Sway bars, steering stabilizers, track bars

[Jopopsy]

You might actually have a Roadmaster in the back. Mine does. So now I’m Hellwig up front and Roadmaster on the back.

[CAG]

Originally Posted by Jopopsy

You might actually have a Roadmaster in the back. Mine does. So now I’m Hellwig up front and Roadmaster on the back.

I think you're right. I need to look.

We're hitting double that this year...

Got you both beat by a wide margin but we were married at 19 and still struggling in college.

[RetiredOne]

Originally Posted by Jopopsy

I’m really not sure how much better folks are going to do w/ regards to defeating the semi-truck vortex that happens when they pass you. At some point physics is physics. I don’t know ... I wonder how much of what we spend on suspension and handling mods is actually doing something vs. placebo.

For the most part, you're correct. A big air cushion hitting a flat side is going to give it a push, no matter what's underneath.

In my case, since I had stock OEM sway bars on the front and rear, upgrading to the Hellwigs made a noticeable difference. I felt the difference in the body roll in the first corner. Then, adding the Roadmaster Reflex took all the jerking and chatter out of the steering. So, there was a definite improvement in those areas.

But, drive over a bridge and get a side gust of wind. There's not much that will stop the push affect.

[Jopopsy]

I agree upgraded sway bars fore and aft are a safe bet for a solid return !

[xmtraveler]

I have a 26 ft Redhawk and I am planning to replace the rear stabilizer soon. However I have already added the Roadmaster steering stabilizer. Beyond any doubt the rig with the tow adds tremendous stability on the road especially when crossing a high bridge like the Chesapeake Bay bridge or any other high structure where there is a lot of wind sensitivity as well as on the highway when the 18 wheelers are passing by. The factory installed Damper on the Ford E450 is an absolute joke. As a matter of fact after removing the piece of junk you can take both hand and simple pull the shock out and in with basically no effort. The resistance is basically none. I think it is the same Damper that comes on a Ford Cutaway chassis for and Econoline van. Jayco added nothing to save their money. In the case of the Roadmaster unit with the spring wrapped around the shock it provides tremendous resistance to sway so that when the rig tries to move away from center of road the spring with the shock brings it back in line. When comparing the Roadmaster to the original Damper there is none. They are not the same in any way. Jayco should have been ashamed of themselves for not providing a better stabilizer when they extended the chassis. The Roadmaster takes less than an hour to installed but is a major improvement to stability in keeping the front sway down.

[Camper_bob]

To xmtraveler: Agree 100%. They may as well not have even wasted the money to install the OEM steering damper.

It may very well be a Roadmaster sway bar in the rear for the J-Ride Plus. Kind of weird that they would install Hellwig springs, and then Roadmaster sway bar. Whatever it is, it's upgraded from Ford OEM as verified with my own eyes.

I agree, there's no way to defeat physics. Big wind against big flat wall is going to create movement. That being said, I felt such a vast improvement from the sway bar and Roadmaster Reflex up front (definitely not placebo effect) that I'm willing to give it a go on the rear. After those installs on the front, I still feel big rigs, but I'm able to control it A LOT easier. In fact, every now and again I get surprised by the movement because it's so slight now that I forget. Before install, A mini-van, or even a small sedan, could pass me and I'd be on the shoulder.

I'm going to try to be a bit more scientific with this install. I'm going to have my wife and I both drive a somewhat lengthy test loop before install, and again after install. Test loop will include high speed and low speed turns, off-camber turns, hills, highway entrance ramps, and a few miles of Interstate where I'm sure to be passed by big rigs.

I'm going to do the same thing when I install my 5-Star tune as well. Hopefully that'll eliminate as much possibility of the placebo effect as possible. That's assuming I can get DW on board with driving around for half an hour to go nowhere...

[Jopopsy]

For those that installed the Reflex steering stabilizer, what did tou torque the bolts on the bracket to? The instructions give torque specs for the u-bolt but not the bracket.

https://www.roadmasterinc.com/pdfinst/RBK24.pdf

[CAG]

Originally Posted by Jopopsy

For those that installed the Reflex steering stabilizer, what did tou torque the bolts on the bracket to? The instructions give torque specs for the u-bolt but not the bracket.

https://www.roadmasterinc.com/pdfinst/RBK24.pdf

Until really tight and I put blue loctite to help prevent them moving.

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by CAG

Until really tight and I put blue loctite to help prevent them moving.

Weren't all the nuts nylock nuts? I don't remember.

I did not put a torque wrench on them that I remember. Just got them Gutentight.

But that reminds me, I should probably get down there and make sure everything is still snugged up. I gave it a all a good "shake test" when I was down there changing oil a while back, but it probably wouldn't hurt to put a wrench on them.

[CAG]

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

Weren't all the nuts nylock nuts? I don't remember.

I did not put a torque wrench on them that I remember. Just got them Gutentight.

