2018-19 Nexus Viper Class C

Desert Captain wrote:

Rubicon06 wrote:

pauldub wrote:
According to Ford, a 2014 cut-away chassis E-450 weighs 225 pounds more that E-350 with the same wheelbase, engine, and DRW. Where does the mythical "several thousand pounds" come from? Assuming they each have the same house built on top of them, the only difference in fuel economy will be because of the small difference in axle ratio.

That's what my research says as well. Not thousands. The Captain should be demoted to to a lower rank. :)

Cute, but before you try and demote me remember there are 3 kinds of people on this earth... those that can do math and those that can't. :B

I am talking two Class C's, each loaded to its GVWR. What part of an E-450 with a GVWR of 14,500# vs an E-350 with a GVWR of 12,500 pounds does not come out to 2,000# {last time I checked that is a ton}. Next, you will be quoting dry weights, oh wait, you just did and everyone knows how useful they are. :S

Come on now folks... my point remains that an E-350 loaded to 12,500# will be working a lot less than an E-450 loaded to 14,500# as they both have the same motor and trans.

:R

Hmmmm ... of course what I was trying to address earlier here and in many other older discussions is that an entire E450 chassis loaded to 12,500# will handle the load better than an entire E350 chassis will loaded to that same 12,500#.

It's not about just how much that the identical engines and transmissions work, it's also about how the differences in thicker frame steel, differences in diameter of the driveshafts, differences in brake swept areas, differences in rear differential ring gear diameters, differences in rear dually stance widths, and the (early model) difference of rear/front torsion bars being in the E450 with only rear torsion bars being in the E350, differences in (early model) power brake booster technologies, and maybe subtle other differences ... can bring better road control, better long-term reliability, better overload handling margin, less component wear long term, etc. between the two Ford cutaway van chassis. (These are some of the reasons that we shopped for a 24 foot Class C on the optional E450 chassis.)

Later Ford E350/E450 specs that I've been able to locate don't go into enough detail to show these subtle differences, one way or the other. Ford cutaway van specs 10-15 years ago that I I've read do show these kind of differences in the two chassis. I wish I had copies of those comprehensive earlier specifications.