Isata 3: how to improve handling and ride

[ACMN]

RR did the Isata feel like a car feels when out of alignment? How far out of alignment did they say it was??

[PaulTNaples]

I ordered the Bilstein's front and rear and the Sumo's front and rear. Having them installed next week. I'll let everyone know how they change the handling. No real problems to date, just wanted a tighter feel.

[RolandRevenger]

ACMN: regarding how I could tell it was out of alignment, I really did not know.
With a car, I will cruise on a straight section of highway when there is no oncoming traffic and briefly take both hands off the wheel to see if it pulls to one side or the other. No way I was going to do that with our Isata; simply too much weight and possible sway to do that comfortably. I hate to drive with one hand while fiddling with the radio, let alone no hands for any amount of time.
And that test really is not accurate enough; I get my car aligned when I get new tires and then have our car's service shop evaluate if another alignment is due when tires are rotated. I could not see any uneven tire wear, which is good. As stated, I do think it handled better on a recent trip; going to northern MN from the Twin Cities this coming week, and I will have more chances to see if it handles better. I will try to post a picture of the paperwork with the alignment results. Along with the alignment, they centered the steer wheel.

[Rich.M]

The MBS chasis are pretty well aligned from forest river at delivery with rare exception. The frequent steering corrections are due to the wind roll. You won't have much success improving that with alignment or steering stabilizers since you are compensating for an actual roll or force on the vehicle. This topic is buried deeper in the MBS forums since most have already upgraded to sumo springs and bilstien shocks.
The newer Vehicles already have the helwig sway installed .
Most MBS owners have been happy with the following.
1. Sumo springs front and rear. Use the bump stop type ( cheaper) they work the best and don't restrict axle movement as much as the heavy duty ones. Some forum members tried the heavy duty ones and removed them due poor ride.
2. Rear heavy duty Bilstien shocks. The Oem shocks are soft and easily compressible and the MBS units are "rear heavy" . The gas charged bilstiens add further roll resistance and control rear bounce. Some forum members use the Koni shocks and are happy.

I have these upgrades and consider the handing problem resolved. Others on the MBS forum have the same opinion. The tiring steering is gone and the coach drives well at 65-68 mph in gust winds without a problem.
I would not bother to upgrade the front struts, the Oem fronts work well with the support of the front sumo springs. Changing the front struts will also require a new alignment.
Hope this post helps, look back or search the older MBS and Solera posts on helwig and sumo if you have more questions, Good luck.

[RolandRevenger]

Great input from members regarding handling. I mentioned to the shop that did the alignment that a forum I followed suggested Sumo's; they offered to assess possible upgrades and I said go for it. Their suggestion? Sumos for the rear. They know I am not in a position to do a lot of upgrades at this time. If I decide I need to try to enhance the drive experience more, rear shocks are next. Happy Camping!

[FFred]

Reposting a thought,

https://sprinter-source.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=53402

[RolandRevenger]

From MN to Colorado Springs in fairly windy conditions I feel that the new Sumo rears made a real improvement. I was surprised when I got out of our Isata 3 in northern Iowa to discover how windy it was. Later, in Kansas, I drove into SW winds of 20 to 30 with higher gusts. It was harder to drive but I noted that few other campers were passing me and Semis were not screaming by when I was going 60 to 65, and up to 70. They apparently were responding to the strong headwinds. I slowed down and handling improved . Due to wind and simply driving too fast mileage was under 12! Less wind today and kept it close to 60, better mileage. Happy with Sumos in rear. I need to adjust to driving slower . Now to find the shower leak source..... thought I had that solved.😧

[Thebackpacker]

RolandRevenger,

Henderson’s Line-Up, Grants Pass, Oregon presents courses on RV handling problems and solutions at Family Motor Coach Association Rallies around the U.S. You might consider their page on helpful articles. See
http://www.supersteerparts.com/faq/helpful-articles/

Given you have a new motorhome and all the equipment is working properly, a couple of improvements which Henderson might suggest are:

The first consideration for a Class C owner is whether or not they have a “tail wagging the dog” problem. That is, a constant steering correction as you drive down a straight as an arrow Interstate. Or, the need for steering correction to compensate for a motorhome or truck passing. Consider whether the coach is moving from side-to-side due to play in the springs and the connections of the rear axle to the chassis. A “trac bars” which connects to the axle and chassis and allows up and down motion but not lateral motion is one of the least expensive handling improvements to consider..

Another device that some motorhome owners will add just to improve blowout handling is the "Safe-T-Plus." "It is a mechanically assisted, positive-centering steering control device engineered to maintain straight-ahead steering, even when encountering side winds, a blowout, pavement drops, road ruts and other hazards."

Safe travels,

Gerard
2016 DX3

[mdth]

RolandRevenger,

Thank you for taking time to give us an update on your Sumo experience. It is what I plan on doing also. Before I order I just wanted to ask if you had the part number for the Sumo's. From what I have read the rears should be SSR-338-47. Thanks again and enjoy your vacation.

Mike

[RolandRevenger]

On the road so I don't have that info. Sumosprings online and over phone very helpful.

[PaulTNaples]

Just completed a trip to Key West. What a difference the sumo's and Bilstein upgrades made. Rock steady, no more rocking when going over a gutter on the way out of a gas, shopping entrance. No more noticeable sway while riding in the dining area. Highly recommended for anyone who owns an Isata 3.

[bclemens]

Just drove a unit today with Bilsteins and it did make a nice improvement.

My question would be...has anyone done just the Bilsteins and not the Sumo springs?

We already do the helwig sway bar for sway. I think the Bilsteins reduce that even further, so I would contemplate the Bilsteins as standard. If I had to do Bilsteins AND Sumo's I would probably have to option that.

[PaulTNaples]

I did the sumos front and rear, as well as the bilsteins front and rear. In for a penny, in for a pound! Bought the parts online. Approx 1100. 590 for the install at Certified Diesel in Naples. That included a front end alignment and checking the rear alignment too. " She who must be obeyed" gave two thumbs up. [emoji41][emoji41]

[bclemens]

"It puts the sumos on the chassis or else it gets the hose"

[milkman55]

I bought the Sumo's Direct from SDTrucksprings for $355, front and rear. Plan to install myself based on YouTube videos I saw. Looks pretty easy.

Will consider the shock upgrade once I see what the Sumo's do for the handling.

Based on what I have read the Sumo's should make a big difference since they add a whole new element to the suspension, not just an upgraded product like the shocks which still provides the same function. With Sumo you are replacing just a rubber stop with something that is adding additional support. Or at least that's they way I see it.

[mistysky]

We just went out our first trip with our new 2017 Isata 3. Very disappointed with the side to side sway. Difficulty driving on highway over 60 mph. Any wind or truck traffic passing makes it uncomfortable to drive. We have the Hellwig Sway Bar installed at the factory. It's not doing the job. Following your thread. Interested in upgrading the suspension to try to correct the problem. Researching Sumo Springs front and rear. From what I gather, we must have the Sprinter 3500 and not the 2500. No markings on the vehicle. I think we have the 2 inch blocks on the rear and if I'm understanding this correctly we would need the Solo application, not the Maxim.
Part #SSR 338-47 rear and SSF 106-40 front. Please share any experiences positive or negative. Looking for advise! Thanks

[milkman55]

Those are the correct part numbers. Order direct from SuperSprings and save some money. I installed them myself in about two hours, lots of YouTube install videos helped. Have not tried the shocks, but the Sumos made a big difference.

[ddemoret]

Anyone know the correct part numbers for the Bilstein shocks to give the best ride? I've read somewhere that some can be to stiff and ride like a lumber wagon. I've already planned to add the Sumo springs once the rv arrives in about 3 weeks

[ASloss]

Originally Posted by ddemoret

Anyone know the correct part numbers for the Bilstein shocks to give the best ride? I've read somewhere that some can be to stiff and ride like a lumber wagon. I've already planned to add the Sumo springs once the rv arrives in about 3 weeks

I found the Koni part numbers. Front Koni is 872657 and rear is 88051047. I am going to call to double check.

[RolandRevenger]

I am aware that I am repeating myself and many others, but be sure to check tire pressure. My dealer sent me home in my new Isata 3 with over 70 psi. Horrible ride. I think 61 psi is the suggested amount. I added Sumos to the rear; again, as stated previously, I did note an improvement in handling in windy condtions. I have to add that the ride is a little rougher going over some tar strips or areas with rough road surface, but the improvement in handling is worth it. I will be checking the forum to see if the addition of Bilstein shocks is found to be a modification that is worth the cost and any affect on handling AND ride. So far, it seems that mods to the rear suspension have been more helpful than those to the front. If I could afford it, I would modify back and front suspension components , but I can't sink too much more money into our unit.