Author Topic: Hello from Cincinnati  (Read 7290 times)

Gary Curtis

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Hello from Cincinnati
« on: February 28, 2020, 02:36:36 AM »
Hi BAC! New member from Cincinnati. Picking up our new to us 2007 Beaver this weekend in Chicago. This is our first motor home. Sure to have many questions ahead but first one will have to be what fuel consumption should I expect on a 275 mile highway journey?
Gary & Bonnie Curtis (Cincinnati, OH)
2007 Beaver Patriot Thunder - Hanover 44    #043155
CAT C-13, 525HP, Alison 4000MH
Towing 2019 Tesla M3 (Sparkie)
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Lee Welbanks

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Re: Hello from Cincinnati
« Reply #1 on: February 28, 2020, 03:29:44 AM »
Gary,
Welcome to the forum, this group here can probably answer any question that you might have about your coach, or about anything else you can dream up. And if they don't know they can probably tell you where you can find that answer.
I have a 06 Patriot Thunder bought it the end of 12 and have put a little over 50K miles on it so far, learned so much from the crew in this forum.
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Joel Ashley

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Re: Hello from Cincinnati
« Reply #2 on: February 28, 2020, 03:42:32 AM »
It mostly depends on how you drive.  You’ll find members here have different opinions. 

My personal take is:  if you go to about 62 mph and don’t let the speed go below 57, you can stay in 6th gear on flat highways, and be efficient.  Using Econo Mode and cruise control helps. I’ve had as much as 10mpg in ideal situations, such as a 600 mile trip with a mostly cruise control and a following wind.  But in hill country or against the wind you’d be lucky to average 4-5 mpg.  You have to drive conservatively over a period of time to determine your ideal specific results.  But in some states on certain highways 60mph will impede most other traffic, so you may want to fudge to a different average speed to keep from doing that. 

It becomes an individual judgement situation, and how much speed you as a person are willing to indemnify in favor of fuel savings in the long run.  Anytime fuel mileage is raised here or elsewhere as a topic, a number of different responses result.  Generally you should consider 5mpg to 6 mpg to be expected overall, but others will tout less or more as common to their experience.  Coach weights and towed weights, engine differences, personal driving habits, and environmental conditions of course all factor in.

Joel
Joel and Lee Rae Ashley
Clackamas, Oregon
36.9 ft. 2006 Monterey Ventura IV, aka"Monty Rae"
C9 400HP Cat
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Steve Huber Co-Admin

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Re: Hello from Cincinnati
« Reply #3 on: February 28, 2020, 03:48:40 AM »
Gary,
I've got  an 07 Contessa Bayshore (tag axle) and consistently avg 7-7.5 mpg depending on the terrain. I set the CC at 65 on the highway until I get in the hills and then control gear selection manually. The C9 is designed to run hotter than most other CAT engines. They have a 206 F thermostat so run about 204 on the flats. The fan speed is controlled by the wax valve so don't kick the RPM way up when climbing as higher rpm buys you nothing but increased engine heat. The key is to maximize torque. Max torque is speced about 1450-1500 RPM. I find that if I keep RPM about 1800, I can control engine temp. Don't worry about speed when climbing. In the mtns I spend most of my climbing in 3rd gear. The coach will climb with CC on but you need to watch engine temp. Check engine light comes on about 225 and derate will trigger at 230-235. I get up most steep grades at 215F  max.
Use the Aladdin readouts. The dash gauges are pretty much for entertainment only.
Welcome. Steve
Steve
2015-          07 Contessa Bayshore C9,  400 hp
2013-2015: 00 Marquis Tourmaline, C12, 425 hp
2005-2013: 01 Contessa Naples, 3126B, 330 hp
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Bill Lampkin

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Re: Hello from Cincinnati
« Reply #4 on: February 28, 2020, 04:13:55 AM »
Our C-13 refuses to get more than 5.5 mpg. Other than that, we love our '05 Patriot Thunder! All the best to you and your new rig!
2005 Patriot Thunder Lexington, 3 slides
40' tag axle (short wheelbase)
525 hp C13

"Goin where the weather suits my clothes..."
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Keith Moffett

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Re: Hello from Cincinnati
« Reply #5 on: February 28, 2020, 10:53:40 AM »
Gary
Welcome to the club and forum.  Congrats on the coach.  Hannover is a gorgeous rig! 
I suggest a large open parking lot just to drive forward and back.  Stop and Go at different speeds so you get familiar. 
Remember, 7 year old tires are pretty much done regardless of tread wear.  This is a common expense new owners get stuck with and should have checked before taking delivery.
Drive safe and have fun.
2007 Patriot Thunder
45' C-13
2006 Explorer Ltd.
DW is Carol
Safe travels and
May God bless!
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Gary Curtis

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Re: Hello from Cincinnati
« Reply #6 on: February 28, 2020, 01:18:28 PM »
Thank you all for your insight into fuel economy...I searched around and could not find any information.  I once had a GMC 6.2 liter diesel Dually Crew Cab with 5:38 gears in the rear and it got about 12-13 miles per gallon no matter what (flat land, hills towing etc.) so I figured 12.5 liters was going to consume at least double that and it sounds like 6-7 mpg is what I am going to see. So 45-50 gallons of fuel ($125) is still a lot less expensive than flying.



