we have a 1990 barth regal.

it has some instabilities on the highway to the extent the wife ( of 50 years ) says " drive it to florida or where ever and i will fly in and join you " .

the question is can i ever get it close to as stable as driving a " good 2015 30 foot box truck " .

i know it will not drive like a 2021 PACIFICA .

SOME DETAILS i am a very experienced driver , drive alot , and drive a 2000 dodge 15 passenger 250,000 mile van as my daily driver . i driven old fork trucks , trucks , and raced a sports car for years .

on our trip maiden voyage to florida and back , we had a few
10 second to " terrifying moments to my wife " mainly in construction zones. i must say they were too exciting .

overall the coach is in excellent condition inside and out ( with good records ) ,and the the last owner 1000 miles ago had the alinement check and the repair mechanic noted " all is as it should be , advise the owner these high and wide vehicles move in the wind etc . "

I am in the auto business and before the trip i checked and found no slop anywhere , i had a shop mechanic to the same in detail, he tightened the gear box a little but found nothing else .

I increased the tire pressure from 85 to 105 on the way home .

I check it myself upon my return and again found nothing . there is maybe 1" of free play in each direction in the wheel , maybe


it is about to go back into the shop for an other recheck .

its got new made in vietnam tires ALL AROUND , some suggest Michelin or continental tires would help . others suggest wider tires . and of course the stabilizer sales men at the last FMCA meeting tell me a stabilizer at $600.00 would solve the problem.

if a stabilizer was required why did OSHKOSH ( who knows a thing or to about chassis ) not put one on it ??

not afraid to spend money but throwing it at a symptom rather than the cause is is not my style , but i do over analyze .

i not a big believer in " if it cost more its better " you get what you pay for ' " or it is so because i say it is so . or they sell it so i should buy it .


anyway if i do everything will it run through a construction zone at 65 with out my wife saying " oh God " . or will she be forever flying in
?

does anyone else's regal drive through a construction zone at 65 one handed ?

My Regal was a GM chassis, so unfortunately my experience only applies in a general way. When I got it, the internal front coil air bags were flat. Replacing those raised the height which was good and it made the ride a bit stiffer, which was a compromise for ride quality, but an unexpected improvement in front stability.

Later I replaced the OEM front stabilizer with a beefy one from Hellwig. About twice as thick as the GM one. Of all the changes I made the stabilizer was the most impressive.

Bottom line, not an Oshkosh but make sure there is minimum play in all steering components (especially ball joints), then try to introduce as much damping as you can to try control wandering, etc.

Why didn't Oshkosh put a bigger one on there? Same old reason, they cost more. To their credit they don't necessarily know what the buyer is going to put on their chassis. I do know it really helped my GM Regal.

To be fair, my 33 had a tag axle and I believe that is the #1 reason it was so stable to begin with. Extra wheels and brakes, adjustable air bag suspension. It tracked like rails.

Be sure you have good shocks, front and rear.

I once had a 1954 Chev Station Wagon. Had a 1/2 turn of play at the wheel when I bought it. Barely driveable. I reshimmed and adjusted the steering box. Replaced the king pins and caster pins and all bushings. Replaced idler arm bearings. Replaced tie rod ends. None of these components were worn out, just a bit loose. Each time I put in tight new parts it got a little better. When all done it had only about 2 inches of play at the wheel. Way less spooky to drive.

Like Steve my Barth is on a p30 chassis. On a windy day it is really all over the road. I have been told to add heavy duty front and rear stabilizer bars. Have not as of yet. I have replaced the steering stabilizer and am of yesterday now trying out coil over shocks, not checked out yet.

Still working on this have taken a little detour , will be in shop and up in the air thursday .

just some information .... my barth 1991 regal does not have nad did not have a steering stabilizer ..

from the sounds of other posts stabilizers were oem on chassis like the p-30 yes no ??

( standard on all from the gmc factory ?? is this correct ?? mime is a oshkosh has none

Try installing these new style Bell Cranks. I hear they take out all the steering play. Here's some information from their web site: https://supersteerparts.com/

SUPERSTEER® P3032 BELL CRANK FOR CHEVY/WORKHORSE P30/P32 CHASSIS
only $275.00

Fits both driver and passenger sides
Looseness or Steering Play in some vehicle steering systems can often be attributed to a component known as a "bell crank" or "idler", which supports the steering linkage. Original equipment designs utilize common sleeve bushings, which often wear out prematurely and cannot be adjusted for side play. In contrast, the SuperSteer® bell cranks/idlers utilize tapered roller bearings, which are far better at carrying load. They can also be adjusted to achieve precise movement.

Don't let loose or vague steering ruin your vacation!
Improved Returnability
Rugged high-strength casting, steel spindle and tapered roller bearings
Also reduces steering road wander and rut tracking
Helps to eliminate Steering Play- extends tire life
Bolt-in replacement for the original component
Limited Lifetime Warranty
SuperSteer® P3032 Bell Crank for Chevy/Workhorse P30/P32 Chassis:
Reduces road wander, rut tracking and driver fatigue
Provides tighter control of steering, especially on narrow roads
Increases overall safety
Replaces and, as a result, outlasts the OEM bell crank many times over
High-quality tapered roller bearings that remain tight with no side-to-side or vertical movement
Design provides for end and side adjustment
Hi-Tensile strength casting
Greased-packed and sealed roller bearings and spindle

thanks for this info ...
not sure i believe the "physics' behind this ( and it is all physics ) but i will examine it and see if i can understand what they are trying to sell ..


first glance is it solves the problem of a worn out idler arm , but if you have a worn out idler arm ( which is page one of an alignment instructions ) you do the first thing is replace it , then you do not have a worn out idles arm .

????

thanks for your and others help we did not get it up on a lift this week , shop jammed , will check everything including idler arm in detail .

then we will continue and see what is next .

i do understand urethane bushing ase stiffer than rubber ones but why don't oems use them , there must be a reason . f



sometimes aftermarket vendors make something bigger and powdercoat it blue or purple or red and have salesmen on commission who know far less physics that the customers selling it at shows .. it does not make it the solution .

maybe i can understand

but thanks again i will continue working

The coil over shocks really improved my P30 chassis raised the ride height about a half inch.