Suspension Upgrade for our Isata 3

[Jasonhardi]

There has been much talk about the Isata 3s sagging n the rear - ours was the same. Unloaded - measured a full 1 1/2" of sag. Looks like the rear springs are a little soft. In addition, the Vanco tire (in my opinion - and others) are poor; they are squishy and was worried about their reliability. As a matter of fact, our friend purchased a new rig with Vancos and on their very first trip, hit a pot hole and the tire blew. This appears to be story.

So we went all in and upgraded or suspension and tires. Here's what we did:
1. Upgraded the rear axle bumper stops to Timbren SES / this levels the Isata nicely.
2. Upgraded to Koni FSD shocks (rear) and struts (front).
3. Replaced the Vancos with top of the line Michelin Defender LTX M/S tires.

Results?
Amazing! The rig now drives with confidence. The difference is night and day. At the end of the day - 100% worth the investment!

[TN Ranger]

Just ordered an Istata 3. What model year is the unit you did the upgrades to?
You have me concerned that I'll have to invest more $ before we get started
First MH so we are learning
Thanks for the post.

[Jasonhardi]

Hi there. Our first MH as well. The Isata Product is fantastic - so don't worry. We purchased our Isata 3 last November and have our over 8k miles on her already - with hardly a problem. The suspension upgrade is an improvement - and not a requirement. Could you live with it the way it is? We decided to bring her up to near perfect. We boondock a lot and are on some pretty sketchy roads - so for us this upgrade was necessary. If you drive in cities a highways - then the stock configuration would work out just fine.