Handling/Ride improvements

[Bruce Morris]

Robert, there is a place called Robert's motors in Medford, OR. that has
a very good reputation for the work they have done on Birds.



Bruce Morris in Raleigh, NC
Phone: (919)872-7635 Cell: (919)740-8941 (Verizon)


1983 FC35RB
FMCA# 7142s VB KI4ME
Vietnam Vet - 1966-67 3rd MarDiv Navy Corpsman "DOC"



Robert Britton wrote:
>
> 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.
> >
>
>


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