Coach Road Noise

[freestoneangler]

I'd like to hear from those on the forum who have owned both DP's and gas coaches and how much difference their is in noise level while on the road. Certainly makes sense that having a rear engine would be quieter, but are gas engines really annoying...particularly when going uphill under load?
Thanks,
Bill

[timmac]

prism wrote:

freestoneangler wrote:
I'd like to hear from those on the forum who have owned both DP's and gas coaches and how much difference their is in noise level while on the road. Certainly makes sense that having a rear engine would be quieter, but are gas engines really annoying...particularly when going uphill under load?
Thanks,
Bill

To directly answer your question.YES without doubt Gas front engine A are noisy when going uphill under load.The new ones not near as bad as old ones but still pretty noisy. (screamy)

BUT a new diesel pusher even a "entry grade" is 200K+ and a gasser is like 100K or less I have not priced one out in last couple years

With the thousands you can save with a gas motorhome you can have someone or yourself to sound proof the front area, this is what I did and my noise level is half of what it was, buying a diesel just for a quite ride seems like a waste of money unless your rich.

[J-Rooster]

freestoneangler wrote:
I'd like to hear from those on the forum who have owned both DP's and gas coaches and how much difference their is in noise level while on the road. Certainly makes sense that having a rear engine would be quieter, but are gas engines really annoying...particularly when going uphill under load?
Thanks,
Bill

Bill, I don't own a DP but a RV.Net Poster (a friend of mine) Roger "Retired Logger" owned a Winnebago Journey D.P. and he had to have the rear engine compartment sound proofed because, Roger said, when his wife was driving he couldn't sleep due to all the noise coming from the rear engine. I own a gas Winnebago (front end engine compartment) and the only time I notice a lot of noise is when I'm passing the engine makes a lot of noise then. I have to admit noise is not a problem to me, due to I'm hard of hearing (Thank You, Vietnam 1969 for blowing out my hearing).

[rgatijnet1]

mchero wrote:
Also......Think about safty. Had a brother-in-law with a Fleetwood Flair (gasser Class A) with a car in tow. They where going over the continental divide, right out of Denver. Almost lost it driving down the mountain. Brakes apparently heated up. Was VERY LUCKEY to be able to stop & pull over. Wife would NOT ride the rest of the way down the hill. She got in the toad & drove it down to the base of the hill.
Ended up selling & purchasing a diesel!
They LOVE it!

Anyone that thinks that a diesel powered vehicle cannot have brake overheating problems on a steep hill will end up as a statistic. :R

[Effy]

mchero wrote:
Also......Think about safty. Had a brother-in-law with a Fleetwood Flair (gasser Class A) with a car in tow. They where going over the continental divide, right out of Denver. Almost lost it driving down the mountain. Brakes apparently heated up. Was VERY LUCKEY to be able to stop & pull over. Wife would NOT ride the rest of the way down the hill. She got in the toad & drove it down to the base of the hill.
Ended up selling & purchasing a diesel!
They LOVE it!

This no longer a concern with newer gassers with the Ford V-10. They have an engine brake. Works great.

[mchero]

Also......Think about safty. Had a brother-in-law with a Fleetwood Flair (gasser Class A) with a car in tow. They where going over the continental divide, right out of Denver. Almost lost it driving down the mountain. Brakes apparently heated up. Was VERY LUCKEY to be able to stop & pull over. Wife would NOT ride the rest of the way down the hill. She got in the toad & drove it down to the base of the hill.
Ended up selling & purchasing a diesel!
They LOVE it!

[prism]

freestoneangler wrote:
I'd like to hear from those on the forum who have owned both DP's and gas coaches and how much difference their is in noise level while on the road. Certainly makes sense that having a rear engine would be quieter, but are gas engines really annoying...particularly when going uphill under load?
Thanks,
Bill

To directly answer your question.YES without doubt Gas front engine A are noisy when going uphill under load.The new ones not near as bad as old ones but still pretty noisy. (screamy)

BUT a new diesel pusher even a "entry grade" is 200K+ and a gasser is like 100K or less I have not priced one out in last couple years

[BillMFl]

joeprinter wrote:
Have driven both, my gas is quite enough, the BEST part of the Diesel IMHO is the ride, cant beat the cushy, cushy ride..

We have the same make, model and year. The newer gassers with Ford V10's are not real loud. Reading the responses to this topic it seems that the older gassers, especially the big V8's are much louder than our coaches. No doubt about the smoother ride of the DPs. And their higher load capacity translates into upgraded interiors. But you definitely pay for those features.

[BigRabbitMan]

Here is a video with sound that I did a few years ago. The sound you hear is the road noise. Note that when I start talking, it is a normal tome of void for comparison.

My coach is a 1976 gas rear engine.

Sound level in rear engined gas coach.

[RFCN2]

The big difference is the location of the motor. When the motor is right next to you without a lot of insulation it is going to be a lot noisier than one 40' away. In my own personal experience of driving and owning both types over the years a rear engine coach is far quieter. By far. Most of that is due to the motor being far away, and some is due to more insulation to keep out noise.

My current coach is very quiet on a decent road. So quiet there is nearly no noise going 65 mph. You can listen to Mozart with the volume turned low.

[bsinmich]

'89 E350 w/ 460 Noisy & hot doghuse/
'96 P30 w/ 454 Vortec. Quieter & not as hot.
'03 W22 w/ 8.1l Very quiet & no heat at all from engine cover.
I have driven 45' Van Hools for many miles and they are mich quieter with a smother ride. They are also a lot more money.

[joeprinter]

Have driven both, my gas is quite enough, the BEST part of the Diesel IMHO is the ride, cant beat the cushy, cushy ride..

[Executive45]

I only hear my engine when I activate the engine brake....:B....Dennis

[C350amg]

DP will run quieter for sure it's a no contest. Yet when they arrive or leave from a campground they wake me up, not the gasser's.

A well insulated Gasser can be very quite, go for a 4 seasons gasser rig, that 4 inch of insulation in fenders, under carriage and engine bay makes miracles

[down_home]

We have a little noise from the diesel, in the rear. the biggest noise is from the awning arms slamming around. Wasn't for that might fall asleep. We can carry on a normal conversation and the radio doesn't have to be cranked up.

[wny_pat1]

Our old Toyota Class C was noisy cause the little 4 cylinder was always working. My Allegro 454 gas Class A was very noisy when pulling and we had to yell over the noise of the engine. Had to talk very load most of the time in it. My '94 Foretravel w/5.9 Cummins is very quiet, and we no longer yell at each other, even when pulling hills!