4 Slides ,Gas, Under Powered??

[silvrhand]

The lack of a engine brake is a huge deal IMHO, if you are going to spend a lot of time up and down the hills this will pay for itself in safety and nerves IMHO.

[Mike8253]

Originally Posted by philjp1

Well I didn't say I have a V10 for a long time now so I'm familiar with it in the mountains. Just wondering if anyone thought four slide outs would make a difference in its performance? That is my question. That's it :-) thank you

No they don't. On one day's travel in Colorado this summer from Golden to Durango, we did the Eisenhower (westbound), Fremont, Poncha, and Wolf Creek passes in our 34PA with Chevy Malibu in tow. The uphills and downhills were well within the capabilities of our Open Road. You just have to be smart about how you manage the descents, and have reasonable expectations on the ascents. I'm very happy with our 2016 34PA, and I don't plan on any changes for a long time to come.

[B52Rnav]

We put 47k miles on '14 Allegro Open Road 34TGA with 3 slides. Many trips in mountains - usually slow and running 4000 rpm. Take your time and learn to tolerate the high rpm and noise. On the downhill learn how to use tow/haul to help stay off brakes. Probably one of our longest climbs was to Estes Park, CO - long and slow at about 35mph. We topped 10000 ft many times. No worries on the downhill - just manage speed with T/H and downshift. Our only reject on a route was a 12% grade with no shoulders and no guard rails. Pick the coach that meets your needs and have fun.

[Bylandorsea]

Several years in a 37 foot MH V10 F53 towing a CRV. I felt that it was as big and heavy as I would go with gasoline. We always ran with the traffic and the breaking was good.

[KenJr]

Originally Posted by philjp1

Well I didn't say I have a V10 for a long time now so I'm familiar with it in the mountains. Just wondering if anyone thought four slide outs would make a difference in its performance? That is my question. That's it :-) thank you

We have the V10 in our 36UA. This is a 38 foot MH with full body slide and may be on a heavier chassis. We’ve been in the western mountains a number of times and it’s true it’s not a race car but it does fine, just have to enjoy the ride. We pass up semi’s once in a while. Salesman telling you the 4 slides is an issue is either trying to up-sell or an idiot.
Ken

[azpete]

just avoid I70 west of denver, and wolf creek pass. those are the only ones i would avoid.
ive traveled with both the p30 chassis and the w22 chassis, and normally had few problems. never with a v10 ford. but i have driven along side many of them, and they also had few problems.
the exhaust brake does wonders.
common sense driving, and picking your routes will help.
i now have a cummins 350 cat, and have no problems with hills, within reason.
you will win no races, but even while i work full time, i do not hurry.
thats when you have problems. avoid speeding, or careless driving. pay attention to the road. look ahead, not just 100 ft in front of your coach.

[GCSuper]

Our first class A was a Jayco Precept Prestige XL 39ft. Loaded up for travel we were right at the 30K mark. I never thought it didn't have enough power, it had plenty. I just didn't like how it made that power, as in having to run at the top of the RPM scale to make it. Made me feel like we were always rushing or in a hurry with the constant downshifting. At the end of the day I felt like I was running a race. After two years, we decided to go diesel. Totally different experience. Never feel rushed.

So, the gas coach had the power, we just didn't like how the power was made.

[PKI]

Originally Posted by azpete

just avoid I70 west of denver, and wolf creek pass. -- snip --.

Surprised to see this comment and then I got to thinking. Reference the Colorado mountain pass maximum grade listing.

https://www.codot.gov/travel/maximum...in-passes.html

A 6-7% grade is normal for an interstate highway mountain pass and we never found the I70 to be an issue, but we towed with a turbo boosted gas SUV that did not have trouble making power at altitude. A naturally aspirated engine like the V10 will have reduced power at altitude and the I70 on either side of the IKE Tunnel is a long steady climb. Because of that altitude, you will have a more difficult time as you get higher up the pass.

