az99
N.Y.
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Joined: 12/26/2006
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JohnInAz wrote:I must have got lucky. After getting the rear spring upgrade, koni's all around, and a front and rear alignment, mine handles fine. It wasn't too bad before unless you got into heavy cross winds or traveled over uneven surfaces (then the box rocked like mad). I agree. That was all mine needed also. Mine was bad on curvy uneven roads and when trucks passed. There was waaay too much side to side body roll.
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dcowley
Texas Panhandle
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Joined: 09/11/2007
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az99 wrote:ASA Glamis wrote: I don’t believe that just the springs will help the handling. In fact I think having heavier springs without the rear track bar could make the handling worse.
That is not true. With the proper rear springs the coach will not roll over from side to side. A properly sprung vehicle should not need a rear trac bar. That is just a bolt on band aid.
AZ you don't have a 35 GS, its a different animal with 3 slides, from more weight to more body flex,a different beast... the rear-trac bar improved my handling by leaps and bounds, it is not a band-aid but an excellent product that these folks can add to improve safety and handling. And yes, its is true!
I would have gotten rid of my 35GS had it not been for the trac-bars and other bolt-on improvemnts that allowed me to get excellent handling.
Maybe your smaller unit is setup a little different and is not the same animal as the 35GS.
I just checked my ododmeter and in exactly one year of ownership I have logged 23,000 miles, the first 3K were miserable, the last 20K were a pleasure and effortless... Maybe your trac-bar didn't work on your shorter RV but mine was a vast improvement
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dsteinman
Los Alamos, NM
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Joined: 09/19/2006
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Quote:That is not true. With the proper rear springs the coach will not roll over from side to side. A properly sprung vehicle should not need a rear trac bar. That is just a bolt on band aid.
Trac bars and stiffer springs solve 2 different problems. On a solid axle suspension there is nothing other than the spring to stop any lateral movement. A trac bar locks the suspension so it can not move laterally.
Stiffer springs will allow less body roll and up/down movements. Although stiffer springs will also add stiffness to the suspension so there is less lateral movement, they do not solve that problem.
The Seneca's already had the 15,000# springs and it could certainly be that after upgrading to the 19,000# springs, a rear trac bar would not make a noticeable difference to the handling, especially considering the price, but there would be an improvement.
On our Four Winds 34h, I didn't add my rear trac bar separately, so I can not comment on it effectiveness. I did add the front trac bar afterwards and it made a definite improvement to the preciseness of the steering.
David
2007 Four Winds 34H
2007 Saturn Vue
2005 Dodge Durango 5.7 Hemi
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BEVAR
Lake Worth, FL
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Joined: 03/21/2007
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I did 5 mods to the coach...well...OK...6 (if you count driving with only 1/2 a tank of water.
I did front and rear trac bars, front and rear sway bars and the Reflex steering stab.
Yes, it was expensive...but worth it. No more tail wag...and I have been hit with 50+ MPH side gusts and it did not cause any issues (besides startling me quite a bit).
I'm glad I did it.
Beave
'06 Seneca 35GS
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8KCAB
Louisville
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Joined: 08/18/2008
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I'll check the RPO codes in the coach in the morning. I have a 2006 chassis with a 2007 camper. Jayco got it in Dec. and finished it after the first of the year so I have to check RPO for 2006 most likely. I will be at the dealer AGAIN tomorrow and will talk about it.
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az99
N.Y.
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Joined: 12/26/2006
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dsteinman wrote:Quote:That is not true. With the proper rear springs the coach will not roll over from side to side. A properly sprung vehicle should not need a rear trac bar. That is just a bolt on band aid.
Trac bars and stiffer springs solve 2 different problems. On a solid axle suspension there is nothing other than the spring to stop any lateral movement. A trac bar locks the suspension so it can not move laterally.
Stiffer springs will allow less body roll and up/down movements. Although stiffer springs will also add stiffness to the suspension so there is less lateral movement, they do not solve that problem.
The Seneca's already had the 15,000# springs and it could certainly be that after upgrading to the 19,000# springs, a rear trac bar would not make a noticeable difference to the handling, especially considering the price, but there would be an improvement.
On our Four Winds 34h, I didn't add my rear trac bar separately, so I can not comment on it effectiveness. I did add the front trac bar afterwards and it made a definite improvement to the preciseness of the steering.
David I don't know about your Four Winds chassis but on the 34SS Seneca the rear spring shackle bolts are only about 5/16" away from the frame. If the chassis was moving laterally that much there would be witness marks from the shackle bolt rubbing the chassis. If that were the case a Trac Bar would certainly be beneficial. Maybe the longer chassis on the 35 is different than the 34. The owner of the spring shop that did my spring upgrade actually chuckled when I asked him about the Trac Bar. I tried it anyway with the exact result he told me. No change. 
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paulin
No. CA
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Joined: 08/28/2003
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8KCAB,
Ours is also on a 2006 chassis and was built about a month earlier than yours. Since they were built after Oct, 2006, I believe Chevy lists them as 2007 models. If you would like a "build sheet" for your rig go to The Diesel Place at http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=72 and request a VIN check. Within a few days you will have all the RPO codes and lots of other information specific to your MH. Also, presuming yours is so equipped, The Diesel Place has tons of information on the Duramax motor.
Paul
Paul & Linda
2007 Jayco Seneca HD 34SS Duramax
2005 Saturn VUE
"Monty", "Maggie" & "Murphy" the mighty Shih Tzus
FMCA #F375077
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ASA Glamis
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
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Joined: 03/19/2007
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paulin wrote: I believe Chevy lists them as 2007 models.
The tenth digit of the VIN will tell you what year the vehicle chassis is designated as.
The motorhome manufacture will assign what model year the coach is. Many times this is a different year than the chassis is designated as due to manufacturing scheduling by the motorhome builder.
You need to know the chassis manufactures model year to order parts as that will be what the dealer wants to know.
See this link to decode the VIN number.
VIN Decoder
2007 Jayco Seneca 35GS
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JDLEE1979
Salt Lake City, Utah
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Joined: 07/28/2008
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So how much cost are you looking at in suspension upgrades on these things to make them handle nice?
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Pigkisser
West Texas
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Joined: 07/29/2007
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I have a 2007 Seneca 33SS, which I assume is the smallest Seneca produced. When I first got it, it had a horrible tail wag. I added the Henderson trac-bar and saw immediate improvements. I have since added SuperSprings to the rear, as I did not want the 19,000 pound replacements on my shorter chassis. The SuperSprings were a considerable improvment in reducing coach sway, plus they added about 2 inches to the rear height. It now drives great. All in all, the best bang for my buck on the Seneca has to be the addition of the rear trac-bar.
2007 Jayco Seneca 33SS
2008 Jeep Wrangler 4 door 4X4 toad
Ready Brute/Ready Brake tow bar/brake combination
Igloo Ice Chest
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