Gary & Bonnie Curtis (Cincinnati, OH)
2007 Beaver Patriot Thunder - Hanover 44    #043155
CAT C-13, 525HP, Alison 4000MH
Towing 2019 Tesla M3 (Sparkie)

Gary Curtis

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Re: Hello from Cincinnati
« Reply #7 on: February 28, 2020, 01:30:54 PM »
Steve Huber- Thanks for your insight into the engine temperature...as a kid my parents had a 10 ft slide in camper and I remember 2nd or 3rd gear slow lane hill climbs with the radiator boiling over.  I was thinking that 525 HP would allow me to climb like the wind but I guess not.
Gary & Bonnie Curtis (Cincinnati, OH)
2007 Beaver Patriot Thunder - Hanover 44    #043155
CAT C-13, 525HP, Alison 4000MH
Towing 2019 Tesla M3 (Sparkie)

Gary Curtis

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Re: Hello from Cincinnati
« Reply #8 on: February 28, 2020, 01:46:22 PM »
Keith Moffett - Thanks for you insight on the tires.  I fully suspect that 8 new tires ($4k-$5k) are in my future.  I was just hoping that I can get home without any tire issues on my first trip.  I purchased the Auto club Premier RV Option and then found out that it is not valid for at least a week so I went ahead and purchased the RV Roadside Assistance package from FMCA. Hopefully one of them will show up to fix a tire problem if I have one.
Gary & Bonnie Curtis (Cincinnati, OH)
2007 Beaver Patriot Thunder - Hanover 44    #043155
CAT C-13, 525HP, Alison 4000MH
Towing 2019 Tesla M3 (Sparkie)

Steve Huber Co-Admin

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Re: Hello from Cincinnati
« Reply #9 on: February 28, 2020, 02:30:21 PM »
Gary,
Sorry, For some reason I thought you had an 07 Contessa. The C13 should be much more forgiving on hills.
Steve
Steve
2015-          07 Contessa Bayshore C9,  400 hp
2013-2015: 00 Marquis Tourmaline, C12, 425 hp
2005-2013: 01 Contessa Naples, 3126B, 330 hp
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David T. Richelderfer

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Re: Hello from Cincinnati
« Reply #10 on: February 28, 2020, 02:44:07 PM »
Our coach is a 2004 Marquis Sapphire, 45 feet, and weighs about 43,000 pounds ready to go.  We pull a Chevy Avalanche which weighs about 6,500 pounds.  Our engine is the 505 hp, Cat C-12.  I keep track of the fuel gallons, fuel price, and miles for every fill in a ledger.  Over about 30,000 miles I think we average between 5 and 5.5 mpg.  The highest mileage I have calculated on a fill was about 6.8 mpg, the lowest about 3.8 mpg.  On fast wide-open highways with high speed-limits, I have set the cruise control as high as 78 mph.  The best mileage (6.8 mpg) I have seen was between Butte, MT going south on I-15 to Rexburg, ID, then across US-20 to the Boise Stage Stop near Boise, ID.  Why?  There must have been a tailwind, eh?  We rarely travel more than 500 miles on a fill; the tank is 150 gallons.

On a March trip home to Oregon from Arizona a few years ago, we traveled with another couple from Scotty's Junction, NV to Mountain Home, ID.  I followed at their speed of 62 mph.  We took the back road from Tonapah, NV to Battle Mountain, NV - in 200 miles we saw barely a handful of vehicles.  I don't remember seeing a significant increase in mileage for that tank.
2004 Beaver Marquis Sapphire

I had a dream... then I lived it!
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Jerry Carr

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Re: Hello from Cincinnati
« Reply #11 on: February 28, 2020, 05:03:52 PM »
Hi Gary, Welcome Aboard, bottom line on our 06 PT with the C13 we didn't have any of the add on stuff for fuel like DEF but we did put on bout 75,000 mile and never saw better the 6.5 average mpg. Yes some better some bad but average 6.5 that is a great powerplant if your pulling nothing will slow you down.   
Regards,
Jerry Carr
Past Region 1 V.P.
Entegra Anthem
06 Pat. Thunder Cat C13
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Gary Curtis

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Re: Hello from Cincinnati
« Reply #12 on: February 28, 2020, 05:56:51 PM »
Jerry Carr - Thank You

           "....that is a great powerplant if your pulling nothing will slow you down."

Now that is what I'm expecting!  I don't want to be that guy in the slow lane climbing the hill.
Gary & Bonnie Curtis (Cincinnati, OH)
2007 Beaver Patriot Thunder - Hanover 44    #043155
CAT C-13, 525HP, Alison 4000MH
Towing 2019 Tesla M3 (Sparkie)

Gary Curtis

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Re: Hello from Cincinnati
« Reply #13 on: February 28, 2020, 06:02:08 PM »
David T. Richelderfer - Thank you,

        "....I have set the cruise control as high as 78"

Now this sounds more like my style of driving...I'm seeing numbers like 62 in responses and thinking that is nice but that will never happen.
Gary & Bonnie Curtis (Cincinnati, OH)
2007 Beaver Patriot Thunder - Hanover 44    #043155
CAT C-13, 525HP, Alison 4000MH
Towing 2019 Tesla M3 (Sparkie)

Bill Lampkin

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Re: Hello from Cincinnati
« Reply #14 on: February 28, 2020, 06:07:13 PM »
One warning: High speed = higher tire temps = tire failure. I'm retired, what's your hurry?

https://www.rvtiresafety.net/
2005 Patriot Thunder Lexington, 3 slides
40' tag axle (short wheelbase)
525 hp C13

"Goin where the weather suits my clothes..."
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