AirTabs? Real-world reviews please?

[Stevie305]

After a 1170 mile round trip in out 2022 View that was a lot of interstate driving, I have noticed two things ......

A crosswind is a total pain at interstate speeds. And yes, I knew that was going to be a concern/inconvenience.

Semi trucks can push our coach around quite a bit (once again expected) and in a crosswind it is even worse.

Are the AirTabs REALLY that helpful in these conditions? I'm not looking for a complete solution because I know that isn't possible. But are they worth the money?

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by Stevie305

After a 1170 mile round trip in out 2022 View that was a lot of interstate driving, I have noticed two things ......

A crosswind is a total pain at interstate speeds. And yes, I knew that was going to be a concern/inconvenience.

Semi trucks can push our coach around quite a bit (once again expected) and in a crosswind it is even worse.

Are the AirTabs REALLY that helpful in these conditions? I'm not looking for a complete solution because I know that isn't possible. But are they worth the money?

I think so. I have been using them for several years now. When traveling the west coast interstate there are many areas of high wind. Before I put the air tbs on I was pushed all over the place. After, I noticed less tail wag and push over from the big rigs and the windy areas I have traveled through for many years were easier to handle.

I have been full timing since '05 and this is my third coach. The wind wag has always been a concern. Fighting the wheel in heavy wind can make for a long day.

When you put air tabs on you will not notice the change. We don't tend to notice what is not there as in waggle from the wind or not being shoved by a big rig burst of wind.
I don't consider fuel mileage gain as anything to even consider. For a long haul trucker on a standard rout a true test could be run. For us joy riders I don't see how we could accurately measure any change.
You will get the nay sayers with much lofty scientific criticism based upon assumptions and formulas but have no practical experience. Don't take the bate and try to debate with them. I did and got nothing but frustrated.

From real road experience, I'm glad I put them on my coach. They work.
Happy trails... Rick

[gromhome]

Put them on my 2003 Adventurer 33V. I felt a differerence as did my wife riding shotgun. I wouldn't hesitate to install them again.

[powercat_ras]

I have AirTabs on my 2015 Winnebago Vista 27N, there is no noticeable improvement in gas mileage but it did make an incremental improvement in the handling.

To get my Class A Vista 27N handling as good as possible I made 5 changes, each made an incremental improvement:

Cheap Handling Fix on Front Sway Bar.
Cheap Handling Fix on Rear Sway Bar.
AirTabs.
Safe-T-Steer Steering Stabilizer.
SuperSteer Rear Axle Trac Bar.

Finally, tire inflation makes a big difference in ride and handling. I run my tires at about 85 PSI cold, about 5 % above the Winnebago sticker pressures. Running way over the recommended pressures will degrade ride and handling.

[wyocamper]

Originally Posted by powercat_ras

Finally, tire inflation makes a big difference in ride and handling. I run my tires at about 85 PSI cold, about 5 % above the Winnebago sticker pressures. Running way over the recommended pressures will degrade ride and handling.

This, more than anything I think. The one mod I've done is the CHF front and rear, and lowered my tire pressure to 84 front and 86 rear. Our first couple trips were before the CHF and the tires were set to around 95 psi, and it was pure hell handling wise. At one point with a 60 mph cross wind I was pretty sure we were going to get blown over onto our side or at least off the road.

Airtabs to me seem kind of gimmicky so I haven't really looked into them. I can generally anticipate a passing truck on a 2-lane road with a cross wind causing some push and deal with it without any real issues.

[f53Challenge]

I have a 2011 Itasca Sunstar 26P that when I purchased handled lousy in windy conditions and when being passed by big rigs and buses due to the short wheelbase compared to the overall length of the coach. Too much rear overhang. I my effort to improve it's handling I added the airtabs in addition to many other items. Combined they made a bit of an improvement. Once they were done I did two additional changes that made the biggest difference. I added weight to the front (Spare Tire and rack) and increased the toe in, just beyond the factory spec. Hope this helps. I spent years and thousands of dollars.