The Last Word On Shocks, I Think.

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The choice of shocks for your rig is as much as a science as is the choice of chocolate or vanilla ice cream. There are shocks out there for every desired ride and handling. The real problem is getting through the hype and mystique to be able to read the claims by the shock makers and then decide which one suits your needs and wants for a combination of ride and handling.

Mooney wrote, “I’ve had Bilsteins and Rancho’s, Rancho 9000’s worked much better.” The Ranchero shock is a unit that is desiged for the off road crowd. They are a very heavy duty unit but according to Ranchero the selection is limited to SUV’s and pick up trucks.

TX Brad commented, “Interesting: ’ Life no longer simple’ !
Like knowing what is available today on new RV’s, but also what is good for replacement on an older RV . What factors are needed in selecting a ‘good’ replacement shock. ie weight, length ( wheel base), # axels\wheels , class A vrs C ?  Thanks  TX Brad”.

Most of those are taken into account by the shock maker and then he applies his own philosophy of ride and handling to the mix. And yes there are great differences between shocks. Than said, a glowing endorsement by one rig owner of a particular brand may not give the ride and handling results that you are looking for. For example, I installed Rancheros on my Chevy Tahoe several years ago. They stayed on the Tahoe just over a week and then were replace by Monroe Sensamatics. The rancheos were just too hard a ride for the passenger car like ride that I desired on the Tahoe. But the Rancheos are on my Chevy 4 wheel drive diesel Pick up and I love them on that application.

Photoian took me a bit to task in his comment and rightly so, “As seems usual, your discussion is Class A oriented. What about fifth wheels?
How do one even know how the shocks perform when no one rides in it. Last year I had a recall on bearings and , while taking care of those, it was discovered that the shocks were shot. I had them replaced and then called Monroe, the mfgr, and asked if there were upgrades for my model of shock.
He told me the shocks I had were entry level shocks and recommended a gas-filled shock. I bought six (triple axle) for backup for our Alaska trip this year.
This week, in Prince George, BC, I had my brakes inspected and while doing that, I asked the mechanic to look at the shocks. He did and said they were fine. I told him about my past experience and he said the ones I bought were not necessarily an up grade but just another kind, gas filled instead of oil filled.
So I’m still in the dark about shocks.”

On a trailer with no one riding in it to check the ride, the best way to check shocks is a visual inspection. You check them for leaks, damage, and the integrety of the mounts. But just one little comment on your comment. Gas shocks are not gas filled. They still have fluid but the air that is normally in a shock that could mix with the fluid and cause a foaming of the fluid that would change the way the shock works. Instead of that the shock is topped off with an inert gas under pressure to reduce the foaming and make the shock work better. In some instances the gas is in a plastic envelope in the shock.

So, read the makers blurbs, listen to the folks that tell you that XYZ is the best brand since sliced bread, and try to make an intelligent choice. Till next week keep on camping.

Brad

3,000 Mile Oil Change – is it History?

For many years consumers have used the rule of thumb that you should change your engine oil every 3,000 miles for autos, trucks, and SUVs. Over the past several years there have been tests by various consumer and environmental advocacy groups that have found this to be a waste of money as well as harmful to the environment. In fact according to a recent study by the California Integrated Waste Management Board, 73 percent of California drivers change their oil more frequently than required.

The 3,000 mile oil change may have once been a good idea before the advance of technology that has greatly improved the ability of oil to stay cleaner longer as well as today’s engines that simply run cleaner. Oil doesn’t really break down but it becomes contaminated with microscopic metals from bearings, pistons and other points of friction as well as fuel and the worst enemy of all - water. There have been tests on commercial vehicles that have shown that there is no difference in engine wear when oil changes are pushed past the 3,000 mark and well into double or even triple that interval. Most auto manufacturers recommend 5,000, 7,500, or even 10,000 mile intervals under normal driving conditions. Of course “normal” is pretty subjective. If you are pulling a trailer for any appreciable amount of time, “normal” is no longer applicable and oil changes should be made at “severe” condition intervals.

