Outlaw 38re performance

[craignhouston]

Hello all, we recently purchased the Outlaw 38RE and are loving it. The only concern is performance. We drove from Houston to Tampa FL and were surprised how even going up a small hill how quickly the coach slowed down and the engine revved up. When we were on a windy road in Austin, coming down a hill, we had to stop at the bottom for a stoplight. we could smell the brakes. Granted, I know it is a heavy motor home, but the stats say it is supposed to be able to tow 8,000 pounds. We tow nothing. Nor is the coach heavy. So far, we are only using it for long weekend getaways.

Here is my question: Anyone out there with the same coach that has traveled through the mountains to get to the west coast? We would love to plan a trip from texas along interstate 40 to Los Angeles, and then explore multiple cities, with the return trip taking us from Seattle, Salt Lake city, then back to Texas.
We will NOT be towing anything. Just seems that Thor has over exaggerated the capabilities of this coach. And due to the fact of its performance as mentioned above, I am a little hesistant. Don't know if I am overreacting. would love input from seasoned RVers that has the same or similar thor coach.


thanks
Craig

[KCook]

There are several members that have been over the mountains with there Challenger (very close in size and weight).

One thing you can do is get 5star tuner it helps (I been told) with power and shifting.

Good luck!!!

KC

[NMRVer]

Been down I-40 from Nm to NV on 5 or 6 occasions. going over the continental and/or Arizona divides without a problem. Like KC states, I find the 5 star tune made a world of difference. As for downhill, I use the Tow/Haul mode to help slow/maintain a slower speed to save on break usage. Just remember, the V-10 likes the higher RPM zones, and although it gets very loud, it loves running @ 4K RPMs.

Don't fear going over the mountains, you shouldn't have many problems except the High RPMs.

Best of luck.

[bigben]

First off congratulations on the new coach. We looked at the Outlaw but went with the Challenger.

I struggled a bit because on those long stretches of roads I like to use cruise control (CC). If I set the CC at 65 or less, our Challenger would do the infamous downshift slam (sounds like all hell broke loose in the engine compartment). That will still happen on occasion but what I found is to set the CC at about 68 (at least for our coach). Then the CC will hold fairly well. Won't shift until speed gets down around 61 or 60 mph. That is what I refer to as our coach's sweet spot. It hurts my gas mileage a bit but I feel the tradeoff is worth the convenience .

Lots of owners have went with 5 Star Tune. I tried it and it was great except for when the CC was on. Then not so good.

There is a great deal of info over in the F53 Ford Forum. A couple of real good pointers in this thread at the IRV2 forum. 5 Star Tune 2000 mile test. - Page 9 - iRV2 Forums

The Tow/Haul mode is really helpful. There are number of threads regarding the use. I use it downhill and in heavier traffic. The motor helps brake the unit and hold speed.

Again. Love the Outlaw.

[craignhouston]

thanks so much for the information