If you have a steering stabilizer, are you glad you put it on?

[markus53]

Some of you will have seen my other thread in which I ponder various suspension upgrades for my 2005 Safari Simba, P32 chassis.

When I stopped by the truck shop that is going to install my new shocks, the fellow that helped me on the scheduling (who owns a 40' diesel pusher) advised me that a stabilizer was a worthwhile upgrade.

Hence my question to those of you who have installed one. Are you glad you did? If you had it to do over, would you do it? My coach is 30' long, 2005 and has about 35K miles on it. If you've put one on, what are the details on your coach? Length, age, miles, etc.

I have very limited experience driving something as big as my MH but in general I think my coach handles pretty good, other than the porpoising that I've discussed elsewhere. I kind of think Safari hit a sweet spot with the 30' length. But what do I know.

Thanks, in advance, for your thoughts and advice.

[05wingrider]

I had an older 23' class C years ago that was a bear at times on the road, so at the advice of family put a steering stabilizer on it. The difference it made was amazing to say the least! Then I got my 30' Sahara and saw that the previous owner had put a stabilizer on it about a year before he sold it, and his tale was pretty much the same. They aren't the cure all/fix all, but they improve the stability of your steering immensely, and they do wonders when you encounter ruts and rough roads in giving you a little bit of extra stability. They are also fantastic when you have large rigs passing you in helping you keep a better control of your steering because they give you that dampening effect. We put one on my parent's 28' Class A when they had it (Mom did all the driving in it), and she remarked that it made driving their rig a whole new rig in that it didn't act like it was searching out each and every little rut in the road when she was driving

The other thing that made a DRASTIC difference in the handling of my 30' DP was getting the axles weighed and adjusting the tire pressures to the weight they were being subjected to. The PO of my rig had Toyo's put on and didn't like the handling of them, so removed them and had Samsons put on, then had them inflated to the max pressure. I was all over the road on our trip home with the rig on rough roads and just figured that was the nature of having a 30" DP. Until I read about the axle weights, got mine weighed to double check and adjusted my tires accordingly - the difference was night and day. We still have some issues in really rough roads, but otherwise it's a pleasure to drive now.

Would I put one on again - in a heartbeat!

[markus53]

Duane,
Thanks for your response. You pretty much convinced me to go ahead and put the stabilizer on.
I probably will wait until spring to weigh the front end. Unless we go out for one more trip this Fall. But help me understand something. Let's say I weigh each corner. Are you suggesting I might have different tire pressures in each tire? Right now I think the guys who installed the tires put in 95 pounds...
Markus

[wolfe10]

Don't you already have a steering dampener/stabilizer on your P chassis (passenger's side)??

Have you verified that it is bad?

Bell Crank, particularly the left one is another "high on the list" of steering components that can wear out causing slop in the steering. Very easy to check, as it the whole steering system.

[markus53]

Brett,
I don't think I do. I'm kind of embarrassed to admit it, but I've never managed to get a good luck underneath the front of the coach. The front is pretty low to the ground.
Are you saying the Safari Simba P32 came with a stabilizer? Or did you think I previously said I put one on. I haven't put one on yet, but I have one I just ordered that's waiting to get into the shop.
When the coach is up on the lift I'll have the shop guys assess bell crank, ball joints, steering linkage, bushings, etc.
Thanks for your questions, counsel and experience.
Markus

[wolfe10]

See "Steering Shock Absorber":

https://www.workhorseparts.com/Workhors ... ebuild-Kit

Brett

[markus53]

Brett -
Thank you.
1. Thank you for your patience with me. You seem to have developed a reservoir of patience to draw from when answering the questions of those who don't yet even know enough to ask a decent question. Like me.
2. Thank you for sticking with it and helping me understand what I have. I'd previously seen that depiction of the steering setup for the P32 but it didn't make sense to me. Now it does. And now the "feel" of the steering when I drive makes more sense. Also, the fact that the steering stabilizer for my coach looks so different from the others. I get it, and now I think the one I have is in good shape. Is there a way to test whether the existing one needs to be replaced?
Best regards, and may your life be blessed.
Markus

[wolfe10]

It is basically a horizontal shock absorber. Take it loose and verify there is resistance as you move the piston in and out.

[astrnmrtom]

X2 on the drivers side Bell crank.

If bad, DON'T let the shop replace with a factory style it or rebuild it with new bushings. These are notorious for wearing out very quickly even with regular lubrication. Mine had a shocking amount of lateral play @50k and the original owner was a heavy truck mechanic and the rig was very well taken care of. The driver's side bell crank takes all the steering force and the factory style uses bushings not bearings. Easy to check if you have a helper. If you can see the bell crank, with weight on the wheels have your helper work the steering wheel back and forth with the engine off. Watch the shaft/arm on the lower part of the bell crank and see if there's ANY side to side or front to back movement. The arm connected to the bell crank should try to rotate without any other motion. SuperSteer makes one with bearings. Pricey but worth every penny on a P-chassis. Factory style replacements use bushings so you'd be replacing one bad part with a new bad part.

I replaced my factory steering damper with a new one and it didn't make much difference. What did were three things: SuperSteer bell cranks, replacing all my suspension bushings with polyurethane and adjusting the steering box. Although the ball joints measured to spec, the person I sold it too had them replaced.

Please note that some shops will use the incorrect alignment specs. There's a difference between the P-chassis truck alignment specs and P-chassis motorhome specs. I if memory serves me correctly there's a little more caster and toe in on the motorhome chassis.

Something else that's reported to help with side to side motion in the p-chassis is a rear panhard bar. Seems to help the best on P-chassis that have rear leaf springs.

Don't be surprised if your lower ball joints are worn.

FYI - on my Diesel Serengeti I installed an actual steering stabilizer that used a shock and a set of springs to help center the steering and it helped quite a bit. Different animal though. Hope this helps.

[markus53]

Tom -
Thanks for your post. Excellent info. Thanks for the comments on the procedure for checking the bell crank. I now have a mental picture of what I should do to do an assessment. I need to do that pretty quick.
Mark