Fleet shell on a Tacoma

[Myfotos]

A few newbie questions...

I picked up a new Fleet shell a couple of weeks ago and on the drive home from Woodland, periodically my Tacoma would shudder which has never happened previously (I had an ARE shell). Would that be a result of wind resistance? If so, how would I mitigate it?

A couple of weeks before I picked up the shell, I had air bags installed at Four Wheel Parts ($525 for bags and installation which was much cheaper than anywhere else I called). The guy at FWC filled them to 42 lbs. which makes the truck level, but a really rough ride. Am thinking of taking them down to 38 lbs. to smooth out the ride. Thoughts?

Third question - behind the dinette seat is a small shelf over the Porta-Potti. Is there any reason why the brackets shouldn't be replaced with hinges to make access easier?

I'm sure I will have more questions, but want to thank everyone who posts on here. I have learned a lot on my way so far.

Bill

 

[codename607]

Hey Bill, I can't answer all of your questions but the shudder I experienced in my 2016 Tacoma. Mine seemed more like a power issue and I only noticed it a few times and figured out that I was using cheap gas. Depending on the year and miles on your truck you may want to look into a few different things. Maybe a new air filter, clean your throttle body, fuel system cleaner or use a higher quality gas.

For the ride stiffness, taking a few PSI out of the Air Bags should help it out. I have an aftermarket lift on my truck with newer Bilstien shocks and my ride is perfect. My PSI is around 40lbs. The biggest issue with lowering the PSI is that it causes the truck to be un-level.

-Terrill

 

[Myfotos]

Terrill,
Thanks for the input. The shuddering only happened a couple of times on the ride home, so perhaps it was just a bad tank of gas and coincidental. I am driving to photograph a rodeo this weekend, so hopefully that will clear it out. The truck only has about 75,000 miles and I get it serviced regularly. Perhaps I'll look into get new shocks if deflating a bit doesn't help much.

Bill

 

[huckfinn]

I have a Tacoma and Fleet combo. This is our first year, and we just returned from a desert trip that included snow and lots of wind. No shuddering, although I do get some shock wave impact from big trucks passing from the opposite direction on a two lane road. Instead of air bags I had a leaf added to the leaf pack, and it seems great to me. I trust the mechanic because he told me that replacing the new stock (bilstein) shocks was a waste of money. I was ready to put the money in his hand. That said, they are pretty common here in the forum.

 

[BFH4N]

I, too, have a Tacoma / Fleet setup.

I'm guessing the shuddering is an engine problem, not directly related to the camper, other than maybe because the engine has to work harder against the additional load. Try running some injector cleaner/water absorber through it.

My Tacoma has the trailer-towing package and I have added Boss airbags and ICON heavy-duty shocks on the rear. With about 20 PSI in each air bag, the truck handles almost the same as when empty. It's has a little more tendency to roll. Easy enough to drive on the highway (I stay at 60 miles/hour or less, mostly because of increased braking distances), but I have to stay focused! The ride is rough on bumps, but it's that way empty, too.

- Bernard

 

[RC Pilot Jim]

Bill could you be clearer on the conditions when shudder occurs?

How dies vehicle react when shudder occurs?
Speed?
Weather conditions: Cross wind? tail wind? Front wind?
Rough road?
offroad?
Asphault?
Concrete?
Hobby-Horse?
Shell empty?
Shell loaded for camping?

 

[Myfotos]

Thanks everyone for your input. Am now thinking that Terrill and Bernard may have been right. I drove over to Coarsegold to photograph a rodeo and spend my first night in the camper (hot damn!) and had to fill the tank with gas. Didn't notice any shuddering after that. Also let some of the air out of the bags and the ride is much smoother. Although I definitely notice that there is added weight, the handling is great. Really amazed at how much room there is compared to the ARE shell I had. The only negative is that the bed is too hard for side sleeping so will have to find a replacement.

Bill

 

[RC Pilot Jim]

Ah yes the old " hard mattress" issue.

Advice
Go to your local furniture upholsterer buy replacement foam designed for sleeping on. My upholsterer recommended "Nymbus Q41" foam.
After four years we love it. Sleep like a baby.