Itasca Sunstar 30T or Winnebago Vista 30T Owners

Check out the older thread on the 30W and you will get a lot of info. I have a 30T and had a 30W. Yes it rides rough so I have modified at my own expense to overcome the fact it is light and on 19.5 inch wheels v. 22 inch of the next higher coaches like Sightseer. Have not had an issue with seeing dash. So here is the order of things to do that many of us have done to make it a nice coach. First you need a steering stabilizer. The best is the Roadmaster from general opinion but Steer Safe or Safe T Steer may be ok. Then a rear trac bar. Tiger trac from Blue Ox is good. I also changed shocks to Koni FSD and then added the Kelderman air ride and that is about 6 grand so you may not want to go that far. I was willing to pay for a great ride. Tire inflation is important. Don't over inflate. Most of us find around 80 works with the weight and can even do less on front. Finally the "Cheap handling fix", search for thread is great. It just requires moving the sway bar to tighter holes front an back. Let me know if you desire more info. Unfortunately it will cost some money to get the coach to where you want it. Sounds like your tires are way over inflated to get the float feeling. I now drive in 35 mph cross winds easily. The steering stabilizer is also a safety thing in case of blowouts you will track.

One more thing. Henderson Line up in Grand Pass Oregon are great experts on suspension. Call them and perhaps even pay a visit.

Thank you for your response. The detail you provided is very helpful and it is in line with the modifications that are being recommended to us. Sounds like those changes were successful. We are concerned that our warranty would be voided if we were to make such changes. Had you heard anything similar regarding your modifications?

We are new to RVs, so we were alarmed that we would have to make modifications to correct the handling issues due to what appears to be a design defect in how they placed equipment under the coach. Is it typical in the RV industry for the customer to eat those costs and forfeit their warranty?

I had no idea about warranty being voided although I have had no warranty work on either 30W or the current 30T on anything involved with suspension. From what I have read modifications are common. You are new to the motorhome so it will take awhile to get used to driving it. Remember it is a kite. I would first do the cheap handling fix and also adjust tire inflation. I would also then add a good steering stabilizer. See how that goes and work from there. Cheapest things first and build. I do think a good rear trac bar will be important as well. Keep us posted on how it works and what you learn.

sjverkayk wrote:
We are concerned that our warranty would be voided if we were to make such changes. Had you heard anything similar regarding your modifications?

We are new to RVs, so we were alarmed that we would have to make modifications to correct the handling issues due to what appears to be a design defect in how they placed equipment under the coach. Is it typical in the RV industry for the customer to eat those costs and forfeit their warranty?

Warranty would only be in question if the modification caused failure of another part that was under warranty. The parts you are replacing/adding are extremely unlikely to negatively impact other components.

BUYERS are at fault for less than exemplary chassis. I know that should harsh, but if coach manufacturer A spend an extra $600 on suspension and another coach manufacturer B spent an extra $600 on upgrading interior fabric, which do you think would sell more coaches??

Until buyers are willing to pay more for a good riding and handling chassis AND they convey that information to the coach makers, assume that you, the buyer will need to do these upgrades after purchase. And, today's gas coaches are on much better chassis than were available in the past.

Please do not assume that I agree with this, but it IS the way it is.

BTW, I present the Suspension Seminars at FMCA Conventions, so am reasonably familiar with how this works.

Thank you again for the post. I did leave some detail out in my original posting. We did have an alignment done and the tires balanced. Per Goodyear, the tires are at 85psi. Would 80psi make that much of a difference? We also installed a stabilizer bar in the front. These changes did not make much of a difference in our case. So, we are looking at the more extensive modifications. Do you travel with a tow vehicle and water in the fresh water tank? Any issues with that?

While we are new to RVs, we have owned several travel trailers and a 5th wheel. My husband was a truck driver for over 25 years and was also a certified truck driving instructor. After leaving the trucking industry, he drove for Greyhound for a couple of years and was a city bus driver for about 5 years. So, he can pretty much handle anything and is amazed that if this were a commercial vehicle it would not be allowed on the highway. Since I am inexperienced, he is concerned for my safety and I have not driven it except for on city streets.

