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Diesel more sluggish than gas?

Mostovi
Explorer
Explorer
New to the site, so hello to everyone. Will be moving into the motor home world soon. I had pretty much settled on DP or large super C, but I've read several posts here where some folks said some diesels are actually more sluggish than gas. Contrary to all I've ever heard. Can those of you with more experience than myself please explain? Thanks!
65 REPLIES 65

Bruce_Brown
Moderator
Moderator
I believe this one has run it's course.
There are 24 hours in every day - it all depends on how you choose to use them.
Bruce & Jill Brown
2008 Kountry Star Pusher 3910

gutfelt
Explorer
Explorer
JaxDad wrote:
gutfelt wrote:
JaxDad wrote:
et2 wrote:
With a gasser - learning other forms of communication while traveling would be Good advice.


Why would that be?

My Itasca gasser is so quiet that people phoning me don’t know I’m driving, they think I’m sitting at home. The wind noise is by far the loudest background noise, and it’s so muffled people can’t tell I’m going down the road at 65mph.

Lumping all vehicles together is not just wrong, it’s silly. A base level pick up and a Caddy are both gassers, do you really think they ride the same and gave the same interior noise level?


where all gassers are noisy is when your driving up steeper mountain passes at 3/4 to full throttle and your down in 2 nd gear area
or trying to pass at wfo


All gassers?

Mine rarely comes out of 5th gear and I’m not sure I can ever remember a time when it dropped back into 3rd gear let alone 2nd.

Mind you I rarely climb hills steeper than 6% so it’s not a huge problem. Just hit the bottom a tad faster and stay on it. No problem at all.

no idea what size yours is or weight of toad etc but (example) 35 ft 3 slide gasser with toad going up a 6 % grade like mammoth you will be in 3rd or 2nd gear at about 35MPH that I guarantee or the grapevine out of La in California same thing
theres not a gas MH alive that go up mamouth mt in 5 th gear or 4th for that matter

JaxDad
Explorer III
Explorer III
gutfelt wrote:
JaxDad wrote:
et2 wrote:
With a gasser - learning other forms of communication while traveling would be Good advice.


Why would that be?

My Itasca gasser is so quiet that people phoning me don’t know I’m driving, they think I’m sitting at home. The wind noise is by far the loudest background noise, and it’s so muffled people can’t tell I’m going down the road at 65mph.

Lumping all vehicles together is not just wrong, it’s silly. A base level pick up and a Caddy are both gassers, do you really think they ride the same and gave the same interior noise level?


where all gassers are noisy is when your driving up steeper mountain passes at 3/4 to full throttle and your down in 2 nd gear area
or trying to pass at wfo


All gassers?

Mine rarely comes out of 5th gear and I’m not sure I can ever remember a time when it dropped back into 3rd gear let alone 2nd.

Mind you I rarely climb hills steeper than 6% so it’s not a huge problem. Just hit the bottom a tad faster and stay on it. No problem at all.

Dutch_12078
Explorer II
Explorer II
JaxDad wrote:
et2 wrote:
With a gasser - learning other forms of communication while traveling would be Good advice.


Why would that be?

My Itasca gasser is so quiet that people phoning me don’t know I’m driving, they think I’m sitting at home. The wind noise is by far the loudest background noise, and it’s so muffled people can’t tell I’m going down the road at 65mph.

Lumping all vehicles together is not just wrong, it’s silly. A base level pick up and a Caddy are both gassers, do you really think they ride the same and gave the same interior noise level?

X2 - My wife and I have no problem conversing at normal levels while underway. Our V-10 does get louder pulling a steep grade, but it's still not loud enough to need any sort of "other form of communication". About the only time we might speak up a bit is when the radio is playing a favorite song and one of us cranked the volume up.
Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F53 chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
Bigfoot Automatic Leveling System
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/Blue Ox baseplate

gutfelt
Explorer
Explorer
JaxDad wrote:
et2 wrote:
With a gasser - learning other forms of communication while traveling would be Good advice.


Why would that be?

My Itasca gasser is so quiet that people phoning me don’t know I’m driving, they think I’m sitting at home. The wind noise is by far the loudest background noise, and it’s so muffled people can’t tell I’m going down the road at 65mph.

Lumping all vehicles together is not just wrong, it’s silly. A base level pick up and a Caddy are both gassers, do you really think they ride the same and gave the same interior noise level?


where all gassers are noisy is when your driving up steeper mountain passes at 3/4 to full throttle and your down in 2 nd gear area
or trying to pass at wfo

JaxDad
Explorer III
Explorer III
et2 wrote:
With a gasser - learning other forms of communication while traveling would be Good advice.


Why would that be?

My Itasca gasser is so quiet that people phoning me don’t know I’m driving, they think I’m sitting at home. The wind noise is by far the loudest background noise, and it’s so muffled people can’t tell I’m going down the road at 65mph.

Lumping all vehicles together is not just wrong, it’s silly. A base level pick up and a Caddy are both gassers, do you really think they ride the same and gave the same interior noise level?

fagnaml
Explorer
Explorer
My 2007, 39 foot Damon Astoria Class A diesel pusher is slow to accelerate from a "dead stop" until the turbo booster "spins up". Once the turbo has kicked-in, the acceleration is not too bad for a 25,000 pound vehicle. A vehicle that size is not "spunky" compared to a 1/2 ton Silverado.
Mike & Cindy
Katy, TX
2007 Damon Astoria DP Model 3774
2016 Jeep Sahara Unlimited Toad

et2
Explorer
Explorer
Most people aren't buying motor homes for there acceleration. They're designed and then buildt to move those designed specifications. Most higher powered DP are moving bigger and heavier mass. You won't find gas engines doing that for a good reason.

