I am looking for a little advice and thoughts from folks who have much more experience than I driving a motorhome. Please indulge my story as it provides some background to my questions.

We have a 2007 Monaco Diplomat we picked up new in May 2007. I now have about 7,000 miles under my belt with our new coach and feel pretty comfortable driving it. Prior to buying the Diplomat we had a truck/5th wheel and had no prior MH driving experience.

We are very happy with the Diplomat and I have few if any complaints. However, driving it has been quite a learning experience. I am surprised that we are allowed to drive these beasts off the lot with little more than a smile and a warm pat on the back. With our previous truck and 5th wheel, steering and judging turns and such was pretty easy. No wander, no bother from trucks passing and unless we were in really strong side winds no problem from those either. The Diplomat is much more of a challenge to handle in adverse conditions.

On a number of occasions I have encounted side winds that took my breath away when they hit the MH. I can only guess at their speed, but I would estimate in the 20-30 mph range. I realize this is a big box, but WOW the first time we were hit by strong side winds I was really glad I had both hands on the steering wheel. I guess was under the mistaken impression that such a heavy vehicle would at least react more slowly to a heavy wind gust. Of course, now when I know there is a possibility of strong winds I stay very alert for gusts. When traveling to Indiana recently we were traveling on a two-lane road and the wind was blowing towards the driver's side of the MH pretty hard. We were going about 50 mph or so and some (not all) of the 18-wheelers coming the other direction would hit us with a wind blast that caused me to create new grips in our steering wheel. It was a constant struggle to keep the rig in my lane with all of the wind effects. I got through it, but it was very tiring.

A couple more items. Even with no wind and smooth roads, when traveling down the interstate (or most any road for that matter) I find that I am constantly having to make very small adjustments to keep the MH from wandering out of its lane. They are very small adjustments, but it just feels like it is more work than it should be. I feel that if I took my hands off of the steering wheel for more than 10 seconds the MH would be well on its way off of the road. Another recent (last few months) development is when a 18-wheeler passes us and pulls into the lane in front of us I feel a slight wiggle in the front end of the coach until the 18-wheeler is ahead of us by 6-10 car lengths. No big deal, it is just a curious feeling that I don't recall happening before.

Ok, on to what I have done and had checked.

-After our windy experience driving into Indiana I had our alignment and ride height checked. All was good.

- Prior to that time I had taken our fully loaded Diplomat to scales and did a four corner weigh. I adjusted all tire pressures to the correct amounts (plus a couple extra pounds) as per the tire manufacturer's charts. Just in case you are wondering I increased the tire pressures on all tires on an axle to correct amount for the heaviest side. I now run about 100 lbs psi on the fronts and 95 lbs psi on the four rear tires and adjust for ambient temperatures when necessary.

-I also had the steering wheel adjusted in Indiana because it wasn't quite centered when the coach was rolling straight.

There is no sloppiness in the steering and no unusual leaning in turns. However, the strong wind and 18-wheeler effect handling issues I described above still exist.

So, finally, here are my questions.

-Does it sound like my MH is reacting like it should (or most do) based on the conditions I describe?

-Should I be looking for a steering stabilizer, steering centering product or both? If so, what are the best products to consider?

-Or should I just get with the program and stop whining about what may very well be the typical reactions I should expect with our Diplomat? I just don't have enough experience driving a motorhome to know if I have an issue or not.

Thanks for reading through all of this and I appreciate any comments you may have to guide me.

Bill

Bill, We just picked up our 08 Endeavor and it drives the same as you described. It seems to me that there is not enough caster setup in the front. It may not be adjustable. I sure somebody here knows.

I'll see if I can get Captain Tony to respond, but as the passenger/stewardess, here's what I know. Our first Coach was a 95 Safari, 2nd coach '01 Beaver, current coach, '06 Beaver. The two previous coaches had all of the same issues you described, the "push" from the semis, the sway from the wind, etc. The current coach has the biggest engine of any, 525 hp dp, and we don't get the push from the big rigs as much anymore. However, there is always the push from wind gusts. These are the reasons I am very happy to be the passenger/stewardess. I would struggle to have the nerve to drive the big coach. So, I think most of what you are experiencing is typical, and I assure you, we agree that it is crazy that no special license is required.

Anywhoooo, perhaps Tony will have more insight tomorrow.

Brenda, of...

Bill,

First, regarding driver's license requirements, for the most part you do not need a CDL license to drive a non-commercial vehicle. However many states DO require a special license to drive a vehicle with a GVWR or GCWR that exceeds 26,000 lbs (which, of course, would include most motorhomes made by Monaco). The requirements vary from state to state. In some states, the weight limit is even lower. I'm surprised that these laws are not widely known, and don't seem to be enforced in most states. But of course you have to wonder how things would play out in court (or even with an insurance company) if a sharp accident attorney gets involved, and the motorhome driver did not have the required license to drive a heavy vehicle. Scary thought.

Here is a web site that contains information on the requirements in various states.

That said, here's my take on your question.... From my experience, what you are seeing is a fairly normal reaction to wind forces on the huge square boxes we drive. You do get used to it the more you drive, and compensation becomes more of a subconscious effort as time goes on.

