Chevy 8.1 or Ford V10 ?

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trx680

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Jul 9, 2017
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If you had a choice between engines which would you prefer? I guess this really goes out to someone you has had both.

Any disadvantages to either?
 
They both have their pluses and minuses but I would purchase based on floor plan and price.
Both engines will probably out live you.
A + for the Allison behind the 8.1
A - for the 8.1. Workhorse not building class A chassis any more. Slight service issue.
A + for the 2006 and up V10. 3 valve heads. more HP & torque.
A- for the V10 transmission having early down shifting issues. 5 Star tune fixes the issue.
Some owners suggest less fan noise with the slower turning 8.1?

 
All of the 8.1L Vortecs in the W series and UFO chassis had Allison Transmissions, earlier ones were 5 speed, later were 6 speed, and some where along the line transmission braking was introduced.  8.1L Vortecs in P series chassis (mid year 01-05) were mated with the 4 speed Chevy 4L80E or beefed up 4L85E transmission.  I have an 8.1 with 4L80E in my 2002 Safari Trek, and while gear ratios and spacing are not ideal, it does an ok job.
 
I have had both and prefer the Ford. Just for the fact you can still get the chassis parts. I needed a couple AC parts for the 8.1 workhorse chassis and they were difficult to find and very expensive.
 
kk9wradio said:
I have had both and prefer the Ford. Just for the fact you can still get the chassis parts. I needed a couple AC parts for the 8.1 workhorse chassis and they were difficult to find and very expensive.

Chassis parts for the Workhhorse are still available and they still have a dealership/maintenance listing of repair facilities.  I had my engine AC compressor replaced in an RV park by a roadside tech who told me it was a common compressor and he got it at his nearby auto parts store. Expensive?  Almost all parts for an RV are expensive.  Example  Auto mechanic price at local shop = $70 hr.  RV mechanic price at local shop = $120 hr. For that reason I have anything that is remotely automotive repaired by the auto shop (and the guy has done some minor RV stuff for me also).  At one time I thought I was having a starter problem on my 8.1 but it turned out to be something else. But I bought a new starter for it anyway and carry it along in case it gives  out on the road - price = $45.  So while I know nothing about the Ford, I would recommend the Chevy 8.1.  I will confess that due to my own negligence I had to replace the Allison tranny when I ran it out of fluid.  The torque converter had a minor leak and I did not take the time on the road to have it fixed.  Lesson learned - any drops of tranny fluid - get it fixed NOW.  lol

Bill
 
No reason I can think of to choose one engine vs the other - both are solid performers. Other reasons, e.g. transmission gears (more is better) and chassis parts availability, may have some modest significance, but not a big deal compared to "house" factors. The suitability of the floor plan for your needs and the overall condition is by far the greater importance.

In an RV, a 5 or 6 speed transmission is notably superior in performance to any 4-speed, so if your other criteria have been met, choose the better transmission gearing. I'm a fan of the big Allison trannies (3000 & 4000 series), but see little difference between the Allison 1000MH used with the gas engines and the Ford 5R100 & 6R100 trannies. The seem equal in reliability and performance.
 
The 8.1 and even the old 7.4 Chevy has more guts than any ford powered coach that I have driven. The V10 is an improvement, but I'd still not own one of them. Looks like I'll NEVER own a coach built after the 8.1 was discontinued. When I had a 250 hp 7.4 in my Challenger, a few of my buddies had 460 powered coachs, we made a run to a Pinks all out race several years ago. Not one of them could run with me on the open road. I had to slow down so they could keep up. All of them but one has switched over to a GM powered coach, and one of them has switched again to a diesel pusher as he went to a 30 ft race trailer. I love the 8.1 and the Allison trans but not so fond of the W22 chassis, at least the one I have. My old P32 chassis coachs handled much better than this one in the wind. Not so sure I'd want to pull a race trailer with this coach, at least not very far. The old 7.4 and the GM tranny coachs also got better fuel economy, but they were in a lighter chassis, and sat closer to the ground. 
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
Spoken like a true Chevy aficionado!  ;)    A Ford guy will likely pop up soon.

No reason for a Ford guy to counter Charlie. He speaks with a forked tongue. Chevy never made a 250 HP 454 P32 MH chassis. If he gets his numbers right, then a conversion might pursue.
 
rls7201 said:
No reason for a Ford guy to counter Charlie. He speaks with a forked tongue. Chevy never made a 250 HP 454 P32 MH chassis. If he gets his numbers right, then a conversion might pursue.

I think he just fat fingered the numbers: Chevy-230hp/Gm-290hp
 
rls7201 said:
No reason for a Ford guy to counter Charlie. He speaks with a forked tongue. Chevy never made a 250 HP 454 P32 MH chassis. If he gets his numbers right, then a conversion might pursue.
OK it may have been a 230 hp 454, even more pathetic when a nasty 460 couldn't even begin to run with it. ;D ;D ;D  I'd NEVER even consider a MH ford powered.
The guy that bought that Challenger was driving a newer Mustang, and asked me what all had been done to the 454. There is just no comparison. Be honest with yourself, for once.
 
