Question Class C V10 Performance upgrades???

[JohnQ]

I have a 2007 Class C E-450 with a V10. Has anyone considered or done a performance upgrade? I'm considering the merits of a Cold Air Intake and tuner. Perhaps a Banks. At the current 8.5mpg, if I could bump 1.5 mpg that would be about 7 free gallons on a 40 gallon tank plus the benefit of more power when needed.

 

[Dan_Frisbie]

In my “been a hot rodder, mechanic, and horsepower junkie for 40 years” opinion, searching for better fuel mileage is never, NEVER cost effective. The items that you mention and others, tuner, CAI, headers, free-flowing mufflers, catalytic converter removal, air dams on the front of the rig, etc, etc. just aren’t cost effective. You will have to drive literally hundreds of thousands of miles to make your money back.
Horsepower, however, is a different way of looking at things and often shows a fuel economy return as well.
Probably the best bang for your buck is a tuner with a custom tune created for your rig. This will involve logging some data with the tuner and having the tuner company create one that is beneficial to you. If you plan on intake or exhaust modifications, do them first. Otherwise, a new tune will be required due to differences in the way that the engine breathes.
Tuners are great tools for getting your engine to run at its peak efficiency, which is sometimes not what the factory intended for future sales or emissions requirements. Because they can alter the output of CO, they are consider “pollution control altering devices” and illegal for highway use. This can be an issue in some areas.

 

[Chargerman]

I would just drive it. Messing with an older motor is looking for trouble and will be much more expensive than your fuel cost.

 

[DennisT]

We have a 2014 E450 with the v10.

Installed the 5 Star tuner a couple years ago.

No hardware just resetting things for a coach instead of a van.

Runs much better, easier to control shifting points when in the mountains, etc etc. pulls the hills even better too now.

We gained about 10% fuel mileage after the install.

Would do it again on another gasser in a heartbeat.

 

[Leprechaun]

We did the same as Dennis T on our 2017 Leprechaun E450 V-10 runs smoother and rides better.

 

[1Hurrican]

Thanks guys, I'll do the cold air intake and exhaust, and see how that works. My coach is in storage now, but when I get ready for my next trip I'll do the upgrades.. Let you all know later...

 

[Rich W.]

I’d do a Banks cat-back exhaust and a 5 star tune and hold off on the intake mods until you see the results. I did this on a 2010 E450 B+ about 8 or 9 years ago and noticed a definite improvement in acceleration. Gas milage is more a function of keeping your foot out of it.

I also installed a free flowing intake and it was loud, but I’m told that other than making more noise under full acceleration (which is any time climbing a grade), the intake mods don’t make any difference. The factory intake is said to flow more air than the engine can use.

You could do a full exhaust system including headers but look at the improvement the Banks cat-back system provides first. I found it so satisfying that I decided headers weren’t worth the additional cost, time, and hassle.

I had to cut the old exhaust system in several pieces to get it out so once you start on it you are committed. Also it wasn’t excessively loud, but it was different. Under acceleration it sounded like an old 6 cylinder Hall-Scott gas engine fire engine or school bus - not exactly what I had in mind, but interesting.

The coach (2010 25’ Phoenix Cruiser) went from a 24 second 1/4 mile to 19, so acceleration was improved and that helped entering an innerstate at freeway speed. When I wasn’t towing it banged through the gears fairly quickly and was actually fun to drive. As far as gas milage goes, it was capable of better after the mods, but rarely achieved any improvement due to driving habits.