Hondo's 2006 Roadtrek 210 Popular Build

[Hondo]

Replaced tie rods and tie rod ends with Moog parts, alignment tomorrow

[markopolo]

I love the videos!

When I mentioned clearance I was thinking about anti-sway bar clearance from the Onan or under-mount spare tires on not lifted vans.

how close.jpg

It would be interesting to know how close the bar actually gets to the Onan. It looks close in the attached image capture but it's hard to know for sure. I wonder if it would hit in a non-lifted van.

[Hondo]

I would think that there would be enough clearance if you referred to the installation (B&W) photo.

On an unlifted van the vertical arms would still be mounted to the frame in the same place but the the bar would be more horizontal at that attachment point and this would rotate the bottom portion of the bar down towards the differential.

[Deano]

Hey Hondo,
How/where did you route the inverter switch cable up front to the switch?
I don't see any access anywhere.

[Hondo]

Originally Posted by Deano

Hey Hondo,
How/where did you route the inverter switch cable up front to the switch?
I don't see any access anywhere.

I had to run it from the electrical area (under the left rear bench) through a cabinet, then through the lavatory (along the floor) and then into the amoire. I covered all of the cable with white gorilla tape.

[Hondo]

Took the RT 210 in for an alignment this morning-



The tech told me that with all the new Moog steering parts it lined up like a dream and should hold for a long time.

I asked him to measure the distance from the inside of each wheel rim both front & rearwhile it was on the rack-

He measured 61.5 in rear, 64 in front.

That's a 2.5 in difference or 1.24 inches per side that the rear tires are inboard of the front. This might have an effect on handling and cause some wander as the front and rear are riding the crown & road ruts differently.

As Booster said that there is normally a .4 difference between the rear & front track (rear slightly narrower).

So it's looking like in order to get them close to the factory track difference of .4 inches I'll need to install a 1 in spacer on each rear wheel, bringing the difference down to .5 inches instead of .4.

[Hondo]

Also did another test- removed the front anti sway bar and took it for a drive- it was much worse than before, lots of wander.

[Hondo]

Took the 210 up into the mountains to test it with varring amounts of pressure in the air bags - with the 2 inch wheel spacers still off.

I found that it handled better but still feeling unsettled with 5 psi around town & on twisty roads. 25 psi evened everything out. When I took it on the interstate it felt unstable again, best with no air pressure in the bags.

Came home and measured the distance between the wheels inner rim lip-

- Front 64 inches
- rear 61 1/4 inches

That's 2 3/4 inches difference.

So I installed the 2 inch spacers to see how it felt with them - much better - now the rear is 1 1/4 inches wider (5/8 in wider per side) than the front track and there is a marked increase in stability especially at highway speeds.

Front - 64 in
Rear - 65 1/4 in (+ 1 1/4 in)

I could install 1.5 inch spacers and that would make the track widths-

Front - 64 in
Rear - 64 1/4 (+1/4 in)

or 1 in spacers -

Front - 64 in
Rear - 63 1/4 (- 3/4 in)

For now I will leave it as is until I install the Roadmaster steering damper.

[Hondo]

Here are a few pics from today's test drive over Squaw Pass, Colorodo (just west of Denver)-

[Mat Mobile]

Hondo, it's good to hear things are working out. I'm currently traveling so elaborate responses are more difficult (phone vs keyboard). But I'm following closely since my project is in many ways similar to yours. I thank you for all the input you're providing. It's very appreciated!

(Awesome videos BTW!)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hondo]

Originally Posted by Mat Mobile

Hondo, it's good to hear things are working out. I'm currently traveling so elaborate responses are more difficult (phone vs keyboard). But I'm following closely since my project is in many ways similar to yours. I thank you for all the input you're providing. It's very appreciated!

(Awesome videos BTW!)

Well, this is kinda like a build thread diary, I like to not only record my work so that I don't forget but also for others that might be able to use the information that i post. Like others I enjoy sharing builds (motorcycles, rvs or cars) as I have have benefited greatly much from others who have shared their experiences.

I got the Roadmaster steering damper in, took about 30 min to install-



I took it out for a short drive and it does seem to help dampen any steering oscillations, will test it some more next week.

[Tim 210RT]

Hondo, How is the Boulder Offroad Vans 4" lift working for you now?
I'm looking into ordering that kit for my RT210P, 2016. With the addition of the Bilstein

[Mat Mobile]

Originally Posted by Tim 210RT

Hondo, How is the Boulder Offroad Vans 4" lift working for you now?
I'm looking into ordering that kit for my RT210P, 2016. With the addition of the Bilstein

Tim, you might want to check with Weldtec designs too. Not saying if they're better or worse but it is an option.

And just so you know, I ordered my kit from Weldtec and should be receiving it within the month.

[Hondo]

Originally Posted by Tim 210RT

Hondo, How is the Boulder Offroad Vans 4" lift working for you now?
I'm looking into ordering that kit for my RT210P, 2016. With the addition of the Bilstein

Still having some high speed stability issues. At speed it wants to weave, will be removing the steering damper today for testing and then going to Boulder Offroad tomorrow so they can drive and evaluate. According to them this shouldn't be happening.

If I can't get this squared away I'll be considering a 4X4 conversion, we'll see.

[Hondo]

Took the rear wheel spacers off to test it with the steering damper installed- more stable but still feels kinda squirrely. It feels more stable with 35-555 psi in the rear air bags.

Later this afternoon I will remove the damper and do more testing.

[Hondo]

I went by Boulder Offroad today and had the owner drive the Roadtrek- he definitely agrees that it's "hunting' on the crown of the road, feels the instability. Looking at the alignment sheet he thinks it may need an increase in caster to even things out, so I stopped by my alignment guru today and made an appointment for tomorrow morning- drive, adjust & test!

[Hondo]

When I was at Boulder Offroad we lined up my lifted 210 Popular next to a customer's 4X4 conversion 190 - I shouldn't have done this!







That's a Dana 60 axle under the front of the 190 & 8-9 inches of lift vs my 4 inch lift.

[leftykelly]

Great thread. I sure would like to find a rig of that caliber when I am ready shortly.

[Hondo]

Originally Posted by leftykelly

Great thread. I sure would like to find a rig of that caliber when I am ready shortly.

Scour craigslist using a national search engine & be ready to do a fly & buy.

SearchTempest: Search all of Craigslist nationwide & more

[Hondo]

I took the RT 210 into the mountains yesterday, Weston Pass near Fairplay, Colorado-





The color was great and the RT 210 showed me a few things driving over the rocky pass-

- I'll be replacing all of the cabinet drawers with HD self closing slides to eliminate rattling

- bathroom & storage cabinet doors will need to be secured better to eliminate rattling

- traction provided by the rear axle (non limited slip/posi) was poor over loose rock, steep inclines

- power needs to be increased to deal with high altitude.

I can do the cabinets myself, no big deal.

Now I am seriously considering a 4 wheel drive conversion along with a rear axle upgrade (limited slip/posi). I have found a shop that does an independent front suspension conversion, 3-4 inch lift, torsion bar front suspension & manual shift on the fly 4WD, HI/Low transfer case. Cost will be high but about half of a solid front axle 4WD conversion. The current ride height will be about the same, driveability better and 4 season / off road capability vastly improved.

Stand by...