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Old 01-16-2019, 01:45 PM   #41
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The Ford manual for the 27.7 has a strange instruction about fuel. It starts out saying the E450 is designed to use regular 87 octane fuel and 85% ethanol fuel. The next paragraph recommends the use of premium gas. Anyone want to tell me what you actually need to use? Big cost difference if you cant use regular.

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Old 01-16-2019, 02:10 PM   #42
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This one is pretty easy: it'll run on 87 with no problem...

... but it really likes 91!
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Old 01-16-2019, 03:17 PM   #43
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If it pings, give it zing. You may find premium will run better in higher altitudes or in areas when you will be climbing steep grades a lot of the day. Listen closely and she'll talk to you.
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Old 01-16-2019, 05:30 PM   #44
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I changed classrooms since the subject here went to tuning, like I figured it would! lol.

Answers here...

http://www.thorforums.com/forums/f10...tml#post162830



.
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Old 01-16-2019, 05:38 PM   #45
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Originally Posted by kmhappel View Post
Thnxs JamieGeek...

So how do I weigh the vehicle dry on each wheel and get the load differential?

If you find a scale that is flat around it, and the person running it doesn't mind taking a little more time, you can do it anywhere there's a scale. I went to the garden supply/ rock and gravel yard where they know me since I go there all the time. Their scale is totally flush with the ground around it. I simply had him do 7 weights, all 6 wheels, only fronts, only backs, only LF, only RF, only RR, only LR. if you place the single wheels as far towards the center of the scale as you can, and the scale area is flat, the weights will be pretty accurate.
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Old 01-19-2019, 08:35 PM   #46
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I agee w/ gmtech16450yz !

Taking off across country in a new Thor product is risky without extensive shake down. My personal experience included 23 material defects including a potential lethal propane line break.

It seems that Thor's QC compares admirably with the socialist-icon, the YUGO.

BTW, my dealer provided virtually no repairs of the defects. The expertise may have been there, but the priority seemed to be in sales, not after-sales service.

Actually the design and the components of my 23U are quite good. The assembly was very bad. Did I mention the Yugo?

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Originally Posted by gmtech16450yz View Post
I gotta say this scares me. On several levels.

Where in California are you? What dealership is giving you this kind of false information and not correcting it or making it clear? I'd wonder about a dealership that advertises a V11 engine on a "DEC 2019" chassis.

Please, please don't take offense to this, I'm also honestly worried about a couple of almost 80 year olds hopping in a brand new Thor product and trying to drive around the country in it. You WILL have issues with the new RV. Will they be little and no big deal or will they be huge and life threatening? There were plenty of issues with my '18 27.7 Vegas that could have absolutely been life threatening.

The chassis is almost always a year behind the coach, not a big deal since they're all (Class C's and RUV's) almost identical since '16 on the Fords. There isn't anything that would "fix a long time complaint" on the late model Ford E350's and E450's, they'll do what you need them to do.

I talked to a Thor rep lately that told me they recently replaced a LARGE percentage of their assembly management staff. She said they were WELL aware of the horrific build issues in the last two years and said they are working very hard at turning that trend back around. As demand slows down that might actually help lower assembly issues too. That being said, I might try to find a Thor product that was built later as opposed to one built in '17 or early '18. Our's was built in December of '17 and I believe that might have been around the height of the demand/production pushed way too fast era. Our Vegas had issues that could have easily burned it to the ground when we were driving it.

I'm 57 and still ride motocross on a YZ450 and also jump wakes on an 85mph jetski. I MYSELF realize that driving a 28 foot vehicle is harder and takes more of my skills, strength and reaction time than I know I had when I was younger. When our 27 year old son is with us I have him drive a lot of the time just because I know his youth makes him safer than my experience does.

Just a few thoughts. Driving around the country is an amazing thing. I just wish more people didn't wait until they're retired to do it. Again, please don't take any of this personally. (All of the rest of you fine people included!) I just read your "promise" and "bucket list" comments and want them to come true in a hugely positive way. It can happen in a brand new Thor product, the odds are just a little scary. If you're in the SF Bay Area I'd be happy to help if I can.
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Old 01-20-2019, 01:20 AM   #47
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Originally Posted by The Gritz Carlton View Post
I agree with the facts of stupid people (not knowing or ignoring their limits)
With age comes wisdom. If a 77 or 85 year old man wants to buy a motorhome and see America...I'm all for it. As long as he can qualify for a license...go for it. Testing is much more stringent the older you get. Go Pop Go.
THANK YOU ! I have not been on the forum for a couple months as we are cold/snowed in...Axis is tucked away under cover waiting for Spring !
Ron is 78..and I want to reinforce the Wisdom of aging and travel. When we were young we were on the road all day and into the early evening busting our backsides to get to our destination as time was of the essence. Now, we begin later and stop at around 4pm. We make several stops during the day..and truly enjoy the ride. Ron had thought downsizing from the Axis..however, nothing compared and as you all know..it is a great ride.

