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Old 08-28-2017, 02:00 PM   #21
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personally, I agree with the advice to go with things like floorplan and budget as a higher priorities.
The gasser will work.

Now I'd sure like to have the F-550 version of my floorplan... not for the diesel but for the bigger tanks and the bigger weight capacities....
but it wasn't in the budget for me.... & I have no regrets. My V-10 gasser has proven itself to be just fine....

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Old 08-28-2017, 02:31 PM   #22
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We spend about 7-9 months per year in our gasser. There are distinct differences in the gasser vs diesel but features/amenities were are deciding factor. We spend a great deal of time with our grandkids and for 2-3 months each winter dry camping. The features in our coach allow us to have 3-5 grandkids with us and no special setup and tear down. We have 100 gals of fresh water and 80 gals of grey/black water, we have an 1800 watt inverter with 4 batteries that allow us run our residential refrig/cpap/sat tvs for at least 10 hours per day at night (quiet time). Tough finding any other diesel or gas coaches that fill this bill.

So the recommendation to identify features is the best advise before you make any decision
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Old 08-28-2017, 02:50 PM   #23
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Old 08-28-2017, 03:45 PM   #24
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Originally Posted by JamieGeek View Post
Thor's "normal" C's are all gas. The Sprinter and Ford Transit chassis models are shorter than 30'.

To get a C in 30' range in Diesel you'd have to go with Super C.

.....cut......

I think you are correct for new RVs. If also considering used, Ford and Chevy normal Class Cs were available with diesel V8s larger than Sprinter and Transit, but that was a few years ago as far as I know. The Ford 6.0 diesel had issues, so best to avoid those anyway. Not sure how the Chevy Duramax Class Cs held up.

Regardless, there are not many used normal diesel Class Cs. It appears that when buyers had an option, most went with cheaper V10 than pay the premium for diesel option. When average motorhome gets driven less than 5,000 miles per year, it's hard to justify a diesel on an economic basis -- assuming everything else is equal.
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Old 08-31-2017, 04:52 PM   #25
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The diesel vs. gas argument is very old. Look to past threads.

In class C's and B's there is a fuel mileage difference and "normally" there are other quality differences in the coach.

With most class A's, the diesel option is used depending on weight. We were looking at a gasser last year in the 37' range. We bought a diesel 36'. The GCWR difference was 12,000#. Big differences in cabinetry, tile floors, etc. add to weight. I get ~9.0MPG on Diesel, Most others on gas a little less. In a class A there is no reason based on fuel mileage. It comes down to the ability to move the load. Also, diesel models are usually at the "higher end" in amenities (amenities add weight).

Ford V10 - 457# torque, Cummins 6.7ISB - 800# torque.
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Old 08-31-2017, 05:44 PM   #26
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We had a 41 foot DP, before, and it was of course diesel. I think they are far more drivable, and pleasant to drive. Mileage on anything that weighs 40,000 pounds or more is going to be terrible. We now have the Gemini on the Sprinter chassis, also diesel, but a completely different kind of animal then the huge Cummins in the DP. Its drivability is pretty good, but behaves a lot more like a gasoline engine then the big diesel. Its a great running engine, and the mileage has been right at about 17mpg, pretty impressive for any motorhome. We of course now weight closer to 15,000 pounds than the 40,000 in our prior coach.
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Old 08-31-2017, 06:19 PM   #27
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That was well said IMHO Brooks.
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Old 08-31-2017, 06:22 PM   #28
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I'm going to throw this out there... What about turbo-ing an F53?
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Old 08-31-2017, 06:39 PM   #29
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for me, while looking at coaches (not driving or owning) the diesel was better in the form of a better and stouter chassis, not the engine. The F53 weight capacity limits the way the manufacturer is able to outfit the coach. Going into the 30k and up capacity ranges allows much nicer ammenities (especially flooring).

