driving techique

[gordon23]

Our ford 460 on the 36' coach averages 8.2 over the last
10,000 miles (that's as long as we have owned it)

Tried with and wihtout O/D and cruise ...both on work best except when I get into hilly country

I get off the O/D with the override at the bottom of long slopes and find this extends the climb before it shifts down to 3rd or 2nd.

Torque times RPM = HP so it it better to get the push from RPM under heavy loads than try to increase it with more fuel. I realize that more RPM fills the cylinders more often but there seems to be a trade off stil on the economy side.

Never found a fuel curve that applied to this engine but in my opinion economy is bettter than waiting for the O/D to kick out from the computer.

Anyway ...just letting the cruise and O/D do all the work automatically seems to get into shifting up and down a lot before cresting the hill.

Any prfesseionals out there that differ ....please step in. Life is a continuos learning experience.

[gordon23]

Our ford 460 on the 36' coach averages 8.2 over the last
10,000 miles (that's as long as we have owned it)

Tried with and wihtout O/D and cruise ...both on work best except when I get into hilly country

I get off the O/D with the override at the bottom of long slopes and find this extends the climb before it shifts down to 3rd or 2nd.

Torque times RPM = HP so it it better to get the push from RPM under heavy loads than try to increase it with more fuel. I realize that more RPM fills the cylinders more often but there seems to be a trade off stil on the economy side.

Never found a fuel curve that applied to this engine but in my opinion economy is bettter than waiting for the O/D to kick out from the computer.

Anyway ...just letting the cruise and O/D do all the work automatically seems to get into shifting up and down a lot before cresting the hill.

Any prfesseionals out there that differ ....please step in. Life is a continuos learning experience.

[gordon23]

please excuse the spelling ....I can't find my glasses and my typing isn't getting edited as I go.

[Lug_Nut]

I think cruise control, on the average, will out perform most drivers for fuel economy over the long haul, however some people may be able to do better in some circumstances or for short runs. Speed reduction is probably the biggest fuel saver of the bunch. Try 55 or 50 instead of 70 or 65 MPH. This will yeild substantial gains in almost, if not all, coaches.

[Diplomat Don]

Gordon....I had the 460 in a Jmboree Class "C". It got 11 mpg once, 8.8 - 9.0 not towing and 7.2 - 8.2 towing a 4500 pound boat. It always seemed to settle in and cruise at about 63 mph. A good rule of thumb is to leave it in O/D until you can no longer accelerate on grades and then turn the O/D off. Another trick I learned was that once you turn the O/D off on a grade, turn it right back on. It won't kick back into fourth until the load is off the engine.

[Retired and Happy]

Diplomat Don,

I'm confused. Are you turning off the overdrive or the cruise control? I have never turned off the overdrive, allowing it to drop out when it needed to.

[Diplomat Don]

Ken...I turned the overdive off as I started to lose power climbing a hill, then immediately turned it back on. The transmission won't let it shift back into 4th (overdrive) until the load is off the engine. This way when I crested the grade I didn't worry about turning the overdrive back on. The Ford transmission automatically shifts back into 4th when it senses the load is gone. Give it a try on your next trip.

[Fxrscotty]

Here in new England we don't get a lot of flat land (or summer) and I have learned that I can drive the RV better than using cruise. Seems happy between 55-60 with kicking down all the time. Scotty.