Class c versus gas motorhome

[priestlake]

Have a 2013 sighteer Winnebago 33c 35 ft gas, looking at a smaller class C maybe 26-28 ft. On a class C do you get less wandering then a gas unit motorhome? Less side to side movement? What are the pros and cons of a class C. Thank you for your input.

[powercat_ras]

I have had both. The Ford E350/E450 Class Cs seem to drive more like a large pickup truck than the Class As do. You driving position is lower and the view is more limited, in particular the view upwards due to the Class C overhang above the cab area. The Class C have smaller wheels and the frame rails sit lower than on a Class A. This lowers the center of gravity and height of the RV which reduces what truck wash and side winds do to the RV when driving.

I have not drive Class Cs built on the Mercedes or Promaster Chassis but reviews seem to indicate they also have the same "more pickup truck like" attributes.

[AJMike]

My 2018.5 Fuse drives like a dream. Little to no "wandering", it just tends to stay in the lane that I am driving in and not too much wash from passing trucks and Class A RVs, possibly due to the dual real wheels. I had spoken to my RV mechanic about installing steering stabilizers for my previous Class A but have no need for them with the Class C.

[BobC]

I would think that a lot depends on the size of the class C, length vs wheelbase, etc. The larger the rig, the higher the risk of handling issues.

[WinnieView]

We started years ago with a class A 36' gas, moved up to a 40' DP, scaled down to a 35' class C diesel, and just recently to a 24'.
On each one we added all the available aftermarket chassis upgrades and that in itself gave us more of a large SUV feel when it comes to driving and handling.

P.S. We have also doubled our fuel mileage with our recent purchase.

[AJMike]

Originally Posted by BobC

I would think that a lot depends on the size of the class C, length vs wheelbase, etc. The larger the rig, the higher the risk of handling issues.

Yes. That sounds right. Our Class C is only 24 feet so it is easy to drive. It handles extremely well, is responsive and is only a bit mushy when making tight turns at low speeds.

[Teamfoxy]

We looked at both when we bought our current Class C. The deciding factor was that Nan felt comfortable driving the Class C and she did not want to drive a Class A.

[BobC]

In addition, if you plan on towing a toad, your ability to do so may be limited with a class C, depending on the model and chassis. I've read several postings where people have purchased a class C with a E350 chassis only to find out they should have gone with the E450.

Here's a thread on this topic:

Ford E350 or E450 for Class C - iRV2 Forums

[mikf]

I would suggest staying with a smaller class c so that you do not have a lot of overhang behind the back axle. 28 ft would pushing the limit. Also the 450 chassis would be better. Down side would be smaller holding tanks and less storage, but should be doable for 2 people. And the do not turn as sharp as an f53. If you want to go even smaller we bought a Pleasure Way XLMB for a second RV for short trips and the wife’s shopping trips. Gives me a place to relax while she shops.. It has the wide body, but not as wide as a C and is only 23 ft long on a Mercedes Benz Sprinter chassis. It drives really nice and has lane assist warning, so you will not be drifting side to side. And 15 to 17 miles per gallon, but it is diesel and you know the price of diesel these days.

[AJMike]

Originally Posted by mikf

I would suggest staying with a smaller class c so that you do not have a lot of overhang behind the back axle. 28 ft would pushing the limit. Also the 450 chassis would be better. Down side would be smaller holding tanks and less storage, but should be doable for 2 people. And the do not turn as sharp as an f53. If you want to go even smaller we bought a Pleasure Way XLMB for a second RV for short trips and the wife’s shopping trips. Gives me a place to relax while she shops.. It has the wide body, but not as wide as a C and is only 23 ft long on a Mercedes Benz Sprinter chassis. It drives really nice and has lane assist warning, so you will not be drifting side to side. And 15 to 17 miles per gallon, but it is diesel and you know the price of diesel these days.

We had one of the older Pleasure-Way Class B RVs built on a Ford E350 chassis, and it was very nice. We looked for the newer version of it (the Lexor and Plateau TS models) but they had no external storage and were too narrow inside and we ended up with a Winnebago Fuse.

[mikf]

Originally Posted by AJMike

We had one of the older Pleasure-Way Class B RVs built on a Ford E350 chassis, and it was very nice. We looked for the newer version of it (the Lexor and Plateau TS models) but they had no external storage and were too narrow inside and we ended up with a Winnebago Fuse.

you should have checked out the wide body, not the van style.

