What is the fuel economy, or UNeconomy, on a "C".

pnichols wrote:
....Fill it until the gas pump shuts OFF ... then dribble 5 more gallons into it.

Time after time after time our E450's 55 gallon tank has taken 5 more gallons after the pump tries to shut off. Of course filling up this way takes some patience on the part of any passengers you have waiting inside the motorhome! This method also gives you 45-55 more miles of cruising range - which is especially important when traveling in the West or boondocking with a lot of air conditioner usage. ;)

Yep! Same here with our rig. Actually I can get 6 more gallons with a slow fill after initial click-off.

Good advise for extended boonkocking and/or remote area travels.....and when gas is sold cheaper. ;)

tomgardner1 wrote:
It's almost impossible to get an accurate mpg reading on my "C", it is very hard to gas up to full each time.

I finally found out how to do this for our Ford E450 motorhome with it's 55 gallon tank. Fill it until the gas pump shuts OFF ... then dribble 5 more gallons into it.

Time after time after time our E450's 55 gallon tank has taken 5 more gallons after the pump tries to shut off. Of course filling up this way takes some patience on the part of any passengers you have waiting inside the motorhome! This method also gives you 45-55 more miles of cruising range - which is especially important when traveling in the West or boondocking with a lot of air conditioner usage. ;)

mlts22 wrote:
If MPG is a big concern, there are Sprinter diesels which can get upwards of 18 MPG. However, if given the choice between a Sprinter versus a Ford E-450 of the same floor plan, I'd go for the Ford, as the $15k difference in chassis would buy about 40,000 miles worth of gasoline.

You make a good point about the difference in purchase price. But there is also the higher price for diesel fuel and higher chassis maintenance cost which further closes in on the financial mpg benefit. And the 18mpg figure you mentioned is not for a class B+/C, but rather a class B. Comparing identical rigs, getting a 33% improvement in fuel economy with the Sprinter, at the higher purchase price, higher fuel costs, and higher maintenance costs, the payback date drifts farther out then many people realize. Then adding that many people don't drive enough miles to reap the benefits. We travel far, but such trips are at best once a year. Our E350 has 17,000 miles in 6 years. It would take a lifetime for us to recoupe such costs. People who travel great distances all the time would recoupe those costs quickly. The more you drive a Sprinter in the shortest amount of time, the benefit starts to reveal itself nicely.

Like you mentioned, I think the industry & consumers are looking forward to some good competition in the smaller diesel RV market which could make the financial benefit a no-brainer better value.

There are other benefits to a Sprinter diesel of which is off-topic.

If MPG is a big concern, there are Sprinter diesels which can get upwards of 18 MPG. However, if given the choice between a Sprinter versus a Ford E-450 of the same floor plan, I'd go for the Ford, as the $15k difference in chassis would buy about 40,000 miles worth of gasoline. On a class B, it is a different story, since the whole B market is going through a major shakeup this and next year due to the new van chassis (Ford's Transit and the Fiat Ducato.)

It's almost impossible to get an accurate mpg reading on my "C", it is very hard to gas up to full each time. Best advice is drive 55-60, and stop worrying about gas mileage .
RVing is expensive period.

FWIW, I budget for about 40 cents per mile when traveling in our Ford V10 based RV. i.e. A 2000 mile trip sets us back around $800 for gas.

Supercharged wrote:

Bordercollie wrote:
Mpg varies a lot with terrain,(mountain grades vs flatlands), headwinds, and altitude as well as speed vs aerodynamic drag and rolling resistance. We get 7-9mpg with our 27 foot rig. I think that claims of 11 mpg may be based on inaccurate calculation. A class C motorhome is an un-streamlined box truck full of appliances, supplies, water, gasoline and occupants. If you can't afford fuel and all of the other costs of ownership and maintenance, motorhoming is not for you.

The winner, best answer posted this week.

LOL I agree gas is the cheapest part of owning an RV. Two nights in our RV instead of a hotel and restaurant easily makes up for all the gas used on a week long RV vacation.

We went to DC for a week. We paid $350 gas total. One night in a hotel in DC is easily $200.

3000 miles round trip from Maine to Orlando averaged 7.7 MPG-- Cruise control at 62MPH south of Virginia.
Got 12 MPG running with the trucks on NJ Turnpike at 2AM

Bordercollie wrote:
Mpg varies a lot with terrain,(mountain grades vs flatlands), headwinds, and altitude as well as speed vs aerodynamic drag and rolling resistance. We get 7-9mpg with our 27 foot rig. I think that claims of 11 mpg may be based on inaccurate calculation. A class C motorhome is an un-streamlined box truck full of appliances, supplies, water, gasoline and occupants. If you can't afford fuel and all of the other costs of ownership and maintenance, motorhoming is not for you.

The winner, best answer posted this week.

Put a good scan Gage to it Mine says 7.5 Not fuzzy math that way. You never know exact a mount of gas in take at fill up every time. And again if you worry about MPG this type of camping is not for you. Just fill it and enjoy it forget about this nonsense.