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Old 10-12-2020, 06:39 PM   #1
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Hurricane 34R
State: Indiana
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First long trip with the 7.3L engine

We just returned from our first long trip with the new MH and below is a quick report.
Please have in mind that our previous rig was a 2018 F150 towing a 9000lbs camper...

Towing:

We didn't tow but rented instead for the F53 chassis manual says to not tow anything before 1000 miles...

Route:

The trip was from central Indiana to Destin, FL and back which is basically I65 north/south and just above 1400 miles round trip.

MH:

Its a 2021 Hurricane 34R with the new Ford 7.3L V8 engine.

Apart from Safe-T-Plus installed, the MH is all std.

The coach performed very well under wind and rain, no problems to keep it in its lane and little movement side to side.

I believe the new/improved stab. bars Ford is using really improved the handling.

Fuel consumption and engine performance:

We did 8.5mpg as average which I believe may improve once the engine breaks in.
We are impressed with how quiet this engine is and the torque...
At 65mph it is in 6th gear at 2600rpm and in this route it basically stays is 6th gear all the time for it can keep speed easily on mild inclines... Torque is just fantastic....

Problems:

The only problem we found during the trip was a leak in the shower. I sealed the wall/shower base joint, the shower door rails and the drain and that reduced the leak in 90% ....

If anyone has a clue from where else the water may be leaking please comment... Otherwise I'll take it to the dealer for that.


This is our first MH and we all agreed that the MH beats the Truck/trailer on comfort level, easy to maneuver and refuel, easy/time to set up, less stressful driving and have the same fuel consumption that the truck had (MH not towing).

Overall very happy with the MH.
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Old 10-12-2020, 07:24 PM   #2
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Glad to see that you are very happy with your RV's on-road performance!
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Old 10-12-2020, 07:57 PM   #3
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I have read good things about Ford's suspension improvements for the F53 chassis and your comments seem to confirm it.

Does anyone know if those same improvements were applied to E350/450 chassis with the new V8?

David
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Old 10-12-2020, 07:58 PM   #4
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Good looking rig. Glad you had a great first trip.
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Old 10-12-2020, 08:44 PM   #5
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Model: 3719 Newmar
State: Arkansas
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RACarvalho View Post
We just returned from our first long trip with the new MH and below is a quick report.
Please have in mind that our previous rig was a 2018 F150 towing a 9000lbs camper...

Towing:

We didn't tow but rented instead for the F53 chassis manual says to not tow anything before 1000 miles...

Route:

The trip was from central Indiana to Destin, FL and back which is basically I65 north/south and just above 1400 miles round trip.

MH:

Its a 2021 Hurricane 34R with the new Ford 7.3L V8 engine.

Apart from Safe-T-Plus installed, the MH is all std.

The coach performed very well under wind and rain, no problems to keep it in its lane and little movement side to side.

I believe the new/improved stab. bars Ford is using really improved the handling.

Fuel consumption and engine performance:

We did 8.5mpg as average which I believe may improve once the engine breaks in.
We are impressed with how quiet this engine is and the torque...
At 65mph it is in 6th gear at 2600rpm and in this route it basically stays is 6th gear all the time for it can keep speed easily on mild inclines... Torque is just fantastic....

Problems:

The only problem we found during the trip was a leak in the shower. I sealed the wall/shower base joint, the shower door rails and the drain and that reduced the leak in 90% ....

If anyone has a clue from where else the water may be leaking please comment... Otherwise I'll take it to the dealer for that.


This is our first MH and we all agreed that the MH beats the Truck/trailer on comfort level, easy to maneuver and refuel, easy/time to set up, less stressful driving and have the same fuel consumption that the truck had (MH not towing).

Overall very happy with the MH.

