Itasca Sunstar 30T and Winnebago Vista 30T

[sjverkayk]

If you are or have been an owner of one of the above models, we would be interested in hearing about your experiences regarding the handling, instrument panel viewing and communications with the dealer, Winnebago and Ford. If you have made any modifications to make the vehicle safer, please let us know what those were, the costs and how satisfied you have been with those modifications. This is our first RV and we purchased this vehicle because we trusted the Winnebago name and, at the time, did not find any negative reviews for this model.

We have found the vehicle to not track when driving at highway speeds and almost lost control when encountering winds of about 15mph. The other issue is that you can not read the instrument panel when driving in sunny conditions due to the glare from the sun on the plexiglass. We have been in contact with Winnebago, Ford and the dealer. We have since learned that there is a weight distribution issue between the front and rear as well as side to side. This causes the front end to float at higher speeds and to pull to the drivers side. Ford says that there should be at least 35% of the weight over the front axle. Per our scale tickets, this is not the case but Winnebago states that they are in compliance with Ford specs for this chassis.

The local Ford dealer did suggest we take it to a company that specializes in RV suspensions. They say they can correct the handling issues, but when we contacted the manufacturer, Winnebago customer service rep stated that if we were to make the aftermarket suspension modifications, our warranty would be voided. We then contacted the dealer and delivered it to their service department in hopes that the vehicle could be repaired under the warranty.

So, after purchasing in August 2013 and taking two trips, the vehicle has not been used since we delivered it to the dealer on October 14, 2013. If you prefer to not post a reply on the forum, you can email us directly at [email protected].

Thanks for listening.

[osok]

Sorry to hear about your problems and you are correct to expect answers from the dealer and Winnebago. I do think you are going to receive some great ideals from this forum. I can not help, but have read about some issues with the Ford chassis on this forum, others can tell you fixes they did that worked. I think after you do these fixes you will be happy with your MH.

[garykk]

Sorry to hear of your problems. i don't have your model but did experience similar problems when we first got our MH.
First thing is load for a trip and have the front end aligned. Then take it to a set of scales and weigh it, preferably on all four corners. That will get you where you should be putting your weight and also where the tire pressure should be, too much and handling will be affected...
After that try it out. You might want to check out the Cheap Handling Fix thread for better handling and consider a rear trac bar. As you can see by my signature I have all of those plus a steering stabilizer from blue ox. Our MH went from diving to each side of the road to driving it one handed.
There were some post fromTeJay on here where he had a problem with bad tires on his new WB which I think is the same size as yours...
Another thing to remember is you are now driving a large vehicle in which the steering wheel is over the front wheels and many find that very hard to get used to....try looking out further on the highway and not too close to the front, this will help in over correcting...

Hope this helps...don't give up..

[WBandJ]

We also have a 2013 Vista 30T and are experiencing the same problem reading the gauges on the left side of the instrument cluster. As far as handling, I have found the Vista to be a dramatic improvement over our 2005 Huricane, also a Ford chassis. I would appreciate any suggestions on how to improve the visibilty of the gauges.

[rvten]

Do not have the MH you mention.
But find many first time MH owners. Have driving problems.
Improper loading, tire inflation, air bag pressure if equipment.
Handling in cross winds is a nature of the beast. Some more than others depending on there weight. Watch the semis when in front of you. The empty ones will lean to one side. Loaded ones tend to dog track more.

[TXiceman]

Where is your fresh water tank located...behind the rear axle? If so run with no more than 1/4 tank full and fill near your destination.

Next thing is to weigh the rig (fully loaded fro travel) and adjust tire pressures per the tire manufacturers loading chart.

While fully loaded, take the RV to an independent truck front alignment shop. Ford does not really do well aligning the F350, F450 or the F53 chassis. The chassis has never been properly aligned by the manufacturer when loaded.

Now see how it drives. If not much better, you need to look into track bars for the front and rear axles. As for instrument visibility, if you move the seat forward or rearward, up or down, you may see the instruments. Same for the steering wheel. The instrument panel is designed to be viewed by drivers of a certain size range.

You need to remember that you are driving a large box with the aerodynamics of a big box and not a smaller sleek car.

Ken

[skater]

We are new RV owners and also have a 2014 Vista 30t. We have taken a couple of short trips since buying it in August leading up to our first longer trip of three weeks in December.

I asked my husband ( as he is the primary driver) and he had none of these issues.

He actually thinks it handles quite well once he got used to the size. We do drive with a toad, so that can make a difference. We have driven it over mountain passes and in Santa Ana winds without incident.

