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Re: 5.4L vs 6.8L in small Class C
I had a 29 Ft class A, no slides ..it weighed about the same as yours. It had the Ford 460 V-8 in it that is a pretty strong engine and probably more torque than the V-8 you are talking about.. but I still felt the need for more power, so added a Banks system to it that made a huge difference. Besides all of the negatives already about the smaller engine, you also have to consider resale. It would be very hard to resell and a dealer knows that and would not give you much for it. Most of us would not buy the smaller engine option in anything heavy or that we use for towing. If you are seriously considering buying the V-8, I would call the Banks Power people and discuss. Maybe they can add some of their systems that will give the V-8 better power than the V-10 and if you buy it and find out it is underpowered, you at least would have options to beef it up without selling or trading. I am on my 3rd Banks system now and have been extremely pleased with the power they add.1.1KViews0likes0CommentsRe: 5.4L vs 6.8L in small Class C
mr61impala wrote: Thanks to all for your thoughtful input! I am still hoping that an owner or renter of a V8 powered Class C would weigh in with some real life feedback and data. I understand that the larger engine (305 hp, not 362 hp) will be more powerful, I am just wondering if the V10 that does such a good job in a #14,500 31 footer with multiple heavy slides is really essential in a #11,500 coach with less storage, smaller tanks and no slide. I can see where a smaller/lighter coach with the V10 would be lots of fun shooting past the 31 footers in the mountains. It just seems like a coach that weighs 30% less could somehow get by on 20% less HP, even accounting for the final drive gearing.1.1KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Tires--Load Range Increase
Thanks for all the replies...Since my Coach already had G's to start and the dealer had them in stock and it would have taken some time to get some H's in, I just went with the G's. mowermech, I don't think my coach is much more weight than yours. What pressure do you run in yours, same as the old F's or?456Views0likes0CommentsRe: Tires--Load Range Increase
Hey Brett, Good to see you still around. I stayed off site for a long time and also had a different alias years back and you often helped me way back. This is a coach that I have bought but not yet picked up. Has 245/70/19.5 on it and is 34 ft and I have obviously not weighed it yet. It has 2 slides and is a Workhorse Chassis. The dealer is installing tires as part of the deal and will pay for the factory replacements and I had offered to pay the difference for a higher load range but his tire store, who I talked to, said the above. I do know I once went up a load range on an Expedition EL and it did turns better and did not sway as much when towing, but it had a much harsher ride and you could even feel paint stripes in road and did get old on a trip. Scott456Views0likes0CommentsTires--Load Range Increase
Has anyone with a Class A increased their replacement tires, with the exact same size but gone up a load range higher? If so, did it make your ride much harsher? I was going to do this, but the tire store is telling me that I am better off staying with the original size and load range because the coach was engineered for that tire and the ride would be harsh. However, to counter that argument, the higher load range tires are always more expensive and m Mfg's want to keep costs down. Also, you could run lower psi in the higher load range tires that might offset some of the harsh ride. Does anyone have any experience with this and your comments would be appreciated. In my case, Coach came with load range G tire and a H load is available. Thx2.6KViews0likes12CommentsRe: Increased Engine Power?
Gjac, Thanks for the reply. I was hoping someone would respond regarding the Banks Water/Meth system. It sounds like it really helped your buddy. I have owned two gas coaches where I installed the complete Banks header systems and it makes a huge difference in power and it does help fuel economy with a caveat. Since you have more power on the same amount of throttle, IF you always run half throttle and did 60mph on a flat highway, you would see noticeable difference in MPG. HOWEVER, most of us when we have more power, particularly in an already slow and very heavy vehicle, use that power. Particularly on steep grades. With the Banks header systems, you could climb the grades much faster but often you still had the pedal to the metal but were usually in a gear or two higher and going 50 to 60 instead of 20 to 30 thus using the same fuel. At least that was what I did. I would love passing a DP on a steep grade which was easy unless it was a higher end DP that had the 400hp or above engine or someone like your buddy who made his own performance mods. The cost of a Banks complete header-exhaust system which now includes a ram air system plus a electronic adjustable programmer is about $2600 direct from Banks. You still have the install. Their brochure says this gives you 70hp. However, they also sell the same package, without the headers and their tests show it added 51 hp? They use rear wheel power from a dyno test which is always much less than engine hp. It seems strange that the headers themselves only account for 19hp. Without the headers, the 51hp and a decent amount of added torque system is $1300 and a much easier install. So, I am thinking I am going to add that plus the water/meth injection. The electronics that go with the meth systems keep the mixture within the range safely needed and immediately shuts down the system if the computer senses anything going wrong. If I see myself using this coach often, I can always add the headers and assume I would have increased power by about a third.362Views0likes0CommentsRe: Camping black hills
Custer State Park is one of our favorites in entire US. If at all possible try to stay there. The park is huge, the sites are not crammed in like many commercial parks. They have reasonably priced sites, maybe you could get a site for the trailer and the RV. I think most are back in but you have plenty of room. There is wildlife galore throughout the park and also have very nice restuarants reasonably priced in the park, plus lots to do including tours. Stay away from the Deadwood KOA, nice location in Deadwood but you are really crammed in. We paid for 3 days and left after one night and forfeited any refund.266Views0likes0CommentsRe: replacing kitchen faucet?
Some are foldable down so you can cover sink with factory sink covers leaving a slick look if you have corian. You will probably have to contact Mfg. I am not aware of any foldable facets at Home Depot. I had to replace mine in my last Fleetwood and called them and had an exact replacement in 3 to 4 days.448Views0likes0CommentsRe: Increased Engine Power?
Matt,Thanks for taking the time to reply. I asked the question as I was suspect. I am well aware of Aircraft use, in fact years back I was a USAF 135 pilot. In those days we used water injected into the 4 jet engines (the B-52 used 8 of those same engines) for every takeoff. It added about a third more power for takeoff only. I did call Banks Power Monday, their injection system is very high tech and produces a fine mist and has an electronic module and gauge that controls and monistors all. It is emissions legal in all states including CA. Since I have installed 2 of their header systems in the past, I am going to do that first. Here is a link to an article in RV Magazine where they installed the Banks Header system in an old Gas RV. They were impressed and it paid for itself in greatly improved fuel mileage. In my last installation, it took about 6 secs off the 0-60 times in an 05 workhorse with a 5 speed Allison, the 09 I now have has a 6 speed, so assume that will help some. Here is link: http://www.rvmagonline.com/tech/0812rv-motorhome-performance-upgrades/363Views0likes0CommentsRe: Rand McNally or Magellan gps
I recently asked the same question, after reading the replies where one guy said he had great luck with his tablet and adding a gps ap for RV's, I decided to try that first since I own a good Samsung Note. There are now 3 available aps and about $10 each. I also see there are now several dash cam aps, that you can use at the same time as your Nav ap. I am now looking for a dash mount that will allow my tablet to use the camera and GPS simultaneously while driving.608Views0likes0Comments
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