Roadmaster reflex steering stabilizer - Page 6

RetiredOne · 07-29-2019, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnynorthland

I called Hellwig they said that’s their sway bar on the rear of my 2019 RedHawk 25R. I’ll check for a Ford tag on it in the morning. Would surprise me getting wrong info from someone who is supposed to know the right answered!

Well, that's confusing... according to the Jayco website:

....."Standard Front and Rear Stabilizer Bars"
Connecting opposite wheels together, a stabilizer bar adds rigidity to the frame, reducing sideways tilting when cornering."
https://www.jayco.com/tools/archive/2019-redhawk/jride/

So, Jayco states it's the standard (Ford OEM) Stabilizer Bars. You'll know instantly if it's the Ford or Hellwig. The Ford will be black and have a yellow Ford part number tag on it. Like stated above, if it's a Hellwig, it will be gray with a hammer texture finish.

Here's the difference in the two rear sway bars, you can tell the difference:

Jimmyd · 07-30-2019, 09:47 AM

Yesterday I decided to tackle the front Hellwig Sway Bar. Removal of the stock Ford Sway Bar was pretty simple.
When installing the Hellwig Sway Bar the last large bolt on the drivers side bound up going in. I removed it and the bolt is fine but I can turn it in but a few threads.
I’ve been looking around our town for a tap that will match up with this bolt.
The mechanic shop thought it was a 9/16” bolt but I believe it’s a 14 mm.
I found a tap at ACE which was 14 mm but the threads look a little different and the don’t have a matching die to test the bolt in. Would anyone on here happen to know the exact size?
We live in an area where you can’t run down to several stores without driving 60 to 70 miles.
I would appreciate any Ford info on this bolt. See attached pictures.
Thanks, Jimmyd

Camper_bob · 07-31-2019, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnynorthland

I called Hellwig they said that’s their sway bar on the rear of my 2019 RedHawk 25R. I’ll check for a Ford tag on it in the morning. Would surprise me getting wrong info from someone who is supposed to know the right answered!

Also I pulled it out of storage today and plugged it in to 110 to start the fridge for upcoming trip. My converter fan is running constant. Y’all think it’s just that hot right now? I am in NE PA. Was hot inside the rig.

I seriously doubt it's a Hellwig if it's a Redhawk. Especially if it has a Ford OEM tag on it (my front Ford OEM bar had a Ford tag on it). The Hellwig won't have a tag on it at all. MikeUSNRet described the difference very well as far as the surface texture and diameter. It is a remarkable difference. Take a look at RetiredOne's picture and you can see the difference is dramatic.

As for the converter, it's probably just that hot. Mine will run quite a bit until the rig gets cooled down some. I believe the fan runs if the intake air temp is above 85 degrees? Not too sure, but I remember reading something like that somewhere...

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeUSNRet

Our Redhawk came with the Ford rear (and front) sway bars. Ford rear is painted black and measures 1.15 inches. The rear Helwig has a gray hammered texture finish and measures 1.5 inches. I think the Grayhawk comes with a factory rear Helwig bar.

I installed Helwig bars front and rear on our Redhawk. Helped a lot with sway and stability.

Yes, the Greyhawk comes standard with J-Ride Plus. J-Ride Plus includes Hellwig sway bar on rear, but still just the standard (really "sub-standard" for this application) Ford OEM bar on the front.

Redhawk is spec'd with standard Ford sway bars front and rear (reference RetiredOne's link to Jayco).

RetiredOne · 07-31-2019, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

Yes, the Greyhawk comes standard with J-Ride Plus. J-Ride Plus includes Hellwig sway bar on rear, but still just the standard (really "sub-standard" for this application) Ford OEM bar on the front.

Redhawk is spec'd with standard Ford sway bars front and rear (reference RetiredOne's link to Jayco).

We were out on a 5 day trip, 3 different campgrounds, playing tourist. A good test ride for the new suspension mods. Gotta say, upgrading both sway bars and the Reflex was the BEST modification I've done. The change in handling, lack of swaying and leaning, not fighting the wheel over ruts and rough road, it made driving the rig a dream. A 500% improvement!

But, it really still pisses me off that I had to do these upgrades on what I consider a sub-standard, unsafe build by Jayco on a brand new rig. Their engineers should be hung up by their nads...

Camper_bob · 07-31-2019, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetiredOne

We were out on a 5 day trip, 3 different campgrounds, playing tourist. A good test ride for the new suspension mods. Gotta say, upgrading both sway bars and the Reflex was the BEST modification I've done. The change in handling, lack of swaying and leaning, not fighting the wheel over ruts and rough road, it made driving the rig a dream. A 500% improvement!

But, it really still pisses me off that I had to do these upgrades on what I consider a sub-standard, unsafe build by Jayco on a brand new rig. Their engineers should be hung up by their nads...

