvement in handling once I'd experimented with getting the right pressure. It does nothing to improve the crashiness of the ride - that's down to the tyres - you need full air IMO to do that. We just turn up the radio!

 

[wolfie2]

cornevisagie...what chassis have you got? Or which make and model of motorhome? Different advice will follow depending on your answers

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[TheBig1]

big wheels to fill the arches with very low profile tyres and lower the suspension to drop the van to the ground. Maybe even fit active air suspension and a large air tank. Should look amazing(ly stupid)

 

[Coolcats]

Hi
New to motorhomes, just got a new one and our 1st. Need to get use to the size and handling, but was wondering what people has done to theirs to improve handling, less rolling etc?

I believe options to be:
1. Change the 15in wheels to 16in with a lower profile tyres?
2. air suspension on the back?
3. Torsion bar on front?

Keen to hear what you did to yours and the difference it made.

You can find handling improvements here
you may need the correct chassis though

 

[MikeD]

Rear air assist. Massive improvement

Totally agree - best money I have ever spent on my motorhome

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[joe and sue]

I have always found that the manufacturer's set up works fine for the average user, as stated earlier in this thread, any mods to improve one aspect of handling / comfort / noise, usually have adverse effects in other areas.
I have modified suspension etc to improve handling on some cars, MGB for example, but comfort went out of the window.
Just remember that you will be driving what is essentially a commercial vehicle, not a sports car.
Find best cruising speed and enjoy the journey, a bit slower than you may be used to but you will see more.
I would rather spend my money on travelling and enjoying the MH as it is
Joe

I seem to have dropped one here, as we have a Fiat Ducato front end with an Alko tag axle rear end, so has been heavily modified,
Joe

 

[Minxy]

Rear semi-air assist will be the biggest improvement to handling/ride and the most economical so that's what I'd do without hesitation.

We had it fitted for the first time to a Rimor which was over 7m long and the difference it made was amazing, very little roll when travelling and not massive 'side' sway caused by passing trucks etc, it also improved the ride a lot. At least if you have a standard Fiat chassis it won't cost a lot, now if you had an Alko rear end you can multiply the cost by at least 4, possibly 6!

 

[Jaws]

The only motorhomes I have driven that have been truly awful and felt very 'at sea' were all on Merc chassis
I was asked to sort one a few years ago and changed all four shocks for some that were designed to damp heavy vehicles..
Wallowing is not normally caused by poor or under rated springs but by poor shocks

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[M-J]

20 inch rims tucked right into the arches, lowered with adjustable coil overs and stiffer springs will help with all those 100mph corners.

I would worry about ride comfort rather than handling, as above full air would be your best option.

 

[Augusta08]

20 inch rims tucked right into the arches, lowered with adjustable coil overs and stiffer springs will help with all those 100mph corners.

I would worry about ride comfort rather than handling, as above full air would be your best option.

On the race car I run KW3 Coli-Over Shocks and M3 Roll bars, re-indexed torsion bars on the rear. Dropped it down to 80mm clearance and aero splitter on the front. The golden rule with suspension set-up is if you think the problem is the front - it's the rear, if you think the problem is the rear - it's the rear. It's all about getting the power down as you come through the apex without understeer taking you too wide on the exit.

No sure about the Motorhome though, but I doubt it would be quite so rewarding as the Porsche.

 

[joe and sue]

On the race car I run KW3 Coli-Over Shocks and M3 Roll bars, re-indexed torsion bars on the rear. Dropped it down to 800mm clearance and aero splitter on the front. The golden rule with suspension set-up is if you think the problem is the front - it's the rear, if you think the problem is the rear - it's the rear. It's all about getting the power down as you come through the apex without understeer taking you too wide on the exit.

No sure about the Motorhome though, but I doubt it would be quite so rewarding as the Porsche.

800mm clearance, bet it rolls a bit !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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[gus-lopez]

 

[pelican]

Tyre pressures make a big difference to handling and comfort.
Don't rely on the 80psi/5.5bar stickers..... Experiment with lower pressures.
My last C class ran 64psi rear and 52psi front
No undue tyre wear and didn't overheat no matter how far we drove.

Could I ask which vehicle/conversion you have please

 

[Coolcats]

Could I ask which vehicle/conversion you have please

whilst none of my business I would be asking Michelin, as that pressure is around 15psi less than on the manufactures web site and an insurance company could decline to pay out if an incident occurred ......but what do I know.

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