Ford V10 vs 460 or Chevy454

[Wizard29]

Looking at buying a 29' to 34' motorhome with a gas engine.
Seems like I have my choice of the Ford V-10, the Ford 460, or the Chevy 454. What's the general consensus around here on which one is the best to get in a motorhome?

[dicudmore]

all 3 work OK for motorhomes...
If you can get a diesel, you WILL be happier

[Squirtin Thunder]

Looking at buying a 29' to 34' motorhome with a gas engine.
Seems like I have my choice of the Ford V-10, the Ford 460, or the Chevy 454. What's the general consensus around here on which one is the best to get in a motorhome?
It is my choice to run the 460 EFI. I have tons of miles and it is just like the energizer bunny. It has 478K on it and original hoses. I did have to replace the water pump at about 350K though. I also get desent milage concidering, it is in a 4x4 dually lifted 6" it is also a long bed supercab truck. 9mpg in town and about 13 - 16mpg on the freeway.

[jbtrailerjim]

My dad has a 30' with the Ford V10 in it. He loves it. I've driven it before and it has plenty of power.

[sigepmock]

If you can, try and find a newer moho with the Chevy 8.1L on the Work Horse chasis. That seems to be the next best thing to the diesel, from the research I've done. We've rented a 25' class C with the 460efi for New Years to see how it does, I'll let you know.
Chris

[spectratoad]

I have a 35' Class A with a Ford V10 in it. I tow the boat, a Spectra 20', ATV's, My Jeep Cherokee with no problems. It is in whatever chassis that Ford puts out for motorhomes.
I would prefer a diesel and eventually will get one but I am not disappointed with what I have.

[Cole Trickle]

Looking at buying a 29' to 34' motorhome with a gas engine.
Seems like I have my choice of the Ford V-10, the Ford 460, or the Chevy 454. What's the general consensus around here on which one is the best to get in a motorhome?
Go with the Dual Scorpions!!!;)
Diesel would be my first choice followed by the 8.1L

[dmontzsta]

Either way you go, you are going to drink gas. The best way is diesel.
Out of the 3, I would go with the 460. With my experience they just keep going and going, the drink the gas, but so do the other candidates.

[Jim W]

Wizard,
I am not a motor home owner or have any RV experience to speak of however, I store lots of them with my storage business.
What I heard a few years ago is:
the 454 will out pull the Fords on hills but the Chevys have a wimpy chassis and dont handle well with that big box on em. They weebole-wobble down the road.
I have one veteran RV guy who bought a new RV on a Chevy chassis and after his first trip turned it in for a Ford chassis. The thing was all over the road. This guy has had lots of RV's but never a new one and went for the Chevy.
One thing that this guy pointed out about the Chevy chassis is that they dont sit level. The rear is jacked up to carry the weight. If ya look at one, you will see what I am talking about. Also, if you look at the steering gears, they are (or were) right out of a pick-up truck. The Fords have a bigger gear in em.
This is what I was told a few years ago. It could be that things have changed?
I drive a Dodge and have a BBC in my boat and really dont have any bias twards Chevy of Ford. I do agree diesel is the way to go. Personally, I would find a sweet used diesel pusher before I bought a brand new gas job.
Be good, Jim

[MACHINEHEAD]

So your goin to save 40 bucks in fuel (with the dsl.) on a 2000 dollar "week at the river"!! 8.1 in the ford chassis, get started.

[H20 Toie]

I have had a 1986 34' motorhome with 454 a 1994 34' with a 460 and now 2001 34' with a v10 The v10 gets better mileage than the others did 8mpg compare to 5 with the 454 All of them pulled fine even with trailers just don't plan on going 65 up hills when pulling a 8k lb trailer. When i get another it is going to be a diesel. My v10 i think pulls better than the other ones even though i have a lot more weight, this motorhome has dual slideouts and the buggy is a long travel with a v8 in a 26' trailer compared to the 18' trailer i use to have with a vw engine buggy.

[ECeptor]

all 3 work OK for motorhomes...
If you can get a diesel, you WILL be happier
Yep, I was thinking a 3208 CAT would be better than those 3.

