family log truck ride

pawpawboyce · 06-05-2011, 08:13 PM

i love my itasca 40' meridian for style and looks. everyone passes on compliments on how pretty it is. i keep it immaculate from front to back inside and out. only problem, we i was a kid we logged for a living and this freightliner chassis rides a lot like that log truck. i've got most rattle down to nothing except when driving on rough paved roads it is horrible. hit a bump and the door rattles along with whatever else that i can't find.

i put new 275 tires hoping to help. it had 255's and was worse. kis there anything that i can to to improve the bucking horse. it has 17,000 miles and i'm sure the shock are factory bilstein. help.

emiddleb · 06-05-2011, 09:07 PM

Since you mention shocks I'll just say that twice I've switched the factory shocks to Koni FSD (36' gasser and my current 40' DP) and both times the DW and I feel it made a big difference, especially on rough roads. Shocks are somewhat a personal taste, others will have different opinions, but for us it was money well spent both times.

Of course you need to weigh and inflate tires properly... over-inflated tires (especially on the front where you sit right over them) can make for a harsh ride. Since you mention you changed tire sizes the inflation numbers might have changed for your weight. Did the LR change with the new tires (i.e. G to H, H to H, etc?)

Having said that, (I gently ask) do you have experience in other RVs on rough roads? I only ask because it is, after all, a house-on-wheels and some amount of rattle on rough roads has existed in every one I've owned or ridden in... is the amount of noise/rattles when you hit a bump excessive compared to what you've experienced before?

If so, perhaps a good mechanic needs to check over the suspension, air bags, steerage linkage etc to make sure everything is snug and in proper working order. If all that's ok, I would recommend you give the Koni FSDs a try.

laj · 06-05-2011, 09:22 PM

That`s why they call them freight shakers

Hawkeye · 06-06-2011, 07:41 PM

I have a 07 40' Journey, and I think it rides like a dream, almost too good because the front floats with the front air ride. I have driven everything but a logging truck, and nothing comes close to the ride of our Journey. Has your Meridian rode rough since new? Good Luck

smlranger · 06-06-2011, 09:07 PM

I replaced my stock Bilstein shocks with Koni FSD's and that helped. I've also added the Henderson Motion Control Units on all the air bags and that improved handling significantly.

Tire inflation based on actual wheel weights will help some. However, while I think our coach rides well overall (butter smooth on good roads), we've driven on some interstates in the U.S. that will shake everything.

Hawkeye · 06-06-2011, 09:23 PM

What are the motion control units exactly? Thanks

smlranger · 06-07-2011, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hawkeye

What are the motion control units exactly? Thanks

The MCU's are basically valves that you install into the air lines going to each of your suspension air bags. What they claim to do is minimize the whipping of the coach back and forth, especially when entering/exiting parking lots. What I discovered (and many others who have used them), is that the leaning of the coach in turns, interstate ramps, and dippy roads is much less.

SuperSteer Motion Control Units

If you do a search on 'motion control units' in the products evaluation forum, you can find a lot of feedback on these from folks who have them.