Safe T Plus

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by vkb

Ron sez these had more than 2 inches of space before they would come in contact

Right they are supposed to have quite a bit of a gap as the bump stops are really only there to cushion the suspension near the extreme's of travel. They aren't "springs" they are bumpers for when the chassis bottoms out.

The Sumo's are, essentially, airbags. They take advantage of the bump stop mounting point to add additional support (and also take over the "bump stop" functionality).

[vkb]

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

Right they are supposed to have quite a bit of a gap as the bump stops are really only there to cushion the suspension near the extreme's of travel. They aren't "springs" they are bumpers for when the chassis bottoms out.

The Sumo's are, essentially, airbags. They take advantage of the bump stop mounting point to add additional support (and also take over the "bump stop" functionality).

Yes Jamie...exactly...and that is why Ron installed them...they perform as he expected ...

[Chance]

Originally Posted by vkb

....cut....

Attachment 4847 factory installed steering assist

Nice picture.

So you already have a damper like Safe-T-Plus and other stabilizers -- now only need a spring to help return steering to center.

[vkb]

Originally Posted by Chance

Nice picture.

So you already have a damper like Safe-T-Plus and other stabilizers -- now only need a spring to help return steering to center.

Thanks Chance ... as you know, many of us have approached this steering situation in differenct ways. When we purchased the Axis in January 2016, Ron, immediately had it aligned and caster set.
A couple upcoming trips will tell, once we are loaded and on the road.

happy hunting !

[Chance]

Driving through storms and wind in Colorado today I'm not sure anything would have helped a large motorhome much. Even my van which is very low by comparison and relatively stable was getting tossed around a bit.

Good luck with all your upgrades, and look forward to reading your evaluation.

[vkb]

Originally Posted by Chance

Driving through storms and wind in Colorado today I'm not sure anything would have helped a large motorhome much. Even my van which is very low by comparison and relatively stable was getting tossed around a bit.

Good luck with all your upgrades, and look forward to reading your evaluation.

We know exactly what you mean regarding the storms n winds of our areas. Over the years we have been caught in and have run away from, a number of crazy storms.
Where are you all headed in Colorado or is it not your ultimate destination?

Safe travels !

[Chance]

Originally Posted by vkb

We know exactly what you mean regarding the storms n winds of our areas. Over the years we have been caught in and have run away from, a number of crazy storms.
Where are you all headed in Colorado or is it not your ultimate destination?

Safe travels !

Passing through on way north. Would like to visit Yellowstone which I haven't seen in years, but not enjoying how dry the air gets here though, and may get worse in NP.

We went through hailstorm south of Denver on I-25, and rain before that -- rain not too heavy by Florida or Texas standards but wind made up for it. Sky was really dark over Rocky Mountains before hail started coming down hard, and at times wind gusts made driving more challenging. Fortunately traffic was lighter than I recall in past (maybe because of it being Sunday) and there were very few trucks on road.

Nature does have a way to humble drivers occassionally.

[Joe-FL]

Originally Posted by vkb

Today Ron drove the back roads near us...turns, dips n dives...before Sumo installed...Today, he was pleased/noticed a marked difference in control...but is still considering the Safety Plus..............................cut............. ........................................
In addition...the steering assist which came installed on the Axis is about 3" diameter....what is the size of the Safety Plus ?

I am posting photos of the bump stops he removed and the new Sumos in place...

Attachment 4844 factory bump stops small is rear.. large is front Ron sez these had more than 2 inches of space before they would come in contact

Attachment 4845 Rear

Attachment 4846 Front

Attachment 4847 factory installed steering assist

My recently installed Safe-T-Plus may be slightly larger (blue one), but looks similar. That would be a hard decision if mine already had some type of OEM already installed. Thanks for posting pics of Sumo's.

[Chance]

It's difficult to compare design/performance of damper portion based on physical size alone because the Safe-T-Plus encapsulates the spring inside the tube, making it much larger regardless. If spring(s) were outside like on other models (one shown below for comparison), the damper part would likely seem much smaller.

Also, damping force isn't tied directly to the diameter of the damper because they can have different valving which can create higher or lower internal pressure to accomplish the same performance. Ford may choose to make theirs smaller and of higher quality to save weight, or for other reasons. Smaller doesn't necessarily mean it's weaker.

Please note I'm aware that while these dampers are similar to shock absorbers, they don't need to dissipate the same amount of energy, so being larger like shocks doesn't have an equivalent benefit. Just saying that from an engineering standpoint, we can't go by size alone.



In my opinion the spring portion is where the discussion gets complicated and controversial. I would just suggest asking yourselves why truck (or car) manufacturers don't include spring centering devices from the factory.