My wife says our next coach will have real tile, but she has no idea what type of fuel that requires

All of the driving/ride/handling benefits mentioned, I take your word for it without any doubts.
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Old 08-31-2017, 06:44 PM   #30
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Laco, if you're getting 17 mpg from a Ford V10 you better NEVER get rid of it as it's probably the only one ever to get more than 8-10 mpg, surely the 1 in front of the 7 was a typo & you meant 7 mpg. I drove V10s in pickups at work & they wouldn't/couldn't make 17 mpg going downhill with a tail wind with the engine off.
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Old 08-31-2017, 07:04 PM   #31
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Laco, if you're getting 17 mpg from a Ford V10 you better NEVER get rid of it as it's probably the only one ever to get more than 8-10 mpg, surely the 1 in front of the 7 was a typo & you meant 7 mpg. I drove V10s in pickups at work & they wouldn't/couldn't make 17 mpg going downhill with a tail wind with the engine off.
He was referring to his 3-liter Mercedes Sprinter diesel.

17 MPG seems to be a common number for these smaller diesel rigs. I'm sure it's not a typo.
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Old 08-31-2017, 07:15 PM   #32
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Regarding power, 800 pound-feet of torque at 1800 RPM is only 274 Horsepower. No matter how it's geared, it's not going to move a heavy motorhome uphill very fast.
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Old 08-31-2017, 08:11 PM   #33
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I'm going to throw this out there... What about turbo-ing an F53?
Ford has stated the 6.8-liter V10 will be replaced with a 7-liter V8 in next few years (for heavy trucks), so it's very doubtful Ford will upgrade V10 by adding turbos. Certification alone would be cost prohibitive in my opinion.


For what it's worth, newest Ford naturally aspirated engines tuned for F-150 truck service are making 80 lb-ft of torque per liter (3.3 V6 and 5.0 V8), so it's very possible new 7-liter V8 may see north of 500 lb-ft. I'd guess power will be limited to the 400 HP range so it doesn't compete directly with PowerStroke diesel.
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Old 08-31-2017, 08:42 PM   #34
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Thanks for the reply, but what about after market for us owners. I have the turbo Pontiac Solstice gxp, the naturally aspirated 2.4 = 177 hp, the gxp turbo 2.0 = 260 hp/260 torque. Could we see similar results? Would it be worth our while(?) my Miramar 34.2 could use a boost.
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Old 08-31-2017, 09:30 PM   #35
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Laco, if you're getting 17 mpg from a Ford V10 you better NEVER get rid of it as it's probably the only one ever to get more than 8-10 mpg, surely the 1 in front of the 7 was a typo & you meant 7 mpg. I drove V10s in pickups at work & they wouldn't/couldn't make 17 mpg going downhill with a tail wind with the engine off.
No no, its on the Sprinter chassis, so its the 3.0L Mercedes diesel. The V10 isn't ever going to get that kind of mileage. The 24TX is the only Gemini that is on the Sprinter chassis.
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Old 08-31-2017, 10:38 PM   #36
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Ford has stated the 6.8-liter V10 will be replaced with a 7-liter V8 in next few years (for heavy trucks), so it's very doubtful Ford will upgrade V10 by adding turbos. Certification alone would be cost prohibitive in my opinion.


For what it's worth, newest Ford naturally aspirated engines tuned for F-150 truck service are making 80 lb-ft of torque per liter (3.3 V6 and 5.0 V8), so it's very possible new 7-liter V8 may see north of 500 lb-ft. I'd guess power will be limited to the 400 HP range so it doesn't compete directly with PowerStroke diesel.
There's always something coming, that'll put everything else to shame!
That's why we have used RVs for sale!
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Old 08-31-2017, 11:42 PM   #37
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No no, its on the Sprinter chassis, so its the 3.0L Mercedes diesel. The V10 isn't ever going to get that kind of mileage. The 24TX is the only Gemini that is on the Sprinter chassis.
Sorry, I apparently missed the rv make.
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Old 09-01-2017, 02:07 AM   #38
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I'm on the after-market auto parts web quite a bit and I have never seen a turbo for the 6.8 V-10. I would guess that if you wallet was thick enough, you could get a speed shop to engineer a turbo for you. I would first be concerned about space for the unit and the heat factor. Ford power-stroke diesels had them, of course, as do most of their high end pickup trucks now. Just think $$$$ and engineering realities of the engine. Let us know what you decide.
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Old 09-01-2017, 02:19 AM   #39
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Perhaps you could use a belt driven supercharger like a Paxton. Boost is enough to make good HP, no heat problems, fairly compact.
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Old 09-01-2017, 03:56 AM   #40
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That sounds interesting, any one done this?
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