Roadmaster Active Suspension

Tires, shocks, sway bars, air bags... What crosswind?
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nvestysly
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 149
Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2014 4:22 pm
B190 Year: 1998
WBCCI: 16771

Roadmaster Active Suspension

Post by nvestysly »

I recently drove a 1999 B190 that had several improvements to the suspension. The van drove so well that at first I didn't even think it was a B190. It seemed much more like a normal van and drove much like my 1996 and 2005 Suburbans - meaning it did not have much body roll when going over bumps and when making turns. Keep in mind I've only driven two B190's but I have driven other large/top-heavy vehicles. The 1999 that I drove belongs to a friend who purchased it a year or so ago from another friend who had installed a Roadmaster Active Suspension along with some other suspension upgrades.

After investigating several suspension upgrades (and being less than pleased with a Hellwig rear anti-sway bar) I've decided to add the Roadmaster Active Suspension to the 1998 B190 that we purchased for my sister-in-law. I contacted Roadmaster http://www.activesuspension.com/ and mentioned that I was able to buy their product through Amazon and other online outlets for $379 with free shipping. Roadmaster agreed to honor that price and include the shipping. The kit should arrive sometime next week. It seems like a simple bolt-on and I should know quickly if it solves the body roll problem that makes our 1998 B190 a little on the unruly side.

I'll keep you posted.

Lucius
We sold our 1998 B190, V-10
Currently own a 2010 Airstream Interstate
nvestysly
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 149
Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2014 4:22 pm
B190 Year: 1998
WBCCI: 16771

Re: Roadmaster Active Suspension

Post by nvestysly »

The kit arrived today (Saturday) to my surprise. I didn't request one-day shipping but I guess I'm close enough to the ship point that one day is all that's required. I'm still surprised by the Saturday delivery. The kit arrived via FedEx Home Delivery. I don't have time to install the kit today but I may tackle it tomorrow morning when the outdoor temperature is cooler.

Until then, here are some pictures. Notice the spring kit is over 2 feet long in the compressed condition. It will be longer when extended to wrap around the rear "eye" of the leaf spring and clamped over the center section of the leaf spring (over the axle tube area). Looks like I may have to re-route some LP plumbing on the passenger side as the gas line is very close to the leaf spring already.

Well.... I thought I was going to upload some pictures but they're too big. I'm working from a new computer and all my old software is not loaded yet so I'm not able to save the picture in a smaller size. Argghh!
We sold our 1998 B190, V-10
Currently own a 2010 Airstream Interstate
nvestysly
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 149
Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2014 4:22 pm
B190 Year: 1998
WBCCI: 16771

Re: Roadmaster Active Suspension

Post by nvestysly »

I installed the Roadmaster kit this morning. Took about 1-1/2 hours. The kit must be installed with no load on the rear springs so I lifted the van by the frame rails and suspended it on jack stands. From there, I removed the tires to gain access to the leaf springs. The kit is a straightforward bolt-on product. Unfortunately, I still don't have a way to save my pictures in a smaller size so I'm not attaching any photos at this time.

I'm still concerned about the clearance between the Roadmaster bracket and spring and the adjacent LP line that feeds the stove and water heater. I'll keep an eye on that but for now I did not re-route the LP line.

I definitely notice a difference in the ride. There is less body roll but the van is still not as stiff as I'd like to feel. An added benefit is the rear of the van is about 1/2" higher than before. The van has always looked like it's squatting in the rear but now that's been reduced.

The shocks on this van were replaced with Monroe heavy duty (don't know the model) units less than 10k miles ago. Even with the addition of the Roadmaster kit I'm still on a quest to have a better-handling B190. After driving my friends 1999 van I'm still amazed at how their van feels. I may give some consideration to the Bilstein shocks mentioned on other threads.
We sold our 1998 B190, V-10
Currently own a 2010 Airstream Interstate
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Kentuckian
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Posts: 346
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2012 3:52 pm
B190 Year: 1993
WBCCI: 0
Location: Kentucky, USA

Re: Roadmaster Active Suspension

Post by Kentuckian »

I am following this thread closely. Very interesting so far. I was not familiar with this active suspension kit until your post.

