New Winnie questions

PhilNDenise · 04-10-2015, 07:16 PM

First trip out with our 2015 Sightseer 35G. Love the coach so far, have a few concerns though. Had a 2005 National Sea Breeze, 35 foot with 8.1 Vortec engine, loved it. Am a little concerned about the high RPM necessary to shift through gears between 3000 and 4000 rpm. Also I used to get between 8 and 9 mpg, this trip with the Winnie I only got 6.0. Also when I am driving I hear a lot of wind noise, like a window is open. Looked around and haven't found a reason yet. Love the layout though.

Any ideas about the noise and MPG?

JimGeorgia · 04-11-2015, 05:45 AM

The high RPM shift points are something that a lot of V10 owners experience with the "stock" settings. Ford uses only one setting for the V10 motor, even though the power train is used in a number of different vehicles. Many V10 owners have used (including myself) the 5 star tuning "fix" to improve shift points and cut down on the numerous downshifts that occur on the stock setup. There are a number of comments you can find on this forum regarding "5 star tuning", so suggest you read them and make the decision. The mpg issue is not fixed with 5 star, although some folks are reporting slightly better milage, but you will certainly see an improvement in how your tranny handles. You can get more info at their website: www.5startuning.com

PhilNDenise · 04-11-2015, 05:55 PM

Thanks for the info Jim, I will certainly check it out. The Allison transmission in my Sea Breeze was pretty good, I hesitated upgrading for a long time because of the Ford engine and transmission, but alas, I had no choice but to bite the bullet. I was hoping that 6 MPG would be shocking to someone but it sounds like it is normal. It does run much quitter except for the wind noise that seems to come from the front near the windshield when driving over 40 MPH. I hope there isn't a hole somewhere causing the noise. I guess I'll find out the first time it rains when I'm driving.

Thanks again, I will look up the info.

Indy Itasca · 04-11-2015, 07:16 PM

Just a thought but make sure the dog house is latched and uptight against the front. Could be the noise but I think you would also feel the heat from the engine.

PhilNDenise · 04-12-2015, 08:50 AM

Thanks, I'll check it out, but it seems to be coming from the front near the windshield, the more I think about it the more concerne3d I become. Wind noise is not a good sign.

dkrobath · 04-12-2015, 10:30 AM

I have a 2015 Vista 36y and have those same concerns, the long winding transmission noise to get out of first seems excessive and the wind noise seems to be way to loud like you said and mine seems to be mainly from the drivers side. It's almost like the mirror angle is causing it or something like that. I did notice I have a few weep hole covers missing from that window when I looked a bit closer. They look like they may have some wind deflection properties to them. I have removed a few from the passengers side to put on the drivers side but havent driven it yet to see if that makes a difference or not. Check to see if yours are missing those or not. Hopefully that could be the answer...... but thats probably too easy of a fix for my luck.

Dave

dkrobath · 04-12-2015, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhilNDenise

Thanks for the info Jim, I will certainly check it out. The Allison transmission in my Sea Breeze was pretty good, I hesitated upgrading for a long time because of the Ford engine and transmission, but alas, I had no choice but to bite the bullet. I was hoping that 6 MPG would be shocking to someone but it sounds like it is normal. It does run much quitter except for the wind noise that seems to come from the front near the windshield when driving over 40 MPH. I hope there isn't a hole somewhere causing the noise. I guess I'll find out the first time it rains when I'm driving.

Thanks again, I will look up the info.

Oh and by the way I have had our rig out twice in the rain and there is no leak associated to the wind noise at least so far, if that makes you feel better.

Hikerdogs · 04-12-2015, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhilNDenise

First trip out with our 2015 Sightseer 35G. Love the coach so far, have a few concerns though. Had a 2005 National Sea Breeze, 35 foot with 8.1 Vortec engine, loved it. Am a little concerned about the high RPM necessary to shift through gears between 3000 and 4000 rpm. Also I used to get between 8 and 9 mpg, this trip with the Winnie I only got 6.0. Also when I am driving I hear a lot of wind noise, like a window is open. Looked around and haven't found a reason yet. Love the layout though.

Any ideas about the noise and MPG?

As mentioned earlier check to see if all the weep holes at the bottom of the drivers and passengers windows have covers. They're only held on with a few "legs" that slip into the weep holes. Many times they aren't put on all that well and fall off when traveling. We had to replace several missing ones on our Adventurer. When we did I put a dab of RTV gasket sealant on each end. We now have over 20,000 miles and haven't lost one.

Another thing to check is the position of the outside mirrors. They're installed for the best view of the cameras (if you have them). Not necessarily the best angle for the drivers view or to minimize wind noise. They can easily be rotated by loosening the set screws at the base of the mirror.

Our mileage was similar to yours for the first 10,000 to 15,000 miles. After that it increased to between 7.5 and 8.0 gpm depending on how fast we travel (usually 60 - 63 mph) and the wind and terrain.

One thing we've learned over the years is that the transmission always has higher shift points when it's cold. They're also higher depending on how hard you accelerate, and whether or not it's in the Tow/Haul mode.

PhilNDenise · 04-13-2015, 08:59 AM

Thanks Dave and Hikerdog, I think that might be the problem, I am missing two weeper hole covers on the drivers side and one on the passenger side. I'll get that taken care of and see what happens, I feel better that water won't come in when driving in the rain.

Thanks again.

fla tom · 04-13-2015, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhilNDenise

Thanks Dave and Hikerdog, I think that might be the problem, I am missing two weeper hole covers on the drivers side and one on the passenger side. I'll get that taken care of and see what happens, I feel better that water won't come in when driving in the rain.

Thanks again.

easy to test put tape over un covered weep holes if that is it noise will stop also try adjusting mirror position (that helped a lot on a previous motor home)

dezrtracr · 04-13-2015, 04:56 PM

I was missing a weep hole cover and was hearing wind noise. I replaced the cover and the wind noise was gone.

5star · 04-24-2015, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimGeorgia

The high RPM shift points are something that a lot of V10 owners experience with the "stock" settings. Ford uses only one setting for the V10 motor, even though the power train is used in a number of different vehicles. Many V10 owners have used (including myself) the 5 star tuning "fix" to improve shift points and cut down on the numerous downshifts that occur on the stock setup. There are a number of comments you can find on this forum regarding "5 star tuning", so suggest you read them and make the decision. The mpg issue is not fixed with 5 star, although some folks are reporting slightly better milage, but you will certainly see an improvement in how your tranny handles. You can get more info at their website: Custom Dynomemeter Chassis Tuning Products and Services - 5 Star Tuning

Thank you for the recommendation. We can indeed fix many of the issues that are present with the 6.8L in stock form. One and the most common issue it the skipping of 4th gear. This is part of the reason for the drastic over revving that occurs even on minor hills. We also allow the vehicle to create more power and torque while utilizing less fuel for this power. That being said, fuel savings depends a great deal of driving style, fuel type used, what the composition of blend is etc. At most 10% increased in economy can be gained. In a vehicle that gets approximately 6mpg... even up to 10% would only net you an additional .6 mpg. Will we make the vehicle super fuel efficient? Sadly I can't make it have the economy of a smaller vehicle. I can however make it drive like a different rig entirely.