Becky Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 returning from the Liverpool area last week in my MH (Dethleffs I5830B) I was regularly being passed by white vans of all ilks; I say being passed, but most went by as if I was stationary. Now I understood that my van is basically a white van, and being an '02, isn't that out of date, but I could never get my vehicle up to anything like those speeds. In fact I can pass lorries on the flat and downhill, but the darn things roar past me on any slopes. 'Course, I could rev away in 4th gear, but I can then see the fuel guage moving downwards. So, is it my driving? I have seen other motor homes zooming along and I am sure I couldn't keep up with them. My van has done 22000 miles, with 4500 with me driving. I do find it frustrating to get passed by the lorry I have just sailed past, just because there is a little slope. I normally keep to about 60 mph, and accelerate before hills where I can. And before anyone says it, I don't have my full wardrobe of clothes, or 1000 loo rolls. It is just me, one spaniel and one mini daschund. Please explain what I am doing wrong. The van is regularly serviced. I have considered getting the engine chipped. :$ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duetto owner Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 I would have thought all MH's could cruise OK at 70mph do you really want or need to go any faster. What engine do you have? I used to drive fast in the car but now in a MH I am quiet happy to set the cruise control at 55-65mph and sit back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 You are driving an 8 year old van.......and probably a Fiat tractor. The latest edition vans are really much better, especially those based on the Ford Transit, white van man (and my) favorite :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 I would guess you've got a 2.8 (non-turbo) Fiat? If so, they are slow I'm afraid, we used to have one and it was slower than our older 1.9td Fiat we'd PX'd for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 What's so important about travelling at 70MPH for goodness sake? In our motorhome we cruise at 60MPH and we arrive less stressed having seen a bit of the countryside we've passed through. Now I'm not against traveling at the speed limit, today I drove to Preston and back in two different cars and all I saw was muppets who can't drive properly. One minute they're doing 95MPH then the next they're down to 65MPH (or anywhere in between). I lost count of the times that I wanted to pull out to overtake a lorry (or a motorhome) and there was some muppet just astern of me in the middle lane just that bit too close to be safe for me to pull out and the moment I put on my indicator to indicate that I wanted to pull out to overtake (now there's a novel use for an indicator *-) ) the dumb schmucks put their foot down just enough to block me! Travelling at 60 MPH in our motorhome we rarely encounter the same problems and on a two hour journey the extra time taken is minimal. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Becky If your Dethleffs has the standard Fiat 5-speed gearbox with 4 relatively close lower gear-ratios and then a big jump to 5th, then you'll either have to stay in 5th gear and tolerate being overtaken on hills or down-shift early to 4th gear, keep the engine revs well up and accept an increased fuel consumption. A lower 5th gear ratio can sometimes be retrofitted (about £300 + labour, I think), which should help. 'Chipping' the motor is (as you suggest) another possibility, depending on which motor is fitted to your motorhome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter42 Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Don't forget, that although you think that you have only yourself, your spaniel and your daschund in there with you, you also have a lot of furniture and other fixed equipment built in to your 'van adding weight and 'white van man', etc, could be unloaded and, hence, have more excess power to hand. Also don't forget that 'white van man' is probably not paying for his fuel out of his own pocket and doesn't mind flogging the engine and gear box to death. Hopefully you are always mindful (perhaps subconsciously) aware of what that extra speed would cost you in fuel and wear and tear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Swift Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Becky I too have the non-turbo 2.8 Fiat and the performance is slow, which is ok unless you are in a hurry but you don't half feel stupid being overtaken by a lorry that you just overtook on the flat and so the cat and mouse progresses down the motorway. What you do get though is a very reliable engine that is bulletproof and will go on forever. Goes well in reverse though as well it has to be said ! It's almost as if someone stole the engine when you get to a hill :$ Ned (living it up in the slow lane) (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROON Posted May 31, 2009 Share Posted May 31, 2009 Hi Becky, I DO have too many clothes and 100 loo rolls, but I just take my time anyway..... you know what they say about white van drivers so they are probably speeding unnecessarily anyway ... sorry wvmen... I can't afford for anything to go wrong with my mh so I drive around 50 or 60 and enjoy the scenery when it is there and as Dave says, the arrival time difference is minimal. Happy camping. Joy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poppy Mole Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 I totally agree with Roon. Personally I don't like taking my motorhome on motorways preferring to see our beautiful countryside, however I am very considerate of others & pull over when I have someone behind me if I can - I just wish rather more of them would give a cheery thank you wave in return. