How does the v10 do on steep grades out west? Class A coach

[ctcamper]

I have not been out west yet. My rv I just traded was a class c that had the 6.0 liter chevy and was underpowered for pulling my CRV toad and would push the temps upwards of 237 at times pulling 7 percent grades. I had to disconnect it on skyline drive and have someone drive it seperate as with full tanks plus the 3500 lb tow car it was running too hot. It did ok with the focus toad I had before the crv but that extra 1000 lbs the crv added was just too much.


My new Allegro coach is rated higher for weights with a Ford F53 (22K gvwr with 26K gcwr) chassis and the V10. How is this chassis engine combo for pulling the grades out west? Will I have any problems?

[trainsktg]

Well, I have the 275HP V10. Pulling a dolly and Corolla, I nominally maintain 60 to 65 at 2,600 prm (I baby mine) on all terrain except the steepest inclines. The steepest grade I've had it on was on a section of I90 just east of the Columbia river in central WA that is excess of 6 degrees (my estimation) for about 10 miles. If I remember right, I kept rpms at about 3,200, maybe a tad higher, and maintained about 45mph for the distance. But...had I chosen to bump it up a bit, there would have been no problem maintaining 55. With 100 hp more than me, you should be fine .

Edit: I just moved my Scangage from my F150 to the coach, so I can't tell you what my exact engine temps were at the time, but when I drove the above route, outside air was in the mid-70s and my engine temp dial did not appreciably rise from its normal reading.

Keith

[Tom-NC]

Hi
When towing whether going up hill or not one should should always check the GCVWR of the package and not neccessarily blame the engine.

Too many people get the smaller V-8 and think they will save money on fuel but in retrospect burn more because engine has to work harder.

It also depends on tranny and rear end and your own driving habits. There are some people out there that think a motiorhome pulling a car will climb a 7% grade in over drive, no way.

When approaching a grade of any kind it is always advisable to get out of overdrive and to shift to a lower gear to maintain speed.

Lastly I have a friend that had a v-10 and was pulling a 35' coach without a car and it would not climb hills. It works fine with a class c so I have been told, however Claass C's have a heat problem but that is another post.

Good luck in your choice.

[trainsktg]

Quote:

When approaching a grade of any kind it is always advisable to get out of overdrive and to shift to a lower gear to maintain speed.

Yup. I forgot to add that I dropped down to 3 for most of that climb on I90.

No OD on more than just gentle inclines.

Keith

[lllkrob]

Your coach will do just fine. The three valve V-10's have plenty of pulling power and as long as you run it in the tow-haul transmission operating mode it will handle the interstate grades just fine. Some you may be in the slow lane with the trucks, but just take your time and let the transmission work for you. Overheating should not be a problem on a new coach.

[Clifftall]

ctcamper, good luck with your new MH. I have logged over 80,000 miles on my two Ford f53's which included 49 states and all 10 Cdn. prov. and never had a problem with steep inclines or declines. Depending how steep it is will depend on the speed you will climb. You won't be alone as even the DP's and trucks will be going slower than usual as well. The gear you climb in should be the same you descend in. I use my tow haul mode almost all the time.

[Sequim Guy]

My 1999 38' Residency has the early 275hp V-10, but the Banks system bumps it up a little.
I live in AZ but travel to Wash.- Ore. mostly, the 2 hardest grades that I have experience with are "The Grapevine" (Tejon Pass) just north of L.A., and the Siskiyous Mountains on the Cal.-Ore. border, both on I-5.
My toad is a Santa Fe, about the same size as your CRV, on a dolly. Since my rig is certainly not over-powered, I try to keep the weight down by doing the usual things, avoid traveling with full tanks, ect. I never have more than a half tank of gas in toad and I always make my wife run alongside the MH going uphill.
A few times I have gotten down into 2nd gear on a steep climb, so I just put the tach around 3200-3400 and just ease my way over the top. Never have had the temp gauge move from "normal".
Your newer rig should have no problems out west.
I'll be in the slow lane, wave as you go by.

[ctcamper]

I have been all over the east coast , smokey mountains up to clingmans dome, over fancy gap on I-77 which I thought was very mild and the northeast. The grades range from 6 - 11 percent but I think they are shorter on this side of the country. I doubt any were over 5 miles long or so max.
I hear the inclines are steep and long out west and the climbs go much higher since the mountains are higher?

I am not sure where I will be headed yet. Probably Northwest this year as I have been planning a trip to Montana for a long time now, maybe Colorado next year.

[TW]

Just goes like stink here in the West. Those Canadian Rockies are just asking to be driven like on a track. The 362 has no problem climbing whatever is ahead.

[Hikerdogs]

We've put over 85,000 miles on our 2001 F53 (310 hp) pulling a 04 Jeep Wrangler (3750 lbs) and only had to unhook the toad once to make the grades. It's gone through the Canadian Ice Fields (9% grade) and in and out of Skagway Alaska (12% grade for 12 miles) with no problems.

The only time we had to unhook was last year going up the grade to the Johnson tunnel (eastbound I-70) in Colorado. There were several places where the road was down to 1 lane and stop and go traffic. There wasn't a clear stretch long enough to get up to speed so we spent most of the time in first or second gear. Finally We pulled over and unhooked the Jeep to take the strain off the engine and transmission. Once we reached the tunnel traffic started moving again so we plled over, reattached the Jeep, and went on our way.

[John Hilley]

I have the 275hp V-10 in my 1999 35' Brave and tow a 1991 Jeep Wrangler. I have never had any problem on any of the grades in the west or the east. My temperature gauge never moves, however, my Scangauge II is another matter. On steep grades it foes up to as much as 235 degrees in 70 degree ambient temperatures. The engine shows no sign of high temperature though.
The V-10 is designed for high revs and on steep grades with switch backs, I run 4,000 to 4,500 rpm. I have over 100,000 miles on the engine.

[frankdamp]

Our '02 V-10 (an 01 chassis, I'm assuming) has no problems with grades, but we aren't towing. We've done Blewitt, Stevens and Snoqualmie passes so far. Will be going over Washington pass this spring (Highway 20 to Witnhrop), but don't anticipate any problems. It's not just the grades out here, but the altitude of the passes. Stevens is over 4000 ft and IIRC, Washington pass gets close to 7000'.

Computer-controlled engines are so much better on hills and at altitude compared to the older engines with carbs and all that smog gear!

[Seajay]

We have a 2000 Pace Arrow 33v with two slides and a lot of basement room. The coach now has 110,000 miles on the engine and it performs like a champ. We tow a Ford Ranger pick up with four down, a boat on top of the ''capp'' and the back of the truck full of ''stuff''. I use this ''rule of thumb''........ Any road I will not go down pulling the truck, WILLA DRIVES THE TRUCK UP THAT ROAD. And yes ,,,, we have aux breaking on the truck. Other than that, we have been all over the west and the rockies and up to the Ice Fields in Canada and up to Alaska and YES, Willa drove the truck down to Scagway and back out also. The v10 seems to have plenty of power and like others, i kinda baby mine along. I replaced the tranny at about 104,000 out in Denver and I believe if there is a ''weak link'' in the power system its the transmission. I am pleased with my engine and its performance and we just love the old ''Pace''. I have researched the engine and generally everyone has good things to say about its power and long life.

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