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Re: [GMCnet] Why not fix one ton scrub radius with wheel offset? [message #361949 is a reply to message #361948] Sat, 23 January 2021 11:01 Go to previous messageGo to previous message
James Hupy is currently offline  James Hupy   United States
Messages: 6806
Registered: May 2010
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Senior Member
Matt, I edited my comments on purpose for the "political correctness"
factor. When I drive my 78 Royale 403 equipped 3:70 final drive, my long
suffering wife, Judy is constantly reminding me of things like speed
limits, (I frequently exceed them, sometimes a lot), things falling off of
counters, drawers flying open and closed, etc. Caused by my (ahem)
aggressive driving style. (Grin) When my coach is stowed for rough seas, I
use the cornering sign speed as a guide for my entry speed into a curve. I
always add 20+mph to the posted cornering speed, and I add throttle
throughout the curve because 1. It's fun, and 2. It's a front wheel drive
vehicle.
But, it's a "Do as I say, not as I do" kind of deal. I don't want my
comments here to be interpreted as how everyone should drive their coach.
My "Sin in haste, Repent at leisure " behavior does not work for
everyone. Just me, I guess.
Yes, a well maintained GMC will handle fairly well when compared to
other motorhomes of that era, but not when compared to modern automobiles.
All I was saying, really.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Oregon

On Sat, Jan 23, 2021, 7:51 AM Matt Colie via Gmclist <
gmclist@list.gmcnet.org> wrote:

> James Hupy wrote on Fri, 22 January 2021 20:18
>> The GMC Motorhome is NOT a performance vehicle. It wallows in tight
> curves, barely stays straight on good roads. It is at least 40 years old,
> and
>> designed around parts plucked from production lines of various
> automobiles of the era. Nothing state of the art about the suspension and
> drive
>> train.
>> It does a fair job of point to point transportation of a heavy
> vehicle that has a great deal of its weight centered above the tops of the
>> tires.
>> A race car, it definitely is NOT! If you do not expect sports car
> handling, and maintain the drive train/suspension parts well, it is safe
>> enough to drive in traffic if you don't follow too closely and drive
> "eyes way down the road ahead", you won't get in too much trouble.
>> There are upgrades that improve braking quite a bit, and that is
> one huge reason for the 1-ton conversion. That and much stronger lower
>> control arms and front wheel bearings as well as upper and lower ball
> joints. Handling? Very subjective at best. It still is a top heavy front
> wheel
>> drive vehicle. Not much will ever change those facts.
>> Do I love them? Yep! But, don't put lipstick on them. Underneath,
> they are still a very good looking pig.(grin)
>> Jim Hupy
>> Salem, Oregon
>
> Jim,
>
> If I did not know better, I would believe that our two coaches are no
> relation.
>
> Chaumière is older and about one ton lighter (and three feet shorter), but
> until the recent crash (I will get it back as soon as I can) she would
> stay straight on a straight flat road (these are very rare in Michigan and
> getting rarer). My limit to exit cornering was keeping the things on the
> shelves on said shelves and not a vehicle handling situation. It has
> been my pleasure to watch the PITA tailgating pickup be forced to fall back
> in
> an during an exit loop.
>
> In vehicle front end design, the camber should stay close during the
> anticipated body roll experienced in cornering. If one worked in that
> corner of
> the industry and/or drove race cars, when experienced it is well known
> alert that the driver should learn he cannot ignore. As it is a harbinger
> of
> bad things to come, it is unsettling to those of us that know this
> steering wheel reaction. It is not (despite the common remarks here) a
> result of
> the control arms not being parallel, because in the best handling vehicles
> those arms do not stay parallel under all conditions. As the friends at an
> OE (then American Motors) that had a computer program (at that time, it
> had to be a big expensive computer) to emulate this activity in about 1975
> found out, the four bar linkage that is the front end of most cars and can
> make or break the handling. I don't know if you remember the late 70's AMC
> Eagle Wagon. They had it right and they were just an amazing vehicle to
> put into a corner. This was only true of the 4WD wagon as the other
> retained
> the original design.
>
> Anyone with first hand experience will refuse to concede the knuckle
> bearing issue. As Dave Lenzi has so clearly established, it isn't the
> bearing
> that is the issue, but it is a single manufacturing shortcut that is the
> real issue here. If one mounts the bearing in accordance with the best
> practices, the life is them long enough to now be an unknown factor.
>
> One will have to concede the lower control arm issue in the early
> coaches. Even reinforced per the GMC directive, they still had issues.
> Fortunately, those most often fail at low speeds in hard cornering
> situations. Even at low speeds, this can to severe damage to the coach.
>
> Matt
> --
> Matt & Mary Colie - Chaumière -'73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL,
> GMCES
> Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan with OE Rear Drum
> Brakes with Applied Control Arms
> SE Michigan - Near DTW - Twixt A2 and Detroit
>
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