But in any case make absolutely sure to follow the owners manual recommendations and keep a copy of receipts or record of service if you do your own oil changes. If you have a warranty or extended service contract and ever need to file a claim, you may find that your claim is denied if you can’t document proper preventative maintenance service. Good Sam Continued Service Plan has a maintenance log with tips to keep you vehicle running a long time. Send your name, address, and type of vehicle (tow vehicle or RV) to: CSP Maintenance Log, 2575 Vista Del Mar Drive, Ventura CA 93001 for a free copy.

This article was brought to you by Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service

Ya Mean That All Shocks Are Not The Same?

Not even close Bunkie, not even close. There are so many different theories on what a good shock is supposed to do that it makes picking one of old Howard Johnsons 28 flavors of ice cream a simple matter. It would appear that Koni, a European company that introduced European ride and road feel to this country, has the heads up at least in the marketing department. Now before you throw something at me, hear me out.

Koni build a very good product, no doubt about it. Koni build a very expensive product, no doubt about that either. Koni builds a very difficult to install product if you are going to use their features to the fullest, no doubt about that either.

Now, the Koni adjustable shocks is a great device. We used them in sports car racing when I was younger, lighter, and had red hair and a red beard (both now gray). There are to ways to install the Koni adjustable shocks. One read the instructions and guess that you would like a ride quality some where between firm and soft, pre adjust the shock, and install it. The adjustment of the shock cannot be done once the shock is installed. The shock must be fully compressed. This allows a spanner wrench built into the shock to contact and engage an adjustment nut in the bottom of the shock. This will turn the adjustment nut when the top of the shock is turned and the bottom is held from turning. Then re-install the shock and road test to see if that is the ride that you want. That is great, you can dial in the ride that you want.

Koni realizing this has come out with a new shock called the Frequency Selective Dampers. According to Koni, “We have combined the benefits of performance and comfort into one shock absorber. FSD is firm for control over large bumps and corners, but soft for comfort over expansion joints and rough roads.” This sounds good and if they re up to Koni’s reputation they should do just fine.

 What appears from reading the forums is that Bilstien is the next shock of choice among the aftermarket brands. I have Bilstiens on Rover II, our older Foretravel, and am quite happy with them. Bilstien again evolved from the European sports road sedan market and again like Koni were very succesfull in the variable valving of shocks to be soft under minor bumps in the road and yet stiff enough for good overall control.

Bilstien says in thier web site, “Motorhomes are a great form of travel and recreation. But are they a joy to drive? Wallowing, top heavy, boat like, all phrases that have been used to describe the ride and handling of an RV. But not with Bilstein. Instead words like precise, confident, controlled and safe are what is said about a Bilstein equipped coach. With Bilstein, you won’t find a generic ‘heavy duty’ shock with ultra stiff valving and terrible ride characteristics, but rather a shock designed for your specific motorhome application providing you with a safe and compliant ride.”

Bilstien claims in it’s site that working with Monaco it has, “The World’s First Active Damping System Developed for the Motorhome Industry. BILSTEIN’S ACD SYSTEM (Active Control Damping) automatically reacts to changing road input and coach motion to deliver optimum ride comfort and safe handling.” The claim is that it is a computer controlled system that adjusts the shocks to road input. This type of suystem is a factory installed option as the cost of retorfit would be prohibitive.

Well as usual I have used up all my space for this week and next week we will look at what other companies are offering for ride and handling control. Till then keep camping.

Brad

 

There Are Shocks, and Then There Are Shocks.

Ya, I know, but it is political season, what other kind of a statement would you expect? But this bit of nonsense happens to be all to true. The main purpose of a shock absorber is and always has been to stop the oscillation of the spring when the vehicle goes over a bump or a wheel drops into a hole. When a spring is flexed it winds and unwinds, even a flat leaf spring. When it rebounds it goes past the neutral point and then winds up again. Those of you that have ridden in an old Buick with 4 wheel coil spring suspension and bad shocks know the action. That is were the nickname “boat” I think came from of these old big cars, the floating action of the springs. Coil spings require the most dampening with leaf springs next and torsion bar springs the least.

When the oscillations occure a dangerous situation can happen. The wheel then becomes part of the oscillation party and begins to jump up and down off the pavement as well as the car bouncing up and down. Now we all know that when a tire is not in contact with the ground that you have no control over the acceleration, braking, or steering! So, the prime purpose of the shock is safety, then ride quality and handling.

