E350 vs E450 chassis pros and cons for a short 24 ft class C

"This is all good information. Sounds like if you are getting a short(24Ft) MH with a full wall slide then you might need the E450 chassis for the extra weight of the slide."

An excellent observation. If you want a smallish {24' mas y menos}, Class C and plan to load, run or tow heavy then, by all means, go to the E-450 chassis. If however, you don't have slides, levelers, collect rocks or plans to tow a serious Toad you will be far better served by the E-350 chassis.

After 6 pages of interesting discussion some things simply do not change...

:B

If you are looking for better ride quality,no problems with the front end and larger and more quiet cockpit area in a 24 Ft Class C the clear choice would be one built on a Chevy Chassis :B

IMO, the biggest advantage is the higher GVWR. Most of the driveline/suspension components that allow the 450 to have the weight advantage over the 350 are significantly more robust. There are literally "hundreds" of design changes between the two vehicles. (too many to list) It's not just a set of helper springs!

Chum lee

Agree with Chum. Go with the 450. We have it and it is stout.

On the Chevy chassis comment, I can't say. I've driven both Ford/Chevy trucks for years and both have positive and negative to them. But both are good, IMHO.

It may be the V10 in the 450 Ford is "noisier" but overall we just don't have the issue.

2014 was the last year for the E-series van. Starting in 2015 and continuing, because of the naturally lower production numbers of the remaining E-Series fleet production, Ford has made more things common between the E350 and E450 than in years past. I recall one of significance is the rear axle gear ratio now being the same. The E350 used to get 10% better fuel economy in years past until recently. Now it's the same as the E450. There are a some heavy duty upgrades in the E450 that is more than smaller motor homes need, but even so......

If I had a choice, I would get the E450, even for a 21 foot motor home. The ride would be exceptionally rough so I would address that problem by swapping to E350 chassis 10,000 or 11,500 front coil springs, and remove a leaf or two in back to better match your actual trip loads. Invest a little more to get things matched up properly and you will have the best of both worlds of heavy duty and a comfortable ride.

IMHO: An E-450 on a 24' {or smaller} Class C is overkill. You will get a stiffer ride, worse mileage with less available power. Both have the same engine/drive train but depending on what years you are comparing the 450 will be 2 to 3,000# heavier and that is for every mile you drive.
{The 450 has a 4:56 rear end vs the 4:10 on the 350.}

My 2011 E-350 has a GVWR of 11,500 - Ford upped that to 12,500 on the 2012 chassis with virtually no changes {go figure?}. Compare that with the 450 which has a GVWR of 14,500. If you are going to tow heavy or really like to load up your rig then the 450 becomes the better choice but most folks simply do not need that much payload in a 24' C much less an even smaller model.

Even when towing my 6 X 10' {14' overall} cargo trailer with an 860# Indian motorcycle {bike and trailer weigh 2,220#} and the coach fully loaded we are just under our GVWR and the ride and handling are outstanding, smooth as a babies backside and passing trucks, even on a windy day are barely noticeable.

Since I have no need/can't use, any more payload the smoother ride and better mileage of my E-350 continue to work well for us {this opinion is only based upon nearly 6 years and 50K miles from coast to coast and then some}.

As always... Opinions and YMMV.

:C

ron.dittmer wrote:
2014 was the last year for the E-series van.

Just to be clear, the van was discontinued. The chassis is still in production today.

We had an Itasca 24' on a '01 or '02 E-350, it had no slides if it had a slide it would have been an E-450, per Winnebago.
We now have an '15 E-450 27'. I notice the longer length and that it's heaver. Cab seems about the same.

What is the HP of the 450 vs the 350? Are the chassis the same or similar to the 350 or 450 pickup trucks.

Gjac wrote:
What is the HP of the 450 vs the 350? Are the chassis the same or similar to the 350 or 450 pickup trucks.

The 350 and 450 have the exact same engine and transmission. The 6.8L V-10 found on both has 305 HP at 4250 rpm and 420# of torque at 3,250 rpm. No, they are not similar to the trucks as they are completely different animals. The E-350/450 are cut away van chassis' and the pickup trucks are well... trucks.

:C