Vista/Sunova 27N

MutinyGuy · 10-08-2013, 11:01 AM

We are looking at trading in our View for a 27N...we really like the layout, the queen bed, interior and exterior storage, fresh water and holding tank capacity. Not keen on the mpg but like everything there are trade offs...we have 2 recumbent trikes that we ride almost every day and this MH is about the only one we have looked at in a class A that will store them. We will be towing our Honda Fit.

TOMFEN · 10-08-2013, 05:22 PM

We have a 2013 Itasca Sunstar 27N, love everything about it except the MPG.... traded a 2002 Brave 30W on the Workhorse chassis for it, the Brave got 8.5mpg towing, the best I have been able to get with the 27N towing is 7.4mpg.

Outside storage on the 27N is about the same as the 30W was. Inside storage on the 27N is at least double the 30W due to the three slides.

Driveability and power are about the same. the Brave had the Ultra Power Mod on it along with CAI and Aero Turbine mufflers, rear trac bar and safety plus steering stabilizer. The 27N has the 5 Star Tune, CHF, rear trac bar and Roadmaster steering stabilizer on it.

Overall I think I prefer the Sunstar over the Brave.

Tom

Overall

MutinyGuy · 10-08-2013, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TOMFEN

We have a 2013 Itasca Sunstar 27N, love everything about it except the MPG.... traded a 2002 Brave 30W on the Workhorse chassis for it, the Brave got 8.5mpg towing, the best I have been able to get with the 27N towing is 7.4mpg.

Outside storage on the 27N is about the same as the 30W was. Inside storage on the 27N is at least double the 30W due to the three slides.

Driveability and power are about the same. the Brave had the Ultra Power Mod on it along with CAI and Aero Turbine mufflers, rear trac bar and safety plus steering stabilizer. The 27N has the 5 Star Tune, CHF, rear trac bar and Roadmaster steering stabilizer on it.

Overall I think I prefer the Sunstar over the Brave.

Tom

Overall

So all the additional suspension work was done because...? How much $$ did you have to spend? Is this something that most owners do on these chassis?

Thanks!

TOMFEN · 10-08-2013, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MutinyGuy

So all the additional suspension work was done because...? How much $$ did you have to spend? Is this something that most owners do on these chassis?

Thanks!

Total for the steering stabilizer and trac bar was approx $1,000. I ordered the stabilizer and installed it, had the trac bar installed at Brazels RV in Centralia, Wa. The CHF is free if you do it yourself.

The reason for doing the work was for improved handling. The trac bar connects the chassis frame to the rear axle (keeps the tail from wagging the dog), the steering stabilizer aids in tracking straight down the road, also helps if you have a front tire blowout.

There is lots of good info on the CHF, Five Star Tune and steering stabilizers on the Ford Chassis Forum. It will explain things much better than I can.

The MH drove and handled okay without doing anything to it. With the improvements it drives and handles much better.

Tom

Paulc47 · 10-09-2013, 02:44 PM

We had the Vista 27N which we traded for the Sightseer 33c because we wanted more living room space and both a couch and dinning table. The 27N was well built and quite nimble(for a class A) to drive with good kitchen counter space and a comfy bedroom. If you want a short class A it is a good choice.

parsoc · 10-27-2013, 10:26 AM

I'm new to this forum and am so impressed by all the information here. Was having trouble finding shorter Claass A's (26-29 ') until someone mentioned Itasca Sunstar and then I kept on going! Our only MH experience was driving a friends Brave (32) across country in 2004 and fell in love with the "lifestyle". Still researching and trying to figure out what will work for us: not FT and just the 2 of us with a small dog or 2.

TJ311 · 08-10-2014, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by parsoc

I'm new to this forum and am so impressed by all the information here. Was having trouble finding shorter Claass A's (26-29 ') until someone mentioned Itasca Sunstar and then I kept on going! Our only MH experience was driving a friends Brave (32) across country in 2004 and fell in love with the "lifestyle". Still researching and trying to figure out what will work for us: not FT and just the 2 of us with a small dog or 2.

We bought our Vista 27N 10 weeks ago and have done 2 long weekend trips in it so far. We LOVE it. It's just the 2 of us and our 2 adult border collies. This is our first Class A MH as we traded in our 19 foot pull behind trailer. We chose this length so that we were able to keep it in our drive way at the house. It's a perfect fit and we are amazed at how easy it is drive and especially park in our cramped rear entry driveway. It turns on a dime!

We have not had any issues with our 30 amp service being enough. We run the a/c, tv, lights, microwave and laptops with no problem. We camped in Austin TX, in July with the temperature at 100°F and the a/c was just cool enough to be comfortable. We installed reflective sun shade in the front of the cab, over the windshield and side windows. This is a must. The windshield is HUGE and it definitely gets warm. The sunshades made a world of difference.

