2016 Ford V-10 and 6 spd transmission

[Baddad53]

Originally Posted by ROAMER74

I just took my new 24.1 on a trip to Texas from MN and averaged around 7.5mpg. I was not towing but did have some pretty side winds on 3 of the 6 days we were on the road. Does anyone have any ideas how to improve the mileage on these?

I get around 8.5 with jeep in tow and just over 10 without. I travel 55 to 60 mph with jeep and 60 to 65 without.

[ROAMER74]

I am running around 75mpg on the interstates. I am sure that had something to do with it as well.

[vkb]

Originally Posted by Oneilkeys

You'll do that until you "run out of brakes" when they overheat. I turn mine off when the rpms get too high, slow the vehicle down with the brakes and then turn the tow back on. That way you can use the engine and keep your brakes from overheating without "red lining". Glad you like the 6 Spd. This is my third Ford V-10 (first 6 Spd) and I have really like the engine thru 60,000 miles +.

Ron agrees with ONeil ! We have a close friend who is a transmission specialist..been doing it all his life...he sez...let the engine slow you down..don't use your brakes unless you have to. We are on our 3rd V-10 in motorhomes..(our first 6 sp)...they are workhorses ! ... not to copy ONeil...just letting you know, we have the same experience.

[Cosmo]

I just took my new 24.1 on a trip to Texas from MN and averaged around 7.5mpg. I was not towing but did have some pretty side winds on 3 of the 6 days we were on the road. Does anyone have any ideas how to improve the mileage on these?

I just drove from Indiana to Cali in a 2016 24.1 w/ 6 speed and got much better mileage (9.0 to 10 mpg).
The first two days I had severe cross/head winds (40 gust 60 mph on the first day). Here's what I did:
- minimal generator usage
- correct tire pressure (although it was a bit high until I checked the 2nd day)
- some of my driving was at altitude (up to 7000ft) and all things equal air density decreases by ~15% for every mile of elevation.
- kept my speed around 65 - slower when it was really windy.

I think air velocity has the biggest impact on mpg at highway speeds. So some head winds (or a lead foot) will really kill your mileage.

[JamieGeek]

Slow down. On flat roads with no winds going 65mph or so you should get around 9mpg.

You could try a 5-Star tune (5-Star Tuning) however the tunes are more for adding power than mpg (Motorhome magazine just did an article about them and in their testing they went from 7.5mpg to 7mpg LOL).

The V-10 will gain 0.5 to 1 mpg once its all broken in (in my prior two V-10s I noticed it somewhere between 7,000 miles and 10,000 miles--haven't noticed it yet in the Axis).

I had a 5-Star tune in my F=350; it made a huge difference in power.

[Oneilkeys]

These new engines take 2-5000 miles to settle in and get their best gas mileage. It should get better, I get 10-11 in my 2016 Vegas. My best advice is to buy a ScanGuage. It wil tell you your mpg in real time and help you to see where you can "ease up" or anticipate hills and improve your driving habits. To get the best gas mileage, you need to drive these differently than a car. I have found that speed, wind and road conditions, along with a "heavy foot" have the most impact on gas mileage.

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Oneilkeys

...cut.... To get the best gas mileage, you need to drive these differently than a car. I have found that speed, wind and road conditions, along with a "heavy foot" have the most impact on gas mileage.

That's funny, because those things affect my cars too.


Slowing down has always made the biggest difference for me. And it's the one I can control the most. Wind drag difference between 60 and 75 MPH is huge.

[Cosmo]

Check out this rv mod - he went from 13 mpg to 16 mpg. Dont think I want to add 4 ft to the back of my rig but it is interesting.

Aero RV (custom boat tail for '95 Ford E-350 Class C motorhome) - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Cosmo

Check out this rv mod - he went from 13 mpg to 16 mpg. Dont think I want to add 4 ft to the back of my rig but it is interesting.

Aero RV (custom boat tail for '95 Ford E-350 Class C motorhome) - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com

That extra 4-feet of boat tail could house a portion of a rear bed, so it's not all incremental length if starting with clean-sheet design.

The problem seems to be that buyers don't value fuel economy all that much, otherwise we would compromise more on motorhome attributes that reduce efficiency. Beyond reducing Cd, we all know smaller size and lower mass combined with smaller engines yield higher MPGs, but those types of motorhomes make up a small portion of RVs.

Incremental fuel costs would be a small part of total ownership costs, so it's no surprise most buy large +/- 8 MPG motorhomes.

[Chance]

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

...cut...

You could try a 5-Star tune (5-Star Tuning) however the tunes are more for adding power than mpg (Motorhome magazine just did an article about them and in their testing they went from 7.5mpg to 7mpg LOL).

....cut.....

The data in that article is excellent in another respect which relates directly to the new 6-speed transmission. Regardless of whether one likes "tuning" engines beyond factory specifications (and I personally don't), it clearly shows why it is often necessary for motorhomes to downshift on a regular basis when added power is required to climb hills or to accelerate all that built-in RV mass.

The stock horsepower results show only 126 HP at 2800 RPM; which is at higher RPM than some motorhomes cruise at. Motorhomes that cruise at 2,000 RPM or so therefore have less than 90 HP available at rear wheels, and that won't go very far when a 20,000-pound rig encounters even the slightest hill.

By comparison, at around 3,500~3,600 RPM the engine makes 50% more power at rear wheels, which will be needed often to go up hills. And at 5,000 RPM it makes twice as much power as at 2,800 RPM, not that I would recommend pushing RPMs that high.

