Community Forums

Oldmanlax · 04-17-2017, 10:40 AM

Hi all,
Looking for opinions and real world experience from the board.
What are the driving differences between and 36ft vs and 40ft no tag axle coach?
I keep hearing about wind conditions affecting the 40+ ft coaches with no tag.
What about the under 40? Specifically 36 if you have that experience.

380 HP vs. 450 HP. Opinions on this would help as well. I see the 380 on under 40ft coaches and the 450 on the 40+. Any thoughts here?

We plan to drive out coach mostly in the west to different mountain resort towns. Will also be driving to the east coast. Not full timing but about 10 weeks a year or more.
Considering the 36 Pheaton or a 40+ Dutch Star
Thanks in advance.

Gary RVRoamer · 04-17-2017, 11:05 AM

Quote:

I keep hearing about wind conditions affecting the 40+ ft coaches with no tag.

You will hear a lot of drivel on the internet. You don't need a tag axle on a coach to make it handle ok. It's there is the rear axle can't handle the coach weight. There is perhaps some minor benefit from having two more tires on the pavement, but wind effect (or not) is mostly a matter of weight and chassis quality, not extra tires on the ground.

For what its worth, I've owned a 36 footer with a tag and a 40 without, and the 40 was far superior.

JBDISCOVERY · 04-17-2017, 11:10 AM

One consideration to keep in mind is the overall length. A 36 ft coach more likely will fit in more campsites than the 40 ft coach.
Regards,
JimB

vsheetz · 04-17-2017, 11:19 AM

We had a 37 and now a 40. Big is big, the few feet don't make much difference in driveability and being able to fit into campgrounds, IMHO. But the few feet can make a big difference in livability and storage. As for purchase cost, 40' is typically the biggest you will find without a tag. So often the most coach for the money.

RayChez1 · 04-17-2017, 11:29 AM

I have a 38' diesel pusher without a tag and it handles the wind pretty good. I do not see much difference between the two as far as to driving in windy conditions. 24" more length will not make that much difference driving or living in it. What does make a big difference on living in a coach are how many slides do they have? The more slides the more square feet. You can actually get more square feet of living on a shorter coach with four slides, then a no slide long coach.

Skip426 · 04-17-2017, 11:30 AM

Power to weight ratio ? Cargo Carrying Capacity ?
Payload available on the rear axle ?
Avoiding producing a coach that's overloaded from the factory , is the major reason that the longer ( Heavier ) coaches are produced with tag axles.
Larger engines with more power to move the weight down the road and up the hills .
If you get the weights , and figure the power to weight ratio of the coaches , they will probably figure out fairly close , and should produce similar performance on the road . Now feeding the extra ponies , well that's a whole different issue.

Cranemec · 04-17-2017, 11:38 AM

Even our big girl at 47,000 lbs dragging a 500 lb. TOAD still feels the wind. Granted it has to be a rather strong wind but we feel it none the less.

Cousin Ed · 04-17-2017, 11:59 AM

We have gone from 35 gas to 38 gas to 41 DP and now 43 DP with tag. By far the biggest improvement is from the 41 to 43. The 43 is just a dream; the worse the weather the happier I am to have it to drive. None of the previous coaches were bad but each one was better than the one before, but the Entegra GREAT!!!! We have over 170,000 miles in these RVs.

Oldmanlax · 04-17-2017, 12:01 PM

Thanks so far for the responses. Really looking for any driveability feedback. Its looking like its going to be a 36 or a 45 footer.
I have no issues of space as we are upgrading from an airstream. Either coach will have more than enough room. With the mountainous driving we will be doing, I'm most concerned about how the coach will handle, specifically the one without the tag and the 380 HP (Phaeton). Is there that much of a difference?
Not too concerned about park choice as there are plenty of big rig parks if we go up to that size.
We've traveled the country and many mountains in our airstream(34') and maybe hit high winds a few times. No big deal with our 3/4 ton pulling it with a sway bar mod.

gerdutch · 04-17-2017, 12:41 PM

Had a 35 for a few years and finally got a 40 which I have now for 10 yrs.,! Loved driving the 35. Easier to maneuver, plenty of power. Got a 40 Allegro bus, for the space.
Thinking back, had a quad slide with private WC been available at the time in a 35, like now, I'd still be driving 35 or 37. Reason , there are a couple of RV parks in locations I like that are really,really twilight. Example, Boyd's IN Key West

gerdutch · 04-17-2017, 12:42 PM

Twilight=tight.......sorry

**TonyDi** · 04-17-2017, 01:45 PM

There is no campground that I absolutely positively have to stay at. I can always find a place to stay near where I want to be. Buy what makes the most sense for how you will use it.

If you're going to be in the mountains a lot look for the best power to weight ratio you can get. Yes all RVs will make it to the top. For me though, plodding up a steep grade at 35 mph is not fun.

twogypsies · 04-17-2017, 04:17 PM

We full-timed in a 40' no tag Newmar Dutch Star with 370. It handled beautifully in the western mountains which was our favorite place to stay. We had no issues with handling in wind and absolutely no issues getting a site in public parks - always our first choice (national parks, state parks, national forest campgrounds, etc.). We'd recommend a Newmar!

rvadventure · 04-17-2017, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oldmanlax

Thanks so far for the responses. Really looking for any driveability feedback. Its looking like its going to be a 36 or a 45 footer.
I have no issues of space as we are upgrading from an airstream. Either coach will have more than enough room. With the mountainous driving we will be doing, I'm most concerned about how the coach will handle, specifically the one without the tag and the 380 HP (Phaeton). Is there that much of a difference?
Not too concerned about park choice as there are plenty of big rig parks if we go up to that size.
We've traveled the country and many mountains in our airstream(34') and maybe hit high winds a few times. No big deal with our 3/4 ton pulling it with a sway bar mod.

I've had a 38' and 40' and our travel is so far exclusive in the west. We spend most of our time in the Sierra's and along the coast. Our coach handles really well in the mountains and on very windy roads. I would of liked a tag but the longer coach wouldn't fit in our garage. I would definitely get as much HP as you can for towing and the mountain roads. We pull a full size SUV and the 425 HP is fine. Our previous coach had a 330 HP and did good but much slower in the pass es. We also do fine in the wind, we know it's there but never had a white knuckle experience. Regards