A good well balanced shock will do these three things well. However there are some things that a shock will not do. It will not effect the ride height or correct a lean to one side. It will not jack up a sagging front or back end. That is by itself, unless it is an air shock that has an inflatable air bag around it or it has a coil booster spring around it. It will not add to the load carrying ability of the vehicle unless it is one of the above. And then it is not the shock that is doing the lifting action.

Gas pressurized shocks may lift the rig a tiny bit over the old shock but the gas pressure in a shock is there to make sure that the fluid does not foam when the shock is being worked hard over bumpy roads. The efficiency of a shock depends on the fluid saying a liquid with no foam air bubbles in it. A shock is nothing more than a hydraulic piston moving up and down in a cylinder.

At each end of the cylinder there are valves that are set when the shock is made to open and close at a specific pressure. This slows the flow of fluid down and controls the action of the spring. It is how the engineer sets the pressure of these valves that makes the difference between brands. Koni has a dial in adjustment that the owner can make when installing the shocks, like soft, medium, and firm. This can change the way the vehicle rides and handles. One thing that we can be sure of is that it is a delicate combination of springs, shocks, sway bars, alignment, tires, and track bars that make or break a vehicles handling.

Now, which shock is the best for you? Next week we will look at some different brands and their claims. Might just be fun. Anyway keep camping.

Hope to Head East Next Summer

Hello all! I have been out of commission lately due to an illness in my family that I have been dealing with. In fact, as a result, I will be going to Kentucky and will be there for as much as four weeks which will be my first experience at full timing. I’m sure that will lead to an article about that experience.

Now, let’s talk about next summer. My wife and I would love to head east next summer and want to make it up to Maine. We would prefer to find a campground that is on the ocean. We are looking for one that ‘promotes’ relaxation! That is, we are not really into campgrounds that have regularly scheduled activities, but just some nice relaxation next to the ocean. 

Now, if someone has some suggestions in the ‘New England’ states area as well; that would also interest us . Again, we would like to stay near the ocean.

When I was young, my mother and grandmother took me to the New England states on vacation. We visited Mystic Seaport in Connecticut and also drove to Maine to get some lobster to bring back home. I don’t remember everything we did, but I remember it being a very fun and interesting trip.

My wife has always had the dream of visiting Maine. I personally think it has to do with her reading Stephen King books! Anyway, I think her dream of visiting Maine has rubbed off on me and now it is my mission to plan it out and make it happen.

From what I can figure, it would take me about three days to get there. That would be about 400 miles per day, which is the max I would want to drive on any day. So, that also means that I will need to make some plans for where we will stay on the way there and back. Or, we can ‘wing it’ while we make our way there and back.

So, if you have any suggestions, I would love to hear from you. I will be working these plans for some time and I am excited about going!

Thanks for reading and happy camping! See you next week!

What Heck is Bump Steer and Other Facts Of Life

Robbie brought up this subject reminding me not to forget to tell you about bump steer. Well bump steer has a lot to do with the handling of your rig, it’s alignment, and is not adjustable. Bump steer is found on any axle on a rig that is a solid axle, that is both wheels are connected to a solid piece of steel running from one side of the rig to the other. Bump steer does not effect independent suspension. Bump steer cannot be corrected with add on steering stabilizers. They can help in the after effects of bump steer to a point. 

Bump steer is caused when one wheel of an axle, say the right front, goes over a bump. The left front wheel in this case stays on smooth ground. The axle rises on the right side tilting the axle so that it is no longer parallel with the ground. This makes the imaginary center line of the axle tilt down and at a point out to the left of the vehicle intersect the ground. Now comes the ice cream cone effect as the rig will tend to steer around that imaginary point causing the front of the rig to steer left. 

Now you the driver feel the left swing and correct the steering wheel to the right, but just about that time the wheel is now coming down off the bump. The net effect is a slight overcorrection. In an independent front suspension each wheel is free to negotiate bumps without effect to the other wheel. 

