V 10 mpg

[pushtoy_2]

what mpg is everyone getting with and without an upgrade

[Powertour]

8.5-10 so far to/from SoCal from Vegas via I15. 8.5 if going 65-70ish, 10 if 62mph or so.

Purchasing a dolly tonight & will start towing with it soon. Anxious to see how much mpg we lose with that config.

[klutchdust]

coalminingman wrote:
I HAVE 2018 CLASS C 27' SUNSEEKER V10 6 SPEED. ON 5000 MILE TRIP IN OCTOBER I AVERAGED 8 MPH. I HAD A 2004 CLASS A 34' WITH V10 AND IT GOT 8 MPH.BOTH BOUGHT NEW.

FANTASTIC HOW ABOUT REMOVING YOUR CAPS IT LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE YELLING ????

[coalminingman]

I HAVE 2018 CLASS C 27' SUNSEEKER V10 6 SPEED. ON 5000 MILE TRIP IN OCTOBER I AVERAGED 8 MPH. I HAD A 2004 CLASS A 34' WITH V10 AND IT GOT 8 MPH.BOTH BOUGHT NEW.

[DrewE]

jjrbus wrote:
Been thinking about getting a newer class C for some time, seems the most common 24 foot or under on the used market is the V10. After following this thread and reading about repair costs on the V10, The community has convinced me to keep my Toyota V6 until it falls apart like some Keystone Cops movie.

I would like to have more power so will be watching for a Toyota 3.4 donor vehicle.

Repair costs?

The Ford van chassis are not particularly trouble-prone nor expensive to repair. I mean, it's not like vehicles in general are cheap to repair, but on the scale of things, the E series is pretty simple to work on overall and doesn't have parts made out of depleted unobtanium. The V10 engine and the Ford transmissions are generally quite reliable when given basic care and feeding.

With a now over 20 year old class C, that I've owned for about five years and have driven from Vermont to Alaska and back, among other trips, the chassis related repairs that I've had to make have consisted of brakes (old calipers get sticky), ball joints (permanent lubrication is less permanent when the rubber booties give out), shocks, and a steering tie rod that had worn ends--all the standard sorts of things that one might expect from a used vehicle, and none extraordinarily expensive to get repaired. The engine itself runs beautifully.

I certainly can appreciate the appeal of the old Toyota class C's; they have a definite charm, despite (or perhaps partly because of) some significant limitations. I'm certainly not one to suggest upgrading without reason, nor to recommend against keeping what one has and is satisfied with. I just think it's mistaken to write off the Ford chassis for some impression of unreliability and expensive repairs when that's not well grounded in reality.

[klutchdust]

ron.dittmer wrote:

Grit dog wrote:

jjrbus wrote:
Been thinking about getting a newer class C for some time, seems the most common 24 foot or under on the used market is the V10. After following this thread and reading about repair costs on the V10, The community has convinced me to keep my Toyota V6 until it falls apart like some Keystone Cops movie.

I would like to have more power so will be watching for a Toyota 3.4 donor vehicle.

You can get um with a 5.4 Ford (which yields no benefit to the V10, really) and 6.0 Chevy.
Either way, you're comparing apples to oranges between an old mini C Toyota chassis and a full size class 3 or 4 chassis with a much larger "house" on the back.
If Ford V10s scare you for repairs, then, maybe better off with a bicycle. One of the most dependable engines out there, save for spark plug spitters, which anymore is a somewhat rare occurrence and known and easy, economical repair. Other than that, bulletproof. Honestly, I wouldn't let the internet scare you away from a V10 Ford.....and I'm not even a Ford fan! lol

I do agree with Grit dog that the Ford V10 (at least ours) has been trouble-free for 12 years. We do park it indoors which helps immensely.

There are a rare few 5.4L-V8 E350 chassis rigs out there, but they will max out around 22 feet in length. From threads posted over the years, I gather it yields a 10% improvement in fuel economy which compares to the Chevy chassis with it's larger engine.

If shopping around for a low-priced used shorter rig maxing out around 24 feet, I advise to limit yourself no older than a 2005 (or is it a 2006) not only to avoid the earlier spark plug issues with the V10 engine resolved in 2004, but most beneficial to get the next generation transmission that yields better engine performance along with improved fuel economy.