[Wizard29]

Thanks for the input, everyone. I agree that a diesel would be the way to go, but the cost of getting a diesel engine in the first place along with the ridiculous cost of diesel itself makes me lean towards gas for now. Eventually we will probably upgrade to the diesel.
From what I hear, it appears the V-10 would be satisfactory. I'll be pulling a 22' enclosed trailer at about 4,000 pounds plus two quads and a Pilot.
If I could get the Fiancee to chuck that lead block of a Pilot, we'd be doing much better. I hate that thing....

[Big Kahunaa]

460 is the only way to fly my 95 f-350 has got 322000 milles on it and will stomp a mud hole in a v-10 and a 454

[jbtrailerjim]

From what I hear, it appears the V-10 would be satisfactory. I'll be pulling a 22' enclosed trailer at about 4,000 pounds plus two quads and a Pilot.
My pops pulls his 26' enclosed trailer with his 3000lb street rod in it. It does fine. When he bought it a few years ago, he test drove several different motorhomes with the 460, 454, & the 8.1 in them. He liked the power of the V10 the best.

[THOR]

I opted for the V10 in my Excursion and dont regret it at all. I drive a diesel for my work truck and really dont like it. Diesels seem to be slugs compared to gas engines. I put on the K&N kit along with the Gibson exhaust and I pull my 26' trailer up anything at any speed I want. Also, I get about 9 miles per gallon too.

[Dave C]

opinions are like... ;)
I got the V10. It tows very good (26 ft motorhome with 6500-7000 # boat). Relatively speaking it gets pretty good mileage for a motorhome. It runs hard unloaded.
If I was a baller I would get a diesel too.

[Sleek-Jet]

I've driven a Chevy chassis 454 class A from coast to coast several times and never experianced any ill handling. I've also driven a Ford V10 class A on several occasions, the only difference I've found is you have to give the little V10 time to wind up. It won't pull off the line as hard as a Chevy. Once they are moving, there is not much difference.
I second the recomendation for the 8.1 Chevy. Spent a weekend a couple years ago in one and it was by far the most powerfull gas motor home I've driven.
I know in the class A ranks, the fuel milage seems to run about the same, whether gas or diesel. The diesel rigs are always heavier and people step into them more on the hills and such, so that nixes any mpg advantages. I camped next to a guy with a big Fleetwood pusher (their top of the line model), and he claimed about 6 mpg on average, about the same I see with a gas engine.

[KACHINA KEN]

Looking at buying a 29' to 34' motorhome with a gas engine.
Seems like I have my choice of the Ford V-10, the Ford 460, or the Chevy 454. What's the general consensus around here on which one is the best to get in a motorhome?
dont do it, step up for a diesel.

[Hardly Satisfied]

Get A Diesel

[XTRM22]

My Uncle owns an Rv dealership in New Mexico, and he really likes the V-10, enough so that it was what he got for his motorhome, (before he stepped up to the deisel pusher). I have the v-10 in my F350 and love it. I also have an old motorhome with a carb 460 in it and it runs great too, but the gas consumption on the carb 460 is painful... even compared to the v-10. It's up hill from Havasu to Flagstaff all the freaking way, towing the box trailer full of quads and hunting gear the the F350 got 10mpg, the motorhome running the same speed running light (for a motorhome) got 5.5 mpg. I thik any of the three yopu mentioned will do the job, but I'd lean towards the V-10 1st and a fuel injected 460 2nd.
Chuck

[Seadog]

Except for the diehard Chevy fans, the V10 is the prefered engine for MH chassis use. The new models are much better than the earlier years. GM even thought of coming out with a V10 but the last I heard they killed the project.
As for diesel, I am a fan, but right now the cost of diesel is too high to give any gains from higher mpg. The Class C MH chassis do not have room for intercoolers and so the diesels are not as efficient as the ones in the pickups. Some Class A models may be different, but it looks like the payback for the diesel is almost non-existent.

[Sleek-Jet]

Except for the diehard Chevy fans, the V10 is the prefered engine for MH chassis use. The new models are much better than the earlier years. GM even thought of coming out with a V10 but the last I heard they killed the project.
As for diesel, I am a fan, but right now the cost of diesel is too high to give any gains from higher mpg. The Class C MH chassis do not have room for intercoolers and so the diesels are not as efficient as the ones in the pickups. Some Class A models may be different, but it looks like the payback for the diesel is almost non-existent.
Are we talking Class A or Class C chassis? I don't even think Chevy is offering a Class C chassis currently, which pretty much leaves Ford as the default. I know you don't see alot of older Chevy Class C since they wouldn't put a big-block in the van bodies, so they were hampered by that.
In the Class A ranks, it seems that the market is split between Ford and Chevy in the entry levels. I wouldn't consider a new Diesel to be an entry level coach. From what I could tell from driving the different models, there is very little difference, aside from a few idocynrasis, between the make of chassis. It would be nice to see the allison transmission in the GM chassis though.