Now, just when you think you have the rig straighted out the rear end hits the bump, but this time as the right rear goes over the bump the action of the right wheel rising and the left staying on smooth terrafirma causes the same ice cream cone effect but the rear of the rig swings to the left causing the nose to point to the right. Now steering correction is needed and the process starts all over again. Smaller diameter wheels and tires will react more to bump steer than larger tires. The reason is that that imaginary center line is higher off the ground and the tip of the ice cream cone will be further away from the rig creating a larger radius and less swing. 

Bump steer will be more noticable when the shocks are weak as the rig tends to bounce more. And speaking of shocks, I consider them more of a safety item than a comfort item. The purpose of the shock is to stop rebound oscillation of the springs and keep the tires in contact with the ground on rough roads. But we will cover more on shocks in a future blog.

Now, a word on toe in and toe out. When going down a road straight the ideal is to have both front wheels rolling down the pavement parrallel to each other. In that position there is zero scuff and minimal tire wear and minimal drag. The later has more of an effect on fuel economy than we would like to believe. Ideally toe in is what we call a static angle. This means that when the rig is sitting still the front of the tires are closer together than the rear. As the rig moves pressure is exerted on the wheels and tries to open the front up as all the slack in each of the joints in the steering linkage is stressed. The faster you go the more pressure is exerted and the further they will open up. 

However front wheel drive cars are just the opposite. They are set with static toe out. As the power is applied to the front wheels to pull the car along the wheels try to get out in front of the car and will toe in. 

Excessive toe either in or out will cause the car to dart and have a directional control problem. Excessive toe in or out will wear tires as they are dragged across the pavement. If you run your hand across the tire tread from the inside out and then the other way and feel the edges of the tread like saw teeth, to can be suspected as a problem.

Well space is running pout so next week we will wrap this subject up and get onto something else. Happy camping, Brad.

 

Maintaining Your Wastewater Tank

Wastewater tanks are the easiest things to keep clean and smelling like roses. All you have to do is maintain them and they will never be a problem. I will give you a few ways to do this and not have to worry about the smell that creeps up in your RV from time to time. Let’s start with toilet, paper you can use single ply, the cheap stuff that does not clog your tank and then there is the RV toilet paper that cost much more and will do the same job. The next thing is dumping, dumping needs to be done when the tank is full and to perform this you connect the sewer hose to the dump station, then just pull the handle marked Wastewater tank or Black Tank, when the tank is empty, hook a hose to the sewer flush or run a hose into the RV and down the toilet, make sure you are not using your fresh water hose for drinking water, we do not want to contaminate the hose we get drinking water from. When the water coming from the tank is clear you’re done. Make sure to leave about three gallons of water in the tank to keep the enzymes swimming; now you want to add some more tank chemicals/enzymes that you can pick up from any RV dealership.

The tank chemicals/enzymes you add will help in breaking down the toilet paper and the solids. They also help by keeping the smell down and keep your tank clean as a whistle. There are a few other ways to keep your tank clean. One way is to flush your tank then add some Dawn or Joy soap, not that anti-bacterial stuff as that would kill the enzymes you have in the tank , if you did use something like bleach or anti-bacterial soap the enzymes would stop doing their job of breaking down the paper, solids and smell in the tank. Next you can add 2 bags of ice to the tank through the toilet and go for a drive. While you are driving the ice will scrub the tank and clean it of any foul things that have been sticking around in it. Next, proceed to the nearest dump station and Bingo you have a squeaky clean tank. You will hear many ways of dealing with your black water/ wastewater tank but it will be up to you. A few things you might want to get for yourself when you know you have to do the dirty deed are Latex gloves and some cheap eye glasses, they will keep you clean and no splatters will get in your eyes. Next make sure you clean the area up of any spills so that next guy who uses it does not kneel down in a puddle you left behind. Just be courteous, when at the dump station so everyone will be happy to follow after you.

This article was brought to you by Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service

Care for a Truck and Camper

 

We have been working on new suspension products for pick-ups for quite some time now, and last week we had the opportunity to work on a Dodge heavy-duty truck that would allow us to use much of the knowledge we have gained working on motorhome chassis. This truck hauls a camper, and although it was already equipped with airbags, the handling was still far from ideal. Read more

Locking Fuel Caps. Securing Your Fuel

Locking fuel caps have gained in popularity recently, driven in part by the rapid rise of the cost of fuel.   Many motor coach owners believe that installing such devices may in fact lead to other issues if their rig is subject to fuel theft.  So, is purchasing and installing these fuel tank security devices the way to go?  Is the jury still out?  According to many, no.  So let’s look at the arguments on both sides.