I concur with your assessment of the improvement as I've experienced similar. It's not as good as it can be yet, but it's WAY better than it was. Still looking to an alignment for caster to be the final tweak on my rig.

But it doesn't bother me as much that it wasn't done from the factory. Bottom line is that it's serviceable as delivered from the factory. With the recommended alignment (notated in the owner's manual) it's even better, even if you don't include upgraded sway bars, etc. Jayco is trying to make a profit same as everyone else. Perhaps I've just come to expect what I consider to be a sub-standard product. Not only from Jayco, but virtually every vendor I deal with.

Would I have paid a few hundred more to have it done from the factory? I doubt I would have noticed, and yes I would have probably paid for it. Because as a percentage of the total price, those upgrades would be insignificant (about 6 tenths of a percent). I've come to expect dealing with some shortfalls, and fixing them myself as I see fit. Is it right? No, I don't think so necessarily. But it is what it is. Hopefully they will improve as time goes by and begin including some of these things in their original build-out. J-Ride and J-Ride Plus are already improvements over previous iterations.

RetiredOne · 07-31-2019, 01:41 PM

I agree with everything you said, and I'm not adverse to spending money on this new rig (want to see my credit card statement?

). But I feel that there are a few things Jayco missed the boat on.

First is this sway bar issue. If they left the rig the way it came from Ford, and felt it's "serviceable", then fine. But they went the route to upgrade the rear sway bar on the Greyhawk but not the Redhawk, so they know what the difference is.

They are installing basically the same box on the chassis, so why cut the corners on the Redhawk? For a few bucks more, they could make a serious ride upgrade, considering they already did all the other J-Ride upgrades.

Penny wise and dollar foolish, is this part of the new Thor management?

Camper_bob · 07-31-2019, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RetiredOne

I agree with everything you said, and I'm not adverse to spending money on this new rig (want to see my credit card statement?

). But I feel that there are a few things Jayco missed the boat on.

First is this sway bar issue. If they left the rig the way it came from Ford, and felt it's "serviceable", then fine. But they went the route to upgrade the rear sway bar on the Greyhawk but not the Redhawk, so they know what the difference is.

They are installing basically the same box on the chassis, so why cut the corners on the Redhawk? For a few bucks more, they could make a serious ride upgrade, considering they already did all the other J-Ride upgrades.

Penny wise and dollar foolish, is this part of the new Thor management?

Perfect. Couldn't have said it better myself.

I think it is silly to NOT have these upgrades. Their value is clear. But it seems everyone is trying to squeeze every penny of profit out of everything, damn the consequences.

Like you said, Penny wise... not a good way to run a going concern business IMO.

Johnynorthland · 07-31-2019, 05:53 PM

I just checked my rear sway bay it is FMCO ! Not even Hellwig give you correct info!

Camper_bob · 07-31-2019, 08:27 PM

I doubt the Hellwig rep even knows the difference between Greyhawk and Redhawk.

I would expect Jayco to produce the correct answer though.

ninjafreek · 08-01-2019, 09:08 AM

I was wandering what my salesperson was bragging on the J-Ride system on my 2018 Redhawk 26xd. So it's all oem Ford stuff right? Other than the Hellwing rear add ons.

Camper_bob · 08-01-2019, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninjafreek

I was wandering what my salesperson was bragging on the J-Ride system on my 2018 Redhawk 26xd. So it's all oem Ford stuff right? Other than the Hellwing rear add ons.

Standard J-Ride (as distinct from J-Ride Plus) available on Jayco Redhawks:

https://www.jayco.com/products/class...redhawk/jride/

It's rubber isolators (aka jounce bumpers) between the chassis frame and the "house", Hellwig rear helper springs, digital balanced drive shaft, and STANDARD (meaning Ford OEM) sway bars front and rear.

J-Ride Plus:

https://www.jayco.com/products/class...wk/jride-plus/

Plus adds Koni shocks (Bilstein in the past), and an upgraded Hellwig rear stabilizer (sway bar).

rkschul1 · 09-12-2019, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gprapim

Get the Roadmaster Reflex .... It’s wonderful. It takes the play and sway out, minimizes the wind effect and that of passing semi”s as well. It is definitely the way to go, in my opinion !!

Does anyone know if installing this has an impact to the warranty? I would hate to invalidate it.

Camper_bob · 09-12-2019, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkschul1

Does anyone know if installing this has an impact to the warranty? I would hate to invalidate it.

The only way this could affect the warranty is if they could prove that its installation directly created the problem trying to be claimed.

I don't think that could happen with this particular piece of hardware. Especially not inside the warranty period.

RetiredOne · 09-12-2019, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rkschul1

Does anyone know if installing this has an impact to the warranty? I would hate to invalidate it.

I agree with Bob, I'd doubt it would, unless it fell off and caused a different issue.

But, I think I'd chance it anyway and put it on. The benefits hugely help the handling and control of the rig, so I would gamble and not worry about the warranty.

You may also like: