Ctgriffi Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 We are at the halfway point on a round trip, 1000+ mile journey to Waco, TX. Engine and tranny are doing well (thank God), but I am dreading the drive home due to the extremely rough ride we experienced today. To explain... This is the first "major" trip we've done in our new-to-us, 20' Warrior, and I worked hard to try and make sure everything was shipshape for the drive (including a brand new set of Nexen SV-820s). We left from our home in SW Missouri and I was very happy with the smooth, relatively quiet highway ride, tested at up to 70mph. All this changed when we transitioned to the roads and highways of Arkansas and Oklahoma; it was virtually a nightmare of continual hammering and banging for many hours. I remember one curving entrance ramp in particular: every eight feet of the ramp was a new slab at a different height, like trying to drive down a massive staircase. My wife and I were both afraid that something might come apart in the process and, sure enough, when we arrived in Waco, we discovered that the oak face frame supporting the shelf our microwave sits on had torn apart from the buffeting. I hope that more damage doesn't surface in the AM, but I don't know... We're both stressed and exhausted. So, am I way off in left field on this? Does this sound like a normal cross-country trip in a Toy RV? I mean, what the hell?! (Btw, I'm running between 60-65mph, tires all near 55psi, air bags at 60psi.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 I think trying to stay at even 60 on rough roads isn't a good idea. I've driven interstate 40 through Oklahoma then up to Missouri and then from Springfield down through Arkansas and don't remember ever hitting really bad roads. Take your time and enjoy the trip. Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVdaytrader Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 Try lowering the pressure in your airbags!...when I bought my seabreeze, the owner had 60# in the airbags and every bump in the road jarred your teeth!...lowering the pressure to 30# made a big difference...and least on mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctgriffi Posted April 18, 2015 Author Share Posted April 18, 2015 Try lowering the pressure in your airbags!...when I bought my seabreeze, the owner had 60# in the airbags and every bump in the road jarred your teeth!...lowering the pressure to 30# made a big difference...and least on mine. Really, so you always run with 30psi in the bags? The fill valves on mine are labeled "50psi min." But I'll try 30 if you think it'll help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 I have never heard of air bags with a 50lb minimum. Even so I run 50 in my little Sunrader and I don't have a jarring problem and I do run some nasty roads. Also every V6 I have ever driven ran smoother than my 86 22re. I'm thinking your spring bushings must be shot or bad shocks? Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 Bad shocks and worn spring bushings will mutiply a harsh ride about 4x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctgriffi Posted April 18, 2015 Author Share Posted April 18, 2015 Would love some part numbers and recommendations (links too!) for front/rear shocks. I don't want to go dirt cheap but don't need the gold standard either. Thanks everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 Would love some part numbers and recommendations (links too!) for front/rear shocks. I don't want to go dirt cheap but don't need the gold standard either. Thanks everyone!here are the KYB and the Bilstein. The only ones I would recommend anyway and the ones specifically for Toyota motorhomes http://www.shockwarehouse.com/index.cfm?mode=results&selected_model=4485&selected_year=1991 Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmowrey Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Don't blame your shocks, airbags, or suspension! It's not your vehicle, it's the road. You must be on highway 412 through Oklahoma and Arkansas. It's the worst highway I've ever driven on. The slab construction hasn't been maintained and there is a terrible crashing banging at every seam. I am amazed that road is still open to the public. What a mess. I did that stretch two summers ago when I first bought our Dolphin in Michigan and drove it home to Santa Fe. I wound up going 35mph for most of the way. And still there was damage to the supplemental fuel tank by the time I got home. Fortunately, nothing else was ruined. A real testament to the construction of the Dolphin. There is a fee-based turnpike which parallels 412, but the minimum speed posted is 50mph (if memory serves) and I knew I couldn't necessarily keep that speed. Do anything you can to avoid 412. Drop down to I-40. Whatever. It's not worth the stress. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctgriffi Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 here are the KYB and the Bilstein. The only ones I would recommend anyway and the ones specifically for Toyota motorhomes http://www.shockwarehouse.com/index.cfm?mode=results&selected_model=4485&selected_year=1991 Linda S Thanks Linda, you're the best! After lowering my air bags to 30# and dropping my rear tire pressure (they were higher than I thought), we experienced some relief on the roads. I'm still going to put shock-replacement on my list of to-dos, though, so I appreciate the advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctgriffi Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 Don't blame your shocks, airbags, or suspension! It's not your vehicle, it's the road. You must be on highway 412 through Oklahoma and Arkansas. It's the worst highway I've ever driven on... Yes, we were on 412 quite a bit on the way down, and I completely agree with your assessment. It's kind of a nightmare... Avoided that area completely on the return trip and came up through central Oklahoma on a beautiful, smooth state highway—I think it was 69. Very enjoyable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guyg Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 Mechanics of a rough ride aside, I hate to tell you that Oklahoma (my home) has some of the roughest highways in the nation! I'm a recently-retired motorcoach operator and my passengers used to tell me they could always tell when they were getting close to home: The condition of the roads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ctgriffi Posted July 13, 2015 Author Share Posted July 13, 2015 We bought this rig to explore more of the West, so I'm sure we'll be coming through OK again before long. Changing out the puny, worn-out shocks on the rear end has made a huge difference, so I'm not too worried about it. I plan on replacing the fronts as well, prior to our next big trip... which won't happen 'til Fall, thanks to this miserable summer heat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob C Posted July 13, 2015 Share Posted July 13, 2015 I put Bilstein shocks on the front of my 21 ft Escaper. It made a huge difference in the way the RV handled. the front end felt like I was driving the RV instead of the road bouncing the rig wherever it wanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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