As far as any glare, my husband didn't think this was a problem, but he does use an iPad mounted on the dash with a nav program running that gives him speed, etc and he prefers looking at that mostly because he doesn't have to take his eyes off the road as much.

So far we are very happy with our purchase.

[ghutch]

Hay fellow, check you email for some thoughts and ideas. Also, If your chassis is 2011 and newer, you already have a FRONT track bar.
Gary.

[ghutch]

I posted this in March 2013 about viewing the guages in daytime. Here's a link to the post.
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f59/viewi...ml#post1481303

[WBandJ]

Originally Posted by ghutch

I posted this in March 2013 about viewing the guages in daytime. Here's a link to the post.
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f59/viewi...ml#post1481303

Thanks ghutch, it's a bit unnerving not being able to read the fuel gauge.
This is on the top of my list before we head for Florida, as soon as this cold spell breaks!

[ghutch]

Wild Bill, a couple of posts ahead of the pics, #7, tells a quick how to. The small chrome trim piece is needed to deflect the light from view and down to the gages. The arched dash cover is easy to remove and gives good access. I put a rocker switch on left lower panel.

[tomrx1]

I adjusted BOTH sway bars to the LOWER hole position....problem solved!!!
The coach now handles like a sports car!!! I alsocarry a full tank of water,which helps stability in windy condition. The sway bar change,and 5 star tune were the best mods I've ever done....the coach now drives and handles like it should! Good Luck..Tom and Eileen and Sandy

[tomrx1]

....I forgot to mention,we now have 31k on the coach since purchasing new September 2012!!!!

[qcable]

Hi,

We have a 2014 Winnebago Vista 30T which we special ordered and took delivery in late September of 2013. We like the RV very well; however, I intend to make a couple of changes. One will be to add cup holders on the sidewalls for both driver and passenger. Another will be to add sliding drawers in the cupboards. I wish the leveling system controls were mounted at a higher location.

I do have some issues with the slide out and leveling systems. We are having a lot of trouble with both. The leveling system will not work properly in the automatic mode. It will work in the manual mode. Dealers ( Camping World) that I have taken it to do not seem to know how to fix the Lippert leveling system installed on a Vista.

The passenger side slide has malfunctioned several times. It is in need of repair right now. When extending the slide it will move about 4 inches and then one side will stop and the other side keeps moving, turning the room sideways a little, and binding it up until nothing moves. To retract the room someone must push on the outside while another operates the switch inside. After several attempts the slide will close. Again, it has not been repaired properly.

I have owned several Winnebago and Itasca motorhomes and this is the first one that has given me these type of problems. I sure wish Winnebago had continued to HWH jacks and their original slide systems. In short, I do not like the Lippert systems. In fact, knowing what I do now, if I had known the 2014 model had Lippert systems I would not have bought a Winnebago brand motorhome.

Good luck with your's. Hope your MH is trouble free..

Quinton Cable

[runaway]

I have a Winnebago Itasca 2014 Sunstar 31KE with the same leveling system. I also have to recalibrate it prior to deploying the levelers each time in order to get it to properly level the coach. I am not impressed with the Lippert Leveling System. I am going into the CW where I purchased this unit last August for other warranty work and will pursue my displeasure further with them at the time.

[Saber77]

We would be interested in what kind of upholders you mounted and how you mounted them, as we would like to make the same modification to our 2014 Vista 30T. Thanks.

[qcable]

When we get home to Alaska I will build the cupholders from solid maple lumber and install them. I will also build the sliding drawers for the cupboards but they will be constructed using 1/2 inch birch plywood and 75 pound drawer glides, all purchased from Home Depot. We won't be home until sometime in June, but when these modifications are done I will e-mail them to you.

[taigarazz]

We love our Itasca 30T. No problems yet with slides or levelers. Handling vastly improved over our previous class C.
I went to West Marine and bought cupholders with suction cups. I removed the suction cups and attached the cup holders to the wall with Heavy duty command strips. i spray painted the white cup holders to match the inmterior.
Linda

[Cass Sumrall]

Just saw this two month old thread. Maybe the OP has corrected the handeling problems by now, but if not, I suspect it may be incorrect tire pressure.

We thought we had handling problems when we got our new 2013 Itasca Sunstar 30T but after experimenting with different tire pressures & getting widely varying opinions on the "correct" pressure, we settled on 85 lbs all around & now it drives effortlessly.

[tomrx1]

I run 85lbs all around as well in mine!