Stopped by Jerry's Clutch & Transmission in Grants Pass, Or. (well respected shop) and asked Jerry when it came to transmissions....he replied for every GM/Chevy one I work on I'll work on at least 4 or 5 Ford transmissions. If your having any trans issues on the road and you're in Grants Pass. Or. hit Jerry up he knows transmissions very well.
 
udidwht said:
Stopped by Jerry's Clutch & Transmission in Grants Pass, Or. (well respected shop) and asked Jerry when it came to transmissions....he replied for every GM/Chevy one I work on I'll work on at least 4 or 5 Ford transmissions. If your having any trans issues on the road and you're in Grants Pass. Or. hit Jerry up he knows transmissions very well.

And for every 20 Ford chassis one GM chassis is sold.  So it looks like a huge win for Ford! ;)

I am sure they are both very good but seriously look at the listings.  Ford WAY outnumbers GM and they have been making that V10 for over 20 years.  They got it down by now.
 
Ok, Ford/Chevy BS aside. 
I was a Chevy dealership tech for almost 30 years.  I worked on brand new P30's for about 7-8 years.  The first coach I owned was a 29' P30 with the carb'ed 454.  I now drive a '00 37' Bounder with the Ford F53 chassis with the V-10.  So you can see, I've seen both sides of the coin.

Real world experience:  Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado 10, 857'. 
My P30 pulling a 95 Jeep Wrangler went over that pass at 17 mph, first gear, driver's foot flat on the floor.
One year later my F53 coach(longer and heavier than the P30, mind you)pulling the exact same Jeep went over that pass at 30 mph, first gear and about 60% throttle.

I'm still a Chevy guy at heart, but I'll stick with the Ford when it comes to motor homes.
 
RIS said it best though I'm not sure of the "More HP" claim for the Ford. (NOTE NOT SURE means just exactly that)

I have the 8.1 with teh Allison Transmission.  VERY happy.  I'm not a Ford Fan as I've owned a few and it's a bit like my next door neighbor who had a dog named Chevy. I ask him why. He pointed to his pick up and said "That's a Ford and for sure it's not Man's Best Friend".

I really like that allison Tranny.. Never had a hill I could not climb but I have had ONE. exactly ONE where I had to drop the towed to do it.
 
Real world experience:  Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado 10, 857'.
My P30 pulling a 95 Jeep Wrangler went over that pass at 17 mph, first gear, driver's foot flat on the floor.
One year later my F53 coach(longer and heavier than the P30, mind you)pulling the exact same Jeep went over that pass at 30 mph, first gear and about 60% throttle.
I'm not surprised - comparing an older P30 & 454 engine to a later F53 with V10 is almost apples to oranges. The 2000 era V10 and 4R100 transmission is indeed superior to the older P30 model.  Compare a 2002 Workhorse W22 with 8.1L GM V8 and Allison 1000MH tranny and the results would be much different.
Model year is significant. Ford did a major upgrade to the F53 in 2006 and it is a very capable chassis from that point on, every bit the equal of the Workhorse Wxx chassis.  Before that, I would pick the Workhorse W-series chassis and 8.1L because it outclassed the F53 in nearly all regards. However, the W-series didn't arrive on the scene until very late in the 2001 model year so we are only talking 2002-2005 models. Before that, the advantage goes back to Ford with their V10's.
 
In all fairness I do believe that either engine will perform well out in the real world. A lot of the differences in personal experiences can be influenced by to many variables to make a definitive choice in the better engine.

That said......

The only reason we have more jokes about Ford's (ie...Found on Road Dead)...The Chevy guys have a lot more time to think of them...While they are waiting on the Tow Truck. ;D ;D
 
We've had both.  A 1999 Ford V10 with the 4 speed and a 2005 Chevy V8 with the 5 speed.  The Chevy is clearly the more powerful engine and with the 5 speed, it makes a significant difference.  The difference is primarily on grades.  On a long pull, the old Ford would struggle at 25 to 30 mph when pulling our 4,600 lb Jeep.  The Chevy would pull the same grade at 35+ mph.  Both engines would be roaring but at the end of the day, both made it to the summit.

We sold the old Ford with 101,000 miles on the clock.  In 3 years we added 30,000 miles and never had a problem.  Started immediately and just kept on going.  We've only had the Chevy for 2 years and have only added 9,000 to the clock.  So far, it has performed very well. 

Our Ford was the early, I believe 2 valve engine and so far as I know never had the noted spark plug issue.  The Chevy had an after market program that bumped HP and Torque so 275 HP on the Ford and 400 on the Chevy.  Both would do 75+ on the open road with no problem.  The mileage on the Ford was better, maybe .5 to 1 mpg. 

As said, go with the floorpan that works.  Both engines will get the job done. 
 
 
I can only say this on the topic, 2 years ago I was in Wyoming with my 28 ft 2002 Safari Trek on P32 chassis with 8.1L and 4L80E 4 speed transmission 17,000 GVWR, at one point I was pulling out of a rest area and on to an up hill climb in the mountains outside Laramie on I80, just ahead of me was a similar size recent model F53 chassis Winnebago Vista (either 16,000 or 18,000 GVWR according to the brochures), neither of us were pulling a TOAD.  He was able to pull away from me, I was driving with my foot on the floor and was doing between 50-55 mph when we crested the rise, he was probably doing 60-65.  So not exactly a drag race, but close.
 
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