MCUs

Tired of the Wal-Mart Wobble?

You know, the dish-rattling side-to-side sway experienced when:

Entering/exiting driveways with gutters
Speed bumps and
Shopping center parking lots

I experienced this big time in my '99 XC chassis motorhome but assumed that FCCC would improve their product over time and make it better. Wrong...posts on our FCOC Yahoo group in 2006 and 2007 show that nothing has changed on the XC...it STILL has lousy side to side stability.

Several months back I became aware of Robert Henderson's Super Steer product called the Motion Control Unit or MCU. This product is an air valve that inserts in the airline before the airbag and reduces the amount of air transfer between the two side to side airbags.

Motion Control Unit

It prevents rapid dumping of air from the air springs. “It cuts down on that sudden snapping motion you get when pulling into or out of a driveway, etc.,” explains Henderson. “When you get the air dumping out of one side and adding the other, it makes the motion worse. There’s a lot of energy when those bags are compressed, and very little friction, so they want to rebound like a basketball. The Motion Control Unit works by baffling the movement of air in or out of the air bag. It’s very easy to install.”

WHAT IT COSTS: $166 to $238 per axle

INSTALLATION: Thirty minutes per axle

For more information see Henderson's Lineup - http://hendersonslineup.com/uncategorized/supersteer-motion-control-unit/

Also see Motorhome Magazine article April '07 -

http://hendersonslineup.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/mh0704-easy-going.pdf

Super Steer MCUs can be purchased at RVUpgradestore.com - https://www.rvupgradestore.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1852

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Being naturally dubious about new product claims, I've looked for customer testimonials and have found several! Here are some customer comments on the Super Steer MCU from the iRV2.com discussion forum.

Thanks to the iRV2 forum folks for letting us use their posts.

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Testimonial #1 - posted by 'warpath', iRV2 founder - 06 Winnebago Vectra 40 KD

Source: iRV2.com RV Forum THE CHASSIS CLUB Freightliner Motorhome Chassis Forum Super Steer Motion Control

http://irv2.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/7841040402/m/1741097683?r=73310687

"After a few more unsettling outings I finally bit the bullet and talked with Scott at Super Steer and went ahead and ordered a set for the front and back. On my 06 Vectra the front airlines are 1/2" and the rear 1/4". Install was really easy, dump the air in the bags and than simply cut the airline 3-6" from the top of the airbag and slide the motion control unit on to both sides. The units have slip on locking air fittings so installation takes about 10 seconds with more time spent getting under the rig to the airbags."

"For my test I ran 2 1/2 hours on the back roads of eastern Ohio on into Pennsylvania to our Memorial Day outing. It was like I was driving a totally different well handling rig. I have made a lot of chassis mods over the years on different RV's I have owned and this ranked at the top as most improving an issue I have had with handling. Cornering on off-camber hilly 2 lane roads was amazing, very little front end dive when you apply the brakes and very little roll as you made the corner. I cannot tell you how happy I was with the improvement, amazing. On the way home I took the freeway and again was really impressed with the handling in cross winds, corners and very little movement when trucks are passing."

"I absolutely give this product 2 thumbs up!"

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Testimonial #2 - Craig P. - 2005 Fleetwood Providence 39J

"I installed my Motion Control Units yesterday. While I haven't left for my trip yet, I did take it on a short cruise to check the install. The devices greatly reduced - almost eliminated, the front end dip I use to experience when braking or accelerating. It seems to corner a lot better and the side-to-side whipping motion when entering or exiting driveways is gone. So far I am impressed and happy with the purchase."

"Update - I just returned from my first trip after installing the Motion Control Valves, and to repeat Warpath's comments: Wow! "

"Our trip took us 6500 feet into the mountains, where I could really put the Control Units to the test. The trip started off with a very fast and banked interstate interchange ramp, that I normally take very slowly due to the leaning of the coach. The coach seemed to stay almost completely upright, and took the ramp like a sports car."

"The coach remained straight throughout the mountain turns and handled like a dream. I can honestly say that my MH now drives like a big car and doesn't feel top heavy in the slightest.
This is by far the single best improvement that I have made to my coach to date."

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Testimonial #3 - Jon P. - 05 Winnebago Journey 34H - XC

"So the rig went on a 400 mile outing right after the changes. As far as I'm concerned the motion control units are as good everyone here is saying. Reduced nose dive, less roll in corners and the side-to-side from driveways and speed bumps is damped out to just the one hit when you actually go over them."

"And the new SS bell crank takes all the wander out of freeway driving as well as much more precise control on windy roads. I found myself much less fatigued after a couple of hours of driving than was previously the case."

"Combined with the Koni shocks I added a couple of months ago (nice improvement but not as good as I had hoped) and this coach now drives like a BMW (a really big BMW). Too bad I had to spend almost $1400 to correct FCCC's shortcomings. But it was cheaper than the up-charge to buy a Vectra."

Later post also by Jon P. -

"Okay folks, I may have the ultimate endorsement here."

"The DW drove ALL of this last trip, albeit only 100 miles each way. It was a combination of city, freeway, two lane foothill highway and a few miles of twisty roads. She told me "Whatever you did makes this thing so easy to drive now!". She has even been bragging to her lady friends."

"To be sure what she is experiencing results from a combination of the SS motion control valves, the SS bell crank and the Koni shocks. But I feel at least 50% of it is the motion control valves."

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Testimonial #4 - flints - 05 Alpha Gold - FCCC IFS

"I installed these on my 05 Alfa Gold which has independent suspension. They are every bit as good as everyone is saying. I tow an enclosed car hauler and I used to see a lot of body roll between the coach and trailer, but not any more!"

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Testimonial #5 - Jim O - '06 Mandalay 40G

"I had the Motion Control Units installed on our '06 Mandalay (on a 276" FL-XC Chassis) just before we left on an 8000 mile trip, much of which was on 2 lane country roads up and down mountains."

"WOW is right. What a difference they make. While they can't compensate for road crowning, they pretty much do eliminate the uncomfortable body roll as you make a turn. Before, I would have to reduce speed to below the yellow posted turn speed limit but now, the posted limit or even a little higher is comfortable. If the ride quality has been degraded it isn't noticeable to us."

NOTE: Another alternative is a good anti-sway bar

It should be noted that these air control valves WILL stiffen the your ride and will help the side to side sway. However they will also stiffen ALL BUMPS in the vertical plane as well.

An anti-sway bar on the other hand offers little resistance in the vertical plane which means your chassis will tend to keep it's 'soft ride' while resisting side to side sway.

A popular sway bar was the IPD sway bar (formerly distributed by Robert Henderson's company) which has been sold to Roadmaster which is now available at Camping World. You can get a bar engineered for the XC chassis.

Editor's note - Thanks to Brett Wolfe, President of the CAT RV Club for the above information.

Posted 08-08-09