Most gas engines are on smaller less heavier MH's, as the weight goes up there effectiveness goes way down. A diesel engine will most likely last way longer than most gas engines in a MH, get better gas mileage, and you can actually talk to your family while traveling in your rig, compared to a gas engine MH.

With a gasser - learning other forms of communication while traveling would be Good advice.

Mr_Mark1
Explorer
Explorer
BigRabbitMan,

A fellow on the Prevost site bought a '57 Flxible bus that had been retrofitted with a Cummins/Allison set up (rear engine). He bought it that way and it's the coolest bus as it has been completely renovated. It's the talk of the RV park where ever he takes it. Then, he added a '14 Prevost to the stable.

Safe travels,
MM.
Mr.Mark
2021.5 Pleasure Way Plateau FL Class-B on the Sprinter Chassis
2018 Mini Cooper Hardtop Coupe, 2 dr., 6-speed manual
(SOLD) 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach, 45 ft, 500 hp Volvo
(SOLD) 2008 Monaco Dynasty, 42 ft, 425 hp Cummins

BigRabbitMan
Explorer
Explorer
I am probably the only one on this forum that has driven THE SAME COACH with both gas and diesel engines. My coach originally had a Chrysler 440 and a Loadflte 3 speed tranny. I upgraded the gas engine from a carb to Edelbrock MPI fuel injection. I upgraded the 3 tranny to a 4 spd Allison 545. My "off the line" improved greatly as the technology advanced the basic engines performance and the lower first gear got it to the wheels.

But I wanted more! So I removed the 440 and put in a Duramax 6.6L turbo diesel with a 6 speed Allison. The first 4 gears in the 6 spd are the same as the 4 gears in 545.

So what was the difference? With the gas engine when I switched trannys with the better gearing at the lower end, it leaped off the line much better than with the 3 spd (2nd and 3rd were the same as 3rd and 4th). Now since a diesel has its power at lower rpm, I needed those other two gears to keep my rpms down at highway speeds.

Bottom line, for the first 30 ft the improved gas engine MAY have beat the diesel engine (primarily due to turbo lag), but beyond that the diesel runs away from what the SAME coach did with the "improved" gas engine.

An added bonus is because the coach stayed the same length and almost the same weight, I have a good fuel mileage comparison when everything else stays the same. The difference: with gas I got 7.5 mpg on average, with diesel over 25,000 miles I have gotten 14.2 mpg.

And its more fun to drive!
BigRabbitMan
Gas to Diesel Conversion project
76 FMC #1046, Gas Pusher became a Diesel Pusher
Discussion thread on this site
"You're never too old to learn something stupid."

ArchHoagland
Explorer
Explorer
Mr.Mark wrote:
Gut, we have graduated 'Good Sams' college, have our master's and working towards our doctorates, you are a kindergartener. Keep your nose clean and you will earn your badges and respect, until then, finish your happy meal and drink your milk. :B:B:B

MM.



Amen brother, Amen.
2004 Monaco La Palma 36DBD
Workhorse W22 8.1 Gas Allison 1000, 7.1 mpg

2000 LEXUS RX300 FWD 22MPG 4020 LBS
US Gear Brakes

Mr_Mark1
Explorer
Explorer
Gut, we have graduated 'Good Sams' college, have our master's and working towards our doctorates, you are a kindergartener. Keep your nose clean and you will earn your badges and respect, until then, finish your happy meal and drink your milk. :B:B:B

MM.
Mr.Mark
2021.5 Pleasure Way Plateau FL Class-B on the Sprinter Chassis
2018 Mini Cooper Hardtop Coupe, 2 dr., 6-speed manual
(SOLD) 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach, 45 ft, 500 hp Volvo
(SOLD) 2008 Monaco Dynasty, 42 ft, 425 hp Cummins

gutfelt
Explorer
Explorer
as said my opinion is there have been several on topic to the point posts for the Op to consider not just one as others opine and its not up to me you or others to decide "" end of discussion" also to note years of posting vereses a few days does not make one smarter or more full of wisdom as you seem to imply

Mr_Mark1
Explorer
Explorer
gutfelt wrote:
Bill.Satellite wrote:
1 post, 1 response. All 6 days ago. End of discussion.


That's your opinion and of course like others here everyone is entitled to their own
I think theres been many good responses that address or attempt to address the OP concerns


Gut, you are new here, us old-timers have seen a lot, read a lot, have seen a lot of one-time posters.... Bill is not off base here.

Bill has been on for almost 1,800 days, I've been on over 4,000 days.....

You have been on 7 days. :R

Safe travels,

MM.
Mr.Mark
2021.5 Pleasure Way Plateau FL Class-B on the Sprinter Chassis
2018 Mini Cooper Hardtop Coupe, 2 dr., 6-speed manual
(SOLD) 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach, 45 ft, 500 hp Volvo
(SOLD) 2008 Monaco Dynasty, 42 ft, 425 hp Cummins