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DAS26miles's avatar
DAS26miles
Explorer II
Jun 20, 2015

New Class C, change driving and fueling habits?

We have a small 22' Class C with Ford V10 and getting between 8.5-10mpg. Buying a new Ford 28' V10. I would expect the new MH's mpg to be 7-9. I drive the current MH in the second to third lane at speed limit and what the traffic is doing. I would expect with the new one I would have to slow down to 55-60 mph and stay in the slower lanes.
I have always used Chevron or Shell gas along with the Von's or Ralph's .10 or .20 discounts. Most stations now add a surcharge of .10 or .15 per gallon to use my debit or credit card. May have to pay with cash. Am I better off going to an Arco, Valero or Flying J for cheaper gas? I know they don't have the same engine cleaning additives that Chevron has.
I did some math and a 600 mile round trip to Yosemite with gas at $3.50 per gallon could cost $27 for every MPG drop.
My old Ford has the 4 speed transmission and the new one has the 5 speed. Any help there? And is the OD on the old one the same as the TOW feature on the new one?
  • I'm guessing that the 28' is on a E-450 chassis and the 22' is on a E-350 chassis. If that's the case, the new one is geared a little lower in the differential. If I recall correctly, the top three gear ratios on both transmissions are the same.
  • Hi,

    Unfortunately the 'top' gear ratio is identical in the 4 speed and 5 speed, so you will get no mileage help that way.

    The tow haul switch does work differently.

    It is possible to go to a taller tire but that requires new rims.

    I added air tabs which help to keep the back of the rv clean and reduce wind noise a lot. They 'may' or may not make any mileage difference.

    My rv is 28 feet and fully loaded I'm just below the maximum safe weight.
  • DAS26miles wrote:
    Most stations now add a surcharge of .10 or .15 per gallon to use my debit or credit card.


    That "adder" for credit card use on fuel purchases is ridiculous ... and that's one more reason I use a credit card that returns 5% per gallon in credit points on all fuel paid for with the card.

    5% per gallon just about offsets that adder, so at least fueling up with the convenience of a credit card is about a wash at the end of trip. :(
  • I have used costco and other brands and have not really seen any great difference in performance from any. It all depends on what the right foot is doing. I use Fly J or TA for diesel when using the truck and TT since they have have high turnover and fresh fuel when compared to other places like grocery stores. Will use safeway or fry's when no truck stop around.

    Use an additive if you have concerns. You can get the chevron techron at costco for about $15 for 6 maybe less have not bought any lately.

    As to going slower with the larger, dont bet on it. We get the same at 65 as we do going slower. Ours is a 2012 Aspect 28ft, but is a B+ so dont have the big wind sail over the cab. Generally getting 8-10 depending on where we are , lower in mountains higher on flats. I do run Mikes 5 Star tune since the v10 is seeming always wanting to go to high rpms and has such poor throttle control. Does make a difference. As we gain mileage on the unit it appears to get better,
  • We have a 31 footer with the V10 and get 6.5 - 8 depending on road conditions. I try to keep the speed to 62-65 MPH. Sweet spot seems to be 63-64 mph and gives best mileage. Last year we spent more time on the interstate over fairly level stretches and got 8.3 mpg while towing. All at 63-64 mph. Can be done. We also tend to use top tier fuels when we can get them, she seems to run better.

    Dave
  • I always use the top tier detergent fuels if at all possible. After seeing how quickly my generator was ruined by not using the ethanol treatment I have gained great respect for gasoline's ability to develop gunk in disastrous places. You get what you pay for; pay me now or pay me later with interest; yada, yada
  • Like Chevron, Shell and a number of others; Costco, Arco, and Valero are now Top Tier gas while Flying J, Von's and Ralph's are not.