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Is a 350 ci Chevy Engine Powerful Enough for a Class C RV?

by Bob
(Myrtle Beach)

I am looking at a 1985 24' Minni with a 350 Chevy carburated in a class C. Is this motor strong enough to really pull this motor home? I would also like to put a small trailer on it and pull my Goldwing which weighs 950lbs plus the trailer.

Any thoughts/ suggestions on this?

ANSWER: Hi Bob thanks for submitting your question on our Ask An RV Question Page.

Leave your RV repair bills to us—Good Sam Extended Service Plan

Yes, the engine is powerful enough to power the size RV your are looking at and as long as the RV is properly setup for towing you should not have any problems towing your bike on it's trailer.

One reality that you are going to have to face is that this RV is not going to be setting any land speed records; nor is it going to be passing a lot of other vehicles when climbing a hill. A larger engine might improve the hill-climbing a tad, but not by that much.

Since you are dealing with an RV that is over 20 years old I have a question for you; Have you performed a complete used RV inspection on this RV? If your answer to this question is "INSPECTION!!!!! WHAT INSPECTION?" then you are not quite ready to buy this motorhome yet. Yes, the last step in buying a used RV is to inspect it inside and out to make sure it is in good shape before you sign on the dotted line.

Why? Because you are spending your hard-earned money (I am assuming that you work hard for your money):-) to buy this RV. I
am pretty sure that the reason you are buying this motorhome is so you can enjoy your leisure time by camping with it.

Without a used RV inspection, your leisure time may be spent repairing problems on the RV, that could have been discovered during a pre-purchase RV inspection. As the old saying goes "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" (you gotta love those old sayings).

We have some good guidelines on conducting used RV inspections on our website. The inspection guidelines are divided up into two sections.

Section 1: is for motorized and non motorized RVs. It covers the guidelines for reviewing important documents about the RV, the inspection of the interior and exterior of the RV.

Section 2: is for motorized RVs and covers the guidelines for inspection the engine and the guidelines on what to look for during a road test of the RV.

Once you have completed these inspections, you will have a pretty good idea of the condition of the RV that you are considering buying.

Once you buy this motorhome you will become an "Official RVer". One thing is for sure you won't regret being a part of RVing Lifestyle. Many new adventures will be just down the road.

Now protect all of your Vehicles and your family while on the road: Join Good Sam Emergency Road Service Today and save!

Happy RVing

RVing Al

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Comments for Is a 350 ci Chevy Engine Powerful Enough for a Class C RV?

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starstarstarstarstar 		Is a 350ci engine enough?
by: Jamboree 23'

Absolutely! Yes-a full check out/up is a very good call for any RV, especially the older ones.

We, husband and I, just took a 6,200+ miles tour of this glorious country in our 1985 Fleetwood Jamboree 23' foot Class C in 35 days and loved every minute of it. Of course, there are realistic aspects that must be considered-we didn't tow anything, didn't use the AC in hot climate areas and planned our routes with regard to what we are driving.

Our RV handled the mountain passes well (4, 5 and 6 percent grades) and we checked it over when we stopped for the night. Chevy 350 ci blocks are strong running short stroked engines that have a long running production history and proven performance record. The models used in this application for RV's is called a "four bolt main", meaning more strength is built into it for heavy use (please google this).

In todays terms, they, 350 ci engines, are referred to 5.7 liter blocks found in trucks, suvs, and large sedans.
We have had these engines around our house for many decades and have no complaints-good engine.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		power
by: Bill A

Yes I would have this rv checked out completely. First of all thats asking for trouble investing in that old of rv, ou are going to spend more time on repairs,unless it has very low milage. I know this from years of experence i did my share of time setting broke down on the road many times.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Been there
by: Dick Reed

Our first motorhome was a 1982 24' class c chevy. It should pull your small trailer, but look to keeping it around 55 to 62 mph, hearing that four barrel kicking in quite often, and getting 6.5 to 7 mpg.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Plenty of power
by: TxWinnie

We own a 1983 Winnebago Minnie Winnie with the factory 350 and no overdrive. We recently took a tour from the Texas coast up through Kansas and a week in Denver. Plenty of power to cruise at 65mph and still made 9 mpg. The only issues were making it back home through the Rotan pass on I-25. Top speed on the steepest grades were only 35-40mph. And it really drank the gas, but we werent pulling a trailer either.

Leave your RV repair bills to us—Good Sam Extended Service Plan

Ours has plenty of power to do so, but we would take a different route and stick to flat lands. Happy RV'ing!

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