Community Forums

rorr1821 · 10-28-2016, 06:50 AM

The Entegra Aspire and Anthem have the 450 ISL and the Cornerstone has the ISX. Does the ISL engine provide enough reserve power when traveling in mountain terrain like you would find in Utah or other Western States? I know the Cornerstone would have no problem with the ISX. I am getting ready to make a purchase. Thanks.

DebbieMH · 10-28-2016, 07:15 AM

We have an Anthem and just spent 5 months out west in various mountains. We had no problems. A cornerstone will get you there faster- but an anthem or aspire will get you there fine.

DebbieMH · 10-28-2016, 07:21 AM

I just read Cruzers response on your other thread - if a Cornerstone price point isn't a hardship - get the Cornerstone. We are happy with our Anthem and that was the price point we were comfortable with at the time we purchased.

Cruzer · 10-28-2016, 07:28 AM

Post # 18 on this thread.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f278/2017...-312291-2.html

Hayman · 10-28-2016, 07:43 AM

We are full timers and part of our purchasing decision was should we go with the Annthem or Cornerstone. The Anthem was our choice with no regrets.
We also are at the end of a 7K + trip that started in Mass, thru SD to Yellowstone, Tetons , Monument Valley, Vegas, Santa Fe and many other places that at times we were 10K or so in elevation. We pulled the up hill climbs just fine and the high engine brake & Tranny handled the descents equally fine even in switchback roads where we checked out our friends coach roofs.
I fully understand and agree with Mark's assessment of it's not just the engine but for us the additional $120K in cost is much better utilized towards fuel, campgrounds and eating out 😀😀.
JMHO but you must do what is best for you !

Tall Tex · 10-28-2016, 07:47 AM

It depends on your definition of reserve power. We traveled all summer out west including Colorado, Utah, and 10 other states. We went over dozens of passes. When climbing 5 to 7% grades with the ISL, you will be at full throttle. NO reserve. On some of the passes gravity slowed us to 37 mph at full throttle ( 3rd gear). This is not a bad thing because these engines can do this all day long without any issues. It also gives the driver an opportunity to enjoy the scenery. You will be passing loaded trucks and some other motorhomes. However, the 600 horsepower guys will be able to pass you. That is if the highway has passing lanes and if the road is straight enough to allow higher speeds. I found that many of the passes have switch backs that don't allow you to go much faster anyway. 99% of the time the ILS has plenty of reserve power.

All this said, it really comes down to budget and ego, if you can afford the Cornerstone, by all means go for it. If not, the ILS will serve you very well.

RubiconTrail · 10-28-2016, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tall Tex

All this said, it really comes down to budget and ego, if you can afford the Cornerstone, by all means go for it. If not, the ILS will serve you very well.

I agree with this. 45,000 on the Anthem all over the country, mostly in the west, and almost always towing. The ISL will do the job, the ISX will do the job in the left lane. Next coach I will be upgrading.

lowejug · 10-28-2016, 12:15 PM

I live in Utah and do most of our traveling around the west with some serious grades ,,,Imho I think the anthem is under powered !! I do my best to follow what some others say and " we are not in a hurry and we're ok with 35 mph up hills" but it gets irritating to me when I am pegged and
Can't even do the minimum legal speed limit. It's not bad enough to make a change but to answer your question it's no power house .. never have had the opportunity to drive the 600 cornerstone but I have heard its way better but also way mores money
Jmo...

brobox · 10-28-2016, 08:12 PM

If I still lived in Colorado, I would be driving a Cornerstone. To go anywhere on the front range in CO requires a major pass. Living in the flats of Florida now the 450 is okay. I did feel under powered in CO last year. I also had fuel mileage problems on the same trip, then found out I was lacking 13 upgrades on my Cummins ECM. Much better mileage now and more power, but the highest thing I have pulled is a freeway on ramp since the ECM update.

Matt D · 10-28-2016, 09:37 PM

This issue gets batted around every so often.

While torque, HP, integrity and honor are all qualities difficult to overdo, the goal should remain the driving factor.

In our case, bunks are important so an unmodified CS wouldnt suit us, regardless of the power.

Additionally, I find the HP/TQ equation to be less important because I'm already where I want to be. If I'm with my family, I'm happy.

We toured the Rockies with 380HP and did just fine. The big plus for me with this coach is the engine brake and side radiator. The rear radiator coach was sometimes difficult to work on.

If I could find a used CS with bunks, I'd jump on it.

-Matt

lowejug · 10-29-2016, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brobox

If I still lived in Colorado, I would be driving a Cornerstone. To go anywhere on the front range in CO requires a major pass. Living in the flats of Florida now the 450 is okay. I did feel under powered in CO last year. I also had fuel mileage problems on the same trip, then found out I was lacking 13 upgrades on my Cummins ECM. Much better mileage now and more power, but the highest thing I have pulled is a freeway on ramp since the ECM update.

I had the ecm updates you had also in middlebury this august .. I will say it really helped the power and mileage,, coming back to utah was a noticeable
difference on the hills.. you will be happier with your performance whenever you come back out west,
I agree with living back east the 450 is definitely enough power as there are no mountains there.. the west is a different story...

brobox · 10-29-2016, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lowejug

I had the ecm updates you had also in middlebury this august .. I will say it really helped the power and mileage,, coming back to utah was a noticeable
difference on the hills.. you will be happier with your performance whenever you come back out west,
I agree with living back east the 450 is definitely enough power as there are no mountains there.. the west is a different story...

That is really good news. I was never notified of the ECM changes as my dealer never registered my engine with Cummins. For those with new or even older coaches, do check to see if your engine has been registered with Cummins. I found out how important it is. My best mileage before was 6.7 and lower on the average. Now I am getting 7.3 like most, and the power is much better.

Gary.Jones · 10-29-2016, 07:47 AM

When this issue was last "re-hashed" here on iRV2, there were several Cornerstone owners who indicated that they climb the same ascents that we are discussing at 45 mph, when those of us having the 450 ISL climb those grades at 37-40. If you have ~ $120,000 for the 600 Cummins and a bigger transmission (and now a movable tag) and 8 mph difference when climbing hills, I would certainly say go for the 600 hp. I still see darn little difference inside the coach (Cornerstone versus Anthem, and I just toured and examined them here in Middlebury last week) between the two models, and my opinion is that you are spending the extra cash for the engine, tranny, frame, IS and disc brakes, and AquaHot (now also some electronics). So, make sure that those features are worth the additional investment.

Gary