What's the real story on the 320 hp v10

[LVRVLUVR]

heres towing a triple axel trailer up a 6% grade'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfbY...ature=youtu.be

[LVRVLUVR]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UE3ADWc0kH8

[MonkeyClaw]

One thing to keep in mind is that you rarely, if ever run at max power. Most of the time people are running their rig way under rated power, so having more gears and a lower peak power probably wont be noticed by many people. This is especially true with the V10, which gets uncomfortably loud and 4500+ RPM (actually less!).

[Steady_Rest]

Originally Posted by MonkeyClaw

One thing to keep in mind is that you rarely, if ever run at max power. Most of the time people are running their rig way under rated power, so having more gears and a lower peak power probably wont be noticed by many people. This is especially true with the V10, which gets uncomfortably loud and 4500+ RPM (actually less!).

Another thing to keep in my mind is the 362 hp V10 rating was achieved at 4750 rpm. To actually somewhat compare the engines hp difference, a graph is needed that shows the output of the 362 hp engine at 4000 rpm. Apparently Ford does not make such a chart publicly available. I would bet the hp in normal driving conditions to be quite close at a given rpm.
Looking at torque charts of modern engines they have what is called a flat torque range that can span several hundred rpm, hence similar torque ratings with both engines at quite different rpm.
I would much prefer the 6 speed and lower rated engine over my 5 speed. I will never realize 362 hp with my mh, due to how I drive, not even close. The vast majority of the time, I drive in the 1700 to 2200 rpm range. About 3200 rpm is the highest I have ever achieved and only a few times.
Contrary to experiences I have read from owners, my rv wants to really lug down in rpm. I do not use the speed control. Recently driving the two lanes in the mountainous and hill filled NE part of Oregon, the engine would drop down as low as 1100 rpm when climbing a hill, without down shifting, this with the throttle held steady. At this point I would have to ease down on the throttle, finally forcing a shift and gaining a few hundred rpm. This was how it behaved at 25 to 35 mph on very undulating curving roads.
I have really listened and observed almost constantly the engine and transmission while driving my rvs.

[computerguy]

MonkeyClaw
You would benefit considerably with the 5 Star tune. I have similar driving habits and am very happy with the tune

[jpstakun]

Originally Posted by MonkeyClaw

One thing to keep in mind is that you rarely, if ever run at max power. Most of the time people are running their rig way under rated power, so having more gears and a lower peak power probably wont be noticed by many people. This is especially true with the V10, which gets uncomfortably loud and 4500+ RPM (actually less!).

There should never be a need to exceed 4000 RPM unless you want to shorten engine life. Even when climbing steep grades, I rarely exceed 3500.

Loudness is a factor of how well the coach builder soundproofs the motor box. Tiffin does quite well as ours is pretty quiet.

[Steady_Rest]

Originally Posted by jpstakun

Loudness is a factor of how well the coach builder soundproofs the motor box. Tiffin does quite well as ours is pretty quiet.

When shopping for an rv, we sat in a Tiffin while the salesman moved it around the lot. At idle I could barely hear it and there is nothing wrong with my hearing. After that he ran the generator, which was also very quiet while inside the coach. They do seem to do a good job in that dept.
I will do some reading about the 5 star tune.

[LVRVLUVR]

Originally Posted by Steady_Rest

Another thing to keep in my mind is the 362 hp V10 rating was achieved at 4750 rpm. To actually somewhat compare the engines hp difference, a graph is needed that shows the output of the 362 hp engine at 4000 rpm. Apparently Ford does not make such a chart publicly available. I would bet the hp in normal driving conditions to be quite close at a given rpm.
Looking at torque charts of modern engines they have what is called a flat torque range that can span several hundred rpm, hence similar torque ratings with both engines at quite different rpm.
I would much prefer the 6 speed and lower rated engine over my 5 speed. I will never realize 362 hp with my mh, due to how I drive, not even close. The vast majority of the time, I drive in the 1700 to 2200 rpm range. About 3200 rpm is the highest I have ever achieved and only a few times.
Contrary to experiences I have read from owners, my rv wants to really lug down in rpm. I do not use the speed control. Recently driving the two lanes in the mountainous and hill filled NE part of Oregon, the engine would drop down as low as 1100 rpm when climbing a hill, without down shifting, this with the throttle held steady. At this point I would have to ease down on the throttle, finally forcing a shift and gaining a few hundred rpm. This was how it behaved at 25 to 35 mph on very undulating curving roads.
I have really listened and observed almost constantly the engine and transmission while driving my rvs.

seems to me the torque with the 5 speed was max at 3200 rpm.... the problem was the down shift was too much rpms...and when it up shifted, it wouldn't pull the gear, so it would down shift 2 gears.... then the motor was screaming...it would run up to 4800 before it would shift...then start hunting back and forth...

with the 6 speed it will pick a gear at the 3200 rpm range and pull the gear......if it builds vacume....it will up shift and pull the next gear cause it's only a 500 rpm span

so far not towing... the trans stays in the right gear and runs close to the 2000 rpm range.....mine goes 70 at 2000 rpms..... and if it down shifts.....2300

[LVRVLUVR]

Originally Posted by Steady_Rest

When shopping for an rv, we sat in a Tiffin while the salesman moved it around the lot. At idle I could barely hear it and there is nothing wrong with my hearing. After that he ran the generator, which was also very quiet while inside the coach. They do seem to do a good job in that dept.
I will do some reading about the 5 star tune.

mine was like that till I changed the muffler to the magnaflo

now when I'm way in the corner of the pickle park and an OTR driver pulls next to me with his motor running.....I start the gen and MH motor

[MonkeyClaw]

Originally Posted by computerguy

MonkeyClaw
You would benefit considerably with the 5 Star tune. I have similar driving habits and am very happy with the tune

I've been throwing it around. I'm a little worried about warranty implications. I live in a valley, so either way I go I have a big climb. I'd love it to only downshift one gear at a time! I have a few other higher-priority items first.

Originally Posted by jpstakun

There should never be a need to exceed 4000 RPM unless you want to shorten engine life. Even when climbing steep grades, I rarely exceed 3500.

Loudness is a factor of how well the coach builder soundproofs the motor box. Tiffin does quite well as ours is pretty quiet.

I'm not convinced that occasionally revving the engine within it's limits will change the life of the engine, but that's a debate for another thread. It's nice that Tiffin does a good job soundproofing. Thor didn't do squat to my rig! I've done the doghouse, which helped a bit. I still want to do the firewall and dash area behind the windshield. We also get a lot of road noise, and I don't know if there's anything we can do about that.

[computerguy]

Originally Posted by MonkeyClaw

I've been throwing it around. I'm a little worried about warranty implications. I live in a valley, so either way I go I have a big climb. I'd love it to only downshift one gear at a time! I have a few other higher-priority items first.
...

It is very easy to revert to stock if you ever need to bring it in for service.
Give 5 Star a call. They are helpful with questions before or after you purchase. Real nice to have a company with old fashioned values and stand behind their product IMO.

[z3406]

I test drove a 2016 Bounder 35K yesterday with the 6 speed. The biggest difference is in the noise level. Going up a hill that was stepped the wife and I were able to talk without raising our voices at all and it held speed within 3mph. In our 2014 coach the motor would have been screaming at 5000+ rpm and she would have had her ear plugs in and the speed would have varied by 5 or more mph. I thought the traffic merging power was not as good as my 14 but my 14 does have a 5 Star tune.