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breakaleg Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 I once drove a van for a living, only had 2 options going forward (stop and go) but with a 12-14 hour day and no breaks, there was an insentive to go fast. now retired do about 60-65 on motorways and within the speed limit on other roads, because i have the time. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 This thread is getting into the boring old discussion about how fast people WANT to go. Of course I know that 55-60mph can be very pleasant on holiday, in nice scenery, but sometimes we want to spend our holidays somewhere, which means getting there first! And some of us use our vans as main transport, so expect them at least to be able to keep up with the traffic. Becky was asking whether there was something wrong with her driving, or her van, because it COULDN'T cruise at the legal limit - which is nothing to do with our ongoing in-house squabble about how many of us WANT to. Becky, if lorries are passing you, given that they're supposed to be governed at 90kph/56mph, that means you can't even do the 60mph so beloved of many of our contributors. Normally I'd say that means there's something wrong with the van, but from one or two of these posts, it may be "characteristic" of that particular model of Fiat (where've we heard that before!). If that's the case, then I'm afraid your choice is either to live with it or change your van. Sorry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 In order to maintain speed on Motorways you might need to change down a gear on some gradients. If you do this BEFORE the engine starts to struggle rather than wait until the revs have dropped below about 2200 it might help. Try and keep the revs around 2400 - 2800 uphill by using the appropriate gear and you can make better progress - but it can be noisier too! A diesel engine will pull better than a petrol of the same size and at much lower rpm, but modern diesel engines are relatively high revving (when compared to older diesels) and whilst in theory they may develop their peak torque at about 2000 - 2500 rpm a few more revs will help get the most from it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROON Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Now Tony!!!! Had a bad day my love? Sorry if I bored you Becky, I just felt that knowing there is no need to get frustrated (as I did at first) if your van doesn't seem to be the charger that others have, doesn't mean you can't get your head round just going at a casual speed and enjoying the scenery. Tracker's answer seems to be quite in depth so hopefully this has answered your original query. Either way, just enjoy and maybe see you on the road (but not on the overtaking lane)..... :-D ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 ROON - 2009-06-01 12:11 PM Now Tony!!!! Had a bad day my love? Not at all Joy, I'm having a lovely day. And you could NEVER bore me - but check back and count how many times we've all discussed speed on here - often under totally irrelevant thread-titles! Just trying to be helpful (as ever!) and get us back onto Becky's original question. Tony x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Hi Becky, how are your aerodinamcs, ie 'topbox', 'square back' causing drag, driving with cab windows open adds about 10 to 15% to your drag. Just a passing thought, as the van I have now is the fastest I have ever owned. It is very smooth with no corners, monocoque moulded GRP, even air deflectors in front of all the sky lights on the roof. My previous vans were all very square coach builts and not really fast but suffered in head winds, and 'bow wave' drag from overtaking HGVs. Just a passing thought to give you something else to think about. Cheers David...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Swift Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 As a 2.8 owner I feel that I can comment again (!) - Trackers comment is a good one but there is no rev counter in mine !! So could someone simulate the noise it makes at 2200 rpm with the associated rattles and wind noise then we might get it. LOL Ned (lol) (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 This is an advert for a 2001 version of Becky's Dethleffs motorcaravan http://autoline.info/sales_full.php?code=09022417455710586900 The advertised motorhome has Fiat's 2.8litre turbocharged diesel and I would expect this to be the standard power-plant. The design is relatively compact (though probably quite heavy), so it is worth asking whether the engine in Becky's Dethleffs's is actually down on power. I recall Mel Eastburn saying that his larger Mobilvetta's performance - with a similar motor - had been transformed after TB Turbo (no longer trading) had serviced the vehicle and checked its performance pre-and-post-service on their rolling-road dynamometer. However (as I touched on earlier) the 5-speed gear-box chosen for this version of the Ducato did have an ultra-high 5th gear ratio with a much lower 4th gear. If I remember correctly the 5th gear ratio translated to around 30mph per 1000rpm, which meant that, at 60mph, the motor would be spinning at just 2000rpm. There were regular comments about this in contemporary motorhome test reports, highlighting Becky's situation where the motorhome 'ran out of steam' when faced with extended uphill motorway gradients and strong headwinds. Assuming the motor in Becky's vehicle is producing the power that it should, other than lowering the 5th gear ratio or 'tuning' the engine, realistically there's nothing that can be done about this except to modify one's driving style and accept that 4th gear will be required to maintain speed on motorway slopes. (I believe Don Madge had something done to his Timberland Ducato to maximise 5th-gear usage, so he may be able to advise on what's most likely to be effective.