Roadmaster Exact Center

[john d shepherd]

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.

My grandson just gave me pictures of his 1988 Comanche with 12" lift 35 x 12.5 tires and this does have a 125 lb Exact Center, he drives 85mph on the interstate and says it drives like an SUV. He is 26 so keep that in mind. He says it is very good and it was very very bad before the installation of EC. The EC used was an early prototype and not the current single shaft tandem.

 

[redbaron]

His setup looks very similar to how I modified mine. You can see I have relocated mine above the Tie Rod, but below my trackbar. Out of frame is my drag link, which is now mounted higher, so that it is inline better.

By using that adjustment on the tie rod, I should be able to accommodate any size / length necessary.

As long as it fits in the bracket on the left, I should be good to go. Just need to get a higher PSI for my large tires.

 

[john d shepherd]

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]

My grandson just gave me pictures of his 1988 Comanche with 12" lift 35 x 12.5 tires and this does have a 125 lb Exact Center, he drives 85mph on the interstate and says it drives like an SUV. He is 26 so keep that in mind. He says it is very good and it was very very bad before the installation of EC. The EC used was an early prototype and not the current single shaft tandem.

For those who want more mounts here is maybe 50 pictures, some were tests some may have been changed, some might have not been used so this is for ideas and options. EC Pics - Google Drive

His setup looks very similar to how I modified mine. You can see I have relocated mine above the Tie Rod, but below my trackbar. Out of frame is my drag link, which is now mounted higher, so that it is inline better.

By using that adjustment on the tie rod, I should be able to accommodate any size / length necessary.

As long as it fits in the bracket on the left, I should be good to go. Just need to get a higher PSI for my large tires.

View attachment 10398

Is that a stock JL stabilizer now. If it is the ends should work with EC. Roadmaster will make sure you are happy in the end. They do have a limited life time guarantee on everything they sell. They probably have 50000 products so that is saying a lot.
assortment of mounts For those who want more mounts here is maybe 50 pictures, some were tests some may have been changed, some might have not been used so this is for ideas and options.

My grandson just gave me pictures of his 1988 Comanche with 12" lift 35 x 12.5 tires and this does have a 125 lb Exact Center, he drives 85mph on the interstate and says it drives like an SUV. He is 26 so keep that in mind. He says it is very good and it was very very bad before the installation of EC. The EC used was an early prototype and not the current single shaft tandem.

 

[john d shepherd]

Ya’ll let me know when the F150 versions are available (if ever). I’d definitely pay to be able to go backwards while towing, even just a few feet, without worry of something going snap.

MapNerd
The Ford F-150. Is it 4WD?

 

[MapNerd]

MapNerd
The Ford F-150. Is it 4WD?

Yes. For me, I don’t care about the steering stability, that’s just icing. For me, it’s all about being able to back up while towing if I need to.

 

[CaptainGizmo]

Yes. For me, I don’t care about the steering stability, that’s just icing. For me, it’s all about being able to back up while towing if I need to.

Backing up IS possible John. Straight line and slowly with Comms between the drivers and it’s just fine.

There is so much false fear about doing this. You’re creeping back extremely slow and, should the TOAD start to caster, simply stop. If necessary, pull forward to straighten the wheels a bit and back up some more. My wife and I use SENA wireless headsets, so constant communication is no problem.

I’ve come down plenty of steep, rocky slopes with a bunch of my 4x4’s, including my latest Raptors. Never once, was the wheel even the slightest “violent” as some would have you believe. The caster effect, in this csse, is the same force…actually more…as simply backing up on a smooth surface in a straight line.

Just yesterday, my best friend confirmed he’s done this dozens of times with him in his Class C and wife in his JEEP with zero problems.

 

[MapNerd]

Backing up IS possible John. Straight line and slowly with Comms between the drivers and it’s just fine.

There is so much false fear about doing this. You’re creeping back extremely slow and, should the TOAD start to caster, simply stop. If necessary, pull forward to straighten the wheels a bit and back up some more. My wife and I use SENA wireless headsets, so constant communication is no problem.

I’ve come down plenty of steep, rocky slopes with a bunch of my 4x4’s, including my latest Raptors. Never once, was the wheel even the slightest “violent” as some would have you believe. The caster effect, in this csse, is the same force…actually more…as simply backing up on a smooth surface in a straight line.

Just yesterday, my best friend confirmed he’s done this dozens of times with him in his Class C and wife in his JEEP with zero problems.

So, I was under the impression that this setup would eliminate the need for a spotter. The situation I am thinking of is the need to do a U-Turn on a road that is almost but not quite wide enough, forcing me to do a three- point turn.

There is a campground in FL that we frequent where there is a median in the highway, with a cutout to allow left-hand turns into the campground, but left-hand turns out of the campground are not possible because of how the cutout is angled. The result is that if you need to turn left out of the campground, you have to turn right and then either make a U-turn at an intersection or eventually turn right down a side street and take a bunch of small side roads to get headed back in the right direction.

The highway is 6-lanes, three in each direction and I’ve never had the guts to try pulling a U-turn for fear of not making it as I’ve seen other DPs much smaller than me do it, but just barely.

If I can avoid it, I just want to eliminate the possibility of getting caught in a weird intersection or turn where I miscalculated or the road is poorly designed and I have to reverse, but to do that someone has to get out and either disconnect or act as a spotter.

I recall @Neal getting caught up in something like this with a particularly acute left-hand turn once and it sounded like one of my worst nightmares.

