Thor Forums

[blw2]

Originally Posted by Chance

That's a good write-up, thanks for posting. I especially like the use of "perceived" in lack of control. I think that's key. What a driver perceives and what is actually happening are not always the same......

I'll bet you are right.
The author of that paper has a lot more experience driving many different types of motorhomes than I do.... but I suspect that the point you make hits the nail pretty squarely at least some of the time.

In my case for example, I have driven a fair number of different light and medium duty trucks in my day, as well as a few old worn out cars and tractors. To me, my E-450 drives like a big truck. I know I need to slow down, think ahead, watch my mirrors, etc... so I'm ready for it. My wife on the other hand has had none of that sort of experience and so she has a totally different opinion about driving this thing. She is very uncomfortable with it. I suspect that she perceives that she is out of control, when really she isn't.

That being said though, I don't think these things are where they should be. Not by any stretch. There is really no reason that a newish undamaged motorhome shouldn't drive like my half ton Silverado. They are mostly poorly designed, improperly set-up from the factory, and too nearly Overloaded at the start.