First trips

[TEO]

Well after owning my new to me 2018 Newmar Bay Star for a few months, finally got out for our first trips.
About a 200 mile round trip to Prescott for a couple nights for Christmas and then about a 700 mile round trip to California for a couple nights for New Year, both trips we had full hookups. After first trip found out the igniter didn't work on the stove but replaced it before the second trip. Ran the furnace on propane worked great also used the Heatpump for heat worked well just noisier then the furnace. Also ran the waterheater on electric and propane without issues, all in all we had a great time and love the coach. The only real complaint I have is the way it handles on the highway passing or being passed by big rigs. I'm in the process of finding somewhere to get new tires and will get the alignment checked. It has the original michelins, does anyone have a recommendation in the Greater Phoenix area for a shop to get tires and an alignment? I'm on the west side in Goodyear but will travel as needed to a good shop.
Thanks for any suggestions.
The pics are California forgot to take some in Prescott.

 

[Holdmybeer]

A commercial truck tire center may be able to help you. That's where I go here in the DFW. However new tires and alignment are unlikely to solve your sway and steering issues. There are aftermarket add ons, rear sway bar and steering stabilizers designed to help some, but you're still going to feel some effect. You may want to check that your tire psi is adjusted in accordance with the Michelin tables as well. If you're running with more psi than necessary it may encourage the coach to wander a bit, especially on the steer axle.

 

[Vint]

Congratulations on your maiden trips. Overall, you seemed to have done ok as far as things working in your rig as they should. You have joined the club of thousands discovering the handling characteristics of the venerable Ford F53 truck/motorhome chassis. I have owned two gas rigs on that chassis, and the best piece of advice I can offer is to be tolerant with what you are driving - a bread truck with a fully equipped trailer box sitting on it. It's not going to drive like a Toyota Camry in the driveway, or a Ford F-150, even. There is a definite learning curve to getting used to driving a motorhome. Patience can save you money.

I had an alignment done on my first Ford-based motorhome. This was around 15 years ago, and it cost me at the time around $500. Between my two Ford-gas RVs, it was the single biggest improvement to the ride and handling. On the iRV2 Forum, there is a thread "The Cheap Handling Fix". Check it out for an idea that came from a subscriber to that forum. It is a DIY project of changing the mounting holes on the front and rear axle stabilizer bars. I did the 'fix' on my second motorhome on the front axle only, and it made a remarkable difference to the handling. No cost, just 45 minutes under my rig, and I'm not what I would call a mechanic by any means. I also added a steering stabilizer to the front axle, a Roadmaster bought on Amazon. This cost me about $350 with the optional mounting bracket needed. Again, this was a job I was able to handle. I put one on my Ford Bronco in the early 90's, so I had some idea of what I was doing. The stabilizer helped with side-to-side movement of the RV with wind gusts or when semi's pass by. You can spend over $10K on handling upgrades if your checking account allows it, and I'm amazed by how many new RV'ers do just that to try to make their new toy drive like a BMW or something like that.

As far as tires go, I would avoid replacing your Michelins with new ones. They are hugely overpriced, the same with Goodyear, and there are a lot of alternatives out there. On my second motorhome, I had to replace all six Michelins with just over 16K miles on them because of sidewall cracking. From around the late 2000s to the mid-teens, Michelin had a real problem with truck and RV tires prematurely cracking due to not having enough UV protection in their rubber compound. For the commercial trucking industry, they did recalls and full replacements beyond the five-year warranty period for free. For the RV industry, they offered a rebate on one-half of the tire cost after purchase, and paid sales tax on the full amount. I told Michelin to take a hike; new Michelins would've cost me over $4000 for all six tires, plus installation. I went with Sumitomo from Japan, formerly known as Dunlap. All six with install under $2500. Great riding and handling tire. I liked the price and performance so much of the Sumos's that I put four of them on my current diesel rig on the rear, and Hankooks for the steer tires. Call around commercial truck tire dealers in your area. At least three, but four or five won't hurt, and ask what they have and the best price they'll offer for the tire size on your RV. I actually bought the front Hankooks online from Walmart, and had the shop that works on my DP install them. No need to drive around checking out shops, give them a call, which I think worked out better than the internet.

 

[TEO]

I read about the Cheap Handling Fix and the Steering stabilizer that is something I can handle. As for tires I have dug around and Toyo's keep coming up as an alternative to the michelins and much more reasonably priced.

 

[Vint]

Good choice on Toyo's.

 

[Scooterfan]

Ditto on the steering stabilizer. I added one on our unit and it made a world of difference. The improvement in handling was immediately recognized and appreciated. Do it...you'll be glad you did. Then you can consider the other stuff. IF you are having a complete alignment, just have them install it. If not, it's not a real hard DYI job. Blessings

 

[Boat Bum]

The steering stabilizer will have to be loosened, i.e. moves freely, to do the alignment and thus has to be re-adjusted after that. You might as well wait until after the alignment and do it once, I went through this with my Safe-T-Plus.

 

[TEO]

The steering stabilizer will have to be loosened, i.e. moves freely, to do the alignment and thus has to be re-adjusted after that. You might as well wait until after the alignment and do it once, I went through this with my Safe-T-Plus.

Makes sense, thanks.