I would have sold our '93 B if I had not been able to improve its handling. I installed new heavy duty shocks and new front and rear anti sway bars. This made it acceptable for me. Not enjoyable to drive but acceptable. Body roll has been tamed a lot. The issue that I am working on now is how to reduce play in the steering. My steering wheel has several degrees of 'free' rotation before it results in a change to direction.

Do keep us informed as you get more experience with this active suspension system!
1993 Airstream B190
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lido14co
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Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2012 1:12 pm
B190 Year: 1992
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Location: Los Osos, CA

Re: Roadmaster Active Suspension

Post by lido14co »

I've read about the Roadmaster kit. Reviews say it helps when towing. I've always been concerned with the rear being raised making the floor uneven. Also, I highly recommend the Bilsteins over the Monroes which seem to be more of a standard shock replacement. These beasts are top heavy so it'll never drive like a Ferrari but every little bit helps. Any idea what the other suspension changes were to the 99?


Cliff
nvestysly
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Posts: 149
Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2014 4:22 pm
B190 Year: 1998
WBCCI: 16771

Re: Roadmaster Active Suspension

Post by nvestysly »

Here are links and comments from the guy who performed the suspensions modifications on the 1999 B190:

http://www.activesuspension.com/how-to- ... van-safer/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT2RbQZtFx8 (this is the Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer)

http://www.sportsmobile.com/4_powerstroke.html (these are rear wheel spacers to make the rear track width the same as the front)

"I also put very expensive Bilstein shocks on it and E rated Michelins."

In speaking the previous owner of the 1999 he indicated that each of these changes provided improvements to the drive/ride quality of the van. No single change was "the silver bullet" but each improved the handling. I will probably follow in his footsteps to some extent and continue to make improvements here and there. So far with our 1998, the Hellwig rear sway bar made very little difference. The Roadmaster Active Suspension made a difference but more needs to be done. I'm installing the Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer later this week and I'll make a post about that here or maybe make a new thread. I'm inclined to add the Bilstein shocks sooner rather than later but I sure hate to take off relatively new Monroe shocks. The tires will be last, if at all, since the 1998 van has very new Firestone tires.

The quest continues!
We sold our 1998 B190, V-10
Currently own a 2010 Airstream Interstate
nvestysly
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 149
Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2014 4:22 pm
B190 Year: 1998
WBCCI: 16771

Re: Roadmaster Active Suspension

Post by nvestysly »

I'll be driving the van about 50 miles round-trip tomorrow (Thursday 6/26/2014) so I'll have another opportunity to get a feel for whether the Roadmaster Active Suspension has improved the ride. The trip tomorrow is to a mechanic to have the Safe-T-Plus steering stabilizer installed. The route should take me on a combination of local roads as well as some freeway. So I plan to report back about both the Roadmaster and the Safe-T-Plus. I'll probably start a new thread for the Safe-T-Plus.
We sold our 1998 B190, V-10
Currently own a 2010 Airstream Interstate
nvestysly
Seasoned Traveler
Posts: 149
Joined: Tue Apr 01, 2014 4:22 pm
B190 Year: 1998
WBCCI: 16771

Re: Roadmaster Active Suspension

Post by nvestysly »

Hmmm... The Roadmaster Active Suspension makes the van drive a little differently. Unfortunately, it did not seem to remove much of the body roll that I experience with going in/out of the driveway, around tight corners, etc. I was hoping that a second set of springs (one on each side) would "pull" the body down and keep it more under control. That does not seem to be the case - at least not in the short time and distance I've driven the van since installing the Roadmaster kit.

On the other hand, the Roadmaster does seem to have improved the buffeting from the wind of passing trucks. Keep in mind I only have a limited amount of time and distance in the van since the install but I don't sense as much rocking while I'm driving down the freeway. Today was not a windy day so maybe it's hard to say. And.... any of my comments are purely anecdotal since I don't have a way to measure the before and after performance.

Time will tell.

Until then, I'm going to scour the threads to understand more about which Bilstein shocks are suitable for a 1998 B190. Some of the other threads I've read have indicated good handling starts with a good set of Bilsteins. Maybe I'll get there - just in reverse order.
We sold our 1998 B190, V-10
Currently own a 2010 Airstream Interstate
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