dcowley
Texas Panhandle
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Joined: 09/11/2007
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As of this moment I have installed all the suspension upgrades that were recommended by this forum, Hendersonslineup and Roadmaster. Of course Jayco/GM upgraded the rear springs at no charge to me and after having thoroughly tested all the additions I must say I am tickled, tickled, tickled with the way this rig handles.
When I picked up the RV in Buffalo, NY it was apparent this unit had tailwag, in fact on a high crowned road it was as if the RV was being drawn off the road and when it did come back up it certainly was unstable.
1) I installed a rear trac-bar, WOW. 75% improvement in handling, no more white knuckle driving
2)Then came a Reflex steering dampener a little improvement but not as noticeable as the trac-bar.
3)Then came front trac-bar and any rut darting totally went away.
4)Roadmaster front sway and things started getting better on the side to side slosh
5)SUPERSPRINGS on the rear and handling and side slosh really started improving and the feel of driving an SUV was starting to be in place
6) Installed Koni shocks all the way around and the side to side slosh got even better plus the rig rode noticeably smoother.
7)Installed the Roadmaster rear sway-bar and all the side to side slosh is gone..
I needed a point of reference so I took my rig over the same corner and counted the times it rocked back and forth always at the same speed. Before I started this it would dip on one side then rock 4 1/2 times before it stopped and quit rocking.
The trac-bars did not help the rocking. (but tag wag, wind gust and driveabilty were championed) The front sway-bar took one complete rock out. The SUPERSPRINGS took another rock out. I added the Konis and they took 1 1/2 rocks out. After adding the Roadmaster rear sway bar I can only say the coach goes into the dip and rights back to center, it does not rock or sway. I guess you could say it has 1/2 rock to it before stopping.
This is full of fuel, 3/4 tank of fresh water, 1/3 on the black and 1/3 on the gray.
So I have gone from sloshing (swaying) back and forth 4 1/2 times to going into the dip and not sloshing or swaying at all.
We had wind and gust of 35 mph today and this is really why I'm posting. The handling was unbelievable, not once did the wind affect me like an RV but was likened to driving a car, it was truly that good and at 70 mph. I did not slow down for the wind. I took the wind from the side and head-on, it was absolutely a non-factor. My cell phone rang and I even drove one handed for approximately 20 miles and never once did a wind gust make me feel uncomfortable.
I can only say if you like your 35GS and want to spend the bucks, these improvements are worth every penny if you have lots of road time.
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paulin
No. CA
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Joined: 08/28/2003
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dcowley,
Do I understand correctly that you have BOTH the 19K springs and the SuperSprings? Also, is the Roadmaster rear sway bar any larger than the stock one?
I've install all your items except the Roadmaster rear sway bar and the 19K springs. The handling is better but not as good as I'd expected. Our wheelbase on the 34SS is also a foot shorter than yours and may be a factor.
We have the Saft-T-Plus steering damper and I'm not completely satisfied with it. There seems to be a straight ahead neutral zone instead of a dead center, straight ahead position. And, at times I feel like I'm fighting the damper, i.e. in turns and wind, yet the steering still overall feels too light.
Paul & Linda
2007 Jayco Seneca HD 34SS Duramax
2005 Saturn VUE
"Monty", "Maggie" & "Murphy" the mighty Shih Tzus
FMCA #F375077
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BEVAR
Lake Worth, FL
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Joined: 03/21/2007
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Where can one get this kind of work done? (I live in South Florida)
Beave
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goodwind
Arkansas
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Joined: 11/01/2006
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Glad you took our advice and yes there is no comparision. The factory should have solved this before going on the block but we know how that goes. Dane
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dcowley
Texas Panhandle
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BEVAR wrote:Where can one get this kind of work done? (I live in South Florida)
Beave
I installed the front and rear trac-bar. My local mechanic installed the other parts. Of course an authorized GM dealer did the rear springs under warranty.
The hardest task according to my mechanic was the rear sway-bar. I had rivets in my rear spring hangers and he had to drill those out, some Kodiaks have bolts which make the installation a lot easier.
This is one sweet ride as I sometimes drive up to 18 hours if I am feeling real good with these longer light days, its not even a struggle other than just normal fatigue now.
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mfa
Florida
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Joined: 08/28/2006
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What's the difference between a rear trac-bar and a rear sway-bar?
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dcowley
Texas Panhandle
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paulin wrote:dcowley,
Do I understand correctly that you have BOTH the 19K springs and the SuperSprings? Also, is the Roadmaster rear sway bar any larger than the stock one?
I've install all your items except the Roadmaster rear sway bar and the 19K springs. The handling is better but not as good as I'd expected. Our wheelbase on the 34SS is also a foot shorter than yours and may be a factor.
We have the Saft-T-Plus steering damper and I'm not completely satisfied with it. There seems to be a straight ahead neutral zone instead of a dead center, straight ahead position. And, at times I feel like I'm fighting the damper, i.e. in turns and wind, yet the steering still overall feels too light.
Yes both the 19K spring packs and the SUPERSPRINGS. The rear Roadmaster sway-bar is a bit larger diameter than the factory one but it goes behind the differential and the factory one stays in place in front of the differential. So on the rear I now have two sway-bars and man does it work.
I feel these 35GS with 3 slides might have a different weight dispersement problem versus the other Senecas and maybe that is why I noticed so much improvement in tail wag when installing the trac-bars.. the sway and rocking is also a thing of the past.
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Puttin
Martinez, Ca
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Joined: 02/15/2008
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Please check the battery cable routing before your's is history. Look at the other Seneca entries.
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dcowley
Texas Panhandle
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Puttin wrote:Please check the battery cable routing before your's is history. Look at the other Seneca entries.
Checked it and after 13K miles it is in pristine condition, no chafing.
It is nestled nicely between the leveling jack oil resvoir and the battery holder, doesn't seem to be rubbing. Mine must have been assembled on a Wednesday when the folks had nothing else to do but work.
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dcowley
Texas Panhandle
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Joined: 09/11/2007
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mfa wrote:What's the difference between a rear trac-bar and a rear sway-bar?
The trac-bar connects the rear axle to the frame or the front axle to the frame. It takes out the side to side motion. The only thing keeping the side to side motion at bay are the spring shackles and as those wear tail wag with get worse, especially on these class c's with a long overhang off the rear axle.
The sway bars keep the slosh or rocking motion to a minimum
Click for pictures
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