Gas mileage rant!

[jupoa]

When I purchased my '97 460 F53 it had ~ 27K miles, was bone stock, very well maintained and used conventional lubricants. The gas mileage as checked over a 2000 mile trip through mostly flat Southwestern roads worked out to 7.0mph. I drove at the posted limits where possible, usually 70 or 75 mph as conditions permitted.

Over time, I installed a full Banks intake and exhaust, switched to Mobil 1 full synthetic lubricants in all systems and made various minor modifications to lighten the coach in an effort to improve mileage, improve reliability and boost power.

After just completing another 2000 mile trip, albeit over mountainous terrain, my mileage checked out to 7.1mpg. What the heck!!! Doesn't about three grand in mods and numerous weekends of sweat and busted knuckles buy you anything but reliability and power? Life just ain't fair.

[LVJ58]

For the most part folks who install the Banks System rarely experience any improvement in fuel mileage. With your 460 however you should have experienced a power increase and a cooler running engine.

I installed the system on our 2000 v10 but only because I found a killer deal $1,700 installed. No increase in fuel mileage, but there was a slight increase in power.

[Jumbo1]

At 7.1 mpg, I think you're more or less in the ballpark for mileage. I have a very similar '97 with the Banks kit and I average 7.6 mpg pulling a PT Cruiser toad. I drive the rig like it's broken, with a light touch on the power, cruising at 55-60. If I leave the toad at home, my average goes to 8.0 mpg...which by all accounts is pretty decent for the 460. We've been checking the mileage regularly for over 35,000 miles, so I'm confident that we have a true average.

There are several areas where you might get a small improvement (check the air filter, tire pressures, extra (un-needed) weight on board, driving style adjustments, etc.)...but the F-53 is what it is, ya know?

[Doggy Daddy]

The return of investment on RV improvements we make like a Banks and solar systems can take years BUT you have the satisfaction knowing you can get to the top of the hill before others.

[sknight]

Don't feel too bad, that's decent mileage for a 460 in anything. The same era F450s I used to drive got 8-10 tops on a real good day so 7.1 for a MH at 70 is pretty good.

[TXiceman]

7 and a bit over 7 mpg is really petty good for 70 and 75 mpg. At those speeds the engine is working pretty hard and you are over the best economy speed. Slow down to 65 mph and you will see a increase.

The Banks systems generally add mid-range power and can make the engine slightly more efficient in that range. Anytime you add power, the power comes mostly from increased fuel usage. The thermal efficiency of an engine is only so high and any improvements are pretty small. You managed to get a 1.43% increase in fuel consumption by your numbers. That is not really even in the measurable range. There are too may variable which can have more effect on the fuel consumption.

Also you need to consider the fact that continued operation at high road speed will have an effect to shorten the life of the engine. So the best advice is to slow down to a reasonable 60 to 65 mph and enjoy the scenery.

Ken

[DandS]

Having owned two v-10 coaches, I've found 7-8 mpg is about right at most speeds and conditions for this engine. Everything I've read and heard, systems such as Banks do not improve gas mileage.

[blacktie.shooter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jupoa . . What the heck!!! Doesn't about three grand in mods and numerous weekends of sweat and busted knuckles buy you anything but reliability and power? Life just ain't fair.

Technically, if you drove at exactly the same speeds, particularly towing uphill, as before adding the Banks Pack, you would see an improvement in mpg, simply because it takes less throttle to achieve it. I have yet to find a single person that does that, including me.

What I noticed after adding Banks was improved acceleration, and not having to shift down on certain grades I was familiar with, where I always had to before. (Uphill and down, I shift; I only leave it to the tranny to decide when on level road.) IMHO, I believe that the folks who say there is very little improvement are dead wrong.

There is a tech at Sanderson Ford in Glendale, AZ, who agrees with me. After doing some work on the coach, he volunteered that adding the Banks was the best single thing I could have done for that engine.

You might be glad to know, also, that you did not only your engine, but your tranny, a huge favor by switching to full synthetic. I run Mobil 1 also, the prime reason for the tranny being heat dissipation, which is the thing that kills trannies. My engine temp gauge would go up over thirty degrees pulling a grade out of the Columbia River Gorge. With Mobil 1, maybe four or five degrees.
Ya done good, jupoa. Enjoy.

