Making a smoother ride.

[MacC-SKO]

Tie bolts that hold the spring together are designed to work ONLY once. Deadly mistake to not buy NEW tie bolts. Just like U-bolts for springs. the threads are designed to stretch while tightening. ONE USE ONLY!! PLEASE!!!!! Every notice they don't use lock nuts in those applications. That is why. ONE USE ONLY!! Nobody ever talks about that, sorry to be so loud but it is EXTREMELY important.

 

[sepudo]

I'd not "single out" the rear wheels. Cops seeing this may (and likely will) use it as a reason to stop you, and more to the point, the whole thing is engineered to use dual tires. It places undue "twisting" stress on the wheel bearings and the tires are likely to end up overloaded. Much better to make sure the shocks are good and modify the springs. I would *VERY* strongly advise visiting a professional spring shop for this.

Can you explain this twisting stress.??
And like I mentioned the weight would be under 16k so way below the 25,500 gvwr...

 

[sepudo]

Tie bolts that hold the spring together are designed to work ONLY once. Deadly mistake to not buy NEW tie bolts. Just like U-bolts for springs. the threads are designed to stretch while tightening. ONE USE ONLY!! PLEASE!!!!! Every notice they don't use lock nuts in those applications. That is why. ONE USE ONLY!! Nobody ever talks about that, sorry to be so loud but it is EXTREMELY important.

I'll make sure to get new tie bolts, once I'm set with the amount of leaves I'd like. [emoji106] While I'm 'tuning' and testing removing leaf by leaf, could I use a double nut to ensure the bolts stay tight?

 

[Ronnie-SKO]

As for twisting force, if you think about where the wheel bearings are and where each dual wheel is, then you can see it is a balanced load. If youvuse only one dual then the tire is outside of both wheel bearing acting like a lever. Slow speeds light loads you can certainly get away with it. However I would not do it for high speed highway use.

 

[JDOnTheGo]

One of the misunderstood items in the RV world is tire pressure. Get the specs on your tires, weight your rig, and then set tire pressure accordingly. Most shops just air the tire to some very high number (ignoring weight) and then the tires are like riding on bricks. Of course, tuning tire pressure is not going to perform magic but it can make a difference in ride 'harshness.'

Probably worth noting... weighing is a pretty simple process and can be done at many truck stops (CAT scales), some country co-ops, and probably many other places. At the truck stops, you just pull onto the scale (make sure front tires are on front 'pad' and rear tires on rear 'pad' and use the intercom to get the attendants attention. They ask for truck number, just tell him #1 or your favorite number, then park and go inside. Tell the counter person that you have a weight slip and truck number. Costs something like $10. You then have the weight on your front and rear axles.

 

[Sehnsucht-SKO]

One of the misunderstood items in the RV world is tire pressure. Get the specs on your tires, weight your rig, and then set tire pressure accordingly. Most shops just air the tire to some very high number (ignoring weight) and then the tires are like riding on bricks. Of course, tuning tire pressure is not going to perform magic but it can make a difference in ride 'harshness.'

Probably worth noting... weighing is a pretty simple process and can be done at many truck stops (CAT scales), some country co-ops, and probably many other places. At the truck stops, you just pull onto the scale (make sure front tires are on front 'pad' and rear tires on rear 'pad' and use the intercom to get the attendants attention. They ask for truck number, just tell him #1 or your favorite number, then park and go inside. Tell the counter person that you have a weight slip and truck number. Costs something like $10. You then have the weight on your front and rear axles.

CAT scales have gotten up to ~$13 but still a small price to pay for accurate data. This is also helpful to know what your bus weighs pre- and post-conversion to determine if suspension modification is even necessary. We often underestimate how much weight we add with all the build and appliances and personal belongings. I weighed my semi tractor empty and then occupied and even subtracting my own weight my personal belongings are over 300 pounds - in a sleeper cab! Imagine how much personal belongings you can fit into an entire bus/RV!

Also totally agree on the tire pressure. Tire pressure isn't intended to be a significant ride comfort factor although many car tire brands like to make like their tires somehow offer a smoother ride. Tire pressure has far more effect on fuel economy and safety than comfort - leave that attribute to the suspension where it belongs.

 

[EastCoastCB]

I always inflate to what the data plate says. Then I take out 5lbs.

 

[sepudo]

My only point of reference for line with tire pressure has been my Sprinter van. Depending on the terrain in the situation, I have had the tire pressure as high as the stated 80 pounds in the rear and as low as 18 while playing off road. For highway speeds, I have had it down to 55 without any adverse effects.

Does anyone know the lower range of school bus tires at highway speeds? Again, keeping in mind my very light relative weight

 

[JDOnTheGo]

Does anyone know the lower range of school bus tires at highway speeds?

Depends on the tire. Manufacturers provide the spec sheets.

 

[Elvenhome21]

My only point of reference for line with tire pressure has been my Sprinter van. Depending on the terrain in the situation, I have had the tire pressure as high as the stated 80 pounds in the rear and as low as 18 while playing off road. For highway speeds, I have had it down to 55 without any adverse effects.

Does anyone know the lower range of school bus tires at highway speeds? Again, keeping in mind my very light relative weight

I think Firestone or Goodyear says 70psi is the lowest you can go regardless of weight. Which makes sense, a semi tire is considered junk if it has less than 50 psi in it and will get you a ticket and out of service violation.

 

[sepudo]

I'd be happy trying them out at 80 in the rear. I was planning 85 actually. Plus I'll have a tire pressure monitor system for each tire all around to see if they're heating up due to friction.