Advice on a motorhome please

[Midniteoyl]

"For now, 2014 Bugatti Veyron will likely stick with its current quad-turbo 8-liter W16 engine. It can deliver 1,200 Hp and 1,100 lb-ft of torque. The powerful engine of this Veyron successor can crank up this super car’s top speed to 270mph with 0-60 mph in less than 2.5 seconds."

And...they're talking about kicking it up to 1,600 HP.....

And at full tilt it'll drain the gas tank in less than 12mins..

 

[dmccarty]

Dan, all the larger coaches have diesels and all the diesels have turbos.
It's one thing to slow down from 65 to 50; it's another thing to slow down from 65 to
35, with your eyes glued to the engine temp gauge as the engine roars away in a lower gear.
that might get old quickly.
Drew

I figured those big RV running diesels had to have a turbo especially for the prices.

I have climbed the mountains in NC and GA in a non turbo vehicles and it is not fun having the engine working so hard and going no where fast. I did this once in a we little car with no real load and it was awful watching turbo charged diesel pickups zoom past me like I was standing still. Well, I was almost standing still. :shocked::laughing::laughing::laughing:

If the V10 gasser came with a turbo, that would make for some interesting comparisons, at least on the smaller RVs.

Later,
Dan

 

[daugen]

when we did our survey of the 42 Tradition I had a buddy get underneath and take pics. I have plenty but here are a few. This is a very sturdy chassis for sure, but check out that one frame part that looks bent down.????
Bilstein shocks, hmmm, so it wasn't bad shocks, just normal float.
note also the blowby coming out of the engine hose, doesn't seem unreasonable for an eight year old engine.

sorry the pics are not right side up

 

[fordmantpw]

And at full tilt it'll drain the gas tank in less than 12mins..

Yeah, but there is no where except maybe the salt flats where you can run it at full tilt for more than a minute!

 

[daugen]

what a difference a test drive made...
Drove the Itasca Sunstar 27N, 28ft overall,
normal Ford V10 and F53 chassis, tried and true, and not particularly
soft riding like the big coach was. Definitely more tire impact coming through, but
the motor was surprisingly quiet for being right under me. But it was loud enough for me to
hear it go through its range so I could tell what gear it was in. And it had plenty of power, which surprised me,
not like a car for sure, but enough to pull out in front of a truck on the Parkway and not have a problem getting up to sixty in
a reasonable time. Now once it's loaded down with another ton of stuff inside, I'm sure it will be slower, but unlike the diesel pusher where
I felt disconnected from the drivetrain, what I felt here was better, if only more familiar.

I need to find a good truck shop nearby for a few suspension mods, that my reading on RV blogs have taught me are needed.
Likely Koni truck shocks, a sway bar and a front steering damper. Which apparently significantly improves the ride and safety of the rig.
Yesterday was not very breezy, but even then, going down the highway at sixty, I felt some buffeting. These suspension mods are supposed to
almost eliminate that. Normal Goodyear RV radials, pumped up to some high pressure which accounts for the road noise.

One of the ways they get a larger Class A floorplan into this smaller size at a much smaller price is of course to leave stuff out.
Like the black tank flush valve. Now I read that on another blog, and went to look for it on the motorhome, and nope, not there. I asked about it and yes for about three hundred they could install the valve and run the plumbing and make it look standard, which it wasn't, nor optional either, strange.
So that was the only extra I asked for, they order the things loaded, four tvs really needed???, plus an additional paste wax job applied after they detailed it for delivery. Best time to get an extra coat of protection on. Then I use, as I did with my boat, a long Shurhold pole with a sheepskin type washing mitt at the end, using a wash and wax solution. I will also go over all the rubber moldings once with Napa Protectant, a water based
preservative I have found works really well on tires, if you don't want the shiny look. Which I don't.

So I "done and did it" and will pick it up late next week. And then immediately head out for a two hour drive to friends, a little shake down cruise before we go anywhere further. I have a in-motion satellite dish ordered and that has to be added in a few weeks but other than that, we will have a full tank of gas and a clean windshield, the American dream. :thumbsup:

I appreciate all the good advice. Drew

 

[Pixguy]

Congratulations Drew, Winnebago makes a super rig and I've been very happy with my V10.

Enjoy the ride, it's sometimes more fun than the destination.

 

[3930dave]

Congratulations Drew, that sounds like a great unit. Pls keep us apprised of your mods, and costs if you don't mind sharing.

I like how those Ford V10s drive - enjoy.

I'm curious about the tire product you listed. Is that a Napa (as in auto-parts chain) house brand ? I'm definitely looking for an Armor All replacement for tires, and am very interested in water based options.

Rgds, D.

 

[scoutcub]

Sounds nice, congrats on the decision and purchase. Would love to see some pics when available. Are they quite a bit less than Class "A"'s? I fancy getting one in the future, but have no experience except previously owning 3 slide-in's for the F350.
How many slides?

 

[daugen]

3 slides, which is what helps make a 27 foot bread van seem much larger.
Napa Protectant is likely made by CRC. I've found it useful in lots of places but starting with plastic and rubber parts. In some ways it's like putting
sun tan lotion on the paint, fiberglass , rubber or plastic. I use it on tires because it doesn't leave a sticky coating and has a satin finish.
I'm sure there are other good ones out there, like 303, which I always look for and rarely find.

as far as price, I don't know, just seemed like a lot of product for a hundred grand, with a reliable powertrain and chassis, and I'm going to guestimate that square foot for foot, these smaller motorhome chassis models with the big bodies on them are about thirty thousand less than a traditional Class A, which has a full size coach body. But no question they've been decontented to meet a price point. I'm sure I will find a few more details where I have to add things back on. Here's an example. This model might have a 2gpm water pump and a large diesel pusher might have a variable 5.
The good news is that it's easy to swap things out, it's all visible and accessible. But 2gpm isn't going to blast me backwards in the shower for sure.
But then it didn't in the boat either so we are both used to this.

 

[3930dave]

Thanks Drew - I'll have a look for that Protectant. This may be the 303 of which you speak ?

303ｮ Aerospace Protectant Wipes

Rgds, D.