Choosing an exterior color....

jerztime · 11-04-2014, 06:19 PM

Hello all! Well, looks like the selection is down to the Winnebago Vista (or it's sibling the Itasca Sunstar). Now for the REALLY hard part (

) .. choosing an exterior color. I know that instinctively a dark color (such as the black on the Vista with the red stripes) attracts the heat more - but thought I would reach out to this 'been there-done that' group to get the real story. For anyone that had/has a dark/black exterior paint ... do you find that it makes a significant difference on the internal coach temperature? Many thanks!

BFlinn181 · 11-04-2014, 07:09 PM

Darker colors definitely increase interior heat. Darker colors often show dirt more than lighter colors also. I know the trend is for darker colors, but having spent much time in many vehicles, from cars to RVs to buses, it's harder to keep a dark vehicle comfortable in hot weather.

Sunova37L · 11-05-2014, 06:51 PM

I would have to say with most of my friends having the dark colored coaches. I changed and went with one that is all in the brown tones. I'm so glad. Also receive a lot of compliments that it does not look like all the others !
I have a 2011 Itasca Sunova

Have a great day
Janet Watson

HerbZilla · 11-08-2014, 08:10 PM

We have the dark brown Vista and love it. Dirt doesn't show up that bad either. Remember the top of the roof is still white so that helps. Does the sun side get hot? You betcha but I know even a light colored one does too. Just don't store the chocolate bars in the cupboards! When it is 90 with the sun baking down I don't care what color it is it will get hot and you will be using the AC. My last MH was white and guess what, it got hot too. So go for the color you like. When you are spending that kind of money on something, buy what you want not whether you have to turn on the AC an hour before someone else. Hey and it works opposite in the spring and fall when the sun warms it up quicker!!

ghutch · 11-09-2014, 06:16 PM

In theory, darks absorb and lights reflect. That said, I don't find my coach hard to cool at all. We can maintin a comfortable interior on summer temps. However, like all coaches, ours too is warmer in the cockpit area when facing unshaded open sun. As for the clean appearence of the exterior, lighter colors look cleaner longer, but I don't find our black exterior all that hard to maintain. We wresteled over light and dark and chose black. No regrets. Choose what you thinks looks good.

Doug Sage · 11-10-2014, 08:03 AM

Walk through an RV park with a laser thermometer. I think you will find the dark sides are about 30+ degrees hotter than a light side. With the walls only 1.5" thick then that extra heat transfers into the rig. Our A/C runs most of the day when the sun is on the side of the rig but when the sun goes down and it is still hot outside then the A/C shuts down to about 1/2 time. That shows me how much the sun shining on the side affects the inside temperatures.

BFlinn181 · 11-10-2014, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug Sage

Walk through an RV park with a laser thermometer. I think you will find the dark sides are about 30+ degrees hotter than a light side. With the walls only 1.5" thick then that extra heat transfers into the rig. Our A/C runs most of the day when the sun is on the side of the rig but when the sun goes down and it is still hot outside then the A/C shuts down to about 1/2 time. That shows me how much the sun shining on the side affects the inside temperatures.

Many years ago I bought a school bus for a church group. We painted out the yellow for an off white. While on the roof, we con't stand on the yellow, it melted our sneakers. The part already painted off white (dried) was the only part you wouldn't melt your sneakers. I also used to be a tour manager for school groups going to Washington, D.C. I used to cringe when the tour bus pulling up to take us was a dark color, I knew from experience it was going to be much hotter from previous experiences. In the city traffic, the darker colored ones couldn't cool down the interior at all, the lighter ones were able to keep up with the heat of 40 passengers and the solar gain.

Skip426 · 11-10-2014, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BFlinn181

Darker colors definitely increase interior heat. Darker colors often show dirt more than lighter colors also. I know the trend is for darker colors, but having spent much time in many vehicles, from cars to RVs to buses, it's harder to keep a dark vehicle comfortable in hot weather.

X2, easy experiment , sunny afternoon, drop by a new car lot, hold your hand on the hood of a white car... then try to get your hand close to the hood of a black car.

Owned one black vehicle, looked fantastic; for about an hour after wash/wax job.

JimGeorgia · 11-10-2014, 06:50 PM

I like Mellow Yellow...lol

Adam Hunter · 11-10-2014, 08:48 PM

Our last MH was a dark coloured Holiday Rambler. In fact it had the worst shade at the top - BLACK!!

Plan on pulling your shades earlier in the day, running your AC's longer with dark tones. Its just the truth.

In our rural setting we have well water that is high in iron and very hard, so we soften the heck out of it with salt. Believe me when I say washing darks are also a lot harder!!

There is no doubt about it - blacks, greys and silvers with contrasting bright colours look sexy but at the end of the day they will make you uncomfortable and you'll have to work harder to keep them clean.

IMHO

Adam

Cass Sumrall · 11-11-2014, 05:01 AM

We have a 2013 Itasca Sunstar 30T & live in south FL. We use it mostly in FL & around the southeastern states so far. From past experience, I know what others say in this thread about the heat buildup of dark colors compared to light. For that reason alone, we chose to stay with the basic white & I'm sure glad we did. In hotter times, our single AC unit has to run full time to keep up with the heat transfer & it is not possible to get the temp much below 76 degrees. I have no doubt that we would not have enough AC with a darker coach.