For a New Vista: SumoSprings; Air Bags; or Bilsteins?

[Papa Allan]

My wife and I are planning to order a new Vista 26P. We want to create a soft comfortable ride to minimize the small sharp bumps and sways. To get the best ride, which suspension improvements should we install? We have previously had air bags on another Class A brand and liked the ride. We have read that SumoSprings are "airless airbags" which help the ride. And, I used to have Bilstein shocks which were very helpful. For a new Vista 26P: should I install: airbags (e.g. Firestone Ride-Rite on front & rear) or SumoSprings? And/or would Bilstein or Koni FSD shocks be an improvement over the factory provided shocks? Finally, should I add some kind of anti-sway bar?
Your advice will be appreciated!
Papa Allan
P.S. any other advice on setting up or choosing options for a new 26P Vista would also be appreciated!

[deasnealy]

I hope you get some good responses. That is the exact unit I am looking at. I am a little concerned about the wheel base ratio resulting in a difficult ride. The 30 foot was a bit better. I have not driven it yet. I do not want to be restricted to size limits when I camp. I also wanted something easier to deal with. Please stay in touch and let me know how you like it. I would like to see what you think. Its a very nice rig and fits me at 6ft 4.

I was looking at the View and Navion, but could not fit in the shower or the bed. A fairly significant problem!

[Papa Allan]

Hello deasnealy,
Yes, I am tall too, so like you, I do like the size of the Vista. I did only one test drive so far, and can say that it has an amazingly tight turning radius. I am not sure about the ride quality because I was too concerned about learning how to drive it to really evaluate the ride, and there was no weight load on the unit.
So far, from another Forum, I am told that: (a) the Bilstein shocks (which come on the Ford chassis) are too stiff. That I should use Koni FSD shocks because they will take out the sharp bumps of expansion joints. Next I was advised to install a "rear trac bar" to avoid sway in the wind and when trucks pass. Finally it was suggested that I install a "steering stabilizer" which will provide safety in the event of a blow out and which improves steering. BUT, I don't yet have an answer on whether or not to use either Air Bags or the SumoSprings to improve the ride.
Please let me know what you learn, and to all the other readers out there ...
What are your suggestions for improving the ride of a new Vista 26P? Both deasnealy and Papa Allan will appreciate your comments and ideas!
Cheers!
Papa Allan

[450Donn]

Personally I would not do anything until I drove it a few hundred miles. Not too sure why you feel you need suspension modifications on a brand new MH though? But, if you insist, air bags will give the softest ride. Shock absorbers do nothing for the ride, all they do is control suspension bounce when going down the road.

[cliff841]

Originally Posted by Papa Allan

So far, from another Forum, I am told that: (a) the Bilstein shocks (which come on the Ford chassis) are too stiff. That I should use Koni FSD shocks because they will take out the sharp bumps of expansion joints. Next I was advised to install a "rear trac bar" to avoid sway in the wind and when trucks pass. Finally it was suggested that I install a "steering stabilizer" which will provide safety in the event of a blow out and which improves steering. BUT, I don't yet have an answer on whether or not to use either Air Bags or the SumoSprings to improve the ride.

Papa Allan I have a 2011 Vista 32K. I have asked a lot of questions on this forum and of various mechanics/shops and decided to have Koni FSD shocks, an untra-trac rear track bar and a safe-t plus steering stabilizer installed. My appointment is Wednesday after which I will report back. I am making the upgrades to improve tracking on old interstate concrete, tail wagging as semis pass me and windy condition driving performance. I am told the Konis will also make a nice improvement on ride comfort. Neither DW nor I have a problem with our current ride comfort and these improvements are not because of that but we look forward to any improvement we might get.

I have no idea if air bags would make much difference for you and I'm not familiar with SumoSprings.

[CoastieSCPO]

Nothing wrong with wanting to improve the ride and handling of your motor home, but maybe you should consider waiting until you put some miles on the chassis to see how it rides, handles and reacts to passing semi trucks.

Your new rig does not have a long wheelbase, so it may be adversely affected by trucks passing so a good rear anti sway bar would help. A front trac bar will help front end handling, wander and driver fatigue. I recently had a Roadmaster rear sway bar and a Davis Tru Trac front trac bar installed on my rig and they have made a world of difference.

In regards to changing out the Bilsteins, I respectfully disagree with the poster who said that shocks do nothing for the ride. The new Koni FSD's that were installed on my rig have measurably improved the ride over almost any bump, joint or pothole that I drive over, especially coupled with the way bar and trac bar.

