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

[ramyankee]

We were looking at some Winnebago Class "C" units, the F-350 and I think a couple had F-450's.....What is the Cu In and roughly what would the gas mileage be? I had the impression they were all gas, not diesel.

[NWnative]

Just returned from our maiden voyage in our new Class C noted in our sig. mixed freeway / highway / two lane roads - moderate hilly terrain. Speeds around 45-65 on average. 7.7mpg on our first tank.

[garyhaupt]

Man..I have no idea what I get for fuel mileage. I have an ahoooga submarine horn on my sensor and when it get's down too far...I have to be quick tho..we begin to submerge.

I get 5 hours on the highway between refuels. THAT much I do know. Mind you, when I think of the stuff I carry..stove/oven, fridge, shower,toilet, sinks, food and water, beds for 6 (yeah, right!) 17ft kayak, fishing gear, bbq, tools, propane, chairs, axes..and it's four wheel drive too....I figure it's a bargain.


Gary Haupt

[ClassBGirl]

We average 10 - 12 MPG with our 2012 Triple E Regency GT24MB that is actually 24 1/2 feet long. It's on the Ford E-450 chassis, and we will have had it since Sept. 2011. We usually travel 65 to 70 on the interstates and often take the scenic routes on state highways and travel the speed limit there. I know there may be doubters out there about this post on the gas mileage we are getting. Maybe we are just lucky and got a great engine or maybe it's my husbands style of driving, but that is what we are getting. Also it may help that we are small in size, 24 1/2 feet, with the bigger Ford engine, E-450, that they use on the larger Class C coaches. We have been from Memphis to Canada, to Louisiana, to South Carolina, through the Smokey Mountains plus many 100 to 400 mile shorter trips. We have been keeping track of the gas mileage along the way. We usually travel with black and gray tanks empty; fresh water at least half full; full refrigerator, pantry, closets, etc.; another words a loaded RV with two people and a 55 pound Basset Hound.
This summer we will put it to the true test on a seven week trip when we head to California, up to Washington, across to Montana, and back home.

[chinrv]

This is part of the information from another thread "Actual trip mileage", and it's from our trip last week.
OK, more details from the trip. As mentioned, this is a 2001 Ford E450 V10, 24' MH, 55gal. gas tank. Left home with a near-full tank. First fill-up near home: 10.4gal @$3.38 = $35.39. Next,38.3gal @ $3.27 = $125.63. Next, 16.4gal @ $3.17=$52.41. Next, 24.6gal @ $3.21=$79.24. Return trip: 39.1 gal.@$3.32=$130.37. Next, 26.8gal @$3.33 = $89.52. Next, 35.2gal @$3.31 = $116.96. Last, near home, 27.7gal @$3.44=$95.59. Including gas near home, total cost of gas for the 1826 mile trip was $725.11. Total gallons used, including sitting and running the generator A LOT for several days = 218.6. So, 1826 miles/218.5gal = 8.356MPG.
Undoubtedly this is mostly a lot of useless information, but it's for those who want a real world look at typical V10 trip costs. And, again, this is on our MH that ended the trip with 195,512 on the odometer

[Ron_Butler]

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. 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.)

Interesting comments. We are starting to think about downsizing since we aren't traveling fulltime anymore and have a winter base in AZ. We have kicked a few tires of B+ I guess is what they are called. The thing that I seem to notice is that those smaller units - 24'-25' seem to just have the MB diesels in them. It seems that you don't get the big Ford engine until you get into at least 28'+. Am I over-generalizing?

It doesn't seem like we would gain that much in mpg from our 33' by just going to a 24-28' gas. Again, is that a fair assumption? Our 33' Brave gets anywhere from 7-just under 9 unless a nice tail wind, then we have hit 9+ a handful of times over the years.

Certainly not interested in a B type.

Thanks for any comments.

[DaCrema]

I often get 10, most of the time almost 10, once in a blue moon 11. The kicker is I often camp where I am using my generator. No good checking gas milage after turning the generator over. Granted it does not use that much but more than none. Now I got to the point I check more to make sure the engine is consuming as normal but no longer keep a log. When I check I base on full tank of gas filled on level ground, or better a couple tanks of gas over known miles.
John

Edit: I should have stated that I have a 2007 Lazy Daze that is 26.5' on a E450

[ron_dittmer]

pnichols wrote:
Ron,

Maybe I'm being too careful (don't want ANY lingering gas smells in the rig) when I dribble-fill up. I'll have to give "6 gallons" a try.

Thanks for the heads up!

I wonder if fuel filling differs from one motor home to another. Our house is narrower than most. I would assume that influences the height of the filler door given more rubber filler tube to deal with. Excess length makes the filler door higher???? If so, maybe I get more fuel in the tank. Just guessing here.

[sjn7708]

I have never gotten 9mpg. No matter what I do I get 6.8. Whether 75 mph or 60, dash air or no air, generator on or off no diff. Finally quit worryin about mpg and more about gettin there and enjoyin the trip. 2000 mi to disney payin ave 3.60 gal in march cost around 1100 and I budgeted for 4.00 a gallon. Lowest I paid was 3.20s highest 3.80s/Gallon

[Supercharged]

ron.dittmer wrote:

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.

When you buy the diesel you also get the smell, shake, oily feet in the RV, and you have to have a long chain on your wallet.

[pnichols]

Ron,

Maybe I'm being too careful (don't want ANY lingering gas smells in the rig) when I dribble-fill up. I'll have to give "6 gallons" a try.

Thanks for the heads up!

[ron_dittmer]

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. 😉

[pnichols]

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. 😉

[ron_dittmer]

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.

[mlts22]

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.)