Wallowing...

Fredb

Member
Recently had the rear tires replaced and an alignment done and since then the handling had higher speeds is terrible. The back end wallows in turns and overall the unit feels very unstable at higher speeds 45-50+ (And even at lower speeds).

I have upgraded suspension on all four wheels (which prior to recent developments had been great

I checked the tire pressure and all in spec.

I purchased the same Michelin LTX tires as before

I checked the rear stabilizer and everything is intact... same with the leaf springs

Long and short I am at a loss for what could’ve happened to so dramatically alter the handling

Could it be the alignment? Perhaps needs to be tied in more?

Any and all suggestions welcome.
 

4wheeldog

2018 144" Tall Revel
New tires need to "Cook" as part of their break in.
Solvents in the rubber are driven out by the heat of normal operation.
Maybe 200 miles of normal driving should get you past that point.
How far have you driven on the new tires?
 

Fredb

Member
Thanks 4wheeldog, but tires have well over 800 miles on them at this point.

New tires need to "Cook" as part of their break in.
Solvents in the rubber are driven out by the heat of normal operation.
Maybe 200 miles of normal driving should get you past that point.
How far have you driven on the new tires?
 

OldWest

2004 T1N Westfalia
Not sure what wallowing and unstable mean? Lots of steering correction?

As it looks like everything is the same as before except new rear tires:

1. New Tires

Rare, but sometimes tires are out of round. This can lead to vibrations and maybe handling issues?

Added Note: There are apparently several different submodels of the Michelin LTX tires. May want to double check same model tires, same size, same load rating E, etc. Sometimes, manufacturers may change tires but retain same brand name.

2. Out of Balance

New tires not balanced properly? Latest balancing method is called road force balancing--latest and greatest?

3. Wheels NOT Mounted Properly

In another subforum, Class C Sprinter had wheels mounted improperly which caused problems. We have bolts versus nuts. Search for AgileOffroad and wheels in the RVs forums for thread.

4. Alignment

Check 4 wheel alignment. Not all aliignment places can do this.

5. Rear Springs U-Bolts Tappers Club

Dennis at LindenEngineering has posted re loose U-Bolts causing problems. U-Bolts hold rear springs and rear axle together. Tap the U-Bolts with a metal hammer to hear a ring or ping. If hear a clunk, then U-Bolts not properly torqued. Search for threads re this issue.


Why not go back to tire place and have them work on this issue unless too far away. Some tire places will even replace tires within certain mileage if unhappy.

Please post whatever you find out.
 
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MrTomacco

Mr. Tommaco
Sounds like rear anti sway bar. Bushings all intact? Hidden fracture? Try parking 1 wheel on 4 or 5 inches of leveling blocks and see if any break shows up.

Since it was tires, swap front and rears and see what happens. Keep us informed.
 

calbiker

Well-known member
If you're wallowing then the vehicle is rocking side to side. That usually means the shock absorbers don't have enough damping. What shocks do you have? I would suggest Fox from Agile Offroad.
 

Old Crows

Calypso 2014 View Profile
Ok. You made two changes.

New tires. Same brand and design as the old Michelins. Right? Using the same pressures. ?

The other change is the alignment.

Frankly, if themtires and the pressures are the same as the old ones and the RV handled OK, you really need to examine the alignment. Its the only thing you have done that will affect handling.

Unless.....the replacement tires do not have the exact construction and capability as the old ones.
 

Fredb

Member
Thanks to all for the input and suggestions. I added a 5 lbs front and rear and seems to have helped... perhaps improvement is also a function of new tires finally settling in.

Regarding the rear sway bar, wverything looks fully intact to me... did a pretty thorough inspection.

Regarding wheel mounting I confirmed that the correct length bolts were used and that everything is snug.

Regarding shocks I have the red Koni’s plus foam bumpers (am forgetting the name right now). They were set to the medium compression setting and so could probably benefit from an adjustment to increase the dampening.

The last point raises another question I’ll put out to the group... we’re on a swing through the northwest (currently at Lake Louise) and will be making our return to SF thru southern Oregon. I’m thinking to get the van serviced as we make our way through that area (where I know is a haven for Sprinter RV suppliers and aftermarket shops) and am curious whether folks have a mechanic/shop they recommend. Am thinking to get a standard service and get the wheels/suspension checked out/adjusted (and maybe get a new set of tires for the front). Thoughts recommendations would be welcome/appreciated
 

OldWest

2004 T1N Westfalia
If going through the Seattle, Washington, area, there is an Airsteam Westfalia owner and Sprinter mechanic who has worked on several Westies.

https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55736&highlight=Chang+mechanic

https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showpost.php?p=670267&postcount=13

The widely known contributing UpscaleAuto/SprinterStore in Portland, Oregon, is often recommended BUT there is a small quiet undercurrent of mixed reviews among Westy owners (as well as other Sprinter owners). While the company has changed hands in the last couple of years, do not know if these issues have been resolved.

There is an outfit in southern Oregon which focuses on suspension and handling. Do not know if any Westy owner has paid for their evaluation but it'd be interesting.

https://www.hendersonslineup.com/motorhome-rpa

https://www.hendersonslineup.com/coupons
 

Fredb

Member
Oldwest... any contact info for Michael Chang... checked both threads and didn’t see anything and did a google maps search yield anything either
 

Fredb

Member
Belated return to this thread...

Sooooo, after trying tire pressure and getting the bushings/rear anti-sway bar inspected and putting a new set of tires on the front to go with the rear, I had the folks at SprinterStore in Tualatin (south of Portland) adjust the compression setting on the Koni shocks. Somehow they were set to only 10% compression by original installer. They bumped the compression setting to 70%. With that change, the handling noticeably improved. That said, I'm still not clear on how it went from good to bad following the initial tire change and so that will remain a mystery. Additionally, I 'sprang' (pun intended) for the 'spring assist' kit that the SprinterStore folks sell (they're on sale right now!) to further strengthen/stabilize the back end. I haven't actually driven it yet (something to do with running square into a deer on the way to the Oregon coast), but am confident that it will only make the handling better, particularly as I'm fond of carrying a motorcycle on the back end of my Westy.
 

Riptide

Active member
10%??? That would definitely do it. It seems most Westy users that install the Koni's have them dialed up closer to 100%, since we're so close to the GVWR as it is...
 

Fredb

Member
10%??? That would definitely do it. It seems most Westy users that install the Koni's have them dialed up closer to 100%, since we're so close to the GVWR as it is...
What I'm still confused by though is that it handled great before the tire change and can't believe that the folks who changed the tires made any adjustment to = the shocks. Guess that will have to remain a mystery.

Am excited to see what effect the 'spring assist' has. Will report back once I get to drive it.

Again... FWIW, for those who might be interested, the SprinterStore has a pretty significant discount on the spring assist right now https://www.sprinterstore.com/product/sprinterupgrades-spring-assist-suspension/
 

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