Bob

[cliff841]

You won't need a front trac bar because Ford puts one on the chassis from the factory. Apparently they started doing this in the last few years.

[deasnealy]

PapaAllen,

Thanks for keeping me in the the loop. I agree with others on trying out the coach before any mods. I use this approach with the home if the DW can wait a year. You find other things that annoy you that can be fixed before other mods. Maybe a road trip to a good mechanic in a low or no sales tax state. Anyway, I look forward to hearing about your new rig. When do you expect to have it delivered? Did you think the 26 has enough storage? I heard the 30 was a vast improvement, but I did not really like it's lounge floor plan. Also, any word on what to expect on mpg? I assume we can assume we are in the 8 to 10 mpg areana. Would like to hear from other owners on their Vista experiences.

[bunny2448]

Originally Posted by deasnealy

I hope you get some good responses. That is the exact unit I am looking at. I am a little concerned about the wheel base ratio resulting in a difficult ride. The 30 foot was a bit better. I have not driven it yet. I do not want to be restricted to size limits when I camp. I also wanted something easier to deal with. Please stay in touch and let me know how you like it. I would like to see what you think. Its a very nice rig and fits me at 6ft 4.

I was looking at the View and Navion, but could not fit in the shower or the bed. A fairly significant problem!

Hello! Just now saw your post. We bought a Vista 26 P 8 months ago and have been very disappointed in it's handling when doing highway speeds. The wandering from side to side is very scary, most especially during windy conditions. The big-wigs at Winnebago and Ford have been less than sympathetic to our probe so we have had to resort to getting numerous "fixes" done at our own expense. And yet, the handling has improved only slightly. We agree that the short wheelbase may be at the root of the trouble.......something both W and F do not wish to acknowledge. We are very
frustrated!

[Old Dude 66]

Install a rear trac bar and a TruCenter on the front and you will be happy. I installed both on our 2011 Winnie 35P and love the way it drives.

[bunny2448]

Originally Posted by Old Dude 66

Install a rear trac bar and a TruCenter on the front and you will be happy. I installed both on our 2011 Winnie 35P and love the way it drives.

Thanx. Nice to know someone is actually "hearing" us and cares about our plight.

Bunny

[iRV-in-a-SunStar]

I have 14K miles on my 2010 Itasca SunStar 26P. I too went thru all the hand wringing about handling and discovered after I'd driven it about 1000 miles that I was happy with only keeping the tires aired at 85 and having the front end aligned. Yes, very rough road surfaces and interstates with bad seams are more unpleasant if in the moho rather than in my toad. However, when the 18-wheelers pass, I don't even know they are there. If the wind is blowing more than 25 mph, I definitely feel it...and try to get off the roads. I drive about 62 mph.

Towing doesn't seem to effect the mpg very much. I get about 7.9 on a good day.

I really, really like the 26P. The only problem I've had is with the front slide. After 3 Winnie dealers could not get it in alignment, I went to the factory. They spent 30 minutes on it and it's worked well the last 10K miles.


I also had two different dealer technicians drive it and was told not to waste my money on handling improvements.

I hope you enjoy your 26P, or whatever you buy, but follow the advice above and drive it a lot of miles in various conditions before putting money into handling improvements.

It's your decision to make yourself comfortable.

[catronro]

I know this is an older post but I thought I would add the knowledge I have gained. I have a 30' 2012 Thor ACE and while it is not a Winnebago it is on the same ford f53 chassis. I have done the following additions in the below order and each has given significant improvements:

1. Roadmaster Reflex Steering Stabilizer - This helped with wondering on the interstate and in general is a good safety precaution in the event of a front tire blowout
2. Supersteer Tracbar - This helps with tail wag. I needed it because I flat tow a 5000 lbs jeep. You may or may not find you need it
3. Sumospring Maxim Front and Rear - This was a huge gain in nose dive, and some side to side sway. It also generally improved the ride
4. Front and Rear road master Swaybars - This eliminated all remaining sway in the RV.

If I was to do it all over again I would probably do the swaybars before the sumo springs and then see what I needed from there. All and all I have about $3000 in aftermarket suspension parts. That is a lot of money, but before I did these enhancements I dreaded driving my RV, now I enjoy it. After spending 10s of 1000s of dollars and additional 3k to enjoy my time and increase my families safety is a small price to pay.

