8v92 upgrade

[luvrbus]

Friends of ours have a Newmar on the Spartan chassis with the B model 360 hp Cummins it is rated at 800 ft lbs of torque, it doesn't weigh close to 48,000 lbs and is a little on the weak side for a 37 ft.Hind sight he wishes for the L series Cummins for the $9600.00 extra cost now available in the 40ft   

[Utahclaimjumper]

 You NEVER have enough horse power,,,but you CAN make due with what you have using common sense..>>>Dan

[luvrbus]

You NEVER have enough horse power,,,but you CAN make due with what you have using common sense..>>>Dan

Yep plenty of old buses around with the old 4-71 Detroit you just don't see those on the Interstate highways and they are enjoying the scenery of the past before all the concrete, I am with that crowd since I am in no hurry from point A to B 

[Dave5Cs]

Yep we like the back roads and stay off the super slabs as much as we can. You seem to find more fun stuff on the back roads by accident.

[luvrbus]

Yep we like the back roads and stay off the super slabs as much as we can. You seem to find more fun stuff on the back roads by accident.

I like old  town squares,on trips to Texas we go all the back roads makes for a long driving time but about all the small towns in Texas will have free or low cost camping grounds,I disklike the long boring I 10,I 40 and I 20 route,I do come back home on the interstate sometimes  lol I even like the back roads in CA,you see a lot of history and some nice places

[TomC]

I remember buying my first truck in 1980. The big engines were Caterpillar 3408 at 450hp ($12,000) or Cummins KTA600 ($16,000). And the thing was with mechanically injected engines, the bigger you went the worse the fuel mileage. I got 4.8 mpg with my 8V-92TA. Those other engines would be in the low 4's.
Now horsepower and size of engine really doesn't matter with electronic common rail fuel injection-it is more the way you drive. So when considering an engine with common rail fuel injection, get the biggest most powerful version you can get. Good Luck, TomC

[Utahclaimjumper]

 Bigger is also heavier to haul around ,,and more expensive,, how much do you really need.?? >>>Dan

[Bearmtnmartin]

Low power is very stressfull, especially on B roads in the summer with heavy traffic and limited passing opportunities. Takes all the fun out of a journey.

[Utahclaimjumper]

 I said nothing about low power,, only about needed power.  It''s no more stressful to travel in 4th gear for a few miles of grade than to travel in 6th gear under the same conditions..  In my experience climbing in the right lanes are less stressful than competing with the jerks in the left lane going the speed limit or more and riding your @$# trying to get around you .>>>Dan

[buswarrior]

We need to be mindful of the motorists behind, we share the road, of course, BUT...

We will go at whatever speed we are capable of, or choose to do, and those behind can deal with their misconceptions.

As you approach 20% below the posted limit, throw on the hazards, and carry on.

If the followers can't handle that the big old bus is slow climbing, that is totally not your problem.

If going slow makes stress, that's not good.

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[windtrader]

@bw - first time a number where turtleness triggers the flitp of the hazards. For me it just seems natural at some point when in the slow lane and going slow it makes sense to turn them on. LOL

[luvrbus]

Older buses going up the grade from Phoenix to Flagstaff do cause a lot of problems on I 17,I saw a MCI pull over on the grade to cool off and the poor guy couldn't get going from the stop because of the grade,black smoke and the smell of a clutch slipping was the best he could do before the wrecker came   

[luvrbus]

Older buses going up the grade from Phoenix to Flagstaff do cause a lot of problems on I 17,I saw a MCI pull over on the grade to cool off and the poor guy couldn't get going from the stop because of the grade,black smoke and the smell of a clutch slipping was the best he could do before the wrecker came,he had a mile of traffic backed up and all were pissed off big time   

[TomC]

4 speed manuals were fine when the buses were Greyhound and only running on their specific routes. But motorhomers are adventureous and the 4 speed is just not enough. Even though your fuel mileage takes a hit, the first thing I'd do is to switch to an Allison automatic or a 10 spd Ultrashift. Good Luck, TomC

[windtrader]

Tom makes a great point. All our buses that were purchased for revenue were built to the standard necessary to run the designated carrier routes. Thus, we know how we struggle on some roads that probably were not in the schedules. That said, maybe back in the day, chugging up a grade at 15mph belching smoke was better than riding a horse or walking. LOL