Winnebago Vista handling

My wife and I recently purchased a pre owned 2013 Winnebago Vista 26he with 29000 miles in near mint condition that had been immaculately taken care of by two ladies in their 60's. They were very particular and diligent in making sure all maintenance was regularly done. We drove it from Lincoln Ne to Albuquerque NM to the Balloon Festival on our first trip with it towing our new 2017 Jeep Cherokee. I installed a Safe-T-Plus steering control stabilizer before we left. All I can say is this is the most horrible handling vehicle I have ever driven in the wind. It was a white knuckle drive anytime the wind was coming from the side and especially on rough roads. The tires are good and they had the chassis serviced two days before we bought it. I thought possibly the alignment was off. I took it to a reputable shop in Albuquerque to be checked. He said that often they do a poor job of camber alignment at the factory. My records showed it had been aligned at 17000 miles and shims added to correct the caster. After checking it, he said the alignment was spot on.

All I can say is. I am selling this thing because it was like driving a billboard in the wind and I am not taking it on another trip. I can't imagine that any further work on the chassis would help this short and tall RV enough to matter, and I would bet it is the nature of this type of RV. It is not quite as bad without the Toad behind it but to put it mildly. It scared the hell our of both of us. I did not notice that the Safe-t-Plus Steering control was of much benefit either.. Has anyone had any experience with these short tall RVs of any Mfg. I did not see the trailers or 5th wheels being blown around as we were. Thanks All.

I'll reiterate my post on toe-in. A rear wheel drive vehicle tends to 'spread' the front wheels going down the road due to forward thrust from the rear drive. Most rear wheel drive vehicles are adjusted to slight toe in to counteract any slop in the tie rod ends (front wheel drive vehicles are usually set to 0 degrees toe in since they do not produce that spreading force). Incorrect adjustment or worn tie rod ends will yield a toe-out condition that make constant steering corrections necessary. Alignment is something that very few mechanics seem to be good at. If you get an alignment and the vehicle still seems 'darty', make the mechanic drive it then have him increase the toe in a little. That's the most likely cause of poor handling truck chassis.

vjstangelo wrote:
CHF for sure. We did the rear on our 32k Vista and the improvement was all that was needed. We also have the safety steer.

We have the Safe Steer on our 32K as well. I just replaced the rear sway bar bushings along with the CHF. I also did the front sway bar. If there is still some slop I'll consider a rear stabilizer and/or some new shocks. We're not unhappy with the last changes made to ours as it did tighten things up a bit.

I briefly had a Vista 36Y and it handled like junk. Too much house for the chassis and could barley pull itself and toad up a south Alabama mountain. Note, we don't have mountains here.

Took it in the financial shorts and got rid of it. VERY expensive mistake. That said the house part was very nice, too bad it was "under chassied".

CHF for sure. We did the rear on our 32k Vista and the improvement was all that was needed. We also have the safety steer.

X2 to the above post, an RV is a sail. Heavy or not, they are greatly affected by wind. Trucks are a small part affected by an RV too, but DEFINITELY affected by wind.

Wheelbase is only 158 inches. It's gonna be a handful. Test drove one and said no way.

two travelers wrote:
Recently purchased a new to us 2015 Winnebago Vista 26HE. Seems to be very sensitive to wind and trucks. Alignment appears good -no uneven tire wear and previous owner had a Safety steer plus installed. Are there any other mods I might consider to improve handling? Thanks to all who share their knowledge.

Think about it - It's like a sail - so IMHO it will always be subject to the wind and the trucks - BUT - if you slow down it is not as bad - if you add lots of weight it's not as bad - if you add lot's of "Things to modify" it might help, but not a lot.

When we had smaller lighter "Sails" we slowed down and tried to stay off the I's helped more than anything else.

JMHO,

JMHO

We have a 2015 Winne 36Y and it's the best tracking RV we have owned. I would spend the money on having the toe-in checked. Small deviation there can make a huge difference in handling without affecting tire wear. The fact the previous owner put on safety steer makes me suspect something isn't to factory specs. The F53 is a chassis that's been around forever and it's strong and simple. No reason for it not to track straight down the road. Caster and camber is built into the solid front axle and is virtually impossible to be wrong. Also have the kingpins checked for wear when it's on the rack along with tie rod and drag link ends. That new, I'd bet on wrong toe-in.

Are you on iRV2? Look up the "Cheap Handling Fix". I started reading the 315 pages 2 days ago and am up to page 155 or so...

I did that to my Vista's front swaybar and will do the rear this weekend. It was a 30 minute job with a floor jack, 15mm and an 18mm spanner plus my torque wrench (remember 66 ft/lbs). If you have air tools it could go quicker. Also check the rear swaybar bushings and see if they are melted away or if you have newer poly bushings. Mine are basically nonexistent so I've got some one order now and will do the CHF on the rear when I get them.