Better gas mileage

Our 2007 E350-V10 rig pictured is very aero-dynamic considering it is a class C (B+). It has the following A.D. features.

- B+ top cap
- angled transition walls (between van and house)
- narrow 93" width
- low 8'- 9" roof height
- front bumper cover
- 23'-8" over-all length
- rig with people, water, gear, etc. weighs less than 10,300 pounds on trips

We have towed and not towed yielding these "total trip" 3000-5000 mile averages, all starting in the Chicago area, travelling across the great plains, to & from mountain & canyon regions of the country.

1) 10.5 mpg - not towing
2) 9.6 mpg - towing a 2200 pound 2000 Toyota MR2 Spyder
3) 9.3 mpg - towing a 4200 pound 2006 Jeep Liberty 4x4

The beauty of towing the MR2 Spyder was that it got 30 mpg so we saved a lot of gas considering that once at our destinations, we got great fuel economy when touring.





Conventional class-C's with huge cab-over beds, tall, wide, long, boxy, heavy, are claiming around 8 mpg. I don't know how those figures are calculated or averaged, but that does not seem to align with my own figures.

Often, the best you can do is to slow down but some setups may have a sweet spot that does best. Keep the tire pressure up and engine tuned. Dont buy the venturi and other mpg scams.

I'm speaking of a Dodge diesel pick up and FW but here are some figures on my speed differences.
65 or so and hills= 9 mpg
65 or so and more flat slight rolling hills = 10 mpg
60 flat/ slight rolling = 12 mpg
55 flat/ slight rolling = 13.7
These are expressway figures on a 200 mile run.

These figures are from the dash display, not paper and pencil.

It's rare that any type, weight or length of RV will get more than 10 MPG.

I used to worry about MPG but then decided the enjoyment of being out in nature far outweighed any associated costs.

You need to be prepared for possible repair costs since you will be buying an older used Class C. Problems begin appearing around the 5 year old mark and then really escalate after the 10 year old mark. Refrigerators, air conditioners, water pumps, toilets, batteries plus drive line components may fail. Most of these are $500 plus repairs.

if mpg are important? by a mercedes diesel . they get about 15mpg on the V6.

I have a 26.5 ft non-aerodynamic classic C shape. You can see in the signature picture. I am usually at 60, sometimes 65 mph. I do that for safety rather than mileage. My fuel usage for 9000 miles total has been rock solid at 9.5 MPG.
Definitely, make the floor plan and available storage the highest priority, influenced by the length that best suits your access requirements.

Length has practically no effect on gas mileage for a class C. For highway driving, weight has relatively little effect; in city stop-and-go driving, the weight does matter more.

Most of the drag comes from pushing what is essentially a barn door through the air, so aerodynamic improvements will help some (though do be aware that much of the drag comes from the squared-off back, so changes to the front end are of limited help). Driving more slowly will have a quite significant impact on gas mileage (at least up to a point), as the air resistance increases exponentially with speed.

With my 32' class C ('98 E super duty chassis w/ V10--which was renamed to become the E450 chassis a couple years later), I tend to get between 7 and 8 mpg at interstate speeds (65 mph or so). I like to pretend it's 8 mpg, but the math usually tells me I'm a bit optimistic.

Starting to make sense. I've been doing some research and realize that the gas mileage really isn't what we should be factoring in here. It's only the two of us, maybe an occasional trip with our adult daughter, but we're planning on retiring in 6 years so we need to focus on how much room we need. I used to do a lot of camping with my young kids in a tent trailer, even lived for 6 months in a truck camper so I'm used to the organization that's needed in a small space. My husband, on the other hand, isn't so it's more trying to come to a compromise. We're only able to deal with an amount of $10,000 for a used class c, so that's why we're researching everything. I've done a lot of reading in the forums and finally bravely ventured forth to ask what is so obviously a newbie question. Thank you for your patience and willingness to lend your wisdom. It is very much appreciated!

Our RV is what some call a Class B+. it is 26.5' long. It doesn't have the overhead bed, instead there is a TV and electronics up there. The overhead is much more aerodynamic than a Class C with a bed up there. It is also 6" narrower than most Class Cs and the transition from cab to house is slanted rather than at right angles to the cab. All of this contributes to a more aerodynamic design. I also try to stay around 58-60 MPH when travelling. Ours is on a 2008 model year E450 chassis with the V10. When we were test driving different RVs, I did find that RVs like ours were easier to drive and less affected by wind and large trucks.

Even with all that going for it, I average 9-10 MPG. I do not tow anything. My advice is not to concern yourself so much about MPGs and concentrate more on getting a rig that meets your family's requirements.

I might be wrong, but the front of the MH is not very aerodynamic. When going down the road you are pushing a lot of wind. JMO

I am a complete noob....could you please explain why and what to look for in the frontal area? Thank you so much!