Cummins 340HP or 360HP?

[WyoFree]

The following is the maximum load weight...

Forest River Berkshire 38A 32,000 Lbs.
Coachman Sports Coach 407FW 33,000 Lbs.

[firedoc]

1000 lbs is not going to make much difference. So the one with more HP/torque will be quicker, all other things being equal.

[guardrail53]

The transmission is the limiting factor in how much HP/Torque you can flash up your motor too! The question you need to ask your friend at Allison is the limit the 2500 will handle, with out voiding the warranty! It would be my guess, 340 HP is the limit on the 2500 transmission, or you could buy 340/2500 and flash the motor up to 360 or more HP!
As others have said, I would want a bigger displacement motor than a 5.9 if living and traveling out west! JMHO! Rail!

[WyoFree]

I for one would not have an interest in retuning the engine. I know there's a tuner for gassers but have not heard of one for a diesel!

[Ed Headington]

Our 34' Ventane LE has a GVWR of 31,000 pounds. With the 340 hp Cummins I'm getting 9m.5 to 10 mpg (got 7.2 with our C9 CAT), smooth shifts, flat bedroom floor over engine, and smooth transmission shifts. And as I stated above, in the Rockies, it does as well as my C9 CAT (400 hp) in a 40' Revolution. We are thrilled with our little 340 hp engine.

[Algonquin]

I'll second that. Often I will get a little better than 10 mpg (as reported by the dash display). Sure, a bigger engine would be nice on steep climbs, but for me, that is only 1% of my driving. It is a moot point because the 340 was the only available engine in my model.

[BigBadDad]

You would likely have to order a 360/3000 because the standard 340/2500 is what dealers will usually order into inventory. The increased cost of the 3000 is quite a few thousand and I have yet to run into anyone with a 340/2500 for a while that would choose to pay about $6,000 to have a 360/3000, especially if they have learned how to manage rpm for hills..

[WyoFree]

I'm happy I started this thread because I've learned some things important to me.

• The smooth shifting of the 340/2500
• The 340/2500 offers good MPG
• The 340/2500 gets you up the hills in reasonable fashion

You don't necessarily think of the extra $7,000 when you're looking at an MSRP of just under $300,000. But it's like anything else, why pay it if you don't need it! Before some start jumping on me about "if you don't need it" I know many feel its subjective.

As I said earlier, I really like the Berkshire 38A and it may in fact only come with the 340/2500. It also has a full wall slide on the patio side along with the dinette, couch and bunks and I really like that!

You've told me some good stuff about the 340/2500 and I like smooth shifting, it will make me feel less shiftless!

And Ed, if you'd take that extra 1500 pounds of exercise equipment out of the toad you're pulling, you'd get up that hill a lot faster! I know, I know it's all about the abs!!!

Harry

PS. BigBadDad, I do plan to order my coach and thank you for the advice.

[wnytaxman]

Originally Posted by WyoFree

And Ed, if you'd take that extra 1500 pounds of exercise equipment out of the toad you're pulling, you'd get up that hill a lot faster! I know, I know it's all about the abs!!!

Harry

Abs are what they used to be. Now their have morphed into flabs!

[WyoFree]

LOL... sad but so very true!

[DGBPokes]

We bought our used dp a couple years ago, I wanted the 400 ISL, Found a 350 ISL with the 3000 tranny. Learned I could chip the 350 up to 400 for about $800. So we bought the 350. My position now is.....works fine for us, why waste the $800.
In 25K miles, I be seen 40 mph on hills/ mountains..... 10 times, no big deal.

[WyoFree]

These "tune" thingy's you can buy for gassers and now for diesels I find out. Do they void the warrantee's and/or put undo stress on the engine/transmission?

Years ago I had a 42 Ford coupe, where I took out the old 6 banger and put in an Oldsmobile V8 with a few other modificationsl. My only problem was there was so much torque from the V8 that every time I put the peddle to it (the entire reason for the conversion by the way) it snapped the corder-pin on the drive wheel. Not the same thing but I sure did like that coupe!

[DD788Snipe]

Originally Posted by DGBPokes

We bought our used dp a couple years ago, I wanted the 400 ISL, Found a 350 ISL with the 3000 tranny. Learned I could chip the 350 up to 400 for about $800. So we bought the 350. My position now is.....works fine for us, why waste the $800.
In 25K miles, I be seen 40 mph on hills/ mountains..... 10 times, no big deal.

I had my ECM reflashed for $400. I got the 400HP and the 1200ft/pd of torque and it makes my coach a fire breathing dragon. Totally different coach. Even on 6 & 7% grades towing a 4500lb toad I never drop below 60mph and rarely drop below 5 gear and I just finish a 4600 mile trip from San Diego CA to Florence Or to Dallas Tx then back to Apple Valley CA and my fuel mileage didn't change much. The only thing it changed was my power RPM. I used to run at 1800 rpm and now I'm at 1950 to 2000 rpm. The trans temp runs around 10* hotter but that's it. That's were that engine wants to live now.
To the OP, bigger is always better. Go with the 360HP and the 3000 allison. You won't reget it.

[LVRVLUVR]

Originally Posted by WyoFree

Hey wnytaxman, do you have a feel for how much faster the 360HP / 3000 Allison would have gotten you up the hills?

I know when coach companies build a coach there is a price point their after allowing them to fit into a particular nitch. But why would they put an engine, gas or diesel, into a coach if it was obviously underpowered? Doesn't that hurt their brand?

It would also seem to me that Cummins would even chime in saying "hey, too much weight for that size engine"! Because they have to warrantee these coaches just as the coach builder does right?

Or am I on some Rocky Mountain High as sung by John Denver? Now that's some good music to drive your motorhome by! Then when you get on top the hill the speed is less bothersome!

not true....cummins has the motor de-tuned to the trans.... they pay for the hp...the torque is the problem....diesels love to pull... that's their design...

my tuner said he could crank up the hp... but it would blow the trans out...

I did a test on the two motors... 2 mph faster... I think one is 660 tq and the other is 700