stopping a pleasure way from wandering on the road

[scottyquickfeet]

I am looking at buying a 1999 to 2003 pleasure way excel, or excel td, on a ford chassis,and have heard that there is a problem with them wondering all over the road at 50 or 60 miles an hour? if that's true, what do the pleasure way owners out there in camper land do to rectify that problem?
Some people say, good tires? What brand would you recommend?
Wheel spacers, what does that do? other than making the back wheels 3" or 4" wider
installing new heavy duty shocks! what type would you recommend?
Any help you can put my way, would be greatly appreciated. As you can tell, its my first time buying a camper van!
Take care campers, and all the best.
Scotty

[Mtn_Hiker]

I had a 2005 Excel and what worked for me was the "Roadmaster Active Suspension and Michelin LTX truck tires. I also had the spacers and Blister shocks, but the Roadmaster and Michelin tires where the key to better acceptable handling.

[Travelin2]

We owned a 2003 Pleasure-way Excel for 2 years and about 8000 miles. It handled very good. It didn't have the rear wheel spacers. Pleasure-Way does have recommendations on the front alignment specs. Running the rear tires at the max pressure (80psi) and the front at 65 is the ticket. The air bags should be about 50-55psi.

If you do decide to add wheel spacers, avoid the China knock-offs. The prices are very inviting but what you are really inviting is your own demise. Make SURE they are Made in America....not "assembled in America". Stay safe and good luck.

Also one word about Pleasure-Way....Very well built. We sold only because we want something larger.

[gregirish1954]

I had a mid 2000's Sporstmobile on a Ford E350 and frankly, factory stock it handled like a pig. It's that Twin-I-Beam front end with virtually no castor to keep it pointed in the direction it's going. Unfortunately Ford spent so much in developing that front-end geometry that they had to keep using it far longer than it deserved in order to recoup development and tooling costs.

Fortunately inexpensive spacers on the rear axle, which otherwise has a narrower track than the front wheels, (Cheaper to use a stock axle than tool up and build one that actually fits!) improved handling from terrible to occasionally annoying in a crosswind. .

I ordered the conversion with the spacers but in the excitement of taking delivery didn't realize that they had not been installed until I was 1200 miles away and freaking out about my poor choice of chassis. Point is, on my way back from that trip I got the spacers installed and had first hand experience at how much they improved handling for relatively little cost. They are easy to install, basically bolting onto the hub then the wheel is bolted onto the spacer's studs.

[Islandman]

For several years, we had a 2001 PW Excel on the Dodge chassis; had no problems whatsoever, it handled well and got about 14-15 mpg. We enjoyed it a lot and only sold it 'cause we wanted something a little bigger. The PW was well built, we like it much better than the Roadtreks of that vintage. Factory support was always good if you needed some advice, parts, whatever. Don't think you'll go wrong with buying an old Pleasure Way.

[steveh27]

scotty,

On my 1997 Dodge based Xplorer 230XL, I added Bilstein shocks, rear wheel spacers, and replaced all the ball joints. It tracks well now. The rear axles on some chassis are 4" narrower than the front axle. The spacers have the rear tires tracking right behind the front ones.

[mkguitar]

if any vehicle wanders all over the road- leave it.

the previous owner has not taken care of it and many other parts will be screwy.

once it is a-ok tires suspension, bushings etc. if you feel the need for some performance type upgrades you can go that route.

a heavy van ( but within ratings) with a high top may be more comfy within the speed limit- I know my van in more comfy at 70 than it is at 80.

our 2006 PW Lexor is on a chev.
I use michelins from costco- about $180 each

mike

[scottyquickfeet]

Thanks for the reply's guys, it was very much appreciated.
I would like to ask nbking what size of spacers he used, and was it only on the back wheels? and did you install them yourself?

[Bird_Freak]

Our first rv was a Pleasure way on a Dodge chassis. Made two short trips and sold it. Hated driving it! Wallowed like a hog in a mud hole!!

[1492]

Moved from Forum Technical Support

[DougE]

What to do depends on what chassis you have. Ford twin-beam chassis' before 2009 are notorious for wandering due to lack of caster. There are kingpin shims to correct this. Other treatments control the problem but do not correct it.

[nbking]

I had a 2003 Pleasureway Excel. It had spacers installed by the first owner.

I had no problems whatsoever keeping it on the road. It handled as well as any vehicle I have ever owned before and after that one.

The spacers apparently do make the difference.

[Second_Chance]

Scotty,

Somehow, this ended up in the forum for technical support related to the forum itself. Ask one of the mods to move it to the appropriate forum and you might get more responses.

Rob