Motorhome Sway & Leaning Issues

I have an '89 Allegro 27' on a P30 chassis. It is stock, haven't done anything to suspension yet. This thing goes down the road like a boat and rolls and leans as you go. I need to tighten it up. I plan to put on Bilsteins but what else should I do to tighten up. Has original tires which I will replace—any thoughts on a type that might help this problem?

Jim,

We used to have the same problem with our 34' Class A MH. In addition, we were buffeted all over the road by passing big rigs. It was no fun!

We solved those problems by switching to Bilstein shocks, correctly inflated Bridgestone tires, and by making sure that our air bags had the correct amount of air for the weight of our rig.

Now, our ride is smooth, comfortable, and my knuckles seldom turn white.

Jim,

Just a quick postscript to my previous message: If your tires are truly 11 or 12 years old, please don't wait too long to replace them. They've already put in twice the recommended number of years of service and are seriously dangerous to drive on.

Jim, take a look under your chassis and see if you have anti-sway bars FRONT & REAR. If not, it would be money well spent to have these at both ends. Even if you do, you might want to check on larger ones. Controls sway without stiffening anything while going straight.

Jim, I too have an '89 Holiday Rambler on a P-30. When I got it there were the original tires on it. It drove and acted like you say. The first thing I did was put on new Bridgestone Tires, and 90% of the rolling went away. Bilsteins are next.

Jim, I second the comments on the age of your tires. Look at the sidewalls and if you see cracking or weather checking, get them off your rig as soon as possible. IPD makes heavy-duty front sway bars for the P30 chassis that work great for controlling body roll.

Hi folks, I was reading this thread with interest because I may have the same issue of old tires. The tires have small cracks. How do I read the date code?

The DOT marking serves as the tire's fingerprint. The final numbers denote when the tire was produced, with the first two indicating the week, and the last numbers indicating the year of manufacture.

I installed Bilstein shocks all the way around and an IPD front sway bar, plus neoprene mounts for the original rear sway bar. On the older P-30 chassis, I had to have the rear shock frame mounts welded as they are only spot tacked, and the stiffer Bilstein shocks apply too much force.

P-30 Air Bag Inflation Reference:

• 16,000# GVWR Chassis: 5,500# front axle = 90 PSI
• 14,800# GVWR Chassis: 5,300# front axle = 70 PSI
• 14,500# GVWR Chassis: 5,000# front axle = 50 PSI
• 12,300# GVWR Chassis: 4,300# front axle = 40–50 PSI