Some people swear by steering dampeners that can be trimmed from the cockpit to compensate for cross winds, like the old Howard Power Center Steering System, or the newer Blue Ox TruCenter. Other's say they are not worth the expense. I have compromised and installed a Safe-T-Plus on my Diplomat. It does not compensate for cross winds, but it does cut down on the effects of vacuum forces from passing tractor trailers or uneven pavement, etc. Some will disagree, but to my way of thinking, it makes the drive just a tad easier. And I feel better about having one installed in case I should have a front tire blow-out some day.

RV Consumers Owner's Group gives the PDQ a two star highway rating (61 score) and provides the following text:

"When you divide the wheelbase by the length of the motor home, you should have a wheelbase-to-length ratio of 53%. This ratio gives us a good idea of the handling characteristics you can expect from this vehicle. From accounts of performance under average road conditions, you should expect that this model with this wheelbase will tend to wander and cause some driver fatigue in windy conditions, when trucks are passing, or when the road is uneven."

I'm a big believer in shopping handling characteristics BEFORE shopping floor plans. But we don't sit a lot.

Thanks Drifter, Brenda, Robin and Les,

As I suspected, what I am experiencing is not an *issue* that necessarily needs to be fixed.

Robin, your comment on the improvements you experience by using the Safe-T-Plus product are along the lines of what I was thinking. Namely, it may not be needed, but if it provides extra steering enhancements, and if I want to spend the money, then it may be worth it for me to consider. When reading the product benefits from the manufacturers offering competing products in this field it is hard to find one that does the two things in which I am interested. That is, minimize wander (steering centering products) and reduce the effects of wind/turbulence (steering stabilizers). I discovered one product, the Reflex Steering Stabilizer that claims to do both, but I haven't seen much discussion on it so I am skeptical.

Les, thanks for the insight on the RV Consumers Owner's Group rating. It is additional confirmation that my driving experiences regarding wind and such may be normal for this coach.

Bill

Bill,

I've not heard of the Reflex unit before, so I'm not sure what additional benefits, if any, would be realized from the external spring, which the Safe-T-Plus does not have. Basically, both units perform the same function. The more expensive "centering" units feature an electric trim switch, inside the motorhome, which allows you to adjust the center point as needed to compensate for cross winds.

In the absence of external forces like high wind or passing trucks, you shouldn't have any road wander with a new Diplomat. If you do, something in the steering system may need to be adjusted. Or you may need to adjust your tire pressures.

A trick I learned years ago about keeping a large vehicle centered in your lane is to note where the driver's side pavement lane marker intersects the bottom of the windshield when the vehicle is completely centered in the lane. Then just keep it there. Again, after a while it becomes an unconcious effort that you don't even think about.

I am so new at this also so don't want to give any advice that may be incorrect. I only have 3500 miles on my odometer so far, but will add more than that in the next 6 months.

I have read or heard something about slowing slightly when a big rig comes up beside and also accelarating slightly when a big rig passes by. I've been doing this, just slightly so as not to alarm the vehicle behind us, and it seems to have helped with the "sideways push" that we would feel. I think it breaks the vacuum or draft.

Any truth to this practice?

I think we are also different than most of you in that we do not have air bag suspension or braking. (We are diesel and do have an exhaust brake though.) Thanks! I love this type of info.

Congratulations on your new coach and yes there is a learning period on the unique handling of your new coach. We've been doing this a while, since 76, a popup w/no wind problems, 3travel trailers and are now on our 3rd MH. 1st. 2 MHs were both gas tag axle HRs, handled well till the wind blew, especially from either rear quarter, the worst possible direction it can come from due to short wheelbase and the rear overhang, even on a tag axle. On our present coach, 00 Windsor the same conditions have the same effect but not near as severe, probably due to the weight of the coach and not as much overhang.
When we first started with TTs the 18 wheelers were mostly the flat nosed CabOver trucks. These things threw out an awesome air wave, just like a boat, as they passed and would push the rear of the trailer outward and seemed to suck the tow vehicle into the truck then throw both toward the shoulder. If you weren't paying attention to your mirrors and one snuck up on you it could get hairy. The newer more aerodynamic trucks still put out the air wave but not nearly as severe.
I'd almost prefer to run into a headwind, spend the money than have a crosswind from either rear quarter.
Dave

When we first got our coach I was convinced that there was something wrong. I could not stay in my lane and the coach wandered all over the place. Monaco paid for the front end alignment which helped a litte. Next, I had the ride height brought into spec and air pressure set correctly plus an additional 10 lbs. All combined steering was a little better but what helped the most was not oversteering. I was over correcting. As time went by I relaxed and the coach is much easier to steer in a straight line. Straight axle steering is not as stable as IFS and when one tire hits a bump or something else the other wheel responds. Trucks passing were a nightmare when we first got our coach. I now can anticipate when the push or pull will happen and can compensate early and not after. If this is your first DP you will find that after a few months experience you will stay in the correct lane. I thought I would never learn to stay in the center of the lane and used several crutches to keep me in the center. Again, as time went by I found I stayed in the lane with the crutch.