Read more

Road Testing MS Streets And Trips, Product Review (Part II)

Last week we looked at the workings and features of Microsoft’s Streets and Tips 2008. (A link to last week’s blog if you missed it LINK)  This week we are taking it to the street.   We’ll be testing the GPS navigation guidance in the real world.  I chose the City of Vancouver, Canada, to conduct the trial run.  In as much as I was not familiar with the areas of this city that I would be navigating, it would mean relying fully on the product’s ability to direct me.  I really did not doubt its ability to find and direct me to the target; after all, they will all do that.  It was how it does it, and the speed and timing.

I set three targets, one after the other, all located in the Vancouver area.  I did this in the hotel prior to setting out.  Instead of doing each as a waypoint, I opted to enter each as a separate route, or trip, using my previous destination as the start of the next.  I made four routes that started with the hotel in Richmond, B.C., and finishing with the hotel as the final destination in the fourth route.  I saved each as a leg number, “Leg1, Leg2,” etc.

The unit was fast to set up.  I put the GPS/antenna module, with tether line connected, onto the dashboard near the bottom of the windshield.  I then plugged the tether line into a USB port on my laptop computer and booted it up.  I selected the program icon and opened the program.  I then activated the GPS and selected my first saved route.  The time for the GPS to acquire the needed satellites was nearly instant.  This was comparable to a late model O.E.M. or like quality in-dash GPS system.  The position shown and the actual were basically one and the same, or what you would expect.

The voice guidance was clear and understandable.  The audio volume, however, was limited.  While operating at slow speeds, windows closed and moderate to light traffic, it was more than adequate.  With the road noise associated with high speeds, the audio became more difficult to hear clearly, as with a window down or in heavy traffic.  This appears to be a laptop audio issue, not the fault of the software.  This seems to be a common problem with other laptop applications.  It can be overcome by the use of a headset or other laptop audio enhancing device.  This did not present an immediate problem for me as the large screen was extremely easy to see and navigate directly visually.

Audio turning notice was at 0.3 miles prior to the turn when on secondary roads and 0.4 miles on motorways.  This is about a 25 second warning based on a motor home’s average speed on these types of roads.   Additionally, the audio/visual queue for the next turn is delivered immediately after each turn event.  This feature works well in preparing the driver for what’s ahead.   The screen provides full navigation information at all times.  It shows the vehicles speed (miles per hour or kilometers per hour, depending on the driver’s preference), the distance and direction of the next turn and the current surrounding terrain.   It also has a reverse route option.  This allows a one step way to quickly set up the return trip.

Summing up the test results yielded the following observations..  The Streets and Trips 2008 program performed basically as expected.  This operates in a similar fashion as many other personal in-dash or stand alone GPS navigation devices.   The biggest difference here was the large screen display that the laptop provided.  In the test case, I used a 15.4″ Dell.  This not only delivered much more mapping area, but also displayed  large easy to read vehicle speed, distance to next event and full visual turn information.  The designated navigator in your coach will probably love this product.  It’s easy to plan, operate and understand.  The ability to have it within reach can’t be overlooked either.  Most competitive products are not mounted near the passenger seat and therefore may require driver input during operation.   This is a great two person GPS navigational guidance tool.  These types of computer based solutions appear to be gaining in popularity as more motor coach owners opt to carry a laptop computer with them in their travels anyway.

The overall experience of using this product was very good.  It was relatively simple to use resulting in an end to end zero frustration experience.  And if you can drive in a busy city and operate a potentially complex software package without any frustration, it must be good.

Note: This product is capable of far more than described in this review.  Construction area downloads (free for one year), off air updates on local traffic and current fuel prices, are but a few.   Testing of these advanced features was not conducted.  The review covers the more basic operations and applications only. 

Reporting From The Street   -   Lug_Nut   -   Peter Mercer

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