2022 Travato 59K Shudders While Driving

spuyear · 08-18-2021, 10:21 PM

We had taken the new van out for a few close to home excursions. Last week we took a multiple day trip out of state. We noticed that at speeds of 75 MPH + or so the unit starts to shudder. The shudder feels like we are driving on rumble strips.

Any idea what would cause this?

P.S. I should note that we live in an area of the country where driving below 70 MPH on the freeway is life threatening.

JohnEM38 · 08-19-2021, 08:00 PM

Mine does the same thing.

Raxel7851 · 08-20-2021, 09:25 AM

Dang that’s pretty fast for a Class B with single rear wheels and a tall height with narrow width. Maybe it’s trying to say something. Just Sayin.

**Eagle5** · 08-20-2021, 01:14 PM

Hi Spuyear,
If it were a rear wheel drive, I would guess that it would be an out-of-balanced driveline. I doubt it is tires, as it doesn't happen at lower speeds. Could the short driveshafts to the front wheels be out-of-balance? It is interesting that JohnEM38 has the same problem.
Eagle5

Prepare Travato for 75 mph

**creativepart** · 08-20-2021, 07:00 PM

RVs. At 75+ miles an hour?

Do you realize that's not a thing that RVs are designed to do?

Time to rethink things.

We live in South Texas where country roads can have a 75 mph limit. But that has no bearing on RVs driving that speed as a matter of course.

Heck, not 20 miles from here there are roads with an 85 mph speed limit. But what does that matter?

spuyear · 08-20-2021, 10:21 PM

Thanks all. I realize that driving this speed is not recommended or wise, but it does happen occasionally and when it does the shudder is unnerving.

I initially thought it might be unbalanced wheels but that did not pan out. The possibility of a out-of-balance driveshaft (thanks Eagle5) is intriguing. I will be taking it in soon to have it checked and will advise of the outcome.

Given that at least one other person has this happening I am concerned that Winnebago or Ram might be aware but have yet to identify the issue.

JohnEM38 · 08-21-2021, 06:08 AM

I have only driven that fast once and that was when I brought it home from the dealer last month. Mine gets progressively worst the faster you drive. I start noticing something is not quite right at about 60mph. I think its probably the front wheel drive or the tires. I have not driven a front wheel drive vehicle for quite some time and I attributed the shutter to that and the excessive speed. I’ll be keeping and eye on it now that I know its not normal.

Raxel7851 · 08-21-2021, 06:26 PM

We’ve had 2 Travatos, a 2018, and 2020. We usually drive between 60-65. Our Promasters have always been smooth riding with no shimmy or vibrating. Hopefully your Ram dealer can find out what’s wrong. We did have a wheel weight fall off one time on a front tire. That produced a pronounced vibration, but it was an easy fix at the dealer.

RV-Travelers · 08-21-2021, 09:33 PM

We try to drive our Era between 55 and 65 MPH most of the time. We see a big drop-off in MPG the faster we go. We can get around 19-20 MPG if we keep it around 60. If we do 70 or thereabouts it drops to around 17 MPG.

That said, it's difficult to go a lot slower than other traffic. When everyone else is doing 75-80 MPH it's hard to do 60.

akeagle · 08-21-2021, 10:49 PM

It seems like a couple years ago I remember seeing a brief thread either here or iRV2 about someone having a similar problem with a Class B. After trying the usual things like tire rebalancing, checking suspension parts, etc, someone else suggested having the tires checked for trueness.

Turned out one or more of the tires was slightly out-of-round and after it/they were replaced the problem went away.

That said, I agree with the others who suggest slowing down if for no other reasons than safety and fuel economy.

Raxel7851 · 08-23-2021, 02:55 PM

Sometimes if an RV sits too long, it can develop flat spots on the tires. But it doesn’t seem like that would be an issue with a 2022. Akeagle had a great observation. I did have a defective tire one time. For some reason the steel belts inside separated.

JCM · 08-25-2021, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spuyear

We had taken the new van out for a few close to home excursions. Last week we took a multiple day trip out of state. We noticed that at speeds of 75 MPH + or so the unit starts to shudder. The shudder feels like we are driving on rumble strips.

Any idea what would cause this?

P.S. I should note that we live in an area of the country where driving below 70 MPH on the freeway is life threatening.

I had the same problem and it turned out to be a cracked spark plug. When replaced all was great. It is a ford transit van with 1200 k on it.

09 harley · 08-25-2021, 06:57 PM

Two things to check. Tires are out of round or tires and wheels are out of balance. Alignment could be an issue but it’s not speed related.

Delco Bobby · 08-25-2021, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spuyear

We had taken the new van out for a few close to home excursions. Last week we took a multiple day trip out of state. We noticed that at speeds of 75 MPH + or so the unit starts to shudder. The shudder feels like we are driving on rumble strips.

Any idea what would cause this?

P.S. I should note that we live in an area of the country where driving below 70 MPH on the freeway is life threatening.

I read all comments through #13.
My RV on a 3500 ProMaster chassis is smooth at those speeds and higher.

However, I have read a few complaints on the Thor forums about your problem. So it is not unique to you or Winnebago.

Mine is 24 feet long, maybe those extra 3 feet make a difference. I don’t know if my chassis was extended.

We are considering getting something a bit smaller but now having second thoughts.

09 harley · 08-27-2021, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by akeagle

It seems like a couple years ago I remember seeing a brief thread either here or iRV2 about someone having a similar problem with a Class B. After trying the usual things like tire rebalancing, checking suspension parts, etc, someone else suggested having the tires checked for trueness.

Turned out one or more of the tires was slightly out-of-round and after it/they were replaced the problem went away.

That said, I agree with the others who suggest slowing down if for no other reasons than safety and fuel economy.

The out of round issue is the reason that retreaders true their tires. They rarely come out perfect. Current tire production ensures a pretty good tire. Next time you have your car on a lift spin it with a micrometer dial and you will be shocked at the deviation from truly round. This is not an uncommon problem.

kmessinger · 08-29-2021, 03:43 PM

Do you have a factory installed luggage rack? Some report shaking caused by the front bar. https://www.facebook.com/groups/trav...38268409687785

JohnEM38 · 08-29-2021, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmessinger

Do you have a factory installed luggage rack? Some report shaking caused by the front bar. https://www.facebook.com/groups/trav...38268409687785

That’s what I think I am experiencing. I was driving with he sun behind me and noticed the front bar shadow appeared to be vibrating and my steering wheel was feeling this effect. Thanks for sharing as I do not have Facebook. Are there any solutions for this?

Cincinnati · 09-05-2021, 06:05 PM

On our 2020.5 Travato K, had a shudder sporadically at highway speeds 65-70 mph. Front crossbar of the Summit roof rack was to blame. Removed the front bar and no more shudder. Moving the front crossbar back or removing it altogether might be your stop your shudder. Got this tip on Travato Owners and Wannabees facebook group. This and Travato Base Camp group on facebook are both terrific. Lots of shared problem solving and modification info. Definitely worth it to join facebook to access these groups.

Nani · 09-10-2021, 03:50 PM

Join the Travato Owner and Wannabee / Travato modications in Facebook. These groups really help me and my wife. You can read the threads from 2014 to current models (K,KL,G, GL).

spuyear · 09-14-2021, 08:19 AM

Thanks all. I will start with the thing I can modify which is the crossbar. If that does not work, we will get the wheels and tires checked. Lastly, if it is still problematic, we will have the spark plugs checked. I will report back if I get a resolution. Thanks also for the info about the Facebook group. I do not use Facebook but it is nice to know that it is there.