Steering Controls

There are several aftermarket steering controls on the market today. You might be asking yourself "why do I need a steering control?" "Is my motorhome and chassis designed inadequately?" Well, no they're not. Most drive adequately in good conditions and with all steering components adjusted properly per the factory settings. The trouble is there are a lot of "not so good" conditions on the road everyday. We'll visit those situations later on. The purpose of an aftermarket steering control is to give added safety and convenience to the driver, enhancing the driving experience and giving the driver peace of mind. After all, who wants to worry about anything when you're out on the open road?

The first thing you should know about steering controls is this "there is not a steering control on the market today that is designed to nor can make a motorhome "drive better" if the coach has maladjustments or misalignments or other incorrect (non-factory) alterations." Lets focus on five very common and very easy to maintain issues.

Tires

Tires have to be one of the easiest items to maintain and one of the worst culprits for causing a coach to handle poorly. Over or under inflated tires can cause a coach to become difficult to handle and more susceptible to imperfections in the road surfaces. Always follow the tire manufacturers recommendations on inflation, rotation and balancing. It's also not a bad idea to install a tire monitoring system that alerts you when a tire may be inflated improperly or overheating. This just makes your life easier. These safeguards will also put a little change in your pocket because they increase the life of the tires as well as increase your fuel mileage…wow, with today's fuel prices; who wouldn't want to drive past a gas station once in a while?

Alignment

Another common problem is the alignment of the motorhome. Alignment involves Caster, Camber and Individual Toe. Caster is the forward tilt of the steering axis versus vertical. Camber is the angle of the wheel relative to vertical, as viewed from the front or the rear. Individual Toe is the relationship of the tires leading and trailing edges with respect to one another as viewed from the front or rear. Don't worry, there will not be a test later and it's not important that you know these; only that this is what is adjusted when you take your coach to the alignment shop. They're the experts and will verify all settings are correct per the manufacturers recommendations. There are other components that fit into this category such as steering components and shock absorber wear. These will also make a coach handle poorly.

Weight

Overloading or improper loading of cargo in a coach is also a common problem. A coach that is side weighted can have a tendency to pull to one side while traveling and is more susceptible to imperfections in driving surfaces. A coach that is rear weighted may take some of the control away from the steering wheels causing the driver to have a loss of some control. Uneven and improper loading is also damaging to tires and other components. For more information on these issues, there is a great organization that specializes in safety called RVSEF. They're website is www.rvsafety.org. They can help you understand proper loading and other safety. RVSEF attends several rallies across the country weighing coaches for Rvers to help keep Rvers and all other travelers' safe on the road. Always stay within the weight rating limitation set out by the coach and chassis manufacturer.

Towing

Towing a trailer or towed passenger vehicle can also affect the handling of a coach. Depending on the style of towing system and it's age, free play in the system can cause the towed vehicle to wander slightly which in turn may cause the driver of the coach to constantly make slight steering corrections. It has always been our recommendation to frequently check all aspects of the towing system to insure everything is in top working order. Trailer towing is another story. Some trailers track pretty well, but if a tire is under inflated or an axle is out of alignment, the trailer may develop a swaying issue. Crosswinds can also cause sway. Once you've determined tire pressures and axle alignments are correct, an add on sway control may be needed.

By now you're probably wondering why I have not tried to sell you on the idea of a steering control. It's because I very much believe my earlier statement. Steering controls are not the answer to fix some other problem with a coach's steerability. Those items must be taken care of first. Of course, you can add a steering control and mask a much deeper problem with some decent success, but that is not the answer. I refer to this as the duct tape and baling wire solution.

The Options

Don't get me wrong. I am a big proponent of steering control…but for the right reasons. Most are good at helping the driver maintain control with ease from front tire blowouts, cross winds, ruts, dropping off the edge of the pavement, pot holes and road debris. Some, obviously, are better than others, but I believe that is for the customer to decide. Weigh all your options, do the research and find the features that are right for you. There are four basic means that steering control units use to control steering. They are coil spring, coil spring with hydraulic dampening, hydraulic and gas spring technology. Of these only the hydraulic and the gas spring models have a way of "trimming" or adjusting the unit.

Coil Spring

The model that utilizes coil springs simply uses the "memory" of the springs to pull the front wheels back to center. These are constantly loaded with tension and are designed to hold the front tire straight ahead. This model does not have a way of adjusting the center point, on the fly, down the road.

Coil/Hydraulic

These models are also not adjustable while traveling. They utilize that same coil spring memory to bring the wheels back to center. The addition of the hydraulic fluid inside is a dampening feature to keep the spring from "snapping" back to center too abruptly.

Hydraulic

This model does have the adjustment feature of being able to change the center position while you are traveling down the road. Installation is a little more intense than some of the other models, but it does provide some measures of security. It utilizes hydraulic fluid to bring the front tires back to center.

Gas Spring

This is the newest technology on the market. It utilizes gas spring technology and a "trimming" feature to allow the driver to set the center point as you're traveling down the road. Gas spring technology allows for better control of spring forces and provides it's own dampening without the addition of hydraulics. Installation is quite a bit less intensive than the air over hydraulic model.

The Facts

There is a lot more to each of these technologies, but I just wanted to give you a short overview of each. The main thing to remember is that they are different and each of these products has different features and abilities as well as installation characteristics and ease of use. Steering controls are great aftermarket safety related products that do add significant value for the money.

Remember, parts wear out such as bell cranks, shock absorbers, tires and other components. Have them checked regularly, especially if your coach is ill handling. With all of these items adjusted properly a good steering control will reduce driver fatigue and increase their ability to control the coach in the event of a front tire blowout or dropping off the edge of the road and other instances. They are definitely worth the money just do the research. A little legwork will pay off in the end.