[OGShocker]

W29,
I am not sure what you want to spend but, here is a site (http://www.rvtrader.com/onepriceprogram.php) where you can build your own DIESEL pusher. You will have to give up your contact information for a final price. The site does allow you to see the options pricing.
Good luck!
OGS

[Cole]

A few years back I owned a motorhome rental business and maitained all my own units.
My experience is that all will do the job just fine....however. If you plan on having the motorhome for a few years you might want to consider a "used" diesel.... 1997-2004 class "A".
These are motorhomes that would have sold for $125k-250k... and now you can get one for half the cost by letting the original owner take the appreciation hit! I was looking at a used 1999 34' fleetwood Discovery double slide 300 cummins w/28,000 miles for $69k!! original price would be in the
125-150K range!!
Now the gas engines are fine...but I had a lot of problems with the 460's. One issue was cracked exaust manifolds when ran to hot!!! They say the Ford has more torque and a beefier chassis... the Chevy has more horsepower, I like the way the chevy 454 sounds and runs, the ford has a hard time finding gears going up hills!!
The V-10 "in a motorhome" is much better choice in my opinion....
Take a little time and try to find that diamond in the rough...there are a lot of low mile RVs out there...people buy one and only put a couple of thousand miles a year on it...it's not out of the question to find a 3-5 year old coach with less the 5000 miles on it!!! You might want to consider a slide-out...it will be much better for resale and you will REALLY appreciate the room!!!
Lastly....go and rent a few and see what floor plan makes sence for you!!
I thought the class "C" would be great for the family...but I discovered the the limited view from the front window wasn't for me and made me really appreciate the BIG windows on a class "A".
Good luck and let us know what you get!!!! :D

[Wizard29]

My Dad has a 36' Monaco pusher and he swears by it. The problem is that I don't have the 100K+ to spend.
We used to use a '91 class "C" with the 460, which is a complete dog with our trailer attached. Coming home from Glamis, the Whitewater grade was always a challenge. Now we are looking for a class "A" with more power and a little bit of an upgrade.
I called last night on a '99 Southwind Storm with 11K miles on a V-10. Guy hasn't called me back yet. We are trying to stay in the $30K and '97 to '99 range. Good enough for as often we will/will not use it. Can't get a diesel for that money, and the extra cost for diesel rules out the feasibility in my opinion. For the savings, I'm willing to take it a little slower on the hills. I figure I'll only get home about five minutes later anyway...

[Beer-30]

dont do it, step up for a diesel.
Amen.
In looking at the mechanics of things, nothing over about 25-27 feet should be gas powered. Bucking a headwind in one of those 29-34 footers, uphill, towing, with full fluids and gear has the gas engine at full-dyno. The heat generated is staggering. I see them burnt up all the time on the side of the road - half way up a hill. The diesel engines are designed to do this all day long.
A friend let us borrow a brand new (4000 miles) 32' with 8.1L / Allison. Towing a Malibu tourny boat, 6 adults, and required gear, we never saw higher than 3mpg to Havi and back. We tried 70 mph, 65 mph, and finally 55 mph. None mattered. It had the instant mileage read-out on the dash. That stuff is just too heavy for a "small" gas motor like that. To be efficient with that kind of weight and wind-resistance, a 3208 would be nice. Any of the latest pickup diesels would be a good starting point.

[jbtrailerjim]

We are trying to stay in the $30K and '97 to '99 range. Good enough for as often we will/will not use it. Can't get a diesel for that money, and the extra cost for diesel rules out the feasibility in my opinion. For the savings, I'm willing to take it a little slower on the hills. I figure I'll only get home about five minutes later anyway...
You should have no problem finding a used one in that price range. My dads is a 99 Damon 30'. He bought his 3 years ago used and he paid right around 35k for it. Good luck in your search. :)