Thor Forums

[Chance]

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

Other than the initial alignment I haven't done anything to our suspension and I find the coach quite drive able in just about all conditions (even hit some snow on our way back from FL last year).
I don't find it squirrely at all--even when passing or being passed by trucks and other heavy traffic.

It's understandable that an alignment should be a first step, and that it may very well fix many handling, stability, and tracking issues. But what about when an alignment isn't a good-enough fix? No doubt your Axis drives great, but if all motorhomes only needed an alignment then all kinds of chassis upgrades would not be so common.

Which raises the question of why the difference between those that "reportedly" drive OK and those that don't. I can think of a few possibilities although I'm certain there are many more.

1) Some drivers are more skilled, less sensitive to poor handling, or are less picky on what is acceptable.

2) Driving conditions are different. Could be different terrain, wind conditions, driving speeds, etc.

3) Motorhome handling problems are somewhat random. Good driving dynamics may be hit-or-miss by nature because designers don't inherently build-in stability, tracking, etc. into all motorhomes.


The problem I see is that just because some can be fixed with a simple alignment it doesn't mean that all can. And I f we jump to that conclusion we may ignore other possible issues. I happen to believe that many motorhomes are inherently designed and built with poor handling. It may be a combination of weight distribution, high center of gravity, location of center of pressure, low roll stiffness, etc...