Ford or Chev

[Hpymils]

I am going to buy a 2015 Coachmen 21RS. Any comments on getting a Ford or Chev. The only difference that I can find on the Coachmen description is that the gross weight for the Chev is 14,200 lbs and for the Ford it is 12,500 lbs. The 21RS is 24ft 9 inches long so there is not a lot of room to add weight with equipment and supplies.

[mlts22]

I know the topic has deviated, but as for Ford or Chevy, the one nice thing about the venerable V10 is that it has room to mod it. I have read about Banks mods such as the water/methanol cooling system which without any additional modding, can add 175 HP. There are also high volume, low boost twin turbo kits available (which are mainly to help keep the air coming in at higher elevations), as well as tunes.

Of course, all of this will kill an engine warranty dead, but it makes for an interesting array of options.

Banks especially, since they have a nice lineup of options for Ford V-10 motorhomes. I like the water/methanol option combined with a tuner for starters. The added 343 lb/ft of torque and 100+ horsepower can't hurt. Of course, no clue what it does to the engine long term, but I've read about E-350/E-450 owners with these kits, using them with no ill effects years down the road. You won't be able to win races, but it will definitely help on hills and such.

[RobertRyan]

mlts22 wrote:
Wow, AUD$ 97k (which means ~70k USD). Sad thing, something like that would cost twice the price, with no 4WD here in the US.

In light of the topic, we have had Ford and Chevrolet bases of Motorhomes imported here as chassis or Motorhomes,but we're far from raving successes, although they were pretty cheap.
Current popular choices are the IVECO and Ducato. IVECO being used a lot as a result of its vastly superior GCVWR and reasonable handling and ride

[JaxDad]

IAMICHABOD wrote:
For the extra $10,000 I will sell them all the Logos I can scrpe up :B

$10k? Really?

I did some looking around at, mind you MSRP, on the Winnie site and it looked to be more $30k to get an equivalent unit.

The coach builders have taken a page out of MB's own play book, you can't get a base unit on a Sprinter chassis. If you don't want the full-bore loaded and like a basic unit then the cost to step up to a Sprinter nearly doubles the price of a smaller C Class.

[Turner__P]

I have had both a Chevy and the Ford. Chevy was first (31' Four Winds). It seemed to float on the road and was underpowered in my opinion. Traded for a different floor plan (32' Coachmen) with the Ford V 10. To us, it rides better and has more power. We can cruise 65-70 mph with no effort, except on the steeper hills. Gas mileage might be a wee bit lower but not a deal breaker. It is harder to get around the dog house to get into the back. But again, we wanted this floor plan and would probably have been ok with the Chevy.

[mlts22]

Wow, AUD$ 97k (which means ~70k USD). Sad thing, something like that would cost twice the price, with no 4WD here in the US.

[RobertRyan]

mlts22 wrote:
X2. The Sprinter chassis is an exception, but people will pay for the name and the logo

Looks like Jayco is replacing it's E450 chassis of the Melbourne Class C with a Sprinter.
Bizarre coincidence, that Jayco Australia, based in Melbourne, have a Class C based on the Sprinter
Jayco replacing Ford with Mercedes Sprinter, Melbourne Motorhome

Australian Mercedes Jayco made in Melbourne

[pnichols]

mlts22 wrote:
The Sprinter chassis is an exception, but people will pay for the name and the logo

That's what my BIL did a few years ago when he bought a new Airstream Interstate Class B on a Sprinter 3500 chassis.

He got rid of it around 3 years later because the Sprinter chassis became failure-prone and it took too long of a drive to get to a shop that would repair it. He also didn't like the noise of it's propane generator and the fact that it was recommended that the engine not be idled for long periods to charge the coach batteries in place of the built-in generator.

I'll take a 4500 Chevy chassis or E450 Ford chassis under a Class C any day over something less.

[IAMICHABOD]

For the extra $10,000 I will sell them all the Logos I can scrpe up :B

[mlts22]

X2. The Sprinter chassis is an exception, but people will pay for the name and the logo

[OFDPOS]

apr67 wrote:

mr61impala wrote:
Both are proven performers and I am sure either one would serve you well but the thing I keep coming back to is why do 80-90% of class C coach buyers prefer the Ford chassis? You know the RV industry is going to use what sells best, it's in their best interest.

Based on past data I would say the RV industry uses whatever they can get the cheapest.

Bingo we have a winner !

[Hpymils]

Thanks all. As suggested I need to drive both. The closet dealer with both Ford and Chev unites is 400 miles away. There are several Coachmen dealers within 70 miles so I will keep checking their inventory.

[apr67]

mr61impala wrote:
Both are proven performers and I am sure either one would serve you well but the thing I keep coming back to is why do 80-90% of class C coach buyers prefer the Ford chassis? You know the RV industry is going to use what sells best, it's in their best interest.

Based on past data I would say the RV industry uses whatever they can get the cheapest.

[mlts22]

Snowman9000 wrote:

Hpymils wrote:
I am going to buy a 2015 Coachmen 21RS. Any comments on getting a Ford or Chev. The only difference that I can find on the Coachmen description is that the gross weight for the Chev is 14,200 lbs and for the Ford it is 12,500 lbs. The 21RS is 24ft 9 inches long so there is not a lot of room to add weight with equipment and supplies.

I prefer the Chevy.

BUT... on the Forest River forum, the rep is saying they can not get any Chevy chassis and Chevy can't tell them when they will be able to. They are built in a plant which makes the new Colorado & Canyon pickups, and all production is going towards the pickups. So unless you find a Chevy on a lot, you might only have the choice of Ford.

I was at a RV dealership looking at Sunseekers, and the dealer said the exact same thing. No more Chevies... just Fords and Sprinters.

[Hank85713]

I have a 2012 (2011 running gear) E450. I have spoken to a couple of truck alignment centers and they said to not do anything to the front ends if they are driving ok. I was having some wander with mine, was going to install new sway bars and shocks again they recommended not to. Anyhow I increased the rear airbags to 65-70 psi, run the front tires at 65 and the rears at 75. Made a world of difference. So it seems it takes some experimentation to get it to drive the way you want it. I may still go with bigger/better sway bars and shocks but it has dropped down on my to do list.