Ventana LE to A Dutch Star 4002

[mpm2433]

A few months ago I traded my 5th wheel in on a 15 Ventana LE 3812. Love it. I should have bought the Dutch Star in the first place which leads me to my issue.

For me the upgrade would be mostly about power. The Ventana lacks power in my opinion. I find it to be noisy and the ac (2 13m's) are a bit lacking in the 100 degree Texas heat. I pull a Jeep JKU to off road events which are typically in the Texas hill country. The Ventana is flat on the floor all the time. I want to go to Colorado but worry about the power.

I drove the DS4002, the power to be night and day different but DS is a lot heavier. The DS also only has 2 ac's but they are 15m's. Is it worth the 30k loss to make this trade? Will the AC keep up? Is the power really there?

Any real life assistance would be helpful.

mpm

[HHIDan]

Depends on how many of these $30K's do you have in the bank ...
Typically, a dealer wants to sell at retail and he wants to give you wholesale for your trade which makes a trade harder to justify.
If your cost to make the trade is closer to the real difference between the actual values of the two RVs then go for it, life is short!

[tomakat]

I've tested my DS4018 in over 100 degree weather in Las Vegas and it had no problems (except for the front cap area) maintaining a very comfortable temperature with the two 15k ACs. I was out in the direct sun, but I did have my window and door awnings out and, when I could, I had the patio awnings out too. The awnings help a lot.

As for power, it has GREAT power on the flats and hilly terrains. That being said, when you hit the 6% grades or greater, then it starts to lose power. Initially I was doing around 45mph towing my Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. My last go around I did 48mph (seems to be loosening up). My engine is still new, so I expect it to improve. I'm also new to driving a DP, so maybe I'll need some fine tuning.

[osok]

Originally Posted by mpm2433

A few months ago I traded my 5th wheel in on a 15 Ventana LE 3812. Love it. I should have bought the Dutch Star in the first place which leads me to my issue.

For me the upgrade would be mostly about power. The Ventana lacks power in my opinion. I find it to be noisy and the ac (2 13m's) are a bit lacking in the 100 degree Texas heat. I pull a Jeep JKU to off road events which are typically in the Texas hill country. The Ventana is flat on the floor all the time. I want to go to Colorado but worry about the power.

I drove the DS4002, the power to be night and day different but DS is a lot heavier. The DS also only has 2 ac's but they are 15m's. Is it worth the 30k loss to make this trade? Will the AC keep up? Is the power really there?

Any real life assistance would be helpful.



mpm

IMHO the possible reason your Ventana is flat on the floor in TX hill country is due to you perhaps not understanding how to properly drive the diesel. Here is what I have learned.
1. In hills keep your RPM's in the 2000-2200 range.
2. Manually downshift before needed to maintain the RPM range.
3. If late downshifting and lost speed you may not be able to regain speed depending on % grade.
4. When driving somewhat level roads the best gpm is attained running 62-63 with rpm's 1550-1700 and tranny in ECON mode.
5. Always shift your tranny into ECON mode for best mpg.

I think if you do the above your fine Ventana LE will perform much better in hills and flat country driving. However if you are already driving as listed above then I think your drivetrain needs to be evaluated by Cummins or FL. I have a friend with LE and he has no problem running with others in TX hill country.

Maybe the noise you are hearing is from dishes and all the other items onboard rattling. I think most of the noise can be solved with time. You came from a FW and never rode inside to hear the noise. The two AC's will perform much better as others suggested by having awnings deployed when possible. Try to get a site with windshield pointed N or E. A great upgrade is purchase of outside window shades that block the heat from entering the coach. Inside daylight shades are only shades, they do not block heat from entering coach.

Or you can upgrade to a DS and have a fine coach but will still need to drive it the same to get up hills and get best mpg.

Good luck.

[mpm2433]

Thanks,

I have decided to keep the Ventana LE. The wind noise is coming from the drivers window. I will have the dealer check unless someone here has a suggestion.

[osok]

Originally Posted by mpm2433

Thanks,

I have decided to keep the Ventana LE. The wind noise is coming from the drivers window. I will have the dealer check unless someone here has a suggestion.

Forgot to tell you Congrats on your purchase of Ventana LE and welcome to Newmar family.

Look for the Sticky by 007 on Newmar Owners main page that has Tips & Mods. Inside I think you will find a thread by Dutch Star Don and others that have had a similar problem.

Since you live in TX, I would also like to make you aware of iRV2 RV club called Texas Boomers. You can find them under South Central Region. Fun club outings and no dues.