[wa8yxm]

Well.... Banks does say "Your millage may vary"

[John90XJ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jupoa was bone stock,... the gas mileage (w)as checked over a 2000 mile trip through mostly flat Southwestern roads worked out to 7.0mph. I drove at the posted limits where possible, usually 70 or 75 mph as conditions permitted. Over time, I installed a full Banks intake and exhaust, switched to Mobil 1 full synthetic lubricants in all systems and made various minor modifications to lighten the coach in an effort to improve mileage, improve reliability and boost power. After just completing another 2000 mile trip, albeit over mountainous terrain, my mileage checked out to 7.1mpg. What the heck!!! Doesn't about three grand in mods and numerous weekends of sweat and busted knuckles buy you anything but reliability and power? Life just ain't fair.

I contend if you took the same trip you used to take as in the first paragraph, you might surprise yourself with more than a single tenth of a mile per gallon increase in economy.

Once you add hills to your travels you're comparing apples and kumquats. I recently finished a little weekend jaunt in very windy eastern Washington and was dismayed at my <6 mpg on the way over. Of course, the same mountain terrain and pass on the way home, wind assisted, garnered a ~12 mpg. Go figure.

I averaged about 9 for the trip and for a 35 footer at 16k pounds with no toad, that ain't bad.

[skipwil]

M P G with a motor home? I have a 8.1 GM motor home that gets 7.5-8.5 mpg towing or not. If I worried about mpgs I wouldn't have ever had the enjoyment of a m/h or a twin v8 42' houseboat. As long as I can afford to go - I'll RV-when the price of fuel is higher than $4/gal' I guess I'll either park or take short trips. Power and speed are not priorities in my travels. When I worked someone else bought the fuel and I ran as fast as necessary. 60-64mph is as fast as I feel I need to run. Just my opinion and .02's worth.
TRAVEL SAFE.

[Fakrwee]

I guess I got a lemon. I go up, down, flat, or idling in traffic, I get 6.5mpg-6.8mpg. 62 MPH or 72 MPH, 6.5mpg-6.8mpg. It's just the nature of the beast.

Tom

[navyblue]

My 2008 Winnebago Voyage 32H with 365HP Triton V-10 gets 7.0 MPH @ 60MPH with no A/C and coach weighing(no toad) at 19,500(full fuel/full fresh water. I know. I'm anal retentive.
What I have learned is ALL variables MUST be constant to get a ESTIMATED MPG. Level roads ONLY, 60 MPH(cruise control), no A/C and loaded at 19,500. Turn A/C on all day, MPG changes. Change load, MPG changes. Average change is .5 to 1.0 MPG.
Now here is where it gets VERY interesting. By FEDERAL law gas going from storage depot to tanker MUST be adjusted by the ambient temperature because the gas lobby got it passed to protect their profits. So when they say 5,000 gallons are in the truck tanker, there are 5,000 gallons in the tanker.
The gas going from gas pump to your car is NOT ambient adjusted by FEDERAL law. Gas gauge low fuel light comes on, 60 seconds later you pull into station @ 7:30 AM and you pump 18 gallons in. Five days later low fuel light comes on, outside temp is 88 degrees, you pull into gas station 60 seconds later and you pump in 18 gallons @ 5:30 PM. Pump says 18 gallons, you pay for 18 gallons, BUT in actuality you probably only got 16.5-17.0 gallons of ACTUAL gas because of expansion. Dirty little secret that no one in the whole process wants you to know. SO,
To get the most accurate MPG for your RV, no toad, 60MPH, no A/C, level road, cruise control , same weight everytime you fuel up PRIOR to 8:00 AM. What I did was to drive no more than 6 hours a day, refuel every morning before I got on the highway, put the SAME amount (50gals) in every day into the 19,500 coach and divided into miles driven from the prior day. Bingo, 7 MPH. Did if for one year
Add a toad, go up and down hills, change weight, gas in the afternoon, turn on A/C, increase average speed, MPH changes. Most people do not realize how unsteady there foot is on the accelerator when that are NOT using cruise and how it affect MPG. You are not smarter than the cruise control, trust me on that one. If you have a car that has the fuel management system you can see what I am talking about.
Anyways, unless you are predominately a weekender, where's the fire. I am retired, that is my JOB. At 60 MPH, I get to the campground 54 MINUTES after you do IF we leave at the same time. Whoopee do !!!
I am constantly getting passed by 99% of the RVs. When I get to my destination or campground there is NEVER a fire there. Slow down, enjoy life. TODAY only comes around ONCE.

NAVYBLUE

[DandS]

WOW - TMI !! That's more than I want to know about mileage. IMHO, if you worry about gas mileage with a motorhome, you probably shouldn't have one. Comes from my years with a 34' Boat w/twin v-8's which, if I was lucky, would get about 1 mpg. I have improved 7 fold with a motorhome> LOL!!