Class C alignment

[jabrabu]

I have a Chateau 31E. I want to improve its driveability/stability, and the first item was to get an alignment done. I've read on many forums that increasing caster to at least +5 degrees helps a lot, so I was ready to have caster/caster sleeves installed and a custom alignment done. It turns out that caster was already at +4.9 left and +5.0 right, so pretty good. Camber was also close to zero, so good there as well. So I didn't have the caster/caster sleeves installed.

Toe was out quite a bit. It was .71 degrees toed out (which is equates to almost 3/8"). I have experience racing cars, and I know that toe-out can make a car twitchy and less stable. They adjusted it to .07 degrees toe-in. I expected that going from significant toe-out to a little toe-in would help a lot, but driving it home didn't feel much different. (It wasn't that bad to start with, but I know it can be better.)

So I'm wondering if I should leave it there or increase toe-in a little bit more. I'm thinking that about 1/8" total toe-in might be good for stability, but I don't want to increase tire wear or hurt fuel economy. Anyone here have any experience with this?

Thanks.

[Bob Denman]

How many miles have you driven this rig?
You might want to put a Season on it: getting used to how it drives and feels...

[jabrabu]

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

How many miles have you driven this rig?
You might want to put a Season on it: getting used to how it drives and feels...

I've driven this one 9000 miles. I drove my previous Chateau about 25,000 miles. This one actually drives better than the old one on the highway. I've gotten used to it, and it's not a white-knuckle handful, but it does wander, has no on-center steering feel, and gets pushed across my lane when semis pass. I think this can be improved so that driving long distances is less tiring.

[Bob Denman]

Sorry: I had to ask...
None of us would know your experiences with how these rigs feel...

[opsmp]

Originally Posted by jabrabu

I have a Chateau 31E. I want to improve its driveability/stability, and the first item was to get an alignment done. I've read on many forums that increasing caster to at least +5 degrees helps a lot, so I was ready to have caster/caster sleeves installed and a custom alignment done. It turns out that caster was already at +4.9 left and +5.0 right, so pretty good. Camber was also close to zero, so good there as well. So I didn't have the caster/caster sleeves installed.

Toe was out quite a bit. It was .71 degrees toed out (which is equates to almost 3/8"). I have experience racing cars, and I know that toe-out can make a car twitchy and less stable. They adjusted it to .07 degrees toe-in. I expected that going from significant toe-out to a little toe-in would help a lot, but driving it home didn't feel much different. (It wasn't that bad to start with, but I know it can be better.)

So I'm wondering if I should leave it there or increase toe-in a little bit more. I'm thinking that about 1/8" total toe-in might be good for stability, but I don't want to increase tire wear or hurt fuel economy. Anyone here have any experience with this?

Thanks.

I also have the Chateau 31E. Installed the Safety-T-Plus steering stabilizer and it made a world of difference on my coach. Still get some push from semi trucks but the wife driver the coach now so I'm good for the time being.

Need to get the front end alignment checked before any more updates.[emoji1]

[jabrabu]

Originally Posted by opsmp

I also have the Chateau 31E. Installed the Safety-T-Plus steering stabilizer and it made a world of difference on my coach. Still get some push from semi trucks but the wife driver the coach now so I'm good for the time being.

Need to get the front end alignment checked before any more updates.[emoji1]

Thanks. My next step is to install a Saf T Plus, then maybe a bigger rear swaybar. I thought I should start with a good alignment first. After the alignment my steering wheel isn't straight, but I can fix that myself by adjusting the right and left tie rods equal amounts. I might even add a bit more toe-in when I do that.

[steve76]

2018 Class C Freedom Elite here, 17 E350 Chassis. Had Safe T Plus installed about 2 weeks after purchased and made no difference in sway or wandering. Then had CAT scale weighed and front end aligned, made some difference in floaty wandering. Alignment done by popular truck service place.
Just had following mods done to suspension:
1 Front and rear Roadmaster sway bars
2 Koni shocks
3 Rear trac bar
Now about as good as it gets and made big difference in all problems above. Expensive but now at least it drives without float feel and as far as sway from passing big rigs, still does but MUCH better and more like getting wind hit driving an SUV, driving 62-65 mph.

[Unsweet T]

Originally Posted by steve76

2018 Class C Freedom Elite here, 17 E350 Chassis. Had Safe T Plus installed about 2 weeks after purchased and made no difference in sway or wandering. Then had CAT scale weighed and front end aligned, made some difference in floaty wandering. Alignment done by popular truck service place.
Just had following mods done to suspension:
1 Front and rear Roadmaster sway bars
2 Koni shocks
3 Rear trac bar
Now about as good as it gets and made big difference in all problems above. Expensive but now at least it drives without float feel and as far as sway from passing big rigs, still does but MUCH better and more like getting wind hit driving an SUV, driving 62-65 mph.

I don't see roadmaster sway bars or rear trac bar for the Class C. Did you use the ones for Class A anyways? I have a 2017 FE30 and am looking to do the same. Thanks.

[Unsweet T]

Never mind. I found it.

[Harvard]

Originally Posted by jabrabu

I have a Chateau 31E. I want to improve its driveability/stability, and the first item was to get an alignment done. I've read on many forums that increasing caster to at least +5 degrees helps a lot, so I was ready to have caster/caster sleeves installed and a custom alignment done. It turns out that caster was already at +4.9 left and +5.0 right, so pretty good. Camber was also close to zero, so good there as well. So I didn't have the caster/caster sleeves installed.

Toe was out quite a bit. It was .71 degrees toed out (which is equates to almost 3/8"). I have experience racing cars, and I know that toe-out can make a car twitchy and less stable. They adjusted it to .07 degrees toe-in. I expected that going from significant toe-out to a little toe-in would help a lot, but driving it home didn't feel much different. (It wasn't that bad to start with, but I know it can be better.)

So I'm wondering if I should leave it there or increase toe-in a little bit more. I'm thinking that about 1/8" total toe-in might be good for stability, but I don't want to increase tire wear or hurt fuel economy. Anyone here have any experience with this?

Thanks.

Sorry about being a little late here. IMO it would do no harm to add more +caster to your existing +4.9 and +5.0. I am assuming your 31 footer has a slight fore/aft nose up attitude which would explain the existing high caster angles. Just saying...