HiI am looking for my first RV. I am considering purchasing a FR Sunseeker 2300 with an E450. One thing bothered me about what was reported to me by the sales staff - mileage. According to them, the mpg on the E450 is better than the E350 which makes no sense to me. They reported an average of 12 mpg on their E450s - they are a rental company so must have lots of data. They dont have the reportedly more fuel efficient Chevys.I found out today at the showroom that a Canadian gallon is an imperial measure (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallon) and is about 4.6 liters v the US gallon which is about 3.8 liters. Just to make things more complicated there would appear to be an extra 20% in the Canadian gallon... Will this make a difference to the tank size? I doubt it and felt that this was irrelevant.Even with this discrepancy, the average mpg reported that I have seen for an E450 is 8. With an extra 20% this comes to 9.6. Have any FR Sunseeker owners with the E450 chassis reached an mpg of 10-12? I might travel once per year from Vancouver to LA and back or similar trip so it could make quite a difference in the long term and therefore to my decision. Apart from anything else, as a newbie, I am aware of appearing gullible to sales folk and want to know if I was listening to absolute BS or good honest sales patter.Thanks v muchPommy

I would be very happy with 10 MPG in a class C. However if you really wanted to drive 55 MPH, then 11 MPG might be possible. I don't know why a E-350 would get worse mileage than a E-450 built to have a heavier weight, and also a higher number rear axle ratio (typically) because the design engineers wanted the E-450 to run at a higher engine RPM for each given road speed, than on a E-350. The engineers predict that the E-350 will have a lower GCVWR, and thus can run at a more efficient and slower engine RPM for a given road speed.Anyway if you are looking at a 23' or 24' long RV, it should be much lighter than a "Typical" 30' class C with a heavier slide out. This will assist in getting better MPG. But I don't think that 12 MPG is possible with a gas engine today. There is actually 10% or more alcohol in the fuel, and that prevents cars from getting the MPG that they might on pure gas. The best way to improve the MPG is to slow down. Setting the CC at 55 MPH will save a lot of gas compared to 65 MPG. Also buy a couple of tanks of 92 octane fuel. See if your MPG improves. If you are getting 10 with 87 octane, and 11 with 92 or 91 octane, then it is worth it to spend 5% more on the fuel to get 10% more mileage from each gallon. You will actually spend 5% less over a 1,000 mile trip by buying the higher octane fuel.Fred.

Don't waste your efforts on trying to figure out a Canadian Imperial gallon....there is no such thing anymore....you will either be calculating fuel burn as "miles per US gallon", or "iitres per hundred kilometres"...all tank sizes are now shown in US gallons & litres...

For what it's worth, I average about 10 mpg in our E450 Sunseeker 2300. I do not drive with a lead foot, usually do about 60 on freeways . So far most of our travels have been in Texas , which is pretty flat. Good luck with your new m/h.

Having had both an E350 (25' MH) and E450 (28' MH), my experience is that the E450 gets slightly better mileage because (despite the difference in axle ratio) the E450 doesn't shift down as frequently while driving. I believe that's because the E450 engine is higher into the torque range and is able to negotiate hills better. Usually avoiding Interstates and running 50 to 55 MPH, my mileage before towing was a shade less than 10. Towing the Focus it's slightly over 9.In the Rockies and WV, the mileage is dismal.

I use to have a 2300. I got 10 on a good day.

Forest River Sunseeker E450 2300 MPG | Good Sam Community

gotsmart
Explorer
Jul 22, 2013
NWnative wrote:
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I keep it at 65mph most of the time on the open road.
....

Many have found their sweet spot for optimal gas mileage with the Triton V10s to be in the low 60s. With some experimentation on your next few trips you can find that optimum speed that returns the best gas mileage for your MH.

For me it is about 61mph, maybe 62. There are no speedometer marks for them after 60mph, so I'm best-guessing when I set the Cruise Control.
NWnative
Explorer
Jul 22, 2013
Have had 4 trips now in our Class C on the E450 / V10 platform. Best tank was 8.9mpg and worst tank was 6.7mpg which included a few hours of generator run time while camping. I keep it at 65mph most of the time on the open road. When climbing mountain passes, I settle in around 4000RPM (50mph)and don't push it to hard beyond that. As it continues to break in I hope to get close to 10mpg but don't expect much more than that.
mudhound
Explorer
Jul 20, 2013
I would be happy to get 10mpg!
pommyg
Explorer
Jul 19, 2013
Thanks all. I have a much better idea of what to expect. 8-10 looks about right. For what its worth, I have a hybrid at present to drive as a car and use that like a "milk float" - one of those electric vehicles that used to "float" around slowly delivering milk, so 55mph should be easy enough to keep to... after all its a vacation.. As a newbie, do you guys reckon that I could tow a RAV4 or Kia Optima Hybrid with an E450 or E350? Looks like a case to buy the E450 I suppose...
gotsmart
Explorer
Jul 18, 2013
Below is an email that I sent to a friend. It is the best MPG that I've had from my 2004 E450. After changing the spark plugs I started getting consistent MPG in the high 7s to low 8s.
I gassed up at Spirit Mountain Casino last night (May 12, 2013) and reset the trip odometer.
Today (May 13th) I drove 273.8 miles from Spirit Mountain Casino in Grand Ronde, OR to the Arrowhead Travel Plaza (next to Wildhorse Casino) in Pendleton, OR.
I took on 30.073 gallons of gas (at 3.799/gal = $114.25). My fuel mileage was 9.1 MPG
j-d
Explorer II
Jul 18, 2013
chin's remark x2, maybe x200

With RVs and their aquatic gas guzzling cousins, boats, the fuel bill is general the least cost of owning and operating. I decided to add StaBil to every RV fillup. Adds maybe $5 to a tankful that's around $150, so So What.

That tankful takes me on three trips to the state parks an hour or two from home and we stay a week or two. Not so bad, all in all...
chinrv
Explorer
Jul 18, 2013
If you're spending lots of thousands of dollars on an RV, the difference in fuel mileage cost of a 350 VS 450 is really pretty inconsequential - just too many factors (most already mentioned above) involved. Find the length and floorplan that suits you, and enjoy the unit.
carringb
Explorer
Jul 18, 2013
Not a surprise in that size coach. The E450 is geared to stay in OD more often.

WHen I switched from 3.73 to 4.56 gears, my towing mileage went up almost 20%. On the flip side I lost about 10% when not towing, but I tow more often than not so it worked out better for me overall. Plus WAY better performance.
j-d
Explorer II
Jul 18, 2013
Best I've seen documented for a C on Ford, and I believe E450, is 10. Our 31 gets about 7. Most of that's what I'll call "mixed" driving, with several low-speed miles, maybe a high bridge, then a steady slower drive to the state park. What I'm trying to say is that it MIGHT get somewhere around 8 in steady-state flat ground driving no faster than 60-MPH
gerrym51
Explorer II
Jul 18, 2013
as far as i know-and it's still in the specs at their webpage-the 2300 is on the ford 350-although 450 can be special ordered.

i suggest a better option is the chevy 4500. all chevy sunseekers are on 4500.