Roadmaster Exact Center

[redbaron]

Red Baron I am not a Roadmaster employee, I am the inventor of the Gas Spring centering stabilizer, I hold all the patents we (my family) own the business I started my indentured apprenticeship at 56 years ago. We have two shops in Gaylord, Mi. We have worked on Gas spring assisted stabilizers since 1998. The current design of Exact Center was started about 5 years ago. Exact Center is covered by several broad patents. As the holder of all the prior Gas Spring Stabilizer patents the USPTO was quick and gave us the broadest coverage we have seen. I have 22 + US Utility patents covering automotive, industrial, and architectural applications. We started with our patents with our first patent being issued in 1979. I am not a engineer, I am a Architectural Ironworker and business owner who likes to solve problems. We (the family business) does have a lot of high tech (for a iron shop) tools. I have three sons and grand children and aunts and uncles in or were in the business during the last 56 years. We will be the place new ideas and applications will come from, Roadmaster will be the source of the brackets the off road users will need and they will be the place anyone wanting to license the patents needs to go to for automotive applications. Roadmaster and I both want input from the forums and users. Thank you to everyone who has read or watched and posted questions or ideas. I have been waiting a very long time to share my excitement. If you find anything from my part of this you dislike for any reason please let me know. I am here to learn what you need for you applications and to share ideas.

Wow--very impressive. It is great to have someone with your expertise here to provide us the information.

 

[john d shepherd]

Not to get into an argument here, but I’m not sure the validity of this claim. The forces…on both wheels…of a slow, flat backing can’t nearly be the same as the extreme forces generated when hitting rocks and ditches with one wheel; whether forwards or backwards.

Besides the “rumors” and speculations, the fact is, if you were to back up, at less than 1 MPH, whoever is holding the steering wheel of the TOAD would simply let the steering slip. Seriously, it’s not like I’m suggesting I’d bond her hands to it with epoxy and duct tape.

Captain Gizmo
I misread your post, I thought you said Razer not Raptor, I average 10-15000 miles before I get bored and trade, but I kept my 2010 Raptor Orange to 115000 and still loved it, sold it to a friend, My son just sold his 2010 Raptor Blue to one of his employees. You can do no wrong with a Raptor, my only complaint is the new ones with V6 sound just like my 2021 Bronco 2.7. My wife has a 2020 Lincoln Aviator I think 400 HP +- in her car it is a rocket at under 5000 lbs. I have myself on a waiting list for the Bronco Raptor as I heard it will have the bigger motor and over 400 HP, but it will sound like a blender. I sold my 2021 Ram Limited E-torque 5.7 Hemi when I found out my Bronco was coming last July. That truck had the sweetest sound V-8, Bronco needs that motor like Jeep did the V-8 I think I will go back to Jeep if bronco does the 6, that is at my age 77 I am already 4 years past warranty expiration so everything is day to day on decisions.

 

[J&JD]

Just ordered one. I won't be towing till the Tampa show, but I'll let you know impressions when I get it installed. Not shipping yet, but should be within a week or so.

What $ are they asking for the unit?

 

[john d shepherd]

What $ are they asking for the unit?

I think $420 plus brackets $85, however, go to the Wrangler JL forum and I think members (it is free to join) get a 10% discount. This is just what I read so you should go to that forum or Roadmaster at Roadmaster Inc. - Tow Bars, Braking Systems & RV Accessories or call and get pricing. I am not a good source for those details.

 

[john d shepherd]

That is a good point

On the base unit, it adds 75 lbs at the center and 40% more at full turn about 105 lbs. This is not much different than turning a tire buried in a few inches of mud. Coil spring stabilizers would be 4 times this push back at lock, maybe more and most are zero pressure at the center. Adjustable stabilizers create the resistance to the movement you ask about without any pushback. I have a video that shows it takes 50-60 lbs to turn the front tire without EC and 140-150 with. Done by lifting the front end off the ground and pushing using a bathroom scale to turn tired with the engine running. Not very hi-tech.

 

[redbaron]

Here is the thread:

Exact Center is a steering stabilizer new for Jeeps

What is it? Exact Center is a steering stabilizer but it's different from anything else on the market today. Why is it unique? It's proactive. While other systems slowly ramp up forces to control steering, they do nothing if you are traveling straight down the road. As you turn, these...

www.jlwranglerforums.com

 

[john d shepherd]

Any jeep that has death wobble should be fixed. A steering stabilizer does not resolve the problem, only masks the problem.

Death wobble has 7 known causes. All of them are items that should be fixed, before more damage is done.

I routinely take my stabilizers off and drive, including dips and ruts, to make sure no death wobble exists.

That being said, unlike a steering stabilizer, this unit has a feature for return to center. That is not a normal feature of a stabilizer.

I will probably end up ordering this to try it out. I can see a lot of reasons why it would create problems when offroading, but equally see where it might help. I am running the stock Steel (upgraded) power steering pump with 37" tires. I am curious if this will help with the wheel return at slow speeds, where as right now I am working my pump very hard.

I think it is hard to understand as this is a whole game-changer. Until now there has never been a stabilizer with a powered return to center and powered hold at the center, you have to rethink what happens when you install this device. This is more like a separate powered centering system than a static stabilizer. The first users will give input that will help improve the following product mounting designs and attributes. This type of design has the ability to do much more than a two-way shock adjustable stabilizer. The whole idea of what a stabilizer can do is about to change. We have tested "Trim on the fly" Centering on the Fly, and device lockout for special applications. I thought a big rock crawler rig owner might like good on highway assist and maybe little or none when he gets off-road. I know nothing about what he might want, but we can do things like that and we have patents covering that ability. We do this without any electrical devices. This is not your father's stabilizer. However, my sons could say this is like their father's stabilizer. HaHa.

