Alignment Followup and Thanks

[DaveE]

Alignment done, and results posted herein. Just wanted to pass along to those of you who have posted your results and recommendations a big Thank You. As of doing the stabilizer and sway bar upgrade, and now the alignment, the driving experience is night and day from the day I drove coach off the lot. Tremendous difference.
And, thanks to those of you who recommended an alignment (CamperBob) it turned out having this done saved me probably having to buy two new tires very soon as the toe was discovered to be 0.25-0.27" off...the tires had already begun to show abnormal wear but thankfully we caught it soon enough that a simple rotation should take care of things.
If anyone is on the fence re. the stabilizer, sway bar, and having an alignment done as soon as you drive off the lot (mine 3000 miles after purchase), my advice is "get this done". The difference, at least for me, even with a brand new Greyhawk, is startling enough to wonder why, just in the name of safety alone, the sway bar, and stabilizer are not OEM, and at the very least the dealers ADVISE you to have an alignment done (not covered) on your own as soon as possible. It just does not make good sense to do otherwise in my opinion.
I've said this twice already but it bears repeating. Thanks to everyone! Had a professor years ago tell me, "intelligence is the ability to know where to look stuff up"...never forgotten that...this is why I am here...to benefit from the endless knowledge of all of you...it sure helped me today!
Be Safe
see ya
dave

[Harvard]

Looks to me like no improvement in +caster setting.
If your unit wanders at highway speeds it is because of too little +caster.
JMO


This is a prime example of a "tweak the toe and its good to go" alignment.
How much did it cost?

[foglght]

I'm still not sure I understand why Ford releases these vehicles with positive camber. You also have cross caster, which would help on some crowned roads but be worse on off camber roads. That is a lot of cross caster.....though hilariously, you are at the limit of "ford spec." With cross caster, you'll notice on a crowned road that tapers one way the RV will feel like no steering is needed, while if it tapers the other way, you'll be fighting it a lot more.

Also, if you add caster to one side and not the other, you raise the height of one tie rod and not the other. This will cause asymmetric steering and/or handling.

They changed you from toe out to toe in. Not sure if you would notice much of a difference with the motorhome in driving, but the toe in would help for straight line tracking and in braking.

[Camper_bob]

So, it looks like the most significant improvement in DaveE's driving experience comes from the upgraded front sway bar and steering stabilizer...

I can speak from experience that those two items do indeed make a HUGE difference.

I'm still looking to have another alignment done on mine including adding the bushings to push caster up over +5 to prove there is yet more improvement to be had. I meant to do it ahead of a long trip coming up, but simply ran out of time, so it will have to wait some more...

[DaveE]

Originally Posted by Harvard

Looks to me like no improvement in +caster setting.
If your unit wanders at highway speeds it is because of too little +caster.
JMO


This is a prime example of a "tweak the toe and its good to go" alignment.
How much did it cost?

Discussed caster with tech who stated coach was within specs., I told him of recommendations here on forum and we talked about the settings for a good while....at the end he told me to drive within specs and if not satisfied he would adjust caster at no charge...which I thought was fair...but as I say the coach drives great...coming home from alignment is pretty much all highway...passed by multiple 18 wheelers....no issues...yes a little push to the right but NOTHING like before I had this all done. Cost: $165.00

[DaveE]

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

So, it looks like the most significant improvement in DaveE's driving experience comes from the upgraded front sway bar and steering stabilizer...

I can speak from experience that those two items do indeed make a HUGE difference.

I'm still looking to have another alignment done on mine including adding the bushings to push caster up over +5 to prove there is yet more improvement to be had. I meant to do it ahead of a long trip coming up, but simply ran out of time, so it will have to wait some more...

Yes sir, and thanks again, the way it was I knew if I ever had to ask wife to drive it would have been a battle....now it is not an issue....handles great...I truly appreciate your help...Be Safe...Thanks! dave

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by DaveE

Yes sir, and thanks again, the way it was I knew if I ever had to ask wife to drive it would have been a battle....now it is not an issue....handles great...I truly appreciate your help...Be Safe...Thanks! dave

You're entirely welcome!

It's kind of funny you mention DW driving. She fought me on the upgrades. Her opinion is "why would they sell you a rig that wasn't ready to go, in optimal setup and condition?" It's a battle we've been fighting for over 20 years, and I'm sure we'll continue to fight for another 20.

She doesn't drive it very often, and she's not very good at noticing performance improvements. And there's no way she's going to admit that what I did helps, or that she notices a difference, or that it's better. She always says "it's not going to drive like a Suburban, you know?!" She figures it is what it is and we just need to adapt. My mission is to get it as close to "driving like a Suburban" as I can. Not like I can say to her face "HAHA!! I was RIGHT!" But I will know inside...

[Harvard]

Originally Posted by DaveE

Discussed caster with tech who stated coach was within specs., I told him of recommendations here on forum and we talked about the settings for a good while....at the end he told me to drive within specs and if not satisfied he would adjust caster at no charge...which I thought was fair...but as I say the coach drives great...coming home from alignment is pretty much all highway...passed by multiple 18 wheelers....no issues...yes a little push to the right but NOTHING like before I had this all done. Cost: $165.00

For the record:
According to the report the caster specifications are:
LH 1.0 - 6.8 Degrees
RH 1.4 - 7.2 Degrees

So, something like +5.5 to +6.5 is also in spec.

[DaveE]

Originally Posted by Harvard

For the record:
According to the report the caster specifications are:
LH 1.0 - 6.8 Degrees
RH 1.4 - 7.2 Degrees

So, something like +5.5 to +6.5 is also in spec.

Yep..your're right....when talking with tech I did not have the report you see in hand...I was handed that after I paid up...which even at that I don't know if I would have taken the time to stop and really look at the numbers. But, thankfully, the coach drives better than I could have hoped for. I am going back in 5000 miles to the same shop so will revisit this subject. Thank you for pointing that out.