[AJMike]

Originally Posted by mikf

you should have checked out the wide body, not the van style.

We tried, but only found one on the dealer's lot, and that one was well over our budget.

What we found with our old Pleasure-Way was that the the RV was first-class all around. We bought used, and had a bunch of issues, but once we got those fixed we had almost no other problems and we wanted another Pleasure-Way. For some time that is all we looked at, but when we found none had any real outside storage we decided to look at other manufacturers and eventually chose a Winnebago Class C. Still miss the old Pleasure-Way wide-body, but the new Class Bs were just too small inside.

[Dave11]

We are approaching retirement and are considering moving to a 32ish foot class A gas. The general idea is to leave Florida for the summer so maybe 4 months or so, we feel our current Winn. Aspect would be too small for that.

Recently, I have been questioning the move mostly because I like the way our unit drives as compared to the class A's I have driven. It is not perfect but compared to the A's it is much better at cornering, braking and accelerating. Our unit is 100% stock, I haven't even replaced the shocks yet. I do get some push from passing trucks or from a windy day but it is about what I expect. If I increased the castor I imagine it will handle even better, but it is a low priority.

In our case I think the 4 main reasons for the good handling are; 1- the height (including A/C) is only 10.5 feet, 2- relatively long wheelbase, over 56% compared to the overall length of about 29.5 feet. 3 - the Aspect has no bunk over the cab instead it is relatively more aerodynamic (by RV standards only!) shape which may handle windy days a bit better. 4- The E-450 chassis is well under its gross capacity, about 2,500 lbs.

Time will tell if we make the move but if I had to guess I think the additional space/comfort will win out vs. the driving characteristics.

[AJMike]

Originally Posted by Dave11

Time will tell if we make the move but if I had to guess I think the additional space/comfort will win out vs. the driving characteristics.

When we were picking a new RV to replace our old Class B we went through exactly the same set of questions. We were looking at a small Class C (Winnebago Fuse) and a small Class A (Thor ACE) and decided that if we were to be traveling for short periods of 1 or 2 weeks the Class C would suit our needs best but if we wanted to spend a couple of months in the RV we would pick the Class A for its room and comfort.

For us, short term and driving won out but if we ever become the opposite of snow birds (we live in Arizona, so we would be leaving in the summer, not the winter) we would get a Class A.

[RV Tinker]

Originally Posted by priestlake

Have a 2013 sighteer Winnebago 33c 35 ft gas, looking at a smaller class C maybe 26-28 ft. On a class C do you get less wandering then a gas unit motorhome? Less side to side movement? What are the pros and cons of a class C. Thank you for your input.

Have had 2 class C M.H. 1st 23 ft (chevy chassis) had almost no wander (barely felt it). 2nd, 29 ft Minnie on e450 ford. Wander has slighty more wander but is not bad. However under these circumstances it gets worse and is noticeable: 1) If forget to have helper air springs inflated correctly, 2) If towing a toad, 3) If towing a toad and don't have air springs inflated correctly. Each case is worse than last. I think it is mostly due to the increased rear overhang of the 29 footer.

[lnkaye]

Besides better handling, the E350/450 chassis, cutaways are far superior for safety in case of a front end collision to any Class A due to their front end designs of sheet metal and being equipped with airbags. Also, typically there's a lot of heavy stuff in a Class A above the driver and passenger that leaves them unprotected. When we were looking for a motorhome in the 30' size range, the Class C became the safer choice.

[AJMike]

Originally Posted by lnkaye

Besides better handling, the E350/450 chassis, cutaways are far superior for safety in case of a front end collision to any Class A due to their front end designs of sheet metal and being equipped with airbags. Also, typically there's a lot of heavy stuff in a Class A above the driver and passenger that leaves them unprotected. When we were looking for a motorhome in the 30' size range, the Class C became the safer choice.

Class As don't have air bags? I thought all motorized vehicles, cars or RVs, in the US were required to have air bags.

[Ret.LEO]

This is one area I wish the Minnie Winnies followed Greyhawk's J-Ride system. Would eliminate after market solutions.

[lnkaye]

No. Only cars and light trucks are required to have them.