 

[redbaron]

I spent a good deal of time on the jeep forums reading the discussions.

I have done a lot of upgrades, including a 5 inch lift and top mount steering. The brackets roadmaster has will not work with my setup. The placement as is currently designed is in the factory location, which is without a doubt the worst location for anyone that leaves the mall parking lots or paved roads.

Bottom line, if your jeep is never off road, then this solution is good. If you go off road...wait until a bracket is developed that will work for a relocation and for the different suspension modifications many jeep owners do.

Roadmaster admitted that they have no experience in the offroad market, and didn't consider the offroad implications of their bracket design. They are actively working to remedy this, and since they are a US based manufacturer, I would expect something to happen within the next 3 months.

Personally, I am going to take measurements, and contact Roadmaster. I know they have a higher PSI in the works, and that is what I would want before I ordered. I have 37" tires, and run them at 10psi off road. This is going to take a lot of force to turn, and is already stressing my OEM power steering pump.

 

[john d shepherd]

More video this of a 2018JL 2 dr Rubicon (the video says 2019, it is a 2018 early production). The same Jeep was used in the Death Wobble video on the Roadmaster site. EC was an early prototype before we got single shaft stock.
This gives driving opinions of first the son and then the dad. Both have a lot of time in Jeeps and Both are shepherd's

 

[john d shepherd]

Here is a thread from JL Wrangler that might be helpful

@jdshep1 @Roadmaster Have you had a chance to test the EC on lifted JL’s with 35x12.5 or 37x12.5 tires yet? I know that the version for larger tires will need more pressure, what pressure do you think will be needed? Any thoughts on an adjustable version like falcons stabilizer (soft,medium,firm)? I’m very interested in this and can’t wait to hear reviews from forum members.

Hucke
The most modified is my son's 98 TJ 4" long arm lift but only 33's and a V-8. That has been a test mule for a lot of offroad and highways. He does 80 in that thing and drives with no hands. Before we started it was hard to keep in a lane, the wind would also blow him all over the road now it is rock solid and he has a 75 lb unit and he says it is just right. My grand son has a Comachee with a lift and 35's. He says it drives real good actually better than my 2018 JL Rubicon when it was stock. We also had a 2015 JKU Rubicon that was stock. We have done a lot of RVs and HD trucks. A friend who is a fire chief had a new Ambulance Rescue truck on a Ford 4500 4WD. It had a short wheelbase and had a lot of weight behind the rear axle. It was very hard to drive over 50 mph uncontrollable. We put a prototype 220 lb unit on it and it turned into a big SUV. I test drove after and it was as good as any truck/RV I have ever driven. I have a new 2021 RV a Dynamax Isatta 5 28ss explorer 4WD on a Ram 5500 chassis at 20000 lbs. It was not terrible but not near as good as I wanted. The center was soft and hard to keep now with a 220 lb unit it drives like a Suv. You would not feel the change any pressure
I would think you would be very happy with any pressure 80 to 110 lbs. We put 90 lbs on a 2015 JKU Rubicon, I drove it 250 miles and thought it was great, the owner, my son's wife thought it too heavy feeling so we changed to solid rod ends and told her we lower the pressure. She liked what she thought was lower pressure but did not like the very fast sports car-like feeling. We then changed it to 75 lbs with poly bushings and this made her very happy. We did not tell her it was lower pressure, she just thought we changed the ends. Our RV unit has an on-the-fly trim feature. That makes install final centering a 2 second button push and lets an RVer trim the center to have the EC push against side winds etc. We did not think Jeepers would want that attribute. However, I have an idea I thought you (heavy mods, big tires, big lifts) might find interesting. I am an inventor so I would be interested in getting some users to test new ideas. This one would allow you to have full EC ability when you want, a trim feature(allows center change), and the ability to lockout part first 1"-2" of tie rod movement or all tie rod movement, it would just be as it is with no stabilizer if 100% locked out. We have a patented lock that will hold 600 lbs. We would give you a toggle-like lever to flip to shut off the centering part. This ability is not a product yet.
Fox and Falcon have their adjustment because you can really feel the changes and they need them. I suspect you want it adjustable because at 3 it is very stiff. This is different. We can give you the control you need with a very good solid center and a wheel you can turn with one finger. Watch the drive video of the 2015 JKU driven with one finger, which was a 90 lb spring. We need some users to report how they like the 75 lb and then give them 100 lbs to see what they think. I do not think even at 120 lbs on a big lift, big tire wrangler will be able to be driven with one finger. If we do not tell people there is an "X" pressure push back few would notice anything. The second day you drive your rig after an EC install I think you will not notice the pressure, it will not be anything you notice as heavy. This is not even close to the resistance a Falcon or Fox creates. My 2021 Bronco Outerbanks 2.7 has a much stiffer wheel than any level of assistance we have done on EC. My wife's 2020 Lincoln Aviator has very heavy steering too. Must be a Ford thing. I do not think you will want the Falcon adjustment, this is just a solid center and a solid hold at center yet still easy to turn. We have many videos, if you search there are several on Wrangler JL. More pressure will help people who do Toad backing as it fights additional weight the front tires out on the ground making them want to turn.
I need RM to get to their pressure change in house (near complete) so we can try a few things.
Maybe this new steering stabilizer will minimize the need for constant corrections, thus a JL with a small dead spot will be less noticeable since you won't have to correct as often.
You need to try a base unit EC and see how you like it.

You need to try a base unit EC and see how you like it.

Yes, I already ordered it on Dec 30. Waiting for it to arrive.