Thor vs winnebago? superstructure

[hello-RV]

I am looking at winnebago vs Thor for next RV motorhome class A. Winnebago has superstructure. How important is it?

[ducksface]

It's not important at all except from a marketing standpoint.
It's a hyperbole word.

[Pete'sMH]

Winnebago sure thinks a lot of it but I’ve not seen any objective comparison. You might look at Newmar as well. Their Bay Star Sport line is competitively priced and, IMHO, offers some nice quality advantages. They are a bit spartan as a means to an end but if you can live with that - I consider it a plus - it’s worth a look. Looking is fun, in any case.

[hello-RV]

Winnebago has drop test and shaking test, that is really impressive. It makes me think winnebago has better quality. But it seems that not many other brand RV owners report their RV falls apart or roof collapses.

[RACarvalho]

I remember to have seeing a post of people reporting that their sidewalls in the front where separating from the floor and immediately I thought that w/o a solid structure behind (like a cage), if you drive at high speeds the air pressure on the fiberglass front cap is transferred to the walls that are hold there only by the screws that fast them to the floor/roof and those screws may not be designed to hold that amount of pressure if you drive too fast....
A super structure would , potentially, eliminate that problem...
as would more screws and driving at a lower speed....

[ducksface]

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/superstructure

I generally dislike dictionary stuff.
It often takes 10,000 words to define just one word.

But I've put this sad little definition here so someone might tell us what winnebago has and others do not.

[Wandering]

We've had our Thor Venetian up to about 80 MPH (peak at bottom of hills) on I-40 a few places in the California through New Mexico stretch. No issues with the structure, so I don't think air pressure against the front is an issue at normal (60-70 MPH) highway speeds. The Freightliner chassis appears to be solid, and we haven't noticed any movement or shifting of the structure that's been built on it. Ours is a diesel pusher, so the chassis has a lot of heft (and a step up in the floor) in the rear which might help with that.

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by hello-RV

I am looking at winnebago vs Thor for next RV motorhome class A. Winnebago has superstructure. How important is it?

It was not a factor in my decision over Thor or Newmar Bay Sport for that matter, but whatever advantage it may bring is a bonus. I am certainly glad to have it versus the alternative of not. But the below lays out what it is and how they build over their competitors.

The below is from Lichtsinn RV: https://www.lichtsinn.com/blog/what-...ture-so-super/

What Makes Winnebago’s SuperStructure So Super?

From Winnebago’s smallest Class C coach to the largest diesel-pusher, coaches are built to Winnebago’s legendary SuperStructure construction design. But what about the construction is so super?

Interlocking Joints – Winnebago uses a specially designed interlocking joint to connect the floor, sidewalls, and roof to evenly distribute the weight, so our “empty shell” is so strong it doesn’t need internal reinforcement. Many competitors rely on simply screwing and gluing their sidewalls and roof together. But with all the weight borne only by those screws, the resulting structure is so weak it requires interior walls and cabinets for stability.

Laser-Cut Tubing – Precision laser cutters create precise joints in structural steel that are stronger and require less welding. While some manufacturers use less-accurate manual saws or cut-off saws. Winnebago’s precision laser cutter can also cut shapes into a tube, and even etches the length of each part directly onto the tube.

Thermo-Panel Sidewalls – By layering fiberglass and high-density block foam insulation with welded aluminum support structures, we create some of the industry’s strongest, most durable and lightweight sidewalls.

Embedded Steel – Metal substructures embedded into the sidewall provide solid attachments points to keep cabinets and appliances mounted securely in place. Other manufacturers mount cabinets and appliances to cheap pine wood boards placed inside the sidewalls, or even screw their appliances directly to the sidewall.

E-Coating – To help minimize corrosion, metal parts and components can feature one of several protective coating processes. Critical steel structural components are processed through a multi‑stage full immersion electro-*coating (e-coating) system. E-coating is also used by leading automotive companies to protect their vehicles from corrosion.

The process involves charging each part with an electrical charge which attracts the protective coating, causing it to be “plated” onto the part. The result is a uniform thickness of the protective coating. Components like screen doors are painted with a powder-coating process. A positive electric charge is applied to the part, which attracts the negatively charged powder particles. The coating is then baked on in heat chambers for an attractive, extremely durable finish. Many competitors apply a simple spray-on paint that doesn’t reach or protect nooks and crannies.

