Dear Barth Members,
About 18 months ago I had the good fortune to buy a 35 foot Regency with the Detroit 8.2 "Fuel Pincher". Shortly thereafter, I became aware of this website and have enjoyed the sharing of info that occurs. Heres my question. In driving the coach across the U.S. after purchase, I became aware of the inability to sustain speed on climbing even moderate grades. The motor currently does not have a turbo boost. It has been gone over by a very competent mechanic who suggests the low-miles motor is running as strong as new. The lack of current power deters the thought of pulling a "toad" altering the places my wife and I may travel to. I have heard a turbo could raise h.p. to 230 from 205. Is this worth it? What would it cost? Is anybody happy with their 8.2? I am happy with the fuel economy I get and realize their is a tradeoff between economy and power. Could switching to synthetic lubricants provide a hint of better power? Would the motor run too hot with a turbo and threaten the motors health? Would I need to add supplemental cooling? Also the size of the brake rotors are original and give concern they are undersized. Has anybody upgraded with good results?
I appreciate the Barth for much of it's construction and the headroom(I'm 6'5") many older coaches lack. Can I tweek it in a few mechanical ways to get the happiness and balance I am seeking?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
D.W. Price

Hi D.W.
we have an 83 regency 35' with detroit 8.2.and allison 4 speed. from all i have been able to asertain it is not upgradeable to 230 h.p. what we do to live with the 205 ponies is rely on the tach. i never let the rpms drop below 2400 if possible. this keeps the power(tourque?) up and i seem to do pretty well on the grades. there are many hills we end up doing 30 mph to get up with the toad.(98 cherokee classic). by then im in 2nd. gear. also it's sweet spot seems to be about 65-66 mph. +-2800rmp. thats the speed that if maintained, we seem to maintain rpm's as well and are able to keep our speed up. we have a king cruise control which i always use as well in the open. my barometer is the semi's. we don't get passed much by the older ones at all. the 500 horse detroits? well, goodbye! les hougland at motorcoach restoration in lincoln,ill. may give better info. number is 1-800-786-1536. they deal with fmc's and barths. i know he has a brake upgrade for the regency but it's expensive to me as i would have to have them do the labor. you could save a lot if you could do the work yourself. sure would like to upgrade them though. instead we use an smi brake controller on the toad. adequate but would like more. also i am running 235 8r 22.5 tires. i thought about going to a larger tire and was told that would reduce my tourque. don't really know if this is accurate. P.S. i also had to learn to SLOW down and smell the roses. was used to doing the speed limit +9 everywhere i went. not smart but i learned. we have had the coach to the northwest including highway 101, quartzsite az, michigan, indiana and illinois all from our home base of iowa. hope this helps some. holler if i can help more.

mike



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mike foster
83-35' regency 8.2 detroit towing 98 cherokee classic 4x4

I would suggest doing a internet search for "Propane injection"

This is a sort of "nitrous system" for diesels. You can get a temporary burst of power without adding a turbo.

I am not specifically aware of particular sytstem for your engine, but they may well be out there.

Also contact Gale Banks, who is a leader in Diesel performance.

You will gain a bit of power by reducing parasitic drag via Synthetics. Whether this is detectable in such a large vehicle is unlikely.