Hi, I have a 1990 Econoline E350 Tioga 26' motorhome equipped with a 460 EFI. I just drove from Colorado to the Keys and back and averaged only 7.5 mpg, albeit with plenty of hp and comfortable cruising speeds of 75 mph. The engine is strong and runs very well with 90,000 miles on it . Is this mpg about right for a 12K lb rig or should I be getting better gas mileage?
WJW
I think you should be getting worse gas mileage. That sounds really good if you're going 75. Lots of wind resistance with a motorhome.
Along the way, I kept meeting folks with huge bus-type "Class A" motorhomes pulling cars. They were all claiming 10 to 12 mpg, some with diesel but many with gas engines smaller than mine. My motorhome is a "Class C" which is substantially smaller...about the size of a 25' Ryder box truck. The other interesting thing about my 460 EFI is I get about the same mpg regardless of whether I'm going over Vail Pass here in Colorado, or driving across I-10 in Louisiana.
WJW
I have about the same setup and I only get around 6.5 at 75 mph. At 65mph I only get 7.2 or so. Be happy, your doing good.
You've got to look at the technology improvements made since your 460 was built. The last 14 years have seen some dramatic improvements in efficiency in both gas and diesel. I'd say you're getting excellent mileage.
JH
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I'm surprised you did that well. I have an 89 F250 with the 460 engine. With a Lance camper on the back I'm lucky to get 6 mpg at 65 mph. As a result, I almost never use the pig any more.
As I noted, I had no tow vehicles and the engine runs very strong. I logged every gallon purchased and checked my odometer against the mile posts for accuracy. The total trip was 5017 miles door-to-door. I maintain good tires/air and change the fluids regularly at 3 to 4K intervals. Most of all, I run at 90% of the gvw and make sure that the bins are relatively balanced from side to side. Interestingly, I get 7.8 mpg at 65mph but she handles best at 75mph which gives me 7.5mpg...except crossing Texas against the wind wherein I got 6.5 mpg. The 1990 Tioga is more streamlined than either the newer ones or the older ones and I firmly believe that this is a real contributing factor. I also maintain a balanced driveline with good u-joints, which greatly improves ride/handling and eliminates 90% of the rattles while traveling. Picture this...I discovered by accident that my
460/Tioga can actually "spin" her rear wheels when I'm not hauling a heavy load...even with 90,000 miles on the engine! All in all though...90,000 miles of consistent engine maintenance does pay-off!WJW
Something is wrong with the vehicle tune-up wise. You should be getting at least 8 mpg at these speeds and about 10-11 mpg empty.
No, the tune is right on the money. It did get about 1-2 mpg better about ten years ago but then it ate a timing chain and I had to do some work on it. A hotter cam was installed and I lost about 2 mpg. Still, it was and is a gas hog.
Something is wrong with the vehicle tune-up wise. You should be getting at least 8 mpg at these speeds and about 10-11 mpg empty.
It does get about 10 mpg empty but loaded is a whole nother thing. Remember, this is a Calif rig with all of the late 80s emissions crud. Trust me, it is tuned and it is running at its best. Tires inflated to 90 psi, alignment on the money, the whole rig has less than 25,000 on it.
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