As far as the Ford V-10, and I AM NOT a Ford fan, they are reliable and no more expensive than any other comparable engine out there.
Two buddies have had Ford V-10 pick-ups. One went 495,000 miles until one cylinder went bad and the other over 300k miles before he was T-boned by an elderly man. Both trucks replaced water pumps, alternators and a few cylinder coils, that's it. The totaled truck donated a bunch of spare coils that I carry with me, along with my engine analyzer, just in case.

Years ago, GM produced the 283. Maybe one of the best engines ever made, of course there was the slant 6 . Mercedes made the 5 cylinder diesel, arguably the best engine ever produced and then the Ford V-10. All great reliable engines, IMO. Toyota and their R-22.
Keep the oil clean, the coolant maintained and drive away.

[ron_dittmer]

Grit dog wrote:

jjrbus wrote:
Been thinking about getting a newer class C for some time, seems the most common 24 foot or under on the used market is the V10. After following this thread and reading about repair costs on the V10, The community has convinced me to keep my Toyota V6 until it falls apart like some Keystone Cops movie.

I would like to have more power so will be watching for a Toyota 3.4 donor vehicle.

You can get um with a 5.4 Ford (which yields no benefit to the V10, really) and 6.0 Chevy.
Either way, you're comparing apples to oranges between an old mini C Toyota chassis and a full size class 3 or 4 chassis with a much larger "house" on the back.
If Ford V10s scare you for repairs, then, maybe better off with a bicycle. One of the most dependable engines out there, save for spark plug spitters, which anymore is a somewhat rare occurrence and known and easy, economical repair. Other than that, bulletproof. Honestly, I wouldn't let the internet scare you away from a V10 Ford.....and I'm not even a Ford fan! lol

I do agree with Grit dog that the Ford V10 (at least ours) has been trouble-free for 12 years. We do park it indoors which helps immensely.

There are a few 5.4L-V8 E350 chassis rigs out there, but they'll be limited to the shortest lengths. From threads posted over the years, I gather it yields a 10% improvement in fuel economy which compares to the Chevy chassis with it's larger more powerful engine.

If shopping around for a low-priced used shorter rig maxing out around 24 feet, I advise to limit yourself to a chassis no older than a 2005 (or is it a 2006) not only to avoid the earlier spark plug issues with the V10 engine resolved in 2004, but most beneficial is the next generation transmission that yields better engine performance with the extra gear along with improved fuel economy. Ford named it "Torqshift". When internet shopping, REMEMBER the model year of the motor home is often built on an earlier model year chassis. A 2005 Coachman can be found on a 2004 E350.

Repeating myself, we've owned our 2007 E350-V10 chassis rig for 12+ years now and it's been great. Our plan is to own the motor home for 35 years, anticipating we will then be too old and dangerous to drive it.

[Grit_dog]

jjrbus wrote:
Been thinking about getting a newer class C for some time, seems the most common 24 foot or under on the used market is the V10. After following this thread and reading about repair costs on the V10, The community has convinced me to keep my Toyota V6 until it falls apart like some Keystone Cops movie.

I would like to have more power so will be watching for a Toyota 3.4 donor vehicle.

You can get um with a 5.4 Ford (which yields no benefit to the V10, really) and 6.0 Chevy.
Either way, you're comparing apples to oranges between an old mini C Toyota chassis and a full size class 3 or 4 chassis with a much larger "house" on the back.
If Ford V10s scare you for repairs, then, maybe better off with a bicycle. One of the most dependable engines out there, save for spark plug spitters, which anymore is a somewhat rare occurrence and known and easy, economical repair. Other than that, bulletproof. Honestly, I wouldn't let the internet scare you away from a V10 Ford.....and I'm not even a Ford fan! lol

[ron_dittmer]

jjrbus wrote:
Been thinking about getting a newer class C for some time, seems the most common 24 foot or under on the used market is the V10. After following this thread and reading about repair costs on the V10, The community has convinced me to keep my Toyota V6 until it falls apart like some Keystone Cops movie.

I would like to have more power so will be watching for a Toyota 3.4 donor vehicle.

For 24 years, we owned a motor home built on top of a 1983 Toyota 2.4L-L4 carbureted engine with a 4-speed manual trans. The engine was rated at 96hp. It was a real slug. 57mph was the sweet spot to achieve 20mpg. Going faster did not save time because of stopping so frequently for gas.

