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Old 11-20-2010, 02:34 PM   #27 (permalink)
woodydel
EcoModding Lurker
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: ny
Posts: 21
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Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post
Well, I'm in the process of figuring out how to streamline my Class A motorhome. It's GVWR is 18000 lbs and the GCWR is 26000. It's got a Ford V10 and currently averages 10 MPG. That's at 55-57 MPH on the highway. It's 32 feet long and there is all kinds of stuff sticking out of every surface top, bottom and sides. I know here 10 MPG is considered horrible but I can remember way back when a Ford pickup with a crew cab would get 8 MPG. First I want to make skirts for the rear tires and second some type of air deflectors for the tires front and rear. The front tire air deflectors I'm thinking to be part of a pan across the bottom down as low as the front axle height. The front tire air deflector would also streamline the front axle. In order to do this, I have to keep the coach looking good. My wife is not going to tolerate cardboard panels as we travel. I have already posted about this motorhome on this site. The rear needs work to smoothe out the air flow. I carry a 250 cc scooter on back so it has to accommodate the scooter's being taken on and off the rack.

My underside is aerodynamically a nightmare. My idea is to keep the air moving around rather than under the motorhome.

The Chevy is only driven intermittently and streamlining it might not happen. Over a three year 4 month period I only drove it 19000 miles. Which by the way is the best way to economize. To NOT drive unless necessary. This happens to be contrary to my overall driving record. The 1999 Mazda B 4000 which the Chevy replaced currently has 195,000 miles on it. That's a lot of fuel I purchased. The best I ever got in MPG was 19. It still gets 19. When I could get fuel without ethanol it would just clear 22 MPG. Even though the Chevy beat it by a wide margin, I still stopped unnecessary driving and even then the scooter is my first choice.

My opinion about the OP getting upset is he just wanted to know what to choose. He did not want to justify the type of vehicle. Maybe he got help from what I did with the Chevy. My son with the same year truck from GMC doesn't give a damn about economy. It has all the same features but he just doesn't seem interested. When in his truck with him driving, he can't stand my questioning his driving habits as far as economizing goes. So to see someone interested enough to ask questions is a good thing.
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