2600 rpm at 65mph? On my 31Z (V10) at 65mph I am just a little over 2000 rpm. I also have never gotten 8.5 mpg.
Really nice looking rig BTW.
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Old 10-12-2020, 08:49 PM   #6
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Check the very top edge of the shower "enclosure" (super thin patterned white walls within the shower space) all the way around the shower walls. They are not sealed very well along the top and water can run down the wall behind it.
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Old 10-12-2020, 10:29 PM   #7
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I do a central Indiana trip to Navarre most winters. It’s a nice trip. My coach is a 30 ft 2019 class A (SOB), V10, 6 speed. I like how it handles but I only manage about 7 mpg towing a Wrangler. I’m glad your trip was good and that the new chassis and engine seem to be a genuine improvement.
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Old 10-12-2020, 10:53 PM   #8
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Some Feedback/Input

If you have a gap between the floor pan and shower wall, do what Gritz suggests for the leak. If there's no gap, you'll trap moisture behind the wall and you know where that leads to. You may not thing much of it, but water bounces off you in the shower. Your head, your shoulders, etc. If it gets high enough, it'll run down that wall and cause damage. A quick bead of silicone is not going to hurt anything if you have that gap ay the bottom and if that's not the problem, you still haven't done yourself any harm. Have a spray bottle with water handy. Run the bead and spray it, then run your finger over it. It'll create an acceptable look.

Your mileage will drop with a towed. You probably know that too. Pick something light; I tow a 3500 lb'er with a v10. 18k miles and 7.3 mpg. Not the best. The shift points you mentioned seem to be a vast improvement over the v10. It may change with a towed.
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Old 10-12-2020, 11:59 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The_Breeze View Post
If you have a gap between the floor pan and shower wall, do what Gritz suggests for the leak. If there's no gap, you'll trap moisture behind the wall and you know where that leads to. You may not thing much of it, but water bounces off you in the shower. Your head, your shoulders, etc. If it gets high enough, it'll run down that wall and cause damage. A quick bead of silicone is not going to hurt anything if you have that gap ay the bottom and if that's not the problem, you still haven't done yourself any harm. Have a spray bottle with water handy. Run the bead and spray it, then run your finger over it. It'll create an acceptable look.

Your mileage will drop with a towed. You probably know that too. Pick something light; I tow a 3500 lb'er with a v10. 18k miles and 7.3 mpg. Not the best. The shift points you mentioned seem to be a vast improvement over the v10. It may change with a towed.

Thank you for the suggestions.
The enclosure is well sealed on top and on the sides (which are on the outside, after the shower door) and it is a lot of water to come from up there... anyway I'll check again.
The previous two (very short) trips we had we saw no water but this time the autoleveling let the MH a little lower in the front so water was running to the front of the shower pan, where the drain is, which is also where the shower pan/walls meet the shower door...
When first happened only one person taking shower was able to have a good amount of water on the floor.
After I (completely) sealed the shower pan/shower walls joint with silicon glue, the amount of water was reduced in 50 %(the picture is from that stage) ... Then I sealed the lower shower rails and it reduced more but still leaking... Then I sealed the joint between the shower drain and the shower pan and now two people need to take a shower for you to see water on the floor....
The corner joint where the shower pan, the shower wall and the shower door meet is not a good design....
Anyway, there is no water anywhere else around or under the shower from the outside (which is the wheel well)....
It is really puzzling...
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Old 10-13-2020, 12:19 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jannnda View Post
2600 rpm at 65mph? On my 31Z (V10) at 65mph I am just a little over 2000 rpm. I also have never gotten 8.5 mpg.
Really nice looking rig BTW.
If you check the V8 torque curve, 2600 rpm is where a steep increase in torque curve starts to flatten which, to me, is a desirable point to set the cruise speed.
I had no problem to keep 70mph or even 75mph but based on previous experiences, fuel consumption increases a lot above 65mph and so does stress (at least to me) on passing semis all the time so i set it to 65 and "forget"...
Our next trip will be to Florida Keys in December and we will be towing a car so that will be interesting to see...

I expect to lose up to 1mpg towing a car (with kayaks on top and bycicles(5))... But I hope it will be only 5mpg loss for our car has a really good rolling ....
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Old 10-13-2020, 12:39 AM   #11
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You mentioned the torque...How exactly did it compare to the old V-10?
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Old 10-13-2020, 01:13 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Denman View Post
You mentioned the torque...How exactly did it compare to the old V-10?
My experience with the V10 is really limited so I'm going by comparing the torque curves....
If I'm looking at the right curves, the V10 at 2500rpm is delivering around 390lbft of torque while the V8 is already at 440lbft...
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Old 10-13-2020, 12:57 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by jannnda View Post
2600 rpm at 65mph? On my 31Z (V10) at 65mph I am just a little over 2000 rpm. I also have never gotten 8.5 mpg.
Really nice looking rig BTW.

