I purchased a 2003 Holiday Rambler Vacationer with a W22 Workhorse chassis and Chevy 8.1 engine. I have always had Ford 460 or V10 engines, so I am not real familiar with this one, so I seek your adv...
The engine has a "ping" sensor that will(is supposed to) adjust your timing for different grades of gasoline if it senses detonation. Perhaps what you are hearing is not pinging or perhaps you have a bad sensor. Hook your engine up to a Scan Gauge and check to see if there are any error codes that are stored in your engine control module.