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Old 09-30-2018, 02:42 PM   #1
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Winnebago Upgrade

2018 Winnebago Vista LX 35F
I drove over 9,000 miles on all kinds of roads across the USA which prompted the following questions needing your professional advice.
1. Is there a cost effective way to reduce engine noise in the cabin when the vehicle has to down shift and increase the rpm of the engine?
2. The roads that I travelled were irregular, bumpy, pothole and with expansion/contraction cracks. These roadway challenges led to vibrations from the wheels, to the axle, through the frame and finally to the shaking of the coach. Is there a proven product available to add to the suspension that will deaden this vibration? I have looked into a product called "Sumosprings" and "Airlift Kits." Any recommendation?
3. The passing of an 18 wheeler or crosswind sometimes causes a sway in the coach. Are the sway bars adequate as designed or an upgraded sway bar give better control of the coach?

Thank you for your time and I appreciate your professional advice.

White Shadow
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Old 10-01-2018, 06:37 PM   #2
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I have a 17 Vista LX and understand your issues. #1 engine noise, I have not attempted any noise reduction. Others have added some insulation or reflective material on the engine side of engine cover. #2 My signature shows the suspension mods I have done including Sumo springs front and rear. #3 Look up CHF (cheap handling fix) on this forum, CHF and a rear track bar made a world of difference. I can't truthfully say that Sumo springs helped all that much. Sate T plus was more for front tire blowout safety. I would strongly recommend starting with the free stuff (read cheap) Get a four corner weigh with coach loaded for a trip (fuel, water, propane, gear and food) and set tire pressures to what the tire manufacture recommends. Mine set totally different than the sticker by the drivers door. Every coach is different so I won't say what mine are, yours will be different. This made a huge change on how the coach handled and ride comfort. Next do the CHF front and rear. Many post here on how. Then if you are not happy do the track rear track bar. PM me if I can help.
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2017 Winnebago Vista LX 35F. 5 Star Tune, Hellwig sway bars, Super Steer Trac Bar, 1600 Watt Solar, ARP, Spare tire carrier, Starlink, weather station, 2020 Jeep Wrangler, Ready Brute Elite.
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Old 10-01-2018, 06:47 PM   #3
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1. Buy Dynamat soundproofing, they are trimmable self stick sheets. Stick them on the bottom of the doghouse. Helps some. Turning off cruise control and allowing RV to lose some speed on grades so it does not down shift and and use high RPMs helps, too. Make sure you have not lost some of the wind deflectors on the driver and passenger side front windows.

2. No. Your RV is built on a heavy truck chassis and will not ride like a car or small truck. Over-inflation of tires vs. the Winnebago recommended tire inflation on the driver's seat side sticker will harshen the ride. Inflate to no more than 5% over the sticker value when tires are cold.

3. Safe-T-Steer or similar steering stabilizer will help hold the vehicle straight. Cheap handling fix (CHF) will also reduce sway but can worsen your ride some. Another upgrade you can add is a rear track bar.
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Old 02-04-2019, 01:29 PM   #4
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Location: Titusville, FL
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Q1. Obtain a 5 Star Tune - better shift points, reduces time spent at 4000 rpm
Q2. I have SumoSprings on the front only - dubious improvement.
Q3. Before doing anything else, install a rear track bar. Still looking for improvement? then CHF, then Safe-T-Plus. Still more? uninstall CHF, and install sway bars.


All my improvements were done in "no work" parks. No one even noticed. Easy work, except for having to make two runs to center the Safe-T-Plus and adjusting in a shopping center.


You can see more discussion on the irv2 ford chassis forum.
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2015 Itasca Sunova 30A, Brazel Ultra RV Tune, Safe-T-Plus, Sumo Springs on front, CHF, Hellwig Endlinks, SuperSteer track (Panhard) bar, Roadmaster rear sway bar, Koni Shocks, 900 w. solar, Battle Born House batteries, Roadmaster Falcon 2, Ford Escape PHEV and DW.
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Old 02-04-2019, 01:36 PM   #5
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If you have the 6 speed transmission, I would put the 5 Star Tune way down on the list.

Ford made big improvements in engine RPMs and shifting.
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Old 02-05-2019, 06:54 AM   #6
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Thank you all for your advice and experienced suggestions. I installed a Hellwig rear sway bar, 4 Bilstein shocks (4 OEM Ford shocks had to be replaced), and Safe T Plus steering stabilizer. When I calculated my mpg for the trip it came out to 9.5. I learned more about shifting patterns, using cruise control sparingly, reading RPM engine sounds without losing power and the truck service center (great mechanic) swears by adding a gasoline additive to maintain the fuel ports. Looking forward to my next trip.

Enjoy the ride. White Shadow 2018 Winnebago Vista LX 35F
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