SO..TO ALL OF YOU WHO ARE SENIORS... if you enjoy camping or are new to it...GO FOR IT ! We are sooooo ready for warm weather so we can get on the road...AND TO THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE STILL ON THE CLOCK...do not wait too long to retire !!

K
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Old 01-20-2019, 05:51 AM   #48
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Wow, thanks for both the fuel and tuning info, one more quiestion

HI again,

On the subject of shakedowns, I agree that the shakedown run is going to be VERY important. We are doing three. The first is static and across the street from the dealer, The second is a couple of hundred miles, to another dealer in the company where friends live, the third is 500 mile further on at home. I hope the three stage trip with planned checkouts and repairs as needed will get the initial list straightened out.

On fuel, I get it. On tuning, as I said before, from previous experience, this is the single greatest upgrade that one can do. In CA it is illegal for emissions reasons. For me the real issue would be passing emission tests after five years or when selling. How do people deal with that? If there is a good answer, I'd do the 5 star in a heart beat.

These guys have a system that stores the stoc k setup so it can be reloaded. Does anyone know them? https://www.ultrarvproducts.com/Ford...-Custom-Tuning
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Old 01-20-2019, 07:09 AM   #49
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HI again,

On the subject of shakedowns, I agree that the shakedown run is going to be VERY important. We are doing three. The first is static and across the street from the dealer, The second is a couple of hundred miles, to another dealer in the company where friends live, the third is 500 mile further on at home. I hope the three stage trip with planned checkouts and repairs as needed will get the initial list straightened out.

On fuel, I get it. On tuning, as I said before, from previous experience, this is the single greatest upgrade that one can do. In CA it is illegal for emissions reasons. For me the real issue would be passing emission tests after five years or when selling. How do people deal with that? If there is a good answer, I'd do the 5 star in a heart beat.

These guys have a system that stores the stoc k setup so it can be reloaded. Does anyone know them? https://www.ultrarvproducts.com/Ford...-Custom-Tuning
The Ultra RV tuner either IS a 5 Star tune (it's the same hardware) or they simply copied the 5 Star tune.

All of these tuning/hardware solutions can flash the ECM back to stock at any time. So if you need a smog, you simply put the stock calibrations back in it, drive it for a week or two and you're good to go. And you're good for 8 years on new vehicles until you need a smog now anyways. 8 or even 5 years is a LONG time. Anything could happen in that amount of time.

And as far as "illegal in California", have you had the pleasure of using a "California legal" gas can? They're a perfect example of CARB laws gone crazy. The point of them is to reduce release of hydrocarbons, but instead they leak so badly that they increase the release of copious quantities of actual gas onto the ground, your body and anything else around. My point? Don't worry about it. It's not like you're gutting or removing your cat.
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Old 01-21-2019, 02:14 AM   #50
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Tuning continued...

Thanks again. I guess I am going to tune it. Don't think emissions regulations are ever going to loosen up. The ability to reset back to original is great.

If they deliver on their claims:
  • Engines built between 97-05 2 valve V10 Gains of 43 HP and 47 ft-lb Torque
  • Engines built between 06-15 3 valve V10 Gains of 52 HP and 61 ft-lb Torque
  • Engines built between 16+ 3 valve V10 Gains of 56 HP and 73 ft-lb Torque
  • Drastically reduces annoying downshifts at slightest grade
  • Maintains speeds and higher gears longer when climbing hills
The result will be great.
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Old 01-25-2019, 07:22 PM   #51
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kmhappel- As an Air Force Vet, you may find the S.M.A.R.T RV Club interesting.
(Special Military Active Recreational Travelers- https://www.smartrving.org/

Motto is "Seeing the country we defend"- Chapters and meetings throughout the country and Caravans to Alaska, Canada etc.

Age is a factor in driving, but it always has been. At 80 I'm a much more responsible driver than I was at 18. I'm on my 4th RV and have put 40,000 miles on this one in 2 1/2 years. Enjoy that RV, there's a lot to see..
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Old 01-28-2019, 12:53 PM   #52
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kmhappel- As an Air Force Vet, you may find the S.M.A.R.T RV Club interesting.
(Special Military Active Recreational Travelers- https://www.smartrving.org/

Motto is "Seeing the country we defend"- Chapters and meetings throughout the country and Caravans to Alaska, Canada etc.

Age is a factor in driving, but it always has been. At 80 I'm a much more responsible driver than I was at 18. I'm on my 4th RV and have put 40,000 miles on this one in 2 1/2 years. Enjoy that RV, there's a lot to see..

