Power boost for Ford 450 V10

Desert Captain wrote:

theoldwizard1 wrote:
The biggest complaint about the V10 is you have to use high RPM (>4000) when climbing hills. At that speed, it makes a lot of noise.

No, you don't. Again this comes down to the operator knowing how to drive a V-10 properly. I can climb at least 9 out of 10 hills {at +/- 5 mph of the speed limit} to include 6 percent grades running at 3,250 rpm which is max torque {420#}. About one long grade in 10 will require a further downshift increasing the rpm's up to 4,250 which = max HP {305}.

While this will briefly put a serious dent in your mileage rarely do such grades last for more than a few miles and then you are cruising down the backside burning zero {as in not a drop of fuel}, oh, you do use Tow Haul right? :h

Probably 90 percent of our travels are more in the 2,200 - 2,500 rpm range {which gives me 60 - 65 mph} and after 7 years I still a average 9.5 mpg like clockwork and that includes a little bit of generator time.

Keep in mind that my 2012 E-350 has GVWR of 11,500 and while I run at or near that number most of the time an E-450 will be humping an additional 3,000# {GVWR of 14,500} with the same motor and 4:56 rear end vs the 4:10 on my E-350. Yep, I love my V-10.

:B

That's straight forward advice above, DC, and about how we drive our 24 foot E450 Class C motorhome.

I can't emphasize enough the importance of keeping one's Ford E350/E450 motorhome in Tow/Haul transmission mode "a lot", or better still "all the time" when traveling.

Even though our small Class C vastly underloads it's E450 chassis, I keep it in Tow/Haul mode most of the time for much improved drivability and overall snappier response. That's why Ford added this transmission mode - for when a lot of weight is either being towed or being carried. The last time I thought about it, a motorhome chassis is carrying "a lot of weight" all the time. ;)