The RPM difference is likely “not” due to V8 versus V10. For many years Ford specifications called for lower gearing on higher-capacity motorhome chassis.

A quick look at motorhome specs indicate yours is on 18,000-pound GVWR while his is on 22,000-pound GVWR chassis. That GVWR difference in the past changed the rear axle gearing by 25%, which would explain his higher RPM compared to yours. I’d bet Ford still uses same axle gearing for different GVWR, although I haven’t found 2021 detailed specs yet.

In that light, that he’s getting 8.5 MPG at 65 MPH on a heavier motorhome while running 25% higher RPM speaks well of 7.3L V8 fuel economy compared to V10.

It will be interesting to see what the V8 does on 16,000- or 18,000-pound GVWR chassis with taller gearing. It should do a little higher MPG under similar conditions.
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Old 10-13-2020, 01:04 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chance View Post
The RPM difference is likely “not” due to V8 versus V10. For many years Ford specifications called for lower gearing on higher-capacity motorhome chassis.

A quick look at motorhome specs indicate yours is on 18,000-pound GVWR while his is on 22,000-pound GVWR chassis. That GVWR difference in the past changed the rear axle gearing by 25%, which would explain his higher RPM compared to yours. I’d bet Ford still uses same axle gearing for different GVWR, although I haven’t found 2021 detailed specs yet.

In that light, that he’s getting 8.5 MPG at 65 MPH on a heavier motorhome while running 25% higher RPM speaks well of 7.3L V8 fuel economy compared to V10.

It will be interesting to see what the V8 does on 16,000- or 18,000-pound GVWR chassis with taller gearing. It should do a little higher MPG under similar conditions.

I was wondering if it was the gearing. Makes sense. I didn’t buy it for the gas mileage.......but if I got 8.5 mpg that would be great. If I pull the toad I get around 7mpg. If I don’t pull the toad I get in the high 7mpg. I have never hit 8mpg.
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Old 10-13-2020, 01:26 PM   #15
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Welcome to the forum. Enjoy the new rig and keep us posted on your adventures.


Paul
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Old 10-13-2020, 02:13 PM   #16
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My coach with the older engine is getting (slightly!) better mileage now that it has 6000 miles on it than it did when it was new. First Florida trip, with under 1000 miles at the start got 6.6 mpg. Recent similar trip got 7.1. Both times towing the same Jeep Wrangler. It would be nice to start at 8.5 and improve from there! Not going to lose any sleep over a couple of mpg but it’d still be nice.
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Old 10-14-2020, 10:45 AM   #17
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I was wondering if it was the gearing. Makes sense. I didn’t buy it for the gas mileage.......but if I got 8.5 mpg that would be great. If I pull the toad I get around 7mpg. If I don’t pull the toad I get in the high 7mpg. I have never hit 8mpg.

I found some data indicating that the new F-53 with V8 does have different gearing across the size range, so it’s not limited to just a GVWR difference.

I want to avoid hijacking this thread, plus want to confirm information from additional sources before sharing/posting. Changes I’ve seen make sense so far.
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Old 10-17-2020, 09:49 PM   #18
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Check the plumbing connection for your shower head. If it can leak there, it will cause water anywhere and some rot if left alone. I don't know if you can look at faucet connections. I can in my Axis with a mirror and under pressure it doesn't leak. Were you on (city) water ? If so you need a pressure regulator.
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Old 10-18-2020, 12:31 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RACarvalho View Post
My experience with the V10 is really limited so I'm going by comparing the torque curves....
If I'm looking at the right curves, the V10 at 2500rpm is delivering around 390lbft of torque while the V8 is already at 440lbft...
I don't where the cams start to come in on those motors and/otrr where the top is but...if you're spinning a little faster and starting to come into the performance point in the cam than the v10 does at that cruising speed, it may answer part of the equation in more torque. There are other factors. Air flow, carburation, yadda, yadda, yadda. I only know a cam can be ground to assist in more torque or more top end. A grind in the middle you gives you the best of both worlds if it fits the application.

How's she been doing?
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Old 10-18-2020, 12:40 AM   #20
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My motor home had the same kind of shower leak, mine has the 3 glass sliding doors, so i lifted the top rail with the doors intact and then removed the bottom rail, cleaned it and ran a thick bead of silicone on the shower pan were the rail sits, make sure to do both corners good and your problem will be cured Good Luck Al
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