Winnebago’s legendary SuperStructure construction design is a process that has been developed and refined over more than 60 years of building some of the strongest, most durable coaches in the industry.

[dkoldman]

Originally Posted by ducksface

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/superstructure

I generally dislike dictionary stuff.
It often takes 10,000 words to define just one word.

I was gonna ask you what supercalifragilisticexpialidocious meant but it may take 100,000 words

[Bob Denman]

We looked at a Winnie when we first started shopping for RVs...
Build quality was worse than Thor's.

[taylorbob1]

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

We looked at a Winnie when we first started shopping for RVs...
Build quality was worse than Thor's.

[Pete'sMH]

Buy the unit you like! Fleetwood has a 21 point “construction and manufacturing technology with Powerlock system for interlocking walls and roof” that reads just about the same. I’m with Bob. I traded my new 2017 Thor class C on a new 2107 Winnebago class A and had way more trouble with the latter. Do a careful PDI and buy what you like. Quality seems to be unit specific to a high degree with all manufacturers.

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by Pete'sMH

...Do a careful PDI and buy what you like. Quality seems to be unit specific to a high degree with all manufacturers.

https://www.thorforums.com/forums/at...1&d=1607869435

[Grab320]

I owned a 2016 Miramar for three years. We typically used it in the summer for 4-5 months on the road. It spent the same length of time in repair each year. Have RV’d for 10 years, the Thor had more repair time than any other unit (Winn) we owned combined. Was stranded for repair twice even. Enough said

[ducksface]

Originally Posted by Grab320

I owned a 2016 Miramar for three years. We typically used it in the summer for 4-5 months on the road. It spent the same length of time in repair each year. Have RV’d for 10 years, the Thor had more repair time than any other unit (Winn) we owned combined. Was stranded for repair twice even. Enough said

What type of repairs?
So.many people confuse axxera with Thor and Ford with Thor and faucets with Thor.

Do you own a Thor now?

[EA37TS]

Originally Posted by Grab320

I owned a 2016 Miramar for three years. We typically used it in the summer for 4-5 months on the road. It spent the same length of time in repair each year. Have RV’d for 10 years, the Thor had more repair time than any other unit (Winn) we owned combined. Was stranded for repair twice even. Enough said

Of the 4 to 5 months in for repair, how much time was it sitting waiting for the dealer to get it into. the shop to verify the fault and how much time spent waiting to get in the shop after the dealer received the parts. All too often folks complain about time in for repair when in all actuality the time to repair is minimal while the dealer's unnecessary lot time is great.

Had a 2015 Challenger for 5 years and problems and time in shop were minimal.

[Grab320]

Of the months in repair, the time was: diagnose-await Thor approval-await Thor parts-make repairs. This cycle repeated several times as Thor would only authorize so many repairs at a time!!! All of this time was not Ford related. On the first outing while traveling 1000 miles to Ohio, Kitchen cabinet was falling down, had to stop and find material to brace it up. One of the major problems originally was the coach/chassis was not properly leveled initially. Was twice stranded in a campground for repairs for a few days requiring a repair service to work with Thor to make repairs. One occurance was slides would not retract. No help from the manual to fix, was on the phone for 5 hours for a little help. In the end, one major problem was the slide power (two of them) was not wired correctly and had to find the correct fuse which was not on any fuse panel! Then had to jumper the slices in as both had controller issues. Overall, 3years of Thor vs 11 years of Winn, Thor has had MUCH more repair time! Basically loved the Thor coach layout but could not live with the downtime.

[Pete'sMH]

Maybe there are occasions when long time repairs are unavoidable (like now for me while the replacement for my stolen catalytic converter is on back order from Ford - argh!). But I’d be hard pressed to let my coach be out of commission for weeks at a time. If my dealer pulled that on me I’d go collect it and take it to an independent repair shop. One that does warranty work if it was still covered. A good repair shop will get you in and out quickly and likely put you at the head of the line if the repair is needed to operate the coach. Or I’d take it back to the factory repair center. Once you get the bugs out a Thor coach should serve you well.