24 ft ClassC MH downsides

pnichols wrote:

Bordercollie wrote:
We had a 23 foot class C and before that a Dodge van conversion. I grew to hate having cardboard boxes in the aisle etc. and having to convert couches into beds and and back again. There was little space for storage and clutter became depressing on long trips or extended camping. Going from a 32 foot to a 24 foot RV will be a big change.

Probably some small Class C motorhomes do much better on storage than what you describe. For example, our 24 foot Class C has:

- The entire area under both dinette seats available for storage.
- Large partitioned-off separate areas at the foot and head of the overhead cab bed available for storage that run the full width of the bed.
- Overhead cabinets above the lounge chair, above the dinette area, and above the kitchen double sink area.
- Two closets for storage of clothing.
- Drawers and cabinets under the kitchen areas, under and over the bathroom sink, under the refrigerator, and under one of the closets.
- Overhead cabinets above and around the corner of the rear corner bed area.
- Seven outside storage bays, with two of them extending under the floor laterally across the width of the coach for storage of long items.
- Two storage areas under each cab seat.

We don't have to transport anything on the roof, on either bumper, or strapped to the roof-access ladder. The only thing "under foot" when we travel is the enclosed crate, seat-belted in a dinette seat, for the dog so that she can travel somewhat restrained and safe. ;)

Wow, there have been some real storage improvements in short rigs.

whizbang wrote:
Gjac,

We have a 2002 Winnebago 24v Class C withe the 158" WB on a E350 chassis.

Completely empty, it weighs just under 10,000 pounds. Full of fluids and gear for a long trip, we topped out at 11,400 pounds, just under the GVWR of 11,500.

On ALL of our other RV's (truck campers, truck&trailer, diesel pusher, etc) my wife refused to drive. With this Class C, my wife does 2/3's the driving. The Winnie handles like a breeze.

The new chassis are supposed to be even better. I would not be concerned about a E350 chassis.

Did you need any suspension add on's to make it handle like a breeze? Or did it handle well from the factory?

Bordercollie wrote:
We had a 23 foot class C and before that a Dodge van conversion. I grew to hate having cardboard boxes in the aisle etc. and having to convert couches into beds and and back again. There was little space for storage and clutter became depressing on long trips or extended camping. Going from a 32 foot to a 24 foot RV will be a big change.

Probably some small Class C motorhomes do much better on storage than what you describe. For example, our 24 foot Class C has:

- The entire area under both dinette seats available for storage.
- Large partitioned-off separate areas at the foot and head of the overhead cab bed available for storage that run the full width of the bed.
- Overhead cabinets above the lounge chair, above the dinette area, and above the kitchen double sink area.
- Two closets for storage of clothing.
- Drawers and cabinets under the kitchen areas, under and over the bathroom sink, under the refrigerator, and under one of the closets.
- Overhead cabinets above and around the corner of the rear corner bed area.
- Seven outside storage bays, with two of them extending under the floor laterally across the width of the coach for storage of long items.
- Two storage areas under each cab seat.

We don't have to transport anything on the roof, on either bumper, or strapped to the roof-access ladder. The only thing "under foot" when we travel is the enclosed crate, seat-belted in a dinette seat, for the dog so that she can travel somewhat restrained and safe. ;)

We had a 23 foot class C and before that a Dodge van conversion. I grew to hate having cardboard boxes in the aisle etc. and having to convert couches into beds and and back again. There was little space for storage and clutter became depressing on long trips or extended camping. Going from a 32 foot to a 24 foot RV will be a big change.

Gjac,

We have a 2002 Winnebago 24v Class C withe the 158" WB on a E350 chassis.

Completely empty, it weighs just under 10,000 pounds. Full of fluids and gear for a long trip, we topped out at 11,400 pounds, just under the GVWR of 11,500.

On ALL of our other RV's (truck campers, truck&trailer, diesel pusher, etc) my wife refused to drive. With this Class C, my wife does 2/3's the driving. The Winnie handles like a breeze.

The new chassis are supposed to be even better. I would not be concerned about a E350 chassis.

DrewE wrote:
I very much doubt the "economy" tune gets better mileage at equal power outputs and RPMs. The "premium" tune just lets the engine produce more power (and of course also consume more fuel) when pushed hard, and possibly alters the shift points to favor higher gears more.

You won't get 12 mpg with a typical class C motorhome at highway speeds with any gas engine, at least not without a rather radical redesign of the body to improve aerodynamics (which will necessarily also reduce interior space for a given length). It would be nice, I agree.

Drew that was RV hyperbole, to make a point. I don't know how to make those smiley faces that some on here make.

I very much doubt the "economy" tune gets better mileage at equal power outputs and RPMs. The "premium" tune just lets the engine produce more power (and of course also consume more fuel) when pushed hard, and possibly alters the shift points to favor higher gears more.

You won't get 12 mpg with a typical class C motorhome at highway speeds with any gas engine, at least not without a rather radical redesign of the body to improve aerodynamics (which will necessarily also reduce interior space for a given length). It would be nice, I agree.

pnichols wrote:
With the tuning on modern engines being so much under electronic control, wouldn't it be super nice if there could be a switch on the dash to flip between "economy tune" and "premium tune"?

What a wow that would be!!

. 50 more HP out west climbing hills would be nice and getting 12 mpg with the detune for the rest of the trip would be nicer.

With the tuning on modern engines being so much under electronic control, wouldn't it be super nice if there could be a switch on the dash to flip between "economy tune" and "premium tune"?

What a wow that would be!!

I have ONLY seen the Premium tuning on motorhome. Actually, even the utility body work trucks I've seen also have the Premium tune. The Economy tune is optional. Probably for fleets like U-Haul.

Keep in mind the new 7.3L is rated using the Dyno certification method for MDTs. The E-series was not certified using this method previously because of the carry-over powertrains. Ford's fleet documents state that the tuning is the same between the Dyno and Chassis certified motors, with the exception of the Economy tune. The F230/350 are chassis certified, and are rated at 430 HP.

The difference in test methods is boils down to:

Dyno Certification = worst case... All accessories active, and all emissions systems in full duty cycle such as max EGR.

Chassis certification = best case.... No A/C, EGR not active, no torque reduction to achieve emissions limits etc.

So the HP gains of the 7.3L should be greater than they appear on paper. But... there have been some teething issues, mainly with some of the supplied parts like spark-plug wires. It's a promising motor, but I'd personally wait for the Job-2 version, if they haven't already switched over.