 

[CaptainGizmo]

So, I was under the impression that this setup would eliminate the need for a spotter. The situation I am thinking of is the need to do a U-Turn on a road that is almost but not quite wide enough, forcing me to do a three- point turn.

There is a campground in FL that we frequent where there is a median in the highway, with a cutout to allow left-hand turns into the campground, but left-hand turns out of the campground are not possible because of how the cutout is angled. The result is that if you need to turn left out of the campground, you have to turn right and then either make a U-turn at an intersection or eventually turn right down a side street and take a bunch of small side roads to get headed back in the right direction.

The highway is 6-lanes, three in each direction and I’ve never had the guts to try pulling a U-turn for fear of not making it as I’ve seen other DPs much smaller than me do it, but just barely.

If I can avoid it, I just want to eliminate the possibility of getting caught in a weird intersection or turn where I miscalculated or the road is poorly designed and I have to reverse, but to do that someone has to get out and either disconnect or act as a spotter.

I recall @Neal getting caught up in something like this with a particularly acute left-hand turn once and it sounded like one of my worst nightmares.

Don’t see how that’s possible. To back up, in a 3-point turn, the wheels of the TOAD would to do a lot of (counter)steering changes as well as lock in place.

 

[MapNerd]

Don’t see how that’s possible. To back up, in a 3-point turn, the wheels of the TOAD would to do a lot of (counter)steering changes as well as lock in place.

Go watch the video at post #9. At 1:09, it shows a Class B pulling a Jeep, backing a Jeep on a curve with the wheels turned.

You usually don’t need more than about 10’ of backing room to set up for a 3-point turn.

It seems possible because Exact Center does not allow the wheels to freely turn out of sync with the motorhome. It always wants to pull the roads wheels center.

 

[CaptainGizmo]

Go watch the video at post #9. At 1:09, it shows a Class B pulling a Jeep, backing a Jeep on a curve with the wheels turned.

You usually don’t need more than about 10’ of backing room to set up for a 3-point turn.

It seems possible because Exact Center does not allow the wheels to freely turn out of sync with the motorhome. It always wants to pull the roads wheels center.

Ok, I watched it. It definiitely seems to hold the Jeep's wheels at center, or close to it. That's one of the points I was making; the steering wheel has to be locked so the wheels don't caster.

I DO notice, however, the right front is scrubbing, and can tell you that I wouldn't want to push my big Raptor against it's big meats. Having a 600hp 45' rig push a full-sized Raptor with straight wheels into a turn...I FEEL...is not smart and I'm not about to try it.

I think the tow-bars can take a bit of pressure that's been engineering to handle normal braking forces. However, having seen another owner COMPLETELY DESTROY his RM hitch after hitting a weird dip and braking situation, I'm inclined to have a bit of reservations and how much off-axis force the bars can take.

All this said, I'm out on this conversation. It's really not applicable to my setup. So, as above, I'm not going to speak on it any more because I'm not an expert on this product, and don't intend on testing it. I hope it solves the issues with Jeeps, though, and is a great product you guys.

 

[john d shepherd]

Here is a thread from JL Wrangler that might be helpful

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.



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

Here is a letter from a local fire chief explaining how his staff liked the Exact Center prototype we installed on the village Ford 5500 HD 4WD rescue ambulance. He waited for his workers to notice the improvement from the Exact Center addition. I drove this Ambulance after the install, it was like a big SUV.

 

[J&JD]

Anyone have any new info on performance of the Exact Center System?

 

[lostinfla]

I installed one on the Jeep but haven't towed yet. It does make the Jeep drive much better especially in crosswinds. Kind of like a mechanical Comfort Drive. Mine is an original 75 lb unit but in exchanging it for a 100/110 lb one based on their latest testing results.

 

[redbaron]

I ordered the 110psi unit.

 

[J&JD]

I ordered the 110psi unit.

Would really appreciate a performance report after install.

 

[DeenA]

I ordered one yesterday after waiting 2 months for eTrailer to add it to their site.
Today Roadmaster wanted to know my year and model (gave them that yesterday, '21 JLUR-diesel) lifted or not and tire size. Have a Mopar 2" lift in the garage waiting for good weather. Have 285/70R17 tires but looking at wider wheels and 35x12.5R17 tires. Didn't say which model I was getting, just that if it was too much I could exchange it

 

[lostinfla]

Got a chance to tow the Jeep (twice now) with the EC installed. Tracked on the road great behind the coach. I did try backing up in front of the house, and did so for about 15 feet before I ran out of room with no issues. It would work great for truck stop fuel lines if you have to move, but not sure about a three point turn. I'm running mine in addition to the stock stabilizer with a Synergy high mount kit.

 

[redbaron]

If you have the EC prior to this week, there is a serious flaw I discovered. I sent 2 units back to Roadmaster for evaluation and they have determined that a new manual calibration is required.

They resolved the problem last week, and will be replacing all units sold with new ones.
Here is the official statement:

Any EC purchased and received before 4-11-2022 will be replaced due to a computer error on Traction filling. [email protected] is now doing
non-computer filling with manual pressure varication.

I did a video for Roadmaster that helped prove a problem. If your EC acts this way, replace it.

 

[lostinfla]

Yup, I've got a 110 unit coming hopefully soon as a replacement. I know they had a problem with the filing machine that Tony at PIW has repaired on his end. Not sure if RM has fixed theirs yet.