v10 torque vrs diesel

jmtandem wrote:

Again, it's not the torque but the hp (and enough gears) that actually move a MH uphill.

This is an interesting comment. Please help me understand where you are coming from. For example a gasser that puts out 350 hp and 400 foot pounds of torque and a diesel that puts out 350 hp and 1000 foot pounds of torque will not tow the 15,000 pound fifth wheel up the mountain the same even though they both have the same hp. I can understand the role of horsepower in a motorcycle or muscle car where hp is more important than torque. However, you say it's not the torque but the hp (and enough gears) that actually move a MH uphill. It seems to me that it IS the torque that is important. This is consistent with your previous statement that you will never see a Ford V-10 in a big motorhome because it does not have the torque to move it up a hill.

Actually, they will. I have seen it firsthand: we had two 275HP semi tractors at work...one made it at ~2300RPM with a little C7, the other at ~1700RPM with a big C10. Hauling the same weight, they would climb hills at EXACTLY THE SAME SPEED. The smaller engine just had to run higher RPM's...it was no problem, as it was geared accordingly.