We have taken the vehicle to a Ford dealer after having it scaled per Ford Chassis Division. It was the service advisor that noted on the service ticket the scale results, which showed that there was less than 35% of the weight over the front axle, he also noted that the front bins were fully loaded and the rear bins lightly loaded, that there was no water in the fresh water tank and that there was a full tank of gas. He also noted the equipment distribution between the driver and passenger sides, which may cause the vehicle to pull to the right. He then noted that there was over 50% of the vehicle behind the rear axle (132" behind axle on a 190" wheelbase).

Add this all together and it shows a vehicle that should be on a longer wheelbase and will have poor handling characteristics. I am hoping that by posting this information, it will help others in making a more informed decision. I was just so excited about the vehicle layout and features, that we didn't spend much time educating ourselves.

I am happy to hear that this is correctable.

wolfe10 wrote:

sjverkayk wrote:
We are concerned that our warranty would be voided if we were to make such changes. Had you heard anything similar regarding your modifications?

We are new to RVs, so we were alarmed that we would have to make modifications to correct the handling issues due to what appears to be a design defect in how they placed equipment under the coach. Is it typical in the RV industry for the customer to eat those costs and forfeit their warranty?

Warranty would only be in question if the modification caused failure of another part that was under warranty. The parts you are replacing/adding are extremely unlikely to negatively impact other components.

BUYERS are at fault for less than exemplary chassis. I know that should harsh, but if coach manufacturer A spend an extra $600 on suspension and another coach manufacturer B spent an extra $600 on upgrading interior fabric, which do you think would sell more coaches??

Until buyers are willing to pay more for a good riding and handling chassis AND they convey that information to the coach makers, assume that you, the buyer will need to do these upgrades after purchase. And, today's gas coaches are on much better chassis than were available in the past.

Please do not assume that I agree with this, but it IS the way it is.

BTW, I present the Suspension Seminars at FMCA Conventions, so am reasonably familiar with how this works.

Thank you for the response. I appreciate your insight and hear what you are saying. I also appreciate the clarification on the warranty, the rep at Winnebago made it sound as though the entire warranty would be void. I would be very interested to learn more about the information that you present at your suspension seminars.

While it appears that there are state lemon laws that protect auto vehicle owners, they seem to be lacking when it comes to RVs. So, RV owners have to accept that RVs are not being engineered to be safe out of the factory. It would seem that RV manufacturers and dealers are being deceptive in not disclosing this information to allow the purchaser to make an informed decision. This appears to be the reality and acceptable. I am surprised that there are not more complaints being made to such organizations as the NHTSA, local DOT or attorney generals and the BBB. It is very easy to register a complaint either online or by submitting it in a letter. I encourage everyone to file a complaint. Until more owners do so, things will not improve and could become worse. I have heard that since 1995, RVs have become less safe. Your family and friends share the road with RVs everyday. It is a bit disconcerting that safety is not as important as sales when it comes to RVs. Naïve, perhaps.

I agree with Wolfe. I went into my 30T knowing I would need to make modifications so I factored it into my overall cost. I travel with a toad. Sometimes Smart Car and sometimes Jeep Grand Cherokee. Heavier toad seems to make handling a bit better although mine isn't bad. Half load generally in tanks. I think five pounds of air makes a difference. I run 58 lbs in my rear bags and 43 in front which seems to work well. Air them up in heavy wind.

I agree with Wolfe. I went into my 30T knowing I would need to make modifications so I factored it into my overall cost. I travel with a toad. Sometimes Smart Car and sometimes Jeep Grand Cherokee. Heavier toad seems to make handling a bit better although mine isn't bad. Half load generally in tanks. I think five pounds of air makes a difference. I run 58 lbs in my rear bags and 43 in front which seems to work well. Air them up in heavy wind.