how so, with breakdowns you mean? or just going up the mountain so slow?

you would think that 310 HP from the Ford and 340 from the Chebby ought to be able to at least get it up the mountain at 40-50 mph...? is this not the case?

 

When climbing a 6/10% (9k to 11.5k) grade they are incredibly slow, resulting in very long lines of extremely impatient drivers behind them….they pull out and pass in very dangerous zones. Results in head on collusions…

 

do you think that a diesel pusher alone is going to cure this problem? I don't. I also doubt that folks have their feet flat to the floor extracting max performance, they're probably afraid to hurt it.

 

The mileage usually doesn't get a lot better when going to diesel, though. The problem is that the diesel coaches usually (always?) weigh a lot more. Our GVW went from 22k on our 03 Winn Adventurer 35' (8.1/allison) to 33k with our 03 Winn Ultimate 40' DP (350hp/1050lb ft 8.3 Cummins ISC/Spartan Mountain Master IFS chassis). The mileage got a little better but only 1 or 2 mpg. The benefit from going dp is much higher carrying capacity in general, air ride suspension, longer coaches, much quieter and smoother ride and generally a higher quality unit all the way around.

The 235hp 6.0 diesel motor in the Winn RV is the same one that's in the Ford van it's based on. Go look at the ford van specs with the diesel option and you'll have the exact specs for the Winn 24F. Quite a bit less torque than the 6.0 they put in the SD, too. That's why it's not an option on the bigger Class C's. It's kind of whimpy motor in that configuration.

DP's do climb better with the increased power and the turbo found on most of them but they'll still slow traffic down quite a bit on long mountain passes.

 

Not true. My father has a 39' Bounder with the gas motor. Climbing some of the higher, steeper grades he has his foot to the floor. The motor is screaming along in 2nd gear and limping up the mountain.

The long lines and drivers taking chances are very common around here too - very scary.

The diesel pushers on the other hand just blast right on up with the rest of the traffic. The difference is amazing.

 

oh man, if you never drove a Diesel and a Gas motorhome, you have no idea at how much difference exists. The Diesel has SO MUCH MORE power its not even close. We could top most passes around 55mph. The gas would have to really work to get around 40 on the same pass. Excelleration from a stop isn't even close either. The Huge TQ that the Diesels put out gets them up to speed pretty quick. Our diesel had no problems running down the 4 lane at 80-85mph. With the Gas motorhome, when a simi would pass you (or even large winds) you might move around the road up to 2'. The Diesel is so much more stable, in both winds and being passed by Simi's. With the diesel, you flip the exhaust brake and it goes downhill with a lot less effort. And if you ever have to get on the Air Brakes, they stop a LOT faster than a Gas Motorhome. Comparison, its like comparing a F550 ford to a f150 for pulling. The bigger,badder machine is alway's the best.


And yes, the people with Gas motorhome's are prolly at WOT more than they are just slightly on the gas.

 

They are, leaving absolutely no reserve it if they get in any trouble…
Even the ones that are chipped are not much better.

 

After visiting Colorado this weekend, I have little doubt that they are at WOT. I have a female friend that has an Impala, and we have taken it on a few trips, so I have had the chance to drive it quite a bit. Well, this weekend in Colorado my rental car was an Impala. In the altitude, it felt very sluggish compared to how my friend's car feels in the low elevation of Texas. It got worse the higher I went.

I'm sure these effects are compounded on a large vehicle such as an RV, and I can see how they would be less of a problem on a diesel, well at least one that was turbocharged.

 

yea, I think for every 1,000' increase in elevation you loose 3% in power. So if you start out at 1,000' (oklahoma or Texas) and go to colorado, and assend a 9,000' by the time you hit the top, you have 1/4 less power than you started with...