Spot on!! Do a YouTube search for "stupid drivers" and see how many seniors come up. It's mostly the young with soft brains...you know...the ones with all the advice!! LOL
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Old 01-28-2019, 06:15 PM   #53
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It's a matter of scars

The problem with age is scars, I have so many. The good news is that the rate of my collecting them is slowing way down. My hope is that the reason why has something to do with wisdom and not simple immobility!
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Old 01-28-2019, 07:04 PM   #54
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Guys, I know you're all "old" on here. lol I'm getting there too, we ALL will. (hopefully) But don't fool yourselves into thinking you're as "safe" a driver at 80 as the average 20-30 year old. The stats and facts overwhelmingly conclude that after 65 the odds of causing a fatal or non-fatal crash increase. Many of those stats show that the risk approaches teen male driver risk levels. I totally agree. The interesting part is that women get MORE dangerous as they get older!

Gee, you think what I said about slower reaction times, slower processing speeds, especially in an emergency situation, and simply reduced muscle coordination and strength has anything to do with why commercial pilots aren't allowed to fly over 65 years old? Here's a question... You're taking a trip to Maui. You have the choice of two identical airplanes, one flown by a pilot and co-pilot that are over 80. The other flown by a crew of 60 year olds. Which one would you feel more comfortable boarding?

It's ok, I'm not telling anyone to park their rv. Like many of you have already said, you REALIZE you're not as young as you used to be so you drive shorter, drive slower, avoid night driving and drive safer. THAT'S all I'm saying, be aware of your limitations. That's where the age advantage comes in, the human brain at 18 doesn't understand limitations. Yours all do.

FWIW...

https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api...ication/810853

https://aaafoundation.org/rates-moto...tes-2014-2015/
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Old 01-28-2019, 07:54 PM   #55
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Research shows cognitive decline can be measured by age 45. Initial decline is slower, but accelerates as we get older.

According to Alzheimer data, 1 in 3 seniors above age 65 dies with signs of Alzheimer’s or other dementia. That doesn’t mean they died due to dementia, just that it was present at time of death.

Scientists thought dementia only affected individuals for a few years (like less than 10) before they died, but now it’s known that dementia can start as much as 20 years or more prior to death.

Hate to say it, but seniors with some level of cognitive impairment are far more common than most of us think. Caring for very old seniors can make one much more aware of the signs. It’s an epidemic.


P.S. — Data suggest women are at higher risk than men.
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Old 01-28-2019, 08:10 PM   #56
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The problem with age is scars, I have so many. The good news is that the rate of my collecting them is slowing way down. My hope is that the reason why has something to do with wisdom and not simple immobility!
You have to remember: each scar has a GREAT story; to go along with it...
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Old 01-28-2019, 08:31 PM   #57
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WOW...this thread is starting over again...do younger people really have that bad of memories?? I'm so glad I'm old, sharp minded, quick witted and on top of my game. I'd hate to know how much was ahead of me I didn't know yet but thought I did. I do in fact remember being there and thinking that. I asked my daughter once in an "adult to a 13 year old" heated argument..."don't you think, in 30 years, I've learned at least one more thing than you do now"? Nice try guys...we're still light years ahead of you!!
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Old 01-28-2019, 08:48 PM   #58
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Registration

If you do buy the coach outside of California, be prepared to go to the DMV a few times to get your California registration. Remember, as far as CA is concerned , the vehicle is a Ford, not a Thor. I had to visit the CA CHP office to get a signed verification that the Ford chassis met the CA smog requirements, the DMV inspectors are very ignorant of RV's being brought in from out of state. I did save around $10,000 by buying it out of state and driving it across country.
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Old 01-28-2019, 09:14 PM   #59
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I don’t think knowledge is the same as ability.

I’ll be the first to admit I don’t have the same mental ability as when I was 21. I may have more knowledge, and be wiser, but that’s not the same as having the same cognitive ability.

As it relates to driving, being wiser will allow me to reduce risks, but my ability to handle emergencies may not be as great. As we get older and older the decline due to aging can no longer be offset with experience or knowledge.

My mother gave up driving willingly, but my dad didn’t like it at all. It had to be done though in the interest of public safety and their own. Both were well into 80s.
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Old 01-28-2019, 09:20 PM   #60
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Originally Posted by kmhappel View Post
Thanks again. I guess I am going to tune it. Don't think emissions regulations are ever going to loosen up. The ability to reset back to original is great.

If they deliver on their claims:
  • Engines built between 16+ 3 valve V10 Gains of 56 HP and 73 ft-lb Torque
  • Drastically reduces annoying downshifts at slightest grade
  • Maintains speeds and higher gears longer when climbing hills
The result will be great.
Correct me if i'm wrong...
Your 27.7 is a V10, 2 valve, 305hp

So we don't know the claimed gains for those recent 2 valve builds...do we?
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