Forum Discussion

Devocamper's avatar
Devocamper
Explorer
Jul 10, 2015

searching for a coach

Well the learning curve continues , I drove my first class A's today and learned a little bit but now have more questions. First coach was a 35 foot bounder on the ford chassis and I knew from my last post to expect noise and high rpm - all the shifts seem to come at around 3k rpm which I guess is normal for the v10 but will take some getting used to after my diesel truck. Handling took a little getting used to seemed to wander a lot which I guess is also normal I know they are not sports cars but thought they would handle a little better. Second two coaches were Itasca Solei's 36g's love the floor plan but question the quality because the first one had the check engine light come on and could barley make it up and entrance ramp to the highway the second one sounded like it had a suspension issue making noise above and beyond what I guess are normal rattles and other noises in a motorhome on the road. The Solei's seemed to me to be a bit underpowered with 340 hp and the handling at highway speeds seemed lose and not at all what I would have expected for a pusher. So two questions is this enough engine for a pusher of this weight and do all motorhome handle , I will use the word lose? The good news is the trade in value for my current equipment. The dealer which offered the same trade in value on anything I bought from the Solei's Down to a vista and he was about where I thought the numbers would be. The second dealer was lower but says the deal was in the discount ,don't like this guy . Not sure why the first is giving the same amount for any of the coaches I looked at and his prices were discounted a bit from listed price? The search goes on . I like the pusher but not the power or handling of that particular chassis. Thanks for any input or help ,you guys were great with dinghy towing questions thanks again
Mike

14 Replies

  • Ivylog's avatar
    Ivylog
    Explorer III
    Too much air in new tires especially will give loose handling but if the pressures are around 100 psi then there's probably something else wrong.
    340 HP will be a Cummins ISB 6.7L engine... a good LITTLE engine but less than 700 ft lbs of torque. A Cummins ISL (400-450 HP) 7.9L engine is limited to 1250 ft lbs as that's the max for the Allison 3000 tranny.
    340 compared to 400 not a big increase, but 690 to 1250 is a huge difference.


    Cummins ISL
  • On the "lose" issue...tire pressure will affect the handling a lot. If the coach is on a dealer lot, chances are the pressure is too high (no stuff for added weight). If the dealer would be willing to lower the pressure by 10-15 psi and then you can test drive again, you probably would feel a difference. Tire air pressure should be set based on the weight of the coach and contents.

    340 hp will be okay depending on where you live or plan to travel. We live in the hills of western PA and no matter which way we go, it is either up or down! ARGH! One of the main criteria for us when we were coach shopping was a 400 HP diesel. Our coach is also a 38 footer.

    Good luck with your search.
  • gemert wrote:
    Go older high end and handling is nice, ride is nice and life is good.


    I agree..!
  • Go older high end and handling is nice, ride is nice and life is good.