[petew]

[QUOTE=Chance;66973]

In my opinion the spring portion is where the discussion gets complicated and controversial. I would just suggest asking yourselves why truck (or car) manufacturers don't include spring centering devices from the factory.[/QUOTE



I would think they are not included from the factory because for an around town delivery van it is not really needed.
The need arises when you get on the interstate for a long stretch .

Depending upon what the cut away cab and chassis ultimately becomes would dictate what additional equipment it needs.

[vkb]

Originally Posted by Chance

Passing through on way north. Would like to visit Yellowstone which I haven't seen in years, but not enjoying how dry the air gets here though, and may get worse in NP.

We went through hailstorm south of Denver on I-25, and rain before that -- rain not too heavy by Florida or Texas standards but wind made up for it. Sky was really dark over Rocky Mountains before hail started coming down hard, and at times wind gusts made driving more challenging. Fortunately traffic was lighter than I recall in past (maybe because of it being Sunday) and there were very few trucks on road.

Nature does have a way to humble drivers occassionally.

I recently saw a video about the ECO resurgence at Yellowstone due to the insertion of the Grey Wolf, which had become extinct in the area. We have not been to Yellowstone for years. If you have a chance and are interested..
Northwest of Yellowstone is the Gallatin River...we did white water rafting..did a half day as one of us had been ill for a week...in retrostpect we have always wished we had done a full day trip.

Keep us posted on your adventures...and thankyou for your feedback on the steering mechs....I pass all info onto Ron.

K

[Mromeojr]

I have a 2017 Axis 25.2 and got it in January 17. We have been on several weekend trips and about to go cross country. The steering had been a problem initially and the reason was the knuckles on the steering were on backward...had it fixed and aligned. Did some good but still was a little squirrelly. Ordered safe-t-plus from camping world and had them install it. Made a little difference but something did not feel right. Took it to a truck alignment place only to find out they had attached it to the sway bar not the steering linkage. Once that was corrected what a difference it made!!! I would highly recommend the safe-t-plus it really works.

[VinceAndPam]

Originally Posted by Mromeojr

I have a 2017 Axis 25.2 and got it in January 17. We have been on several weekend trips and about to go cross country. The steering had been a problem initially and the reason was the knuckles on the steering were on backward...had it fixed and aligned. Did some good but still was a little squirrelly. Ordered safe-t-plus from camping world and had them install it. Made a little difference but something did not feel right. Took it to a truck alignment place only to find out they had attached it to the sway bar not the steering linkage. Once that was corrected what a difference it made!!! I would highly recommend the safe-t-plus it really works.

I hope you got your money back for the installation from Camping World. Attached to the sway bar SERIOUSLY??? That is just sad...

[sforl]

I just had the Safe-T-Plus installed on my Axis. First I had the alignment done which made a huge difference! T he Safe-T-Plus was like adding icing to the cake!
I took my MH to Austell and had them do the work! Nice people and they had me in and out in about a hour!

[JollyRodgers]

We had ours installed in Austell a month or so ago.

It's amazing. We have been in strong winds with stronger gusts. It was very easy to maintain the coach and keep it within the lines.

Why don't they install these from the factor? In my opinion it's like every decision made... COST.

Yes, it's not like $500 is going to break the bank, but if you add all these personal touches people like to do (such as; spare tires, safe T plus, Sumo springs, window tints, etc.) you're quickly adding on thousands for an entry level Class A. The lower price point drives interest and ultimately sells product. That's the bottom line.

Jolly

[Chance]

Originally Posted by JollyRodgers

.....cut....

Why don't they install these from the factor? In my opinion it's like every decision made... COST.

Yes, it's not like $500 is going to break the bank, ....cut.....

I expect it's technical, not entirely a cost-driven decision. If mass produced they wouldn't even cost $100.

Various manufacturers use dampers to improve stability, but as far as I know none use springs to return steering back to center. Adding a coil spring over a damper would cost even less -- probably under $20.

The problem is that a spring works backwards of what's needed. OEMs know that. A spring provides zero force when needed most, and most force when it's not needed at all. If someone could figure a way to reverse that, they'd become very rich.

[JollyRodgers]

Originally Posted by Chance

I expect it's technical, not entirely a cost-driven decision. If mass produced they wouldn't even cost $100.



Various manufacturers use dampers to improve stability, but as far as I know none use springs to return steering back to center. Adding a coil spring over a damper would cost even less -- probably under $20.



The problem is that a spring works backwards of what's needed. OEMs know that. A spring provides zero force when needed most, and most force when it's not needed at all. If someone could figure a way to reverse that, they'd become very rich.

You might be overthinking:-)

Enjoy that RV time! Enjoy living on the road.

We enjoy it better with the safe t plus!

[Chuck and Mary Ann]

HAS anyone installed the Safe-T-Plus on the Palazzo 36.1 DP? With the Air ride suspension I'm getting bounced a bit but don't think there is a way to tune the airbags, so working on the steering is my next option until I look at additional suspension upgrades.

Thanks
Chuck