First time driving a DP

[427435]

I suspect this will only create another DP vs gasser argument, but I had a chance to drive a DP today. I, a friend, and the friend's BIL took the BIL'S 2002 38' Monaco MH to the Knoxville Nationals sprint car race. We did an all-nighter coming home to Minnesota and I took a 2 hour shift driving. My take-aways were:

Quieter when accelerating or climbing a hill or on-ramp but no quieter when cruising.

Acceleration on a par with my gas MH. We were pulling a Jeep Liberty. The Monaco had a 330 hp Cummins.

The transmission shifted fine-----glad there were 6 speeds due to the limited rpm range of the diesel.

Didn't care for the front entry.

Ride over tar strips and bumps no better than mine (new shocks were recently installed).

Swaying about the same as mine, also. Not impressed at all by the air ride that DP's are supposed to be known for.

Steering precision maybe not quite as good (probably needs more caster).

Ended up in rain, and Monaco did a poor job of specing the wipers-----they did not cover as much of the window as my MH.

Bottom line, I will not be rushing out to replace my older gasser with an older DP.

[YC_1]

Owning a heavy 08 40 foot HR/Monaco it always handled poorly with the 8 bag roadmaster chassis. Just 5K later and it handles like a dream. Shocks, sway bars, check valves on the air bags, two front end alignments, steering stabilizer, ride height.

It wandered, wallowed, and chucked into pot holes. What a shame. This is a very common complaint.

[Greyghost]

Well, as someone who just drove a 35' WH gasser and a 40' 400 HP Cummins over the same road from Reno NV to San Jose CA, the DP is quieter in all aspects. Climbing, and just plane running down the road. My main complaint with our gasser was the fan noise when climbing and the fact that it would kick in when necessary. Acceleration is pretty evenly matched, but the DPs 6 speed Allison vs the 5 speed of the gasser was enlightening. The gasser would have climbed out of the Reno basin much faster that the DP