As drivers we need to accept that if motorhome is geared for fuel economy, then it will need to downshift often when more power is needed. The 6-speed with smaller jumps just makes it more palatable because RPMs won't go higher than necessary.

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by Chance

By comparison, at around 3,500~3,600 RPM the engine makes 50% more power at rear wheels, which will be needed often to go up hills. And at 5,000 RPM it makes twice as much power as at 2,800 RPM, not that I would recommend pushing RPMs that high.

Ford's V-10 is quite happy running all day long at high RPM's.

I never had any issues in either of my F-Series letting them wind out going up hills pulling various campers. Often I'd find myself passing all manner of traffic going up the hill with the V-10 screaming at 4500+ rpm.

When I traded in each; one had 138,000 (F-250) miles and the other had 80,000 (F-350) and each ran as good as it did the day I drove it off the dealer's lot.

[Sparks286]

I have a 5.4 Triton with a tow mode. I would like to be able to just lock it out of overdrive 4 them times you are in the Hills. Pick up a little speed going downhill so you got momentum to make the next one. I like tow mode for going down Hills but other than I think it's useless. I get about 10.25 not using the cruise. About 9 pulling a 7 by 12 cargo trailer. But I am way underpowered downshifting all the time. I have just traded it for a 2018 Thor Freedom Elite with a rear slide. And a V10 with a 6-speed transmission I am hoping things will get a lot better as far as power. I'm hoping the mileage will be about the same. Does anyone have any experience with this.

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by Sparks286

I have a 5.4 Triton with a tow mode. I would like to be able to just lock it out of overdrive 4 them times you are in the Hills. Pick up a little speed going downhill so you got momentum to make the next one. I like tow mode for going down Hills but other than I think it's useless. I get about 10.25 not using the cruise. About 9 pulling a 7 by 12 cargo trailer. But I am way underpowered downshifting all the time. I have just traded it for a 2018 Thor Freedom Elite with a rear slide. And a V10 with a 6-speed transmission I am hoping things will get a lot better as far as power. I'm hoping the mileage will be about the same. Does anyone have any experience with this.

With any motorhome with the V-10 you'll get about 6 - 10 mpg depending on speed, terrain, wind, and towing or not.

On our Axis (E-350, 11k lbs, similar to your Freedom Elite in size and weight I'd guess) we get 8-9 mpg.

[Bob Denman]

The extra cog in the tranny will make it easier for the V-10 to find a "happy place"...
And a happy engine; is one that'll use less fuel, and make less noise!
(Love the setup in our rig!)

[Wrpt58]

My experience has been that the V-10 has been pretty good. As some have said (Chance?) it really needs the Revs to make the horses necessary to pull in some instances. It is happy at 4-5k in a pulling situation.

The 6 speed seems to be pretty smooth to me, however, I got really uncomfortable with it at first when I was rolling down the mountain into Death Valley and it would not upshift when I thought it should. It still seems to like staying in the lower gear until practically all the load is off and your running "flat" again. Something to get used to, i guess.

I've got about 12-13K miles on mine now and not towing (yet). At 65 mph, it gets anywhere between 7 & 9 mpg, depending on wind and other environment/road conditions. I knew I wouldn't get the 10-12 mpg dealers will advertise. Just too much house to move at speed.

Me and the wife have to remind each other to limit the weight we add to the vehicle. F=ma all the time!!
The more m the more F is required to keep it at speed.

[2016vegas]

We're in a Vegas with a 3,000# toad. Averaged just over 10 mpg. Cruise at 60 to 65. The 6 Spd with tow/haul mode saves brakes. I'm noticing noise but no vibration. It pulls the toad nicely but I can shirly tell the difference when I'm not pulling it.

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by 2016vegas

We're in a Vegas with a 3,000# toad. .

That's some Toad...



http://www.thorforums.com/forums/att...1&d=1509633221

[Thehobe1]

I purchased a 2017 Vegas 25.2 in November of 2017, drove it from Wisconsin to California driving it typically between 65-75 MPH and got 8.64 MPG. I was not particularly easy on the gas pedal and had virtually an unloaded RV. There was not a lot of city driving, making the trip in 4 days with over 1100 miles in one day! (24HR period)
The power of the Ford V10 never wanting for more power, downshifting when pushing it. It climbed the Rockies effortlessly using HWY 80 most of the way. My previous RV, a 1999 30' Gulfstream, also with the Ford V10 of that year, MPG was more like 7-8 MPG and was a little unpowered for my style of driving.
I actually expected a little better MPG with the newer, smaller model/engine but found out that the unloaded E450 chassis still weighs around 12,500 lbs unloaded. Thank goodness oil is in surplus now and appears to be so into the near future.

[Thehobe1]

Drive slower and keep a medium to high pressure in the tires (I use 75 front, 80 rear). That is about all you can do. The other obvious things is to keep some distance between you and the vehicle in front of you and let it coast when you see traffic or a light ahead.

[Dippytwo]

We have the 6 speed and just completed a 3500 mile trip to Big Bend. Lots of wind with that cold front that came thru and the mountains in SW Texas. We got 7.5 mpg on that trip, pulling a toad. We also have 5-star tuning and have found the shifting on the hills to be a lot better. I do keep it between 60-65 mph (use cruise control). I have found that my MH doesn't use the 6th gear unless I get up to 68-70 mph. On the flat stretches I turn off the Tow/Haul and turn it back on getting on and off the Highway and on hills, or when really windy.