[Sue46]

We had our mechanic install the entire pkg on our 2013 CRV, no problems or concerns from him.

[99Adven]

I'll throw my 2 cents in. I have 2015 Vista 35F F53 (that's 35F backwards) weighing in at 22,000 lbs. I tow a Pontiac G5. I have about 3,000 miles and plan on adding 10,000-15,000 this year. It came with bilstein shocks and the front sway bar. I noticed on my rig all the characteristics you have mentioned in the previous posts, especially the porpoising symptom. My 99 Adventurer didn't do that but have heard that the midsize class a's do.

First, I added the SteerSafe Steering Stabilizer. That helped a lot. I am now addressing the Porpoising. My mechanic suggested the Firestone air bag. You can go their website and check the master catalog to see what fits. I didn't see any that fit so I called Firestone Industrial products and they don't make them for a 2015 F53.

I then have probably done what everyone else has done and read all posts on Supersprings Sumo's. I made the decision to purchase and are "in the mail". I'll get them installed.

I don't have a rear sway bar yet but will test drive on my next over the road to North Car. before I add them. It has a factory tract bar on the front. I'm not sure what a replacement would do for the front but we'll see if I need a rear. I don't notice too much sway in the rear.

Same with changing out the Bilsteins. I don't find them too harsh, if anything too soft.

So I'm anxious to see how it handles with the steering, sumo's and front sway bar. I'll keep you all posted.

[shaker42]

[QUOTE=Papa Allan;872612]Hello deasnealy,
Yes, I am tall too, so like you, I do like the size of the Vista. I did only one test dr ive so far, and can say that it has an amazingly tight turning radius. I am not sure about the ride quality because I was too concerned about learning how to drive it to really evaluate the ride, and there was no weight load on the unit.
So far, from another Forum, I am told that: (a) the Bilstein shocks (which come on the Ford chassis) are too stiff. That I should use Koni FSD shocks because they will take out the sharp bumps of expansion joints. Next I was advised to install a "rear trac bar" to avoid sway in the wind and when trucks pass. Finally it was suggested that I install a "steering stabilizer" which will provide safety in the event of a blow out and which improves steering. BUT, I don't yet have an answer on whether or not to use either Air Bags or the SumoSprings to improve the ride.
Please let me know what you learn, and to all the other readers out there ...
What are your suggestions for improving the ride of a new Vista 26P? Both deasnealy and Papa Allan will appreciate your comments and ideas!
Cheers!
Papa Allan[/QUOTE
Some of the new coaches come with the Sumosprings installed to help on the rocking back and forth

[Tricolor]

I have a Vista 26HE. It came with the following factory installed:
Rear and Front swaybar + Front trackbar

I added the following:
Rear trackbar to eliminate tail wagging (really helped)
Steering stabilizer for safety and possible front wandering
Did the front & Rear CHF to reinforce the swaybar action (may not be necessary for such small & light MH).

I am no longer scared by the beast!!!

I tried to soften the ride with Monroe Magnum... not so happy with the result.

I am considering aftermarket Bilstein, Koni or Sumo's for added confort.

Otherwise, I love the manoeuvrability.

[Old Dude 66]

Not only did I install a front Blue Ox Trucenter and a Blue Ox Tiger Trak on the rear, I installed Sumo Springs on all four corners. Drives great in cross winds and when trucks pass. No regrets.

[biosensai]

We have a 2012 Adventurer 37f. It is our third coach. After about a year, and one trip to Florida & back, I was terribly unhappy with how it handled the wind compared to our previous coaches. Took it into Redlands Truck & RV near our homebase of Murrieta. They did a road test and made a number of recommendations. I did them all. Much better, but not perfect. I've talked to a number of people with our same coach. None of them have the handling concerns I do, but none of them have had the washer/dryer option. I agree with get the coach & see how she handles. Take her to a good place - the drive to Redlands (or their affiliate in Redding, All Wheel Alignment) is well worth it. Incidentally, I had been previously told that the front sway bar that Ford used on ours has a component that is basically wornout after 10k miles. Also, with our coach, Redlands recommended that the tire inflation be substantially less than Winnebago recommends. I also find it seems to handle the winds better if it has a full freshwater tank.

[Sue46]

We noticed a difference once we had a 4 corner weigh and adjusted the tires to the actual weight(plus a safety factor). After we loaded up we first had a front end alignment and next critical item was the 4 corner weigh. Getting the right poundage in the tires makes a big difference in handling.