190 popular squirely steering

[themexicandoctor]

I don't know if this photo is appropriate for the Moderators use but here goes. My rig, with the Weldtec 3 inch lift, Supersprings & Sumo Springs, Bilsteins all around will sit 3mph below the Govenor Limit, all day, all night.

When I drive long distances, if possible, I choose to drive late at night night when the RV has more elbow room.

Let's preface it with the fact I have enormous respect for Road Safety both as a Motorcyclist & a Driver. I have been involved in several accidents ONLY on my motorcycle & always, it was the driver's fault.

As an Operator, I grew up with a natural inclination to not "go fast" but be fast. Then you receive training to enhance that efficiency.

Sometimes my rig is used in my other Practice. And I need to get there quickly. And or I like to have my House with me after "the Fix, is finished.

Who said RV's cannot fly ...

[booster]

Very interesting coincidence just happened. I was looking at ebay and right there was a listing for a 1995 190 Versatile on a Chevy. Pics are crummy but does look like a Chevy.



I went back to the Roadtrek site and looked at the brochure again, and it only lists an extended van in a Chevy, but oddly it shows both a 190 and 210 built on it. The 210 shows a foot longer overall length without a tire carrier and the 190 a foot shorter with the tire carrier, so really closer to two feet difference. I have never heard of the 210 from then being lengthened like the later ones were, but maybe they were. Interesting that they call them G30 in the 1995 literature, as that appears to be the year GM started calling them Express vans with redesign year.


The literature does show the Chevy and Dodge 190 in some of the pix but doesn't mentioned them except in the specification list.


My guess would be they had some Chevies from 1994 to use up so kind of continued until they ran out in 1995, but not sure on that, and maybe Chevy had some 1995s built on the old chassis for a while.


So yes, the OP could have a 1995 in a Chevy, it appears, but that would likely be the very end of line for the Chevies until the 200 came along on the Chevy cutaway in 1997. They also showed the 190 and 210 on Chevies and Dodges in 1996, so maybe they had a lot of them or just reused the brochures from earlier. By 1997 no Chevy except the 200.

[glenncoenen]

it is a 190 Pop-chevy chassis--G30---1995

[glenncoenen]

it is a 190 Pop-chevy chassis--G30---1995 --new steering box---new shocks--tire pressure is 65 front and 80 rear---front end hAS been checked out by a number of specialists and aligned. i will check out the adjustment on the top of the steering box.

[glenncoenen]

thanx everyone for your thoughts. i'll check out the steering box adj--no one suggested a steering stabilizer???

[themexicandoctor]

I dont know about the benefit of a steering stabilizer but many later owners of Class Bs choose sway bars.

[glenncoenen]

thanx for the sway bar suggestion--i'll check it out !

[glenncoenen]

don't sway bars come when the van is purchased?

[themexicandoctor]

Originally Posted by glenncoenen

don't sway bars come when the van is purchased?

Talk to Matt Mobile or Mat Mobile - there are many companies that make them as uogrades

[booster]

Originally Posted by glenncoenen

don't sway bars come when the van is purchased?

The benefit comes from adding a rear sway bar, not going bigger in the front. You are trying to counteract what is really understeering, and that is what a rear bar does.



A big question is where the steering box replacement came from. I know many people that have gotten worse handling boxes with rebuilds than they had originally. That is why the recommendation of getting a known OEM install rebuilt by Redhead. The steering gears in many vehicles use the same housing and many common parts, but they often have different valving, ratios, etc. Too many rebuilders go on the the "if it bolts in place, it is OK" method of interchange so you can get different internals than the original had. Most rebuild don't do much more than replace seals and adjust them, so you can also get worn gears with no center tighter spot, etc. They are also often adjusted way to loose. Many of the gears actually have two adjustments on them. One is the very often mentioned bolt that sets the gear backlash. The other is the bearing clearance on the steering input side, that is often a big threaded spanner adjusted piece with a large, thin toothed locking nut on it.


The alignment specs for a vehicle that old are probably not what most now find the best. In general, the most caster you can get while still holding about .1 degree positive camber is a good place to start. To help holding road crowns on R/H sloped roads most are putting .3-.5 degrees more positive caster on the right side wheel, so it should be adjusted first. Toe should be in, never out at all, and 1/16" to 1/8". Toed out will generally cause very twitchy wandering that is nearly impossible to control easily. Good luck finding a shop that can do a specific alignment anymore, as most of us have not found any good ones lately.


Good luck with your endeavor!

[glenncoenen]

many thanx!!! i'll bet the steering box was on the cheap!!!!! i see now that the nut holding the adjustment on the box is stripped!!! i will also check on a back sway bar!!!