However, the only time I've been concerned about a mountain climb was in the early sixties on a Boy Scout trip to Colorado. Dad was driving the bus - an old GMC school bus - with a full load of Scouts, their gear and a heavy cook trailer in tow. The bus was making it up Wolf Creek pass OK. It just ground up the grade in granny, at about 5 mph, screaming to keep the power up. The concern was when our Scout Master suggested that Dad slow down a bit so his boys could see the scenery. Good thing my dad was hard of hearing in that ear.

So, if that Scout bus could pull Wolf Creek pass, I'll bet you will do just fine. The navigator may well ask you to slow down a bit to see the scenery, though. If that does happen, you'll have full authority to start shopping for one of those expensive diesels pusher MoHos. Some of them are slow too, but the screams come from the back of the bus instead of under your feet at the front.

[Jabber Jaw]

Originally Posted by philjp1

I'm looking at upgrading to a gas coach with a V10, it has four slide outs and a salesman told me because of that I would have trouble in the mountains. Anyone out there got one of these could give me some feedback? Thanks

Short answer! NO!!
Go for it, buy the Coach, if you like the floor plan!
Then "hit the road", have fun, & make many memories!

That V-10 Ford V-8 will go anywhere you want it to go!

Only issue I ever had, was getting stuck behind a "slow diesel", lost my momentum/speed, and had to ride behind him at 30-35 mph, til we topped the mountain!!

KEY THING!! ENJOY YOUR RV......WHATEVER IT MAY BE!!!!

[Esc Pod]

Originally Posted by philjp1

Well I didn't say I have a V10 for a long time now so I'm familiar with it in the mountains. Just wondering if anyone thought four slide outs would make a difference in its performance? That is my question. That's it :-) thank you

The comment from your salesperson is a bit ridiculous.

4 slides can add a little more weight (versus 2 or 3), but whatever. That just means your overall GVWR is consumed (more) by the unit…vs….things you can put in it.

Is he proposing some other 2 slide unit..or a pusher?

As to the hills (and such), we had an itasca with the V-10. I spent some bucks and added the Banks power kit (intake, exhaust, remap). Well worth it. More torque, increased MPG, and no issues. Even with that, big hills were slow, but they’re also slow with our Allegro RED.

[timracz]

Originally Posted by philjp1

I'm looking at upgrading to a gas coach with a V10, it has four slide outs and a salesman told me because of that I would have trouble in the mountains. Anyone out there got one of these could give me some feedback? Thanks

I have a V10 gas coach with 4 slides. I have had it for just over 3 years. In those 3 years I have put over 39,000 miles on it. We have been all out through the rockies, tetons, yellowstone, Idaho and back through the smokies to the Appalachian mountains near Boone, NC. The salesman is right. It is an underpowered motorhome on those long grades, but it will make it just fine if you relax and take your time. Every time we return to our home campground in Banner Elk, NC I have to climb some 3000 feet. I hold the rpms to around 4000 and at times the motor home will be going around 35mph. That's just the way it is. I didn't have the extra 70 to 100,000 to buy a diesel pusher so I have learned to live with it. I'm not sure the extra expense is worth it even if you have the money. Hope this helps, All the best, Tim

[Saving Grace]

Originally Posted by philjp1

That's what I'm considering 34 PA but a salesman said because of the four slides they're very underpowered. You know about salesman right :-) so I thought I'd ask Thanks

We had a 36LA and we crossed the Rockies and Cascades. It only had 2 slides. We made it, but the downhill sections were tougher than climbing slowly. We had to pull over to cool off our breaks on the way down.

We deliberately lightened our load for the trip, but happy we upgraded to a diesel for when we do it again.

[09 harley]

Weight matters. Not the number of slide outs. Would a rig with three slide out that weighed 20 k go up the hill faster than a rig with four slide outs and also weighed 20k ? Not a tough question.

[JerryP]

We had a 31’ and then a 40’ Newmar gas coach. I felt that both had issues going up and down mountain passes in Colorado. Obviously the 31’ did a little better.

I upgraded to a Tiffin RED 33AA (6.7 L diesel) and We love it.

Wish We had done it sooner.

Regards, Jerry