350 HP ICE vs. 350 HP Diesel?

rgatijnet1 wrote:

dubdub07 wrote:

rgatijnet1 wrote:

JetAonly wrote:
Now on to the next part of the discussion. How much "Brakeing" HP does a gas engine develop. You know the kind of HP that keeps you from using your brakes down hill?

Who cares? They put brakes on a vehicle for a purpose. I use them. Never had a problem on any Western mountain ranges. :R

For safety sake I am going to chime in. This is NOT a correct statement. If I used my brakes only without my exhaust brake I wouldn't have a MH anymore as it would have been impailed in the side of a mountain or off a cliff long ago. There are statements that should not be made in general and this is one of them. Sorry, just making sure that those that don't know better don't come to my beautiful state thinking that the brakes won't fail them because if you are not REAL careful, they will.

Bill

It was a correct statement when you consider that many of us, me included, DO NOT have an exhaust brake and learn how to safely drive the mountains without one.

Makes me wonder how I survived my last twenty years of my commercial driving, hauling petroleum products, in the hills of northwestern Pennsylvania without a jake brake or any type of engine brake. Only once did I have the brakes get to hot to stop and that was my fault!!! But did get it stopped without mishap. To hear some of the experts around here, I should have died in a trucking accident long ago.

dubdub07 wrote:

rgatijnet1 wrote:

JetAonly wrote:
Now on to the next part of the discussion. How much "Brakeing" HP does a gas engine develop. You know the kind of HP that keeps you from using your brakes down hill?

Who cares? They put brakes on a vehicle for a purpose. I use them. Never had a problem on any Western mountain ranges. :R

For safety sake I am going to chime in. This is NOT a correct statement. If I used my brakes only without my exhaust brake I wouldn't have a MH anymore as it would have been impailed in the side of a mountain or off a cliff long ago. There are statements that should not be made in general and this is one of them. Sorry, just making sure that those that don't know better don't come to my beautiful state thinking that the brakes won't fail them because if you are not REAL careful, they will.

Bill

It was a correct statement when you consider that many of us, me included, DO NOT have an exhaust brake and learn how to safely drive the mountains without one.

rgatijnet1 wrote:

JetAonly wrote:
Now on to the next part of the discussion. How much "Brakeing" HP does a gas engine develop. You know the kind of HP that keeps you from using your brakes down hill?

Who cares? They put brakes on a vehicle for a purpose. I use them. Never had a problem on any Western mountain ranges. :R

For safety sake I am going to chime in. This is NOT a correct statement. If I used my brakes only without my exhaust brake I wouldn't have a MH anymore as it would have been impailed in the side of a mountain or off a cliff long ago. There are statements that should not be made in general and this is one of them. Sorry, just making sure that those that don't know better don't come to my beautiful state thinking that the brakes won't fail them because if you are not REAL careful, they will.

Bill

Guys,

On either a gas or diesel, when descending a grade, engine/transmission braking should always be used to maintain speed of descent, with the service brakes being used only when you are going too fast and need to slow down to drop to a lower gear, etc.

And with either, you should be able to find a gear/use of auxiliary brake on diesel to control your speed of descent.

Many newbies confuse safe speed through the curves on a descent with safe speed. They are UNRELATED. Even if the road is straight for 100 miles, on a 6% downgrade, you may be in lower gears at 30 MPH (your speed at which the engine/transmission keep your speed in equilibrium without using the service brakes). Watch the OTR truckers. An RV's safe speed of descent will be faster than a loaded 18 wheeler, slower than an empty one-- straight physics.

And, as I mentioned in my first post on this thread (way back at the beginning), there are good reasons for both gas and diesels in RV's. Really hate to see these "Ford vs Chevy"-- "My choice is better than your choice" discussions. They are not productive and can sure cause hard feelings.

Glad we are all happy with OUR choices-- that is what counts.

I have to use my brakes very little on my DP as the engine brake does most of the work, I would guess a gasser is going to need brakes long before a DP. You never see that in the figures they post for maintenance figures. I have been involved in the construction and ag business all of my life and back when diesels came out the figure people:) told us that diesel engines don't give any advantage. Well these days there are no gas engines even offered even in the smallest skid loader. The diesels just plain lug better when under a hard pull.

JetAonly wrote:
Now on to the next part of the discussion. How much "Brakeing" HP does a gas engine develop. You know the kind of HP that keeps you from using your brakes down hill?

Who cares? They put brakes on a vehicle for a purpose. I use them. Never had a problem on any Western mountain ranges. :R

Now on to the next part of the discussion. How much "Brakeing" HP does a gas engine develop. You know the kind of HP that keeps you from using your brakes down hill?

wny_pat wrote:

OhhWell wrote:
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.

Now I'm not belittling anyones engine, but I am here to tell you that I have ran enough miles on a diesel here in the northeast and pulled heavier loads across Canada, in sub zero temperatures, with double trains (two trailers for those who don't know) pulling over 130,000 lbs, than your heavy haulers even think about pulling down there in Florida, and have never babied a diesel. Diesels don't like being babied!!! Have been running diesels since 1970, so I don't need to belittle anyone, cause I know about diesels. Good Gravy, where do they find these people!!! And your V-10, well why don't you get a real Ford - a 534, then you can run with the big boys!

I'm sorry. I mis-spoke (mis-typed) I should have said "takes babying to START in the cold" stating that they have trouble running in the cold was wrong of me and not what I meant.

I have no idea why you think I would want a 534 since that is larger, heavier and still has less power than my current V-10. Also, this is a motorhome forum, not an OTR Trucker forum. I can't think of too many long haul truckers that would find much benefit in a light duty gas engine.

I enjoy having a lighter, more powerful and cheaper to maintain / repair power plant in my gasser. Really, the more-powerful part isn't even all that important to me but I find it funny when diesel owners start screaming Torque. Besides, most DPs have well over 300hp now anyhow.

OhhWell wrote:
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.

Now I'm not belittling anyones engine, but I am here to tell you that I have ran enough miles on a diesel here in the northeast and pulled heavier loads across Canada, in sub zero temperatures, with double trains (two trailers for those who don't know) pulling over 130,000 lbs, than your heavy haulers even think about pulling down there in Florida, and have never babied a diesel. Diesels don't like being babied!!! Have been running diesels since 1970, so I don't need to belittle anyone, cause I know about diesels. Good Gravy, where do they find these people!!! And your V-10, well why don't you get a real Ford - a 534, then you can run with the big boys!

OhhWell wrote:

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.

No one is belittling anyone.

Facts are facts. I have been driving a diesel pickup since 1999 and I have a 2000 Hurricane with a Ford V-10. I know the operating characteristics of gas vs. diesel under loads.

Modern diesels do not take any "babying". They will run redline hours on end. They start in below zero weather just fine.