[Nic7320]

Who said RV's cannot fly ...[/QUOTE]

You need several more lead acid batteries. Not for electrical power, to slow you down!

[Nic7320]

Originally Posted by glenncoenen

don't sway bars come when the van is purchased?

RV manufacturers and van upfitters rarely upgrade the suspension on a van chassis to work with all the extra weight they add. It's downright dangerous on some rigs, particularly as they age and the shocks wear out.

My 24' class C was built on a Sprinter one-time chassis, but only had a sway bar appropriate for a van application. I upgraded to a larger Blue-Ox sway bar and added Timbren polyurethane spring blocks, and what a difference it made! It's much more stable now.

[rtbill]

Our 200 was pretty scary on the highway. It rolled and heaved and yawed like a drunken whale. We upgraded to Bilstein shocks and had a steering stabilizer installed. It drove much better after that.

Check your tire pressures. We picked our van up from the factory. All should have been perfect, right? A couple thousand miles later I checked the tire pressures for the first time. They were 65 psi all around. The recommended pressures are on the door plate. I have found 5-10 psi lower in the front tires helps settle the steering a bit more.

[RollingMages]

Originally Posted by glenncoenen

Hi - my name is glenn and my wife and i are new to rv-ing and have a 190 popular roadtrek on a chevy chassis. it is a 1995 in very good condition. It has been gone over so it has a good front end, new shocks and michelin tires. it drives very squirely at high speeds or when semis pass (white knuckle)! i have read about front end stabilizers , wheel spacers and steering box stabilizer. Does anyone know what will help out my white knuckle steering?
thanx, glenn

Hi Glen: We just got one too. There are extensive threads on this topic, but at the end of the day ours were a combination of front wheel bearings that needed to be repacked, and a slight change to the alignment. Alignment adjustments (caster, or toe in) can encourage the car to "return to center" naturally, which helps with the wandering. We were lucky we have a specialists nearby who is an expert at alignments for this purpose. Also, in wind, any van or large surface area vehicle will move around a bit. Steering stabilizers are more for handling bumps, and keeping the vehicles from losing steering stability after hitting a bump. They don't do much for wandering. Also, if there are steering/front suspension components that are actually worn, those need to be refreshed first. Hope that helps!

[starrski]

Originally Posted by glenncoenen

Hi - my name is glenn and my wife and i are new to rv-ing and have a 190 popular roadtrek on a chevy chassis. it is a 1995 in very good condition. It has been gone over so it has a good front end, new shocks and michelin tires. it drives very squirely at high speeds or when semis pass (white knuckle)! i have read about front end stabilizers , wheel spacers and steering box stabilizer. Does anyone know what will help out my white knuckle steering?
thanx, glenn

Was having steering issues on 1993 Suburban (has same suspension as the vans.) Last year, I had ball joints, bushings on stabilizer bar, alignment and tire rotation (front tires were rounded over edges from tight turns. Problem mostly went away. But then mechanic noticed, steering play when not moving. Put in a rebuilt steering gear. Drives straight, even on rutted roads. (263,000 miles, original owner)

Now, if rocks would quit putting holes in the radiator... on the fifth radiator.

[daytonabeachbum]

I have the same problem with the squirrely handling at expressway speeds. I have narrowed it down to the rear tires. They are at their maximum pressure of 80 psi and they give the feeling of underinflation. I am trying to find a tire with a stiffer sidewall. I have Firestone 245/75R-16 Transforce AT2. They are rated for load index 120/116 (3169/2806 lbs) and speed rated R (106 mph). My problem is I can't find a tire rated higher. I believe, in order to get a stiffer sidewall, I would need a higher load index and a higher speed range. I called Tire Rack and they say I have the highest in my tire size. Does anyone have any suggestions? I have upgraded my springs with airbags and installed the heaviest duty shocks to the rear. The tires are the weak point now.

[mkguitar]

on my van I have Michelin Agilis Cross Climate 245/75/16 LTX A/T2 range E load index 120

I am happy with them, here's my impressions:

https://www.classbforum.com/forums/f...ons-10460.html


a higher load range gets you into delivery truck tires


Mike

[daytonabeachbum]

Thanks Mike, I have done some research and it seems the Michelin Agilis Cross Climate is what I'm looking for but I was thinking of the 265/75/16. My 2007 Roadtrek 190v is a 4-wheel drive and when fully loaded is close to the maximum 9600 lbs. Going to the 265 will increase load per tire by 300 lbs. Would you know how much your van weighs fully loaded? When ordering the 4-wheel drive you get an 1 inch lift included. I will have to check and see if the additional 1 inch larger diameter tire will fit but I think it should.

[booster]

265-75-16 fit on a standard Chevy without issue, so hopefully will also on the 4WD. We have had them on our 07 C190P for many years.