wind

Hi Cannonss,
I think that the majority of persons who moved from a Class C to a B+ will agree that the B+ is easier to drive on the interstate. Our experience is less wind noise, less buffeting from wind and passing trucks. I found that it was real easy to drive 65 to 70 mph in the B+, but even with the improved aerodynamics our mpg would drop noticeable at higher speeds. We can watch our real time MPG (or watch it in gallons per hour) on the scan gauge. But we calculate MPG based on miles and gallons at the pump...the scan gauge is just an aid to help improve our driving efficiency.

I agree with paudub...if you can't deal with 8-10mpg then Rving will be some what frustrating. We make trips from the West coast to the East Coast and back. It all of the units we drive just under 60 mph. Our average mpg experience on these trips have been:

Ford PU 6 cylinder w/5sp, 22ft Alpenlite 5th wheel (fairly aerodynamic) = 11mpg
Chev 8.1 liter 3500 chassis, 23ft Class C = 9.5 mpg
Ford 6.8 liter E450 chassis 26ft Class B+ = No Coast to Coast yet but expect 9.0 mpg
My projection of 9 mpg for the E450 is based on comparisons with previous units driven over similar trips locally.

I can't speak for all B+ uinits but our (fiberglass) is a bit heavier than I expected, but it feels more solid than our Class C. Its quieter, better insulated, double pane windows. However the E450 does have a stiffer ride. I think one benefit of the stiffer ride is that it handles very well, doesn't seem to wallow and feels solidly connected with the road. So we will just live with the stiff ride.

It is a lot of fun to travel this way...don't pull a toad so it is a pretty uncomplicated way to travel. Just hop in turn the key and go. Just have to save up for the trips to the gas pump ;-). Hope you have a great time Traveling.

When considering fuel economy "alone" while shopping for a new motor home built on a cut-away chassis, I feel the priorities could be broken down to something like this.

Better to Lesser MPG

1) B+
2) C

1) Lighter (often translates to shorter)
2) Heavier (often translates to longer)

1) Sprinter Diesel
2) Chevy 3500/4500 & E350/E450 with V8
3) E350-V10
4) E450-V10
Of coarse you would not want a larger/heavier rig with the Ford-V8 engine for it's fuel economy would suffer.

"All Other" factors are owner influenced, from driving habits to towing, the type of roads traveled, added people & cargo, etc.

Two different households who bought the exact same rig, will not get the same MPG because the "All Other" section is extremely influential.

We average about 10 mpg on our Coach House Platinum on the Ford E450 chassis at about 60-65 mph, not as good as the PW Excel on the Dodge chassis that we sold. But considering the larger interior space and comfort, I'm okay with it. I consider the Coach House as a Class C while the PW was a Class B.

There are many factors involved with determining MPG that I doubt if you can find any two people that don't have different results.
First off, on newer C's, diesel will get you better MPG than will gas.
Second is speed. Different speeds of 55, 60, 65, can cause up to 10% less MPG.
Third for me is which state you get your gas. Although my reasoning is anecdotal, I get better MPG after I leave MN in the winter especially in the SW states.
Fourth for me is again anecdotal but I get the best gas mileage after I leave Las Vegas NM all the way through Kansas to Lincoln Neb. Either the gas is made different (additives) or because it is mostly downhill, 6000 ft to what? 1000 or so.

So if you want to compare a C to B+, factor in all of the above.

Our Nexus 24' C is one of the largest for its length (see sig photo), at 101" wide and 11'2" tall. The interior voluume is enormous, the headroom through out is 7' and the full queen's give us lots of options. Since it is on the E350 chassis we have a smoother ride and alittle better mileage than the E450's. It drives and rides great and fits just about anywhere. Would not want to give up the huge overcab berth as we use it a lot for many different functions(storage, tv/reading lounge as well as a great little "bedroom" for the occasional guests).

I am comfortabe driving in wind up to 35 mph but at 36 I get off the road. It is not much fun in anything over 25 but is doable and passing semi's are never a problem.
:C

j-d wrote:
I think you meant the "big overhang on the **C**" and from what I can tell the C is about the LEAST aerodynamic face you can put on the road.

It's probably not the case that a Class C is the least aerodynamic ... at least in the total overall RV world. Some of those great big high up in the sky flat-box-front Class A motorhomes and expedition vehicles have to be pushing way more air than Class C rigs with their sloped-back front coach wall and lower vehicle height.

Also, what one gets from the air that a Class C's front coach wall is pushing is either a whole bunch of added interior storage or an additional queen size bed. We have the overhead plus rear corner two queens in our Class C and use them both to the fullest. To us it's worth the slightly reduced gas mileage for the extra interior volume we get in around only 24 feet of RV.

By the way, the Chevy Class C chassis is longer than Ford's, so our rig would be longer than it is if it was using the Chevy chassis instead of the Ford chassis.

I get batter gas mileage than my husband. So it depends on who is at the wheel. Less aggressive vs more aggressive. Also mid-country is easier. Is it hot out, running the air? Raining? Still I love rving.

Hi Rolin,

Keep in-mind that we live near Chicago with most vacations traveling west involving a long journey across the great plains where fuel averaging will benefit. If we lived by you in Oregon and travelled around the mountains from there, I think our trip average fuel economy would be notably less.

That is just one more factor (on top of a big pile of factors) that we all need to keep in mind when sharing our MPGs.

So don't feel too bad. That is why so many people here say things like "It Is What It Is".

Hi Ron,
I was hoping that when we moved from a class C (big wind dam) to the more aerodynamic B+ with smaller engine that we would see an improvement in fuel efficiency. I guess that the added weight and the lower gear ratio of the E450 (running higher rpms) negated the aerodynamic improvement.

Your E350 based Ford MH gets the type of mileage that I was hoping to achieve. I would be doing a happy dance if we could average 10 mpg....but that is only in my dreams.

No complaints; we really like our MH and it is more comfortable to drive that our Class C. We were just hoping for better fuel economy.

As they say, it is what is. Don't want those oil executives to fall on hard times ;-)

I've read Rolin's comment over and over on numerous other posts. The GMC/Chevy gets roughly one mpg better than the Ford with 6.8L-V10. The Ford with smaller 5.4L-V8 mpg is comparable, but it is less powered than the GMC/Chevy.

There are so many other variations that it really is hard to compare fuel efficiency unless comparing the exact same RV model on the various chassis and drive trains, owned by the same individual. And that just isn't going to be so.