3010ds power with v10

[bikeit02]

new unit power
We just picked up are new 2013 sunseeker 3010ds last month. I hope the unit is stiff it seems to labor alot when it is going down the road,and dose not like 60 mph at this time. we only have 900 miles on it. Do new units free up when they get some miles on them? Hope I do not need to change the axle ratio.

[MikeRP]

Originally Posted by bikeit02

new unit power
We just picked up are new 2013 sunseeker 3010ds last month. I hope the unit is stiff it seems to labor alot when it is going down the road,and dose not like 60 mph at this time. we only have 900 miles on it. Do new units free up when they get some miles on them? Hope I do not need to change the axle ratio.

What do you mean labor? I don't feel like my 2012 labors. It is a high reving engine, so it may seem like its running higher rpm's up hill. It is a truck so it acts like a heavy duty truck to me.

[bikeit02]

Originally Posted by MikeRP

What do you mean labor? I don't feel like my 2012 labors. It is a high reving engine, so it may seem like its running higher rpm's up hill. It is a truck so it acts like a heavy duty truck to me.

I just sold my coachman with a 460 that would start out and run down the road easy. I had to change the axle ratio and installed a diesel muffler to get it to run down the road. I was thinking the v10 would motor down the road with more power. I will give it a 1000 more miles to break in.

[MikeRP]

Originally Posted by bikeit02

I just sold my coachman with a 460 that would start out and run down the road easy. I had to change the axle ratio and installed a diesel muffler to get it to run down the road. I was thinking the v10 would motor down the road with more power. I will give it a 1000 more miles to break in.

Mine has 2500 miles on it. Most of the miles were put on in a trip to Maine. On the way over, I ran it hard and it had a lot of paint burning off and I now that I think of it, I'd guess I'd say it labored.

On the way back, it felt like a different vehicle. I drove 65- 70 very easily.

[ATVer]

Originally Posted by bikeit02

new unit power
We just picked up are new 2013 sunseeker 3010ds last month. I hope the unit is stiff it seems to labor alot when it is going down the road,and dose not like 60 mph at this time. we only have 900 miles on it. Do new units free up when they get some miles on them? Hope I do not need to change the axle ratio.

My 3120 has only 1600 miles on I think it runs great and seems to effortlessly run down the road. I like the 5 speed torqueshift trans over the old 4 speed auto my last V10 had. If you are one who likes more RPM and responsiveness you might try running in Tow/hauler mode as it keeps the revs up and delays up-shift points.

[RamblerGuy]

We have about 22,000 miles on our 2011 3100SS on a 2010 Ford V-10 chassis. We’re always towing a 4000 pound Nissan Pathfinder. I didn’t notice any difference in power or mileage as the engine broke in. (It had about 975 delivery miles on it when we got it, and I’ll bet the miles were all at 65 mph or more.) The V-10 develops its peak horsepower at a high rpm and the 5 speed transmission’s controller is set up for best mileage. It likes to shift into higher gears but it doesn’t let the engine load up, so it downshifts easily. I don’t think it hurts the engine or trans, but frequent downshifting and engine noise over 4000 rpm is annoying. The situation is worse when using cruise control, since it tries to maintain the speed so closely that it downshifts in the slightest grade. I just control the throttle to let the speed drop a little, trying to keep it from downshifting when I can.
A bad shortcoming is Ford’s use of the old 4 speed shift quadrant, with 1, 2, 3 and drive. It would be very useful to be able to hold it in 4, especially going down hills. The Tow/Haul is very useful for going down hills because when it is selected, with just a touch of the brakes, it will downshift as needed to help hold the speed. Just remember to switch Tow/Haul off if you are coming to a stop because it will continue to downshift into 2, then 1, and it will stand you on your head!

[MotocrossCamper]

We pull a 6000 pound enclosed trailer behind ours and I run 65-70 with no laboring. It has to be a pretty steep incline before the v-10 really has to work.

[bikeit02]

Originally Posted by MotocrossCamper

We pull a 6000 pound enclosed trailer behind ours and I run 65-70 with no laboring. It has to be a pretty steep incline before the v-10 really has to work.

do you know what axle ratio you have in the rear end. My code on the door said 4.30 the tag on the axle said 4.56. 4.56 is the ratio I put in my coachman that helped it out.

[MotocrossCamper]

Originally Posted by bikeit02

do you know what axle ratio you have in the rear end. My code on the door said 4.30 the tag on the axle said 4.56. 4.56 is the ratio I put in my coachman that helped it out.

Mine is a 4.56

[RamblerGuy]

The V-10 in our 3100 never seems to be overloaded. It has always pulled just fine, and would do more if I pushed it harder. It just gets noisy, so I don't like to run over 3500 rpm long.

[F and E Damp]

You just have to recognise that the V-10 is a higher-revving engine that the old big-block Fords and Chevys. I was brought up on engines that most Americans wouldn't think were good enough for starter motors. My first car, a 1938 Austin 7, had a 750cc L-head engine that could generate maybe 20 horsepower on a good day.

After a couple of years as an engineer in the motorcycle industry, I got used to engines that ran in the 12,000 to 18,000 rpm range. I even saw a Honda 50cc engine at the Isle of Man TT that had a peak torque at 16,000 rpm and peak power at 24,000. With such a narrow power band, it had an 18-speed transmission. I figured the rider had the cluth pulle for maybe 25% of the lap.

The "higher" revving V-10 in my F-53 doesn't give me any heartburn. It's a lot less than 24,000! I figure Ford has got the longevity covered. In any case, I only do about 4000 miles a year, so even if it's as big a POS as the old 429, it'll still outlive me!

I regularly go through the Cascade mountains in Washington State and I've never had a problem. Last season we came over Washingtom Pass on SR20, westbound, and on the whole climb to 5200 feet from Winthrop, running 35-40 mph, the coolant temp never budged off "Normal". As far as I'm concerned, the V-10 is like a Whirlpool washer - it just does whtever you demand from it and doesn't give you any dreck.