Are large gas motor Rv's underpower?
At the risk of getting someone angry for me asking the same question they don't want to see again, that no doubt some people feel has been discussed enough. Are gas Class A's underpowered to tow a...
Forum Discussion
Tom N wrote:
Diesels are preferred at altitudes >10,000'. Because of the turbocharger/blower.
-Tom, W3TLN
This along with an exhaust brake is the significant difference. If you will spend a lot of miles in the mountains, it can be justification.
Torque only determines if you get up the hill and that is torque at the wheels. A lower gear will provide more torque, so as long as the engine isn't grossly underpowered, torque is a non-issue.
How fast you can go up the hill is mostly about HP. The only catch is people get nervouse running a gas engine at high RPM in a torque producing lower gear. Assuming the engine is in good running order, it won't hurt the engine.
Unless you are a carney putting 50-100k miles/yr, long term durability of a diesel is a red herring (even then it's probably overstated with newer diesels being much more complicated). With proper care, a gas engine should be good for 200-250k miles and odds are the rig will be old and falling apart long before the engine gets worn out.