We purchased the 5 star tune system which made a big difference in the shifting of the engine. Self installed, very easy. We also added a tire pressure monitoring system. Also self installed. We picked up a compressor on amazon to take on the road. Works great!

We are very happy with the 27N and we are pleased with it all around. Glad that we didn't go any larger. This is easy to drive, handles well, fits in the drive way at home. We are doing a 10 day trip to Moab Utah in a few weeks. Can't wait! We'll be doing 1 night of boondocking and the rest will be at campgrounds or military campgrounds.

Good luck in your search!!

Finally Time · 08-10-2014, 05:24 PM

I have a 2013 Vista 27N. I traded a total dog of a 2013 Thor ACE 27.1 for the Vista. Even though I lost a quite a bit on the trade it was worth it. So far I have made two long trips (4+ weeks) in the Vista as well as many shorter trips. Only had a couple of minor warranty fixes; the fresh water tank would siphon down to 1/3 tank when driving and one corner of the wooden dinette base under the cushion popped open. The average mileage is only sightly less than what I got with the ACE; 7.4 for the Vista, 7.7 for the ACE. I tow a Honda CR-V without any problems. The handling is ok without doing anything except adjusting the tire pressure for the loaded weight. It has a huge amount of kitchen counter space and there's tons of interior storage. Since it's just me and the cat, I would say about 1/3 of the closets, drawers, and cupboards are empty. My only complaint is the silly small hole for the sewer hose. When did Winnebago stop doing the cutout in the floor that sealed when the compartment door closed?

TJ311 · 08-11-2014, 04:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finally Time

I have a 2013 Vista 27N. I traded a total dog of a 2013 Thor ACE 27.1 for the Vista. Even though I lost a quite a bit on the trade it was worth it. So far I have made two long trips (4+ weeks) in the Vista as well as many shorter trips. Only had a couple of minor warranty fixes; the fresh water tank would siphon down to 1/3 tank when driving and one corner of the wooden dinette base under the cushion popped open. The average mileage is only sightly less than what I got with the ACE; 7.4 for the Vista, 7.7 for the ACE. I tow a Honda CR-V without any problems. The handling is ok without doing anything except adjusting the tire pressure for the loaded weight. It has a huge amount of kitchen counter space and there's tons of interior storage. Since it's just me and the cat, I would say about 1/3 of the closets, drawers, and cupboards are empty. My only complaint is the silly small hole for the sewer hose. When did Winnebago stop doing the cutout in the floor that sealed when the compartment door closed?

We are new Vista 27N owners. Picked up our 2014 a couple of months ago.
Funny that you mention the sewer hose access hole. I just put up a post with pictures yesterday for that very problem. I can't believe they made it so small. Even a standard plain ol' hose with a minimal bayonett fitting does not go thru the hole. I use a Rhino-Flex that has a removable sewer coupler, but I have to drag the entire hose through the compartment hole. It's a solution, but not a clean one. I don't want to trim it out because it would make it a weak spot (due to the slight lip being cut into) I sent an email into Winnebago yesterday and I'm waiting to hear back. Maybe they'll warranty fix it???

Other than the sewer issue, we LOVE our 27N. It's perfect for 2 of us and our 2 border collies. We've only done 2 weekend trips (3 day weekends) but we have a 10 day coming up at the end of the month. We're going to Colorado & Utah (Moab area) Can't wait!! We installed the 5 Star Tune system to help with the mountain driving. Also installed a tire pressure monitoring system. We've been wondering what other folks set the tire pressure at? The dealer was really no help at all. We asked an RV repairman and he said 90 in the front and 95 in the back. Regardless of load. Without having to go to the scale, I wanted to find an average pressure. We really only use half of our storage space, if that much.

dwaugh10 · 08-11-2014, 07:10 AM

We have a 2013 Vista 27N. Tire pressure should be 82 lbs front and rear according to Winnebago ( Goodyear tires ). There should be a sticker on the inside wall just below the driver side window with this info. and also with the owners manuals.

David
2013 Vista 27N

Finally Time · 08-11-2014, 09:53 AM

When the tire shop installed new "dually" valve stems to make it easier to screw on the tire monitor sensors, they increased the tire pressure to 90 front, 95 rear. The handling was horrible, wandered all over the road and the ride was rough. I spent an hour adjusting the tire pressure to 84 (temperature was 54 degrees) all around. With that tire pressure the handling went back to what it was and the ride smoothed out. It's amazing what a difference a few pounds of air pressure make.