Looked at a 2006 Dolphin motorhome

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garyb1st

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I've been interested in Dolphin motorhomes ever since a salesman told me they were on par with the Winnebagos but sold for about $10,000 less.  I like National products and this Dolphin had a good floor plan and was in excellent condition.  This was a 35 footer on a 22,000 workhorse chassis.  The salesman take us for a short ride.  My impression and a few questions.  The Workhorse had excellent acceleration on the frwy on ramp.  The ramp had a moderate grade but not significant.  Breaking was also impressive.  Ride quality once on the frwy was OK.  That's the positive.  The negative was the noise.  It was almost unbearable.  Of course, a table top banging away in a side compartment next to me didn't help.  But still, engine noise was significant when he would take off or accelerate.  The DW who was sitting mid-coach thought it was going to roll over.  Of course that's an immediate deal breaker.  I didn't have that sensation.  Off the frwy and on a city street that needed to be resurfaced the ride was rough and noisy.  So before I give up on on gassers completely, I have a few questions.

Are Dolphins in fact on par with Winnebagos?  I believe Dolphin is the top of the line National gasser so would compare with a Winne Adventurer. 

Will a 24,000 lb chassis make a significant difference in handling compared to the 22,000 lb chassis of the Dolphin?

Does a 37 foot gasser ride significantly better than a 35 footer?  The wheelbase on the longer gasser is about 20 inches more than the 35 footer.

Have other improvement, whatever they may be, in the past 3 or 4 years made a handling difference?


   
 
Get the Dolphin! I bought one 5 years old even though I could have bought a brand new Winnebago, the Dolphin quality of construction and materials used was much, much better.
 
Vmax, how does yours ride.  The wife was really turned off because of the way it cornered.  Maybe longer heavier Dolphins handle better.  Which model do you have?
 
You need to drive a few more gas motor homes, of about the same vintage, for a good comparison.

If you are already familiar with how the average gas MH drives, rides and sounds, and you still had such a negative opinion of the Dolphin, then I would say there was something qrong with the Dolphin.  Could be though, that your expectations are simply too high.
 
I think a lot of people are surprised at how noisy an rv is on their first ride. Rough roads can really get them making a ton of racket and the ride can be quite rough. Aside from RVs with air suspension these chassis are basically trucks with a house sitting on them.

My wife has mentioned several times how much louder it is "back there" compared to the cab. We have made some effort to find and remove some of the louder rattles so now it is pretty good. Cabinet contents and window blinds can be annoying so we ride blinds all the way down.

You should probably get a ride in a few others to see how they do and see if the wife gets more used to it.
 
On a par with a Winnie Adventurer? I would say yes. You can debate some items, but they are pretty much in the same class.

Will a W24 ride better than a W22?  Probably not much difference on that chassis - or the similar Ford.

Will a newer one ride better? Maybe a little, but if you are hoping for a quantum step forward, then no.

Based on your comments, you will probably like a diesel pusher with air suspension and rear engine much more than the gas chassis, but your wife may not notice much difference.

Motorhomes shake, rattle and roll. Gas chassis more-so than diesel pushers, but none of them are even remotely on a par with the family car or SUV. You drive slooow around corners and even moderately sharp bends. You climb through curb cuts and p driveway ramps very cautiously.
 
Thanks Gary.  That's the info I was looking for.  We'll check out a few diesels for comparison purposes, but if there's not significant improvement we may need to adjust our plans a bit.  My wife is prone to getting serious headaches and becomes nauseous when riding in the truck for extended periods when roads are a bit twisty.  Our truck is not a luxury ride but it's heavy and rock solid pulling our trailer.   
 
My wife has the same issues, but she's good in our 35' gasser (2010 Tiffin Alegro Ford Chassis).  Been on extended trips and she has no problem riding up front or in back.  It really is not a bad ride most of the time.  Yes, a rough road transmits a lot of banging and shaking.  Yes, a stiff cross-wind can cause some white knuckles. Yes, there are rattles, etc.  The only time the noise seems excessive for us is when the engine winds out on a merge or uphill.  Otherwise interior noise is pretty good.  It does sound like the leaning around corners on the one you tested is a bit extreme.  That's either suspension problems or her sensitivity.  Hard to tell.  Like others have said, drive a few more.  Get some miles under your belt and see what you find.

IMO, that's the major thing the $100-$150K adder (new - simlar size rig) for a diesel air ride chassis buys you - a better ride.  For us, our pocketbook and our usage kept us in gas.  A good used diesel may be the ticket for you guys.  Good luck!

Gordon
 
Mine is a 35ft, it handles good on the road, once you get stuff loaded in the bottom compartments you will have better ride, I`ve done a few 500 mile days in mine, very comfortable. The front seats are awesome.
 
You're sitting several feed above the axle line in a motorhome.  In a car your butt is practically on the same plane as the axles.

The difference is when you raise the seat and floor, you get more tipping motion.  The room slides sideways towards the outside of turns as the motorhome's body leans, and some people instinctively interpret this as "the tree I'm sitting in is falling over".

Some people are more sensitive to this feeling than others and passengers usually more so than drivers, who are in control of the situation.  Perhaps your wife would be more comfortable in a Class C, which offers standard van seating up front.

And really, like any other vehicle, everyone should be seated and buckled in whenever the motorhome is in motion, making the noise "back there" irrelevant.
 
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