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becky Posted June 2, 2009 Author Share Posted June 2, 2009 Thank you all for your responses. I am about to try a few newer vans, and get some idea about performance. Don't get me wrong, I like to trundle along enjoying the countryside, and have no wish to speed along motorways. But I have seen others do it, and it was the fact that I probably couldn't drive so fast that prompted the thread. I saw a Rapido zoom past me at over 70 and vanish into the distance as I was yet again being passed by a lorry on an incline. It is the fact that the revs drop by 1000 when I change to 4th gear that makes me want to remain in top, but I do try and take a run at hills to maintain my speed. This is the point where lorries catch me up and have to go round, and I think it is just making the lorry drivers life more awkward having to keep re-passing me. I am about to look at some new (or newer) vans preferably smaller ones, but as I now seem to spend much more time on the road as I have got used to driving, and more importantly, parking, I didn't want to fiind that my driving isn't good enough and I had the same problem. Trouble is I looked at hundreds of vans last year before choosing, and the layout of mine is ideal. It is just traveling particularly on motorways. Oh, and the rattles get on my nerves a bit too. Incidently, is there any risk of damaging the engine long-term if it is chipped to give a bit more power? I spoke to a guy at Towtall who said that the high top gear is the problem and he could do something about it. But, then he sells the bits, so he would, wouldn't he? Regards Becky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duetto owner Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 you MH does sound knacked, might well be worth trading in for another make. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 duetto owner - 2009-06-02 10:52 AM you MH does sound knacked, might well be worth trading in for another make. Sorry David but that is Cobblers! Unless the van has been to the moon and back it won't be knackered! It might need adjustment or servicing or tuning - preferably by a turbo expert - but there should be many years of reliable life remaining in a van that is a mere 7 years old! Remember that by 2002 the Ducato was a well sorted and basically dependable vehicle having been around for a good few years. Not only that but they don't rust out like the older previous model! If one wants to change the van because one wants to change layout or size, fair enough, but chances are one will end up with another Ducato / Boxer with very similar and just as reliable mechanicals - as long as it is serviced and maintained properly, and I for one would buy another van of that era in preference to the newer X250 any day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Becky - can you please confirm exactly which engine you have in your van please? We're all assuming it is either the 2.8 turbo or the basic 2.8 (non-turbo version)? Can you please let us know otherwise we might all be talking cobblers! :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 No change there then! :D :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becky Posted June 2, 2009 Author Share Posted June 2, 2009 My van has the 2.8 jtd engine, which sounds lovely when running. I presume it is the turbo version. It is the high top gear that floors it. Any incline causes the van to run out of steam. I have tried two vans today, both at Marquis Hampshire. One was a simply beautiful Hymer Classic with 2.8 Fiat engine, but with lower top gear. Hardly any rattles, and a joy to drive. I was offered a very good price on mine, but at 22 feet I feel it is possibly too big for one person and two small dogs. Then I tried an Autosleeper Ascot, with RWD Ford 140 hp 6 speed power. A real white van. It just flew up hills in top gear. Beautiful to drive, and being pre-registered a huge discount. Although the interior is, to me a little small especially in the over-cab bed, it has loads of storage, and would be ideal. I intend to try an Autotrail Cheyenne tomorrow which is at Premier Chichester, where I bought my van. Again it might be a tad big- anything over 6m feels big to me. Any comments would be appreciated. By the way, my Dethleffs is certainly not knackered. It has only covered 22000 miles. It just doesn't like hills, and as I feel uncomfortable revving it up too much, my progress is adversely affected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 So how was the Auto-trail, Becky? Of course, if you go for the Ascot, that would entitle you, along with Mel B, Judgemental and myself, to privileged membership of a select organisation I formed a few years ago: "Devotees and Afficionados of Ford Transits In Every Shape" otherwise known as DAFTIES. Either way, I hope you find what you're looking for. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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