Thor Forums

[Chance]

Originally Posted by Long & Winding road

......cut..... So thats a good thing (I guess but my pocket book is feeling the squeeze).

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

That’s partly why I added my initial comment. People who are new to motorhomes, or trucks for that matter, may not know that these vehicles have a lot less power for their weight, and that it’s therefore necessary and completely normal for them to downshift more often when they encounter hills.

There is nothing wrong with spending money and tinkering if that brings you pleasure, but there is nothing wrong either with letting the transmission downshift as needed.

If cruising along at 2,000 RPMs in 6th gear and you encounter a hill that exceeds available torque, a downshift to 5th will bring RPMs up to 2,540 which isn’t that bad. That gear shift will reduce torque to 79% of previous (if at same horsepower) which could easily improve fuel economy going up that hill compared to staying in higher gear. BSFC Maps show it’s very likely. Best part is that by going from 2,000 to 2,540 RPMs, you gain more power than a tune at 2,000 RPMs and it’s free.

I’m not trying to discourage tuning, just pointing out that unless downshifts annoy you that badly, letting the transmission do it’s job is another option.



P.S. — Performance tests show about 10% improvement in acceleration which is indicative of maximum power gain. This is significant but I don’t personally see how it would prevent enjoying driving a motorhome. Let’s face it, the weight of rigs varies far more than 10%, so there are plenty of guys getting by with less performance even if they have installed a tune.