We replaced the rig 12 years ago with an E350-V10 primarily for the facility upgrade, but also benefit in having normalcy with power. We aclimated quickly getting half the fuel economy because everything else has been so much better.

If your RV facilities meets your needs adequately and you are able to maintain everything, I advise to keep going with it.

[jjrbus]

Been thinking about getting a newer class C for some time, seems the most common 24 foot or under on the used market is the V10. After following this thread and reading about repair costs on the V10, The community has convinced me to keep my Toyota V6 until it falls apart like some Keystone Cops movie.

I would like to have more power so will be watching for a Toyota 3.4 donor vehicle.

[overdrive75]

ron.dittmer wrote:

overdrive75 wrote:

pushtoy 2 wrote:
Thanks for all the replies. I guess I am right in the ball park pulling a 3500lb. car and fully loaded I am getting 6.5 to 7 on a mostly flat road but in the mountains all bets are off. I don't check it then.

This is the real answer here.

I get between 6.5 and 8 mpg depending on conditions, generator running or not. I am always towing a toad that scales out at about 5k lbs for the road.

Hmm...

Mine is a real answer too. My numbers are calculated at the end of the trip with consideration to our Onan-4000 generator usage of 1/2 gallon per hour. Our trips are between 4000 to 6000 miles so there are a lot of miles and conditions considered in my declared fuel economy. My mpg numbers posted a couple of replies earlier are as accurate as I could get.

We do live near Chicago, so many of our miles are interstate-driven across the Great Plains.

Now I could post better numbers yet if I considered the fuel economy of the tow vehicle. Those miles keep the motor home at the campsite. But I never track the tow vehicle so I am unable to consider it in trip averaging.

^^ Yours may be correct for yours, the front profile of yours is significantly more streamlined than a traditional class C with over head bunk area. My millage is reflective of driving 70 mph in all conditions. I do NOT take generator consumption out of the equation, as that is part of the usage of the unit. That sayd my 6.5 mpg to 8 mph statements accounts for generator run, head wind tail wind etc. If I look through my log book for miles since owned vs. fuel it comes out to 7.1 mpg. It is rare to not have the Exploder in tow, if it is not, there is a boat back there. I never factor the toad's MPG into the BRICK's MPG. That said, driving 62 on the interstate is a bit unsettling to me, hence why we run at 70 mph. Even on the hills, I just put my foot down and hold it there, the unit will find its own natural speed.

I didn't buy this to safe money on fuel, it was purchased for a certain vacation lifestyle.

[Jack_Spratt]

26’ Class C towing Jeep Liberty
65 mph +
Avg 7.5 > 7.8

[rondeb]

We have kept a log for 15 years. We have had Class C's (2 25 foot) and Class A's (30 and 33 feet) Doesn't seem to get any difference in mileage between the rigs. We avg 7.5 to 8.5 Towing a light weight car.

[klutchdust]

2009 Cambria 30ft.
Every mile, every gallon documented for the last 45K miles averages out to be 8.5. Average speed 62 or so. Toad or no toad, same. Generator use, doesn't matter.
If mileage per gallon is a concern then a motorhome may not be right for you. Mileage stinks, enjoyment is fantastic.

Tuning upgrades. I see no value in them. This vehicle that resembles a box of kleenex on wheels goes fast enough up hills and down and pulls my toad just fine.
Enjoy the holidays my friends.

[ron_dittmer]

overdrive75 wrote:

pushtoy 2 wrote:
Thanks for all the replies. I guess I am right in the ball park pulling a 3500lb. car and fully loaded I am getting 6.5 to 7 on a mostly flat road but in the mountains all bets are off. I don't check it then.

This is the real answer here.

I get between 6.5 and 8 mpg depending on conditions, generator running or not. I am always towing a toad that scales out at about 5k lbs for the road.

Hmm...

Mine is a real answer too. My numbers are calculated at the end of the trip with consideration to our Onan-4000 generator usage of 1/2 gallon per hour. Our trips are between 4000 to 6000 miles so there are a lot of miles and conditions considered in my declared fuel economy. My mpg numbers posted a couple of replies earlier are as accurate as I could get.

We do live near Chicago, so many of our miles are interstate-driven across the Great Plains.

Now I could post better numbers yet if I considered the fuel economy of the tow vehicle. Those miles keep the motor home at the campsite. But I never track the tow vehicle so I am unable to consider it in trip averaging.