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Every photo/vid of a camper with the offroad package that Ive seen had the spare tire mounted under the frame.

Definitely contact the seller.

I spoke with a Livin Lite regional sales rep about concerns regarding the new flooring material and construction.

Below is an internal memo (Blue text) he forwarded to me.

Good morning Team.

The following are the laminated floor information.

·         Absolutely NO WOOD in the super structure, including the floor system

·         5 layers-We use 5 layers to construct the floor.  Lamilux fiberglass top, 1-layer of Azdel, polystyrene(High-density block foam insulation), lastly another layer of Azdel and Darco protective wrap

·         Most laminated floor systems use wood product called luan, LL DOES NOT use wood.  We have thoroughly tested(weight per sq inch) this new and improved floor with the fiberglass top layer. it has outperformed the luan constructed laminated floor system used by many manufacturers in the RV industry.

·         Aluminum framed floor. R-value is 10 VS previous way was R-0

·         Heat/Cold transfer is less do to the insulated floor over the aluminum floor

·         High-density Block foam adds noise reduction 

·         More comfortable to stand on, Smooth fiberglass top, no ridges like the aluminum floor system

·         This new advanced floor is lighter weight than the old floor system. 


So according to the information above, the Azdel flooring is still stronger than the Luan flooring many in the industry are currently using.
(From what I've been able to find, it would seem Livin Lite is one of the only manufacturers using Azdel in their flooring.)

Furthermore, after gathering information from other sources/forums, I learned that Luan flooring is significantly less expensive than the Azdel counterpart Livin Lite adopted. So for whatever it's worth, it would appear Livin Lite is still exceeding the rest of the industry, despite the opportunity to further cut cost had they chosen to use Luan.

Time will tell.
Until that point, I will give them the benefit of the doubt.

So, I'm guessing the top pic is the newly updated bench?

While it wasnt specified to me, that was my assumption.
Perhaps someone with a Quicksilver could confirm.

And here is another pic that was emailed to me. I apologize about the orientation of the photos.

As I'm in the middle of a factory ordered 8.1, any unexpected changes to the Quicksilver lineup was an obvious concern.   

I contacted my salesman at the RV dealership, who then put me in touch with The Regional Sales Representative. The following is the information he provided regarding the removeability of the benches. (Livinlite Rep comments in Blue )

To give you some background... we have always used the same rotocast benches that we use today. That's never changed but a year ago we did some other changes that effected the wheels wells. The change pushed the necessity to cut the bench so that it still fit over the wheel well. This did take away the ability to use the bench as a cooler and it took away some of the stability. To improve the stability, we started screwing the dinette benches to the floor. That's how we've come to today. Now the exciting part.... (or the rest of the story as Paul Harvey might say)
We are changing the configuration of the rotocast benches. I've taken a picture of the old style (upside down) and the new style (upside down) so you can see how they've changed. Starting this week, any order will get the new bench with the space to accept the wheel well. It'll reinstitute the flexibility and your ability to use the bench as a cooler.

Ok, I'll bite... what's a "Gizmo" ?

They can be made yourself using emergency survival blankets and a little ingenuity, but this company does the work for you.
http://www.popupgizmos.com/

....
Also, strictly speaking for myself, being in a warm climate, I see little need for a well-insulated floor in a tent-top camper. Really, what is the R-value of canvas anyway?

Don't forget, that same insulation keeps cool, air conditioned air from escaping. Coupled with a 'Gizmo', every little bit of cool air helps keep me sane in July and August.

Im cross-posting the information below as I believe its relevant to the discussion...

Had a chance to speak with a representative at Livinlite about the flooring concerns being expressed here.

With his permission, I'm posting below an internal memo he forwarded to me.

Good morning Team.

The following are the laminated floor information.

·         Absolutely NO WOOD in the super structure, including the floor system

·         5 layers-We use 5 layers to construct the floor.  Lamilux fiberglass top, 1-layer of Azdel, polystyrene(High-density block foam insulation), lastly another layer of Azdel and Darco protective wrap

·         Most laminated floor systems use wood product called luan, LL DOES NOT use wood.  We have thoroughly tested(weight per sq inch) this new and improved floor with the fiberglass top layer. it has outperformed the luan constructed laminated floor system used by many manufacturers in the RV industry.

·         Aluminum framed floor. R-value is 10 VS previous way was R-0

·         Heat/Cold transfer is less do to the insulated floor over the aluminum floor

·         High-density Block foam adds noise reduction 

·         More comfortable to stand on, Smooth fiberglass top, no ridges like the aluminum floor system

·         This new advanced floor is lighter weight than the old floor system. 


I have to admit that having the opportunity to discuss the changes in detail went a long way to help alleviate my concerns.

Had a chance to speak with a representative at Livinlite about the flooring concerns being expressed here.

With his permission, I'm posting below an internal memo he forwarded to me.

Good morning Team.

The following are the laminated floor information.

·         Absolutely NO WOOD in the super structure, including the floor system

·         5 layers-We use 5 layers to construct the floor.  Lamilux fiberglass top, 1-layer of Azdel, polystyrene(High-density block foam insulation), lastly another layer of Azdel and Darco protective wrap

·         Most laminated floor systems use wood product called luan, LL DOES NOT use wood.  We have thoroughly tested(weight per sq inch) this new and improved floor with the fiberglass top layer. it has outperformed the luan constructed laminated floor system used by many manufacturers in the RV industry.

·         Aluminum framed floor. R-value is 10 VS previous way was R-0

·         Heat/Cold transfer is less do to the insulated floor over the aluminum floor

·         High-density Block foam adds noise reduction 

·         More comfortable to stand on, Smooth fiberglass top, no ridges like the aluminum floor system

·         This new advanced floor is lighter weight than the old floor system. 


I have to admit that having the opportunity to discuss the changes in detail went a long way to help alleviate my concerns.

...  I really think they need to redesign the frame to give support across the center span, so it feels a little more solid.

I'm curious, since the 8.0/8.1 are two feet shorter, if any flex can be felt in those models?

I would think it would be less pronounced.

Interesting that there has been no response from LL at this point.

This is their chance to sell us on how great all these "improvements" are. I'm open minded... maybe there's some great benefit that I haven't noticed yet. But with complete silence we have to figure it out on our own (not looking great so far).

If there are reasons that these make for a better product then please share them. Even if those reasons are just "it's cheaper and easier to build", then at least tell us how much it's saving us, or give us the option pay more for the old version.

Agreed.
I'm really trying to give Livinlite the benefit of the doubt with their product decisions. I know that, done properly, composites are superior to aluminum.
But their silence is frustrating.

  I 99% sure one of the benches is not removable in the 8.0\8.1, as it needs to be modified for the bigger wheel wells.  The wheel wells are bigger because they now use 15" tires for the standard package.

According to Livinlite, the benches are removable on the 2018 8.0/.8.1.