But that reminds me, I should probably get down there and make sure everything is still snugged up. I gave it a all a good "shake test" when I was down there changing oil a while back, but it probably wouldn't hurt to put a wrench on them.

The ones on the u-bolts were but the 3 nuts to the chassis bracket were the OEM and reinstalled. As I recall anyway. Or maybe it was just the bolts and no nuts. That's how good my memory is

[Jopopsy]

Originally Posted by CAG

The ones on the u-bolts were but the 3 nuts to the chassis bracket were the OEM and reinstalled. As I recall anyway. Or maybe it was just the bolts and no nuts. That's how good my memory is

And the u-bolt nuts had a 25ft/lb torque figure. Nothing on the actual bracket though. As I’m now remembering this was one of the reasons i went with the Bilstein. It was easier to install.

[RetiredOne]

Originally Posted by Jopopsy

For those that installed the Reflex steering stabilizer, what did tou torque the bolts on the bracket to? The instructions give torque specs for the u-bolt but not the bracket.

Originally Posted by CAG

Until really tight

That's what I did. Until I felt they were appropriately tight enough.

[RetiredOne]

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

I did not put a torque wrench on them that I remember. Just got them Gutentight.

Yep, that works too!!

Originally Posted by Jopopsy

And the u-bolt nuts had a 25ft/lb torque figure. Nothing on the actual bracket though. As I’m now remembering this was one of the reasons i went with the Bilstein. It was easier to install.

I thought the Reflex was a piece of cake to install. Really easy...

But, the rear Hellwig sway bar, not so much...

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by RetiredOne

Yep, that works too!!



I thought the Reflex was a piece of cake to install. Really easy...

But, the rear Hellwig sway bar, not so much...

Agreed. The Reflex was easy.

The front sway bar would have been easy too but for the fact that I stripped one of the passenger side threaded frame holes. Would've been nice if they'd welded a nut on back there, but instead they used self-tapping bolts. So I did as MANY others have done in the same spot and stripped it out. Had to go get a nut-sert and new bolt to fix it...

[alazear]

My experience:

I've got a 2020 Redhawk 24B, same as you. I pull 2019 JLU Wrangler 4 door Sport as a toad, it's orange [the best color ever] which matters greatly to this conversation I'm sure. The Jeep is usually loaded [a bit] with kiteboarding or mt. bike gear, but not overly so. I pulled it without any suspension mods for a long trip or two. It worked, I didn't crash, etc., but I didn't like it. Constantly having to correct side to side sway driving down the road with no wind and a straight flat smooth road was just dumb. In wind, it was no fun and tiring, but just had to slow down and keep on it diligently to go straight. How much this bugs you is dependent on the person. It bugged me.

So, I got a front end alignment and made Jayco pay for it telling them it wandered all over as a new vehicle without towing anything - which was also partly true... small change, but too small.

Then I followed all the threads here on this topic and did what everyone else recommended:

1. Cranked down the rear Hellwig Helper Springs that come installed on the rig, but way too loosely from factory, again, some help with cab side to side sway, noticeable change, but not enough for towing the Jeep for me.

2. Then I dropped $1000+? and bought Hellwig front + rear antisway bars and a Roadmaster Steering stabilizer horizontal shock off Amazon. Installed all those myself. Bigger change and worth the money.

Ride is much better pulling the Jeep now and a lot less work keeping it going straight down the road. I like it with no wind. With wind, you are still having to work, but lots less than before. You don't get beat up as much as a driver overall during a long day pulling. Are you safer, more stable too? Yep, without question. But a lot of this is going to come down to what you're willing to put up with as a driver.

Having said that, it's never going to be a finely tuned Porsche in the way it tracks - driving with one finger on the wheel pulling a toad. Pulling a toad is going to be more work by you on the steering wheel driving regardless - gripping tighter and having to be more on it - sooner in general; but you know that anyway I'm sure. Would I do all the mods again if buying today? Yep, every one.

[xmtraveler]

Originally Posted by Jopopsy

For those that installed the Reflex steering stabilizer, what did tou torque the bolts on the bracket to? The instructions give torque specs for the u-bolt but not the bracket.

https://www.roadmasterinc.com/pdfinst/RBK24.pdf

I did not check torque afterwards. Basically the bracket has to be tight such that the steering stabilizer will not move up and down the bar when you turn right or left at any angle. When the RV is sitting on a flat surface with both wheels straight ahead and then by turning all the way to both left and right the bracket should not move. You can watch the spring stretch and contract in both directions. The bracket must not move. You can easily see this if you mark the center position on steering wheel with tape such that you always know whether the steering stabilizer is centered. The etrailer.com folks have a nice video for the installation of this unit. I believe the torque amt. stated by Roadmaster is sufficient to make sure the thing doesn't slide up and down. If it did it would not provide steering stabilization.