Considering 08 Patriot C 13

[David Burris]

Not considering changing engine.  just buy another motorhome.  What Coach and engine do you have Gil?  I am looking at a 525 Cat in a 08 Patroit.  Would anyone have any ideas on this engine?  Torque curve looks real good..

[Gerald Farris]

 David,
If you are concerned about fuel mileage, you probably will not like the C 13 engine in the coach that you referred to, however if you are like most coach owners and realize that fuel cost is one of our lower expense items, following depreciation and taxes in some states, it is a nice coach. The C 13 in the 2008 Thunder will probably average around 6 MPG, and can go as low as 5 MPG depending on speed and terain.

The durability on the engine is excellent, with the exception of some problems with the DPF (diesel particulate filter) system on some engines, and if the coach is a 2008, it probably has a DPF system. The performance of the coach is good, and the Jake brake will be a considerable improvement over your exhaust brake.

Gerald

[Larry Fisk]

I concur with Gerald, it is an excellent engine. We have 56,000 on ours without any issues. We do not have the DPF so I can't speak to that but do know that we avg. 6.5 miles per gallon and with a lot of hills have gotten as low as five. My feeling is it is worth the trade off in engine performance. We do stay on top of the required PM schedule, I feel that is an important aspect of engine reliability.

[Jerry Carr]

With our C13 we Avg 6.5-7mpg we are in Seattle so we spend a lot of time on the passes. going down I-5 we can do a little better 7.5.

[Gil_Johnson]

David,

Like you, I have a '08 Contessa.  Mine's a Westport 42.  Now that CAT has finally got past the C-9 engine problems we've had, why move to another DPF equipped engine that likely experienced similar problems.  Before CAT addressed our issues,, I was seriously considering changing coaches.  The cost to change was just too much.  I'm glad I stuck it out.

I must admit there are times when I'd like more power, but not often.

Gil