Seneca Handling

[javamon]

Originally Posted by Mark S

I had the same complaint driving home from dealer with tires at 110 psi. Once I dropped tires to 85 it was a pleasure to drive.

I am also thinking the sweet spot speed for mpg, comfort and safety will be 62-63. Thoughts?

Definitely 65 as long as the roads are decent. If the roads are really good (ie Interstate 10 in the panhandle) and the winds are low, 70-75 mph is very good for me also. These speeds are w/o a toad.

[AGGIE00]

No word from freightliner yet, but after a lot of research I think the blue ox tru center is the answer. Going to order it tomorrow. Has anyone tried this system on their Seneca?

[Colombo]

On another forum (Dynamax) they say if run at too low of a pressure they will heat up and shorten the life of tire??????? Makes sence. They recomend max pressure for fronts and weigh rig and adjust rears accordanly for best ride. I would be worried if traveling out there in the summer heat and running tires at lower pressure just for comfort then something bad happens. Stay safe.

[Mark S]

I agree, if you run tires too low they heat up as in when you get a small leak that progresses to a blow out due to the heat build up. If you follow the manufacturer's tire pressure chart for the actual weight on the tire I don't think that is running too low.

I know in my case the tires were at the max, 110 psi and the RV wandered a bit. Probably because there was less tire surface holding the road. When I dropped the pressure to 85 the handling improved. According to the Michelin charts I could safely run 75 psi with the weight of my unit.

Since it improved the handling I think I will follow the recommendations of the engineers who designed the tires. Just my thoughts on this.

[Colombo]

That's good to know and agree that the wandering feeling is a very uneasy one.

[WaltW]

Mark S, I agree with your choice of 85 psi. In an earlier post I suggested (based on a tire expert) that you don't run tires at less than 75% of max. That's the too low point. Without a number "too low" is too vague to be of any value. With too low of a pressure the sidewalls flex a lot and thats where the heat buildup comes from.

[AGGIE00]

Just installed the BlueOx Tru Center and took it down the rough backroads and then highway at 75mph with a decent cross wind. It's absolutely amazing the difference. Now I can feel the body roll some from heavy wind gusts but it doesn't transfer to the steering wheel. Very slight corrections if any. I don't feel the potholes in the wheel at all, even in a curve. I'm very optimistic about how our trip to New Mexico will go next week. I'll update when we stop for the night.

Btw, how is this or something like it not standard equipment?

[Robbbyr]

Originally Posted by AGGIE00

Just installed the BlueOx Tru Center and took it down the rough backroads and then highway at 75mph with a decent cross wind. It's absolutely amazing the difference. Now I can feel the body roll some from heavy wind gusts but it doesn't transfer to the steering wheel. Very slight corrections if any. I don't feel the potholes in the wheel at all, even in a curve. I'm very optimistic about how our trip to New Mexico will go next week. I'll update when we stop for the night.

Btw, how is this or something like it not standard equipment?

Did Freightliner find anything amiss?

[AGGIE00]

They said everything checked out on the steering. The only thing they found was it's quite a bit heavier on the driver side, but they didn't say how much. They also were surprised I was having problems with the M2 and they rarely see issues with them.

[RVermont]

Originally Posted by AGGIE00

Just installed the BlueOx Tru Center and took it down the rough backroads and then highway at 75mph with a decent cross wind. It's absolutely amazing the difference. Now I can feel the body roll some from heavy wind gusts but it doesn't transfer to the steering wheel. Very slight corrections if any. I don't feel the potholes in the wheel at all, even in a curve. I'm very optimistic about how our trip to New Mexico will go next week. I'll update when we stop for the night.

Btw, how is this or something like it not standard equipment?

Glad to hear you are happy with the improvement it made. I like the added control you can gain in a front blowout. Did you self install? It looks fairly straightforward. Please give more feed back after a few weeks. Anything to make it feel better for my wife drive is a good investment.




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[AGGIE00]

Installed it in my driveway. Helps to have a large air compressor and impact. The bracket that goes to the axle did not fit the axle ubolt so I had to ream one hole a bit. This bracket also comes in three pieces for adjustability which I don't like, so I'll weld the joints this weekend. I haven't run the wiring yet, but that's pretty easy and I think I'll install the push button on the floorboard so I can use my foot and keep both hands on the wheel while it's free. I had an employee help and it took us about 30 minutes.

[Crossingover]

Originally Posted by AGGIE00

highway at 75mph with a decent cross wind.

Glad you got it sorted. You'd never find us rolling down the road at anything over 65 though.

[Dustdevil]

On threads such as this one, inevitably there is a "fix" for what the OP is interested in changing. In this case it's the handling of the unit. There's always the question about why the manufacturer didn't include the device in the first place to save all owners the trouble and expense. Same with this thread, much like others. It's understandable, and a fair question. But there is a practical answer, and it's never that simple. But the bottom line is that nearly no one would buy the product if the manufacturer included all the super nice yet expensive mods to the vehicle in the first place. The Seneca would be priced more like the Haulmark or the Dynamax product, or higher, and there are already several products which occupy that segment of the market.

Everyone's personal preference is different. Every rig handles a bit differently, even with identical and interchangeable parts. What's perfectly acceptable and comfortable for one driver is altogether unacceptable to another. What the RV manufacturer is trying to do is build the unit so it's a proper balance between cost and convenience, reliability and attractiveness for their typical buyer and their target market. I'm in the electric motor business. We feel we build the best motor for various markets in the world. But if we engineered and built the perfect motor, no one would want to pay the price to buy it. For some/many/most, the price would be totally unacceptable, and our market might only be one customer. Or none.

I suspect in the OP's case here, there is something different about this particular unit. Most new owners seem to be very happy with the way their M2 chassis handles, right out of the box with no mods. Maybe it's because it is a nice rig, maybe it's the setup, maybe the driver who delivered it didn't curb the vehicle on the way from the factory, maybe they just don't know any better. Could be a range of things. But they are a very nice chassis and platform for a Super C motorhome. Glad you are enjoying the mods, and I would imagine it's a very nice rig to drive.

[Hedge-Hog]

I agree with AGGIE00. We have a 2016 Seneca TS and which is our forth RV but first Class C. Our RV doesn't pull to the left or right but the stearing just appears to be really loose which makes driving a little tiresome having to keep the RV true in the middle of the lane.

[Crossingover]

Count us in as 'lucky' folks who got one that tracks-like-it-is-on-rails right out of the box. This thing is a total pleasure to drive and maneuver, infinitely better than our previous 38' Class A gasser. I wouldn't change or mod a thing on this M2 chassis.

[Harvard]

Originally Posted by Hedge-Hog

I agree with AGGIE00. We have a 2016 Seneca TS and which is our forth RV but first Class C. Our RV doesn't pull to the left or right but the stearing just appears to be really loose which makes driving a little tiresome having to keep the RV true in the middle of the lane.

Loose steering can be the result of having too little effective caster.
There are 2 ways of increasing the effective caster:
1. Reduce tire pressure to the minimum required pressure for load,
and or
2. An alignment to increase the caster.

[Robbbyr]

Originally Posted by Crossingover

Count us in as 'lucky' folks who got one that tracks-like-it-is-on-rails right out of the box. This thing is a total pleasure to drive and maneuver, infinitely better than our previous 38' Class A gasser. I wouldn't change or mod a thing on this M2 chassis.

I too have a great tracking unit, the only thing I did change on the stock suspension was to replace my stock Sachs front shocks with the same Bilstein units that come on newer Senecas with the J-Ride package. Made a big difference, especially on concrete highways with regular expansion joints where sometimes I would get a rhythmic "porpoising" motion in the front suspension.

[WaltW]

Robbbry, would you please post the Bilstein part numbers. I called Jayco a while back and they would only give me the Jayco numbers. I'm sure I can get a better price from other than Jayco.

Thanks

[Robbbyr]

Originally Posted by WaltW

Robbbry, would you please post the Bilstein part numbers. I called Jayco a while back and they would only give me the Jayco numbers. I'm sure I can get a better price from other than Jayco.

Thanks

Bilstein 24-196208 , listed as M2 Firetruck steer axle, 60mm.

I got mine from PBS Truck Parts in South Bend, IN. Shipped them UPS and I had them in 2 days. With shipping I paid around $525.00 for a pair. Ouch!

Did Jayco give you a price?

[AGGIE00]

I agree I have an alignment issue. The problem is finding a shop that can handle this size vehicle that is dedicated to solving the problem. For now the stabilizer has made it comfortable to drive and not a waste considering the safety implications for a blowout. For me, drivability is the number 1 reason to keep or get rid of a rig.