Is 360 hp enough for for 38-40 ft class A

All good answers up to this point, one thing, there is no sub. for cu. inches, period, when it comes to torque. that said, find a 13, 14, 15, 16 liter engine in a MH with 1250 torque or better, and the proper gears, putting all that torque to the ground?? You will sail up the hills! Not many hills that will test a MH around Peoria, I-474 east from the river should give you a idea? I trucked all over the country with a N-14, 460 hp., 1650 ft. lbs. torque, pulling up to 80,000 lbs. gross. never had a problem in the mountains? And in all those years, most of the MH's did just fine pulling the hill's, and the ones with the big truck motors, sailed up the mountains! But the more hp. and the harder you press it, the more fuel you will burn, and you have to keep an eye on the transmission gauge, Too! It is the weak link, and you do not want to cook it,, for sure!! Do not worry, if you find a diesel MH with the torque up in the 1000 or more, you will do fine, just know the weight of the coach and get the torque that is up there for the weight!
Have fun!

The reason I ask this question is because I currently run a 13 Duramax pulling a 34' 5th wheel. Plenty of power and I can drive at what ever speed I want and clime any hill with the best of what is on the road.
Now I am looking at a class A's and don't want to step backward in power climbing those hills with a class a pulling a toad or a trailer with a car and a boat or other toy.
My Duramax is rated at something like 365 hp. I don't think 350 hp is going to give me the same power pushing a unit 2x the combined weight as my current rig.
I know torque is a big thing but it don't matter if I'm going 35 mph up the hill at a lower rpm.
Just don't know if I need to limit my search to higher hp units.

Thanks for the replies.
pointrow

I am hesitant to even comment on what could become a "HP vs Torque" discussion.

BUT, here goes.

HP is what moves you. 380 HP is 380 HP, be it a gasoline engine, diesel engine, gas turbine, etc.

Torque (read that high torque at low RPM) is what allows you to climb a grade at an RPM that won't hurt your ears or your engine.

Said another way, a current Ford V10/F53 chassis produces 362 HP. But, look up the RPM.

Our new coach has 400 HP (not much more than 362) but has 1200 lb-ft torque at 1300 RPM.

Bottom line, it can generate the same HP at SUBSTANTIALLY lower/sustainable RPM.

A dyno doesn't measure hp. It only measures torque. Hp is derived from that number. Torque X rpm ÷ 5252 = hp.

Example
800 tq X 2500 rpm ÷ 5252 = 380 hp

azdryheat wrote:
It's not the HP that gets a MH over the mountains, it's the torque. And these motorhomes have some incredible torque.

For example, the Cummins ISB6.7 has 200-360 hp and 520-800 LB/FT torque (same size engine (6.7L) you find in Dodge Ram pickups). The ISC8.3 has 380 HP and 1050 LB/FT of torque, 8.3L. Bump it up to the next level and the ISL9 has 400-450 HP and 1250 LB/FT of torque. The king of Cummins motorhome engines is the ISX15 with 600 hp and 1950 LB/FT torque. These are the current specs from Cummins website.

It also depends on which model of a brand one gets. For example, the Tiffin Phaeton 40' comes with the ISC engine, while the higher level Tiffin Allegro Bus 40' has the beefier ISL engine. Same length, different engines.

If it were me, I would be checking the torque rating for any motorhome I was looking at. I would hate to think I was buying an ISC engine when it was actually an ISB.

Quite true, HP is only part of the question. Cu inches and torque play key roles.

I have a 38' DP with a Cummins ISB 275 5.9 and it has enough power. I pull 6-8% grades at 40-45mph no problem. Would more power be nice? Sure would, but for the price I paid I am extremely happy!

I have a 350 with turbo in a 39 foot coach. It does just fine out west. It goes up hills without any problem. We slow down but nothing out of the ordinary.

Any Mh will climb a hill fine some slower than others so the question is all relative. Relative to a small 5 wheel that weighs 15,000 lbs with a 350 hp eng it will be slower up a hill if the MH has 360 hp and weighs 30,000 lbs or more.

Pre-2007 engines also have more power than the later DEF equipped models.

I have the 330 hp Caterpillar and I have pulled several toads with no problems. Can not even tell they are back there. So those engines you asked about IF they are diesel it is more then enough power.