350 HP ICE vs. 350 HP Diesel?

Supercharged wrote:

Stealth1 wrote:
In a word: TORQUE!!

You forgot smell, shake, oil on carpet, and last but not least, smoke.

I experience none of that even with our 14 year old coach with 97,000 miles.

JumboJet wrote:

Daveinet wrote:
Tires are speed rated to 106 mph, which I have yet to exceed :).

OhhWell wrote:
I've said it and you've said it. Many others have said it on other threads in the past but some are just not going to get the simple fact that Torque can be multiplied through gearing. It's pretty pointless to keep saying it but what the heck right?

LOL I'm am always amazed at the torque vs HP discussions as there is always a group that thinks that the type of fuel defies math and physics.

No one disputes high torque is nicer to drive, but it does not make it faster up the hills.

I am happy that you need to turn thousands of RPMs to climb a hill and drag race other motorhomes. I'll take my 1800-2100 RPMs any day of the week over a screaming gas burner when I need to move a load.

That's great. I don't know what affect personal preference has on physics either but enjoy your costly bulk of an engine that takes babying to run in the cold. I'll take my engine that actually can pull RPMs without self destructing and pulls one hell of a load regularly.

See, it's easy to belittle another person's engine preference.

Daveinet wrote:
Tires are speed rated to 106 mph, which I have yet to exceed :).

OhhWell wrote:
I've said it and you've said it. Many others have said it on other threads in the past but some are just not going to get the simple fact that Torque can be multiplied through gearing. It's pretty pointless to keep saying it but what the heck right?

LOL I'm am always amazed at the torque vs HP discussions as there is always a group that thinks that the type of fuel defies math and physics.

No one disputes high torque is nicer to drive, but it does not make it faster up the hills.

I am happy that you need to turn thousands of RPMs to climb a hill and drag race other motorhomes. I'll take my 1800-2100 RPMs any day of the week over a screaming gas burner when I need to move a load.

wny_pat wrote:

Daveinet wrote:

JumboJet wrote:
It would be foolish to pull a load like that at 80 MPH up or down a grade.

It has to do with the superior handling of the coach. Factory claimed you can cruise over 90 if you so choose. So that is the design speed. With a 75 mph speed limit 5 over is not unreasonable if the traffic is light enough.

But what does the tire manufacturer say? Most commercial tires and RV are not rated for that speed!

x2 - I was surprised at the speed rating on my 14 Ply Michelin XRV and Continental HDR tires. And yes I had exceeded that rating a time or two.

Tires are speed rated to 106 mph, which I have yet to exceed :).

OhhWell wrote:
I've said it and you've said it. Many others have said it on other threads in the past but some are just not going to get the simple fact that Torque can be multiplied through gearing. It's pretty pointless to keep saying it but what the heck right?

LOL I'm am always amazed at the torque vs HP discussions as there is always a group that thinks that the type of fuel defies math and physics.

No one disputes high torque is nicer to drive, but it does not make it faster up the hills.

Daveinet wrote:

JumboJet wrote:
It would be foolish to pull a load like that at 80 MPH up or down a grade.

It has to do with the superior handling of the coach. Factory claimed you can cruise over 90 if you so choose. So that is the design speed. With a 75 mph speed limit 5 over is not unreasonable if the traffic is light enough.

But what does the tire manufacturer say? Most commercial tires and RV are not rated for that speed!

JumboJet wrote:
It would be foolish to pull a load like that at 80 MPH up or down a grade.

It has to do with the superior handling of the coach. Factory claimed you can cruise over 90 if you so choose. So that is the design speed. With a 75 mph speed limit 5 over is not unreasonable if the traffic is light enough.

PastorCharlie wrote:

wny_pat wrote:

tinkerer wrote:
the hemi has a lot of power but is constantly hunting for right gear because it's torque curve is small. I really don't care what other say about gassers as I go by the seat of my pants and the diesel wins hands down, JMHO.;)

And there in lays the answer! The torque curve of a diesel covers a much wider RPM range that the gas engine does. The diesel requires less shifting when going up a hill because of the wide torque curve.

Why do they put 20 plus gears in the diesel rigs?

I've drove a lot of them over the years, but never one with 20 plus gears! And even spent some time pulling heavy Michigan type "B trains" at 130,000 plus pounds. Thats the tractor, 2 trailers, 8 to 11 axles total, and did that with a 13 speed Roadranger. The most gears I've ever had was a 15 speed, but never used the lower 5 gears!!!

Daveinet wrote:
You are going to have to put a lot more money, because it will cost more than that in fuel. But I would gladly stomp all over it. Just to make sure you know what you are dealing with, I can pull 18K lbs up a 6% grade at 80 mph. Your gooseneck trailer is also going to roll easier than a full time 4WD with 3 differentials turning. While you are restricting to 65 as top speed, you will need to lift that restriction on steep grades. Hmm, I wonder what it would be like to travel 1200 miles and never exceed 65. That would be the most difficult aspect.

I actually did the trip. My Ram 3500 is 4WD. Why would I want to restrict the top speed? My 380HP Cummins diesel equipped RAM 3500 maintains the same speed UP and DOWN the grades. I averaged 10.1 mpg. And it didn't cost more than $1,000 in fuel.

I covered the 1,250 miles with 2 drivers in 22-1/2 hours stopping for a meal at a Cracker Barrel in WV, fuel a few times, and a Big Mac in Forrest City, AR.

It would be foolish to pull a load like that at 80 MPH up or down a grade.

rgatijnet1 wrote:
I appears that the consensus is that if everything is stacked in favor of the diesel engine, it will beat the gas engine. :B

It always goes back to gas owners know more about diesels than diesel owners!