Sprinter Class C questions

I just returned from an 18 day/2,500 mile trip through the southern Rockies in our 24' Class C, E-350 V-10. The V-10 is a beast that ate up the 10, 11 and even 12,000'+ passes with out even breaking a sweat. We were pulling a small trailer with my motorcycle on it (hit the Cat scale on the way home and it is 960#), and running right at our GVWR as I carry lots of tools, toys etc..

Yes, naturally aspirated gas engines lose roughly 3% for every 1,000' of elevation but as elevation rises air density decreases which = wind resistance reduction. Based on the consistent mileage and performance we enjoyed throughout the trip I suspect these two factors are close to zeroing each other out.

Rarely did the coach shift below 4th gear and was very happy on most grades at 3,250 (Max Torque of 420#), though we cruised at 2,000 - 2,200 to maintain 60 mph on most of the highways. Occasionally it would drop into third and rev to 4,000 - 4,500 for brief periods but the shifts, both up and down were smooth and predictable.

As we have for the last 2 years and 25,000+ miles we averaged 9.5 (including some generator time), for the entire trip. In Colorado our daily average was closer to 9. Our worst mileage was 8.8 and the best 10.3. Sprinters have their charms but towing is not one of them and a 4,000# trailer, which will probably only get heavier over time, is going to be a tall order for a Sprinter in Colorado. That much trailer calls for a V-8 or V-10.

As always.... Opinions and YMMV.

:C

There are Sunseeker Class C's with 7500 lb hitches, and large towing capacity.
They are gas Fords.

We tow 6000lb with a 2003 24' Itasca, using a weight distribution 6000lb/750lb hitch. This works very well for us. It is with the V-10.
We would like to get a new 27' mh but don't think a wd hitch will work with that much added over hang.

http://outreachlocal.com/clients/sprinterstore/site/single_Curthitches.html

CoeyCoey wrote:
Thank you all for your responses. I expect our concession trailer to weigh about 4,000 pounds. The 3,500 pound trailer weight limitation on some of the sprinters can be upgraded to 5,000 pounds, so that covers that issue.

We are definitely not interested in any naturally aspirated gas RV's. They are quite bad in the mountains.

From my research, I agree that the I5 is the way to go. More reliable, easier to maintain, and better fuel mileage. I would add a tranny cooler for sure. And the $10K we save by not buying something newer will go a long way towards any eventualities.

Cheers

There are no 5 cylinder Sprinter RVs that are rated to tow what you want. You will also need to check the combined weight rating of the vehicle with the trailer you intend to tow. A fully laden V6 Sprinter is only rated to tow 4K even with a 5k hitch. Personally I don't think the 5 cylinder is up to the task no matter what hitch you have on it. I tow about 3K with my "high output" V6 and that's plenty for me.

The hitch on many of the sprinters is rated at 3,500 pounds. The curb weight is around 9,900 lbs, so well within the GCWR.

Your defense of gas engines reminds me of a story. Wow, this is 15 years ago! I was working with a horse rescue and I had a 1997 Dodge Ram with a Cummins. 180 HP and 420 lb/ft of torque. I was asked to help transport several horses and when I arrived, there was a guy with a Brand New 2000 Dodge Ram with a V-10. This guy kept telling me what a mistake it was buying a diesel when his V-10 has more HP and torque blah blah blah. 300 HP! He must have said 300 HP about a dozen times.

Well, we both had 3 horse trailers and were given 3 horses to transport, and I was going to follow him. It was a very warm day in Southern California, and we got out on the highway and we started to encounter a large incline. We were doing 70 MPH up to that incline and then started slowing down. At 55MPH, I had quite of bit of throttle left, so I pulled over and passed him, albeit slowly.

When we finally arrived at our destination, he kept saying there must be something wrong and he is taking it back to the dealer. I simply said "It isn't horsepower, it is torque at RPM."

When you buy a towing vehicle based on horsepower, you have fallen for the marketing materials. You want to buy one based on torque at RPM. The Sprinter is 243 lb-ft at 1600RPM. The V-10 305HP is 420 at 3250 RPM, which drops to 277 lb-ft on a 70F day at 10,000 feet on a much heavier vehicle. To achieve that much torque, the gas engine will have to be in a lower gear which means going slower.

In addition, we plan to put around 50K miles a year on this vehicle, so the better fuel economy would save us about $5K over a larger diesel, or $10K over a gas engine. In addition, the longevity of the I5 is likely to save us even more money.

I didn't really ask for a diesel vs gas discussion, but thanks for your input anyway.

From what I've read, unless the rig is a large one to begin with (31 feet + toad), I've not seen any stories about the V-10 not cutting the mustard in the mountains. For a shorter rig, the V-10 in the E-450 will definitely handle a trailer, even up at the higher elevations.

Sprinters have nice MPG... but with me, the $10,000-$30,000 price difference can buy a lot of gasoline.

CoeyCoey wrote:
Thank you all for your responses. I expect our concession trailer to weigh about 4,000 pounds. The 3,500 pound trailer weight limitation on some of the sprinters can be upgraded to 5,000 pounds, so that covers that issue.

Not necessarily. Upgrading to a 5,000# receiver does not increase the Gross Combined weight rating. It will always be 15,250 pounds (which IMO is higher than it should be). Actual tow rating is GVWR minus actual loaded coach weight.

Also, I'm going to have to strongly disagree with your statement about gas motors being automatically at a disadvantage at elevation. The V10 starts with 305 HP. You'd have to be driving at over 12,800 feet for the V10 to match the Sprinter 6-cyliner and that's assuming no loss in the diesel (there still is, just less). There's good reason why the E450 is rated for 22,000 pounds combined.

Thank you all for your responses. I expect our concession trailer to weigh about 4,000 pounds. The 3,500 pound trailer weight limitation on some of the sprinters can be upgraded to 5,000 pounds, so that covers that issue.

We are definitely not interested in any naturally aspirated gas RV's. They are quite bad in the mountains.

From my research, I agree that the I5 is the way to go. More reliable, easier to maintain, and better fuel mileage. I would add a tranny cooler for sure. And the $10K we save by not buying something newer will go a long way towards any eventualities.

Cheers

If you were towing your concessions trailer (assumed it weighs over 2000 pounds) exclusively in the Midwest, I'd say you will do "okay" with a Sprinter. But you live in Colorado where I assume you will be doing a lot of mountain driving, often in unpredictable weather. Therefore I think you would be taking frequent risks. The fuel economy of a Sprinter would not be worth it to me. I would go for 2/3 the fuel economy and buy a similar size motor home built on a Ford-V10-E350 or Chevy-V8-3500 chassis. Those two chassis are built stronger with higher GVWR ratings to better handle the load with tow in mountain driving.

For reference, our rig (the one in my signature) measures 23'-8" end to end so it is not a huge rig, comparable to a View B+ in size. It is a Phoenix Cruiser model 2350, offered on the Sprinter, E350-V10, and E450-V10 chassis. If never towing, you could order either Ford with the smaller V8 engine. The slide out is optional.