Tow/Haul
I have had my 24ft class c for a little over a year now. It is on a Ford 350 chassis with the v-10 and have hardly used that feature. This weekend I was heading into a 25 to 30 mph wind and it was dow...
Forum Discussion
tpi wrote:
I've posted it before and an extensive western trip has solidified my view. I have a 24' C on E450. In the 11,300 lb range.
Tow haul is great as needed in mountainous terrain. But for 90% general everyday driving, it is much too aggressive for my taste. Downshifts on mild braking revving the engine to 4000 RPM. Extra brake related shifting and generally higher revs. I find it most useful on extended downgrades to minimize braking.
FWIW Lazy Daze also recommends Tow Haul only as needed. It's just an opinion, but it does mirror my own.
My opinion might be different if I was towing or had a bigger/heavier class C.
This reminds me of a subtle point. A Class C coach (like tpi's and ours) that lightly loads an E450 chassis may need less use of the Tow/Haul mode's off-throttle downshifting advantages because normal engine braking is stronger. Since an E450's rear differential has a lower ratio (4:56) than the E350's, the E450 motorhome's overall engine to rear wheel gearing ratio is lower. Hence the engine will hold it back better when off the gas coming up to stops or when off the gas going down grades.
This is another reason I advocate use of the E450 chassis on smaller Class C rigs that, from a pure weight perspective, could get by on only the E350 chassis.
