Handling/Ride improvements

[Robert Britton]

Don,
I am going to have Henderson's Lineup Install new air bags and new
Koni shocks when I pass through Grants Pass in July.
Are you happy with the service there? I have made phone contact with
them a few times and they seem to be very professional.

Robert Britton
87FC
Hollister, California


--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Don Bradner"
wrote:
>
> Some of you may recall that I asked if anyone here had ever had a
Ride Performance Assessment done on a Bird by Henderson's Lineup in
Grant's Pass, Oregon. Didn't hear from anyone who had, just one
recommendation for another place and Tom's very negative view of the
idea.
>
> Our first 2K miles or so were mostly freeway, and I would class the
overall handling/ride on freeways as good. I was therefore surprised
on our recent trip up the coast of Oregon and Washington at how
poorly it rode the many washout-dips on 101. Porpoise and sway was
the order of the day!
>
> I decided that it would be worth the $150 cost of the assessment to
see what a pro thought, and we took Blue Thunder into Grant's Pass
this past Wednesday. Their shop foreman did our assessment drive, and
he did not feel that the ride was exceptionally bad, but did agree
that it could be better. He recommended, in order of importance:
>
> 1. Adjust the existing front Konis (presumably a replacement by
another owner) to a stiffer ride.
>
> 2. Add their motion-control units to the air bags.
>
> 3. Replace the original shocks on the rear with Koni FSDs.
>
> The first item turned out to be impossible - the shocks simply
would not take an adjustment. They tried both on (releasing the
bottom end) and off the coach on the bench. All they would do was
spin. They were also very difficult to expand and contract.
>
> Replacing the shocks was not possible on the spot, because of the
three different part numbers needed (90-2490SP1 in the front, 9005-
1025 on the drivers, 8805-1010 on the tag) only the 8805 is a stock
part for them, and the various sources they use, including KoniRV,
did not have the others in stock either.
>
> Item 2 is an interesting one, and a hard decision. The reason it is
hard is that you have to pay a lot for some very small parts. The
MCUs are sold (exclusively so far as I can tell) under Henderson's
Steer Safe brand, but are made by Donvel. They are about the size of
a shotgun shell, and their purpose is to allow normal fill-and-dump
flows to each airbag, but resist sudden flow that occurs when a bag
is compressed or extended by going over a curb/bump or dropping into
a hole.
>
> The most common installation is inline in typical plastic airlines,
as near the bag as possible. Fairly simple installation, and they run
I think $185 a pair. For hard-plumbed installations like the Bird,
they have units that screw into the top of the bag, then the airline
is attached to the unit. Those are newer designs and run $250 per
pair.
>
> I found a few postings on the internet that attested to them
working well, and none that said they didn't, although there were
definite gripes about the price!
>
> My tolerance for cost when it comes to ride/handling/safety may be
higher than most - I decided to go for it. They had 8 of them of the
necessary size (there are 7 units depending on pipe size and vehicle
weight), so we did everything but the tags.
>
> We will likely go through there in September and get all of the
shocks replaced. With a glass-half-full perspective, we are able to
evaluate the effect of the MCUs with no other changes to the system.
>
> Conclusion: significant reduction in sway. Flatter through corners.
The most obvious test is a speed bump taken at an angle. Before, when
the drivers would cross the bump, the coach would rock back and forth
in a major way, now it just tilts up as one side goes over, then the
other way as the other side crosses, then back to level.
>
> The run home from Grant's Pass involves US 199 to Crescent City.
That is about a good a test run for cornering as you can find. I
won't say the MCUs made the drive fun, but I was a lot less worried
about bouncing off things than in the past. That will always be a bit
of a paranoid run for me - I did bounce off a guard-rail in the past
on that highway in an SOB; I could swear I had enough room, but I
rocked outward just enough to hit. No scrape, just a linear crease
about 20 feet long.
>