Deisel handling

[Bill22]

Do deisels generally require upgraded suspensions in order to handle good on the road? I have a 30ft gas and had to put $4500 into upgraded suspension in order for it to be safe to drive.

[Bruce_Brown]

valhalla360 wrote:

Bruce Brown wrote:

Yes, it's the chassis...

You got the answer right.

It just happens the only way to get that chassis is to buy the diesel, so it really is a gas or diesel deal. 😉

[valhalla360]

Bruce Brown wrote:

Yes, it's the chassis...

You got the answer right.

[Bruce_Brown]

Like I said, the day you can find me a gas powered Spartan Mountain Master let me know.

Yes, it's the chassis, but they are also exclusive to each other.

You cannot buy a Ford chassis motorhome with a diesel much like the Spartan example above.

Semantics, now matter how you want to spin it.

[valhalla360]

Bruce Brown wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:

Bruce Brown wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:
A diesel doesn't handle any better or worse.

We've owned (3) gassers and (2) diesels. I would NOT agree with this statement.

You cut out the important part of my original comment.

Were those 5 rigs all on the same chassis?

The answer to your question is no. Actually all 5 were on different chassis, but you're grasping at straws.

The day they put a gas motor in a Spartan pusher let me know.

Along the same lines, the day they put a Cummins ISL in a F53 chassis let me know.

You're looking for something that just isn't available in the mass market today. Somehow I think you knew that. 😉

You need to put the shovel down, you can't dig your way out of this one.

Dig my way out of what?

Handling is almost exclusively about the chassis...just so happens the people who spend big on top of the line chassis also are willing to pay the premium for a diesel motor. The motor doesn't make it take a curve better.

[Bruce_Brown]

valhalla360 wrote:

Bruce Brown wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:
A diesel doesn't handle any better or worse.

We've owned (3) gassers and (2) diesels. I would NOT agree with this statement.

You cut out the important part of my original comment.

Were those 5 rigs all on the same chassis?

The answer to your question is no. Actually all 5 were on different chassis, but you're grasping at straws.

The day they put a gas motor in a Spartan pusher let me know.

Along the same lines, the day they put a Cummins ISL in a F53 chassis let me know.

You're looking for something that just isn't available in the mass market today. Somehow I think you knew that. 😉

You need to put the shovel down, you can't dig your way out of this one.

[LouLawrence]

Bill22 wrote:
Do deisels generally require upgraded suspensions in order to handle good on the road? I have a 30ft gas and had to put $4500 into upgraded suspension in order for it to be safe to drive.

As a direct answer, and with all politics and whining aside, the chassis that a diesel RV is built on will not require upgraded suspension in order to handle well. In most cases, there are not even upgrade options available for this kind of RV. My first RV was a diesel pusher but was also a very low end coach and it did not handle well either. It was under powered and on a chassis with 19.5 tires (early 1990's). These just don't really exist any longer in the current RV market and you should expect excellent ride and handling from a diesel powered RV. If you want the best diesel ride then you will want to buy one with a tag axle as the ride and handling is determined by the chassis and not the power source.

[valhalla360]

Bruce Brown wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:
A diesel doesn't handle any better or worse.

We've owned (3) gassers and (2) diesels. I would NOT agree with this statement.

You cut out the important part of my original comment.

Were those 5 rigs all on the same chassis?

[valhalla360]

grldst wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:
A diesel doesn't handle any better or worse.

The difference is diesels typically come in pusher chassis (think commercial tour busses) and gas engines typically come in lighter duty front engine chassis.

It just happens that expensive models come with both diesel and better chassis.

Yes you could yank the diesel out of a Spartan diesel chassis, put in a gas engine and it would handle and ride relatively equal to the Diesel engine.

However, come on man, do you really think this is the information the man is looking for?

What do you think the OP was looking for?

Fact is handling has very little do to with fuel type. It's the chassis that makes the difference in handling...just happens if you throw lots of money to get one, they add enough to the cost to get the other.

[Thunder_Mountai]

Our 2016 Winnebago Journey DP built on a Freightliner chassis handles like a dream. I can one handed it to periodically change driving positions, eat on the go or scratch. The exception is high winds. To me it drives like a big pickup truck. That is in contrast to our previous 2007 HR Endeavor DP. I guess some are better than others. But I do know that some class A gassers are notoriously squirrely.

[grldst]

valhalla360 wrote:
A diesel doesn't handle any better or worse.

The difference is diesels typically come in pusher chassis (think commercial tour busses) and gas engines typically come in lighter duty front engine chassis.

It just happens that expensive models come with both diesel and better chassis.

Yes you could yank the diesel out of a Spartan diesel chassis, put in a gas engine and it would handle and ride relatively equal to the Diesel engine.

However, come on man, do you really think this is the information the man is looking for?

[RLS7201]

way2roll wrote:
Most Gas MH's are built on the F53 chassis which is used on everything from motorhomes to bread trucks. It's a utilitarian chassis and thus not a lot of engineering around comfort and quiet. Diesel MH's are fairly specific to the task and engineered with driving controls and comfort with things like airbags. On a gas MH you are sitting on top of the engine and endure all the noise and heat that it brings. Diesels are rear engine and so much more quiet and balanced. There are reasons DP's cost more and most of those reasons are the chassis, engine and engine placement. They are also typically built a little better with higher end components and insulation. All of which add to the experience. But everything in RV'ing is a compromise. You have to decide if the extra cost is worth it. Most folks who end up with a DP, never look back.

The F53 chassis is NOT used for every thing including bread trucks. The F53 is manufactured by Detroit Chassis and is designed and engineered for motor home use. The utility chassis is a F59. One example of designed and engineered for MH use is the fuel pump assembly. It has a third port for the generator.

Richard

[rjstractor]

Bruce Brown wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:
A diesel doesn't handle any better or worse.

We've owned (3) gassers and (2) diesels. I would NOT agree with this statement.

But as Valhalla360 pointed out, this was likely due to the chassis configuration, not the type of fuel burned. I don't know if any are still on the market, but the front engine diesel (FRED) motorhomes probably didn't handle any better than their gas engine counterparts. If anything they handled worse due to higher weight on the front end.

[ferndaleflyer]

Unless something changed a gasser is no where near a DP. Then to there are some sorry entry level DPs. All 3 of my DPs have been at the upper end of the class and no gas model comes close in comparison, not even close.

[Bruce_Brown]

valhalla360 wrote:
A diesel doesn't handle any better or worse.

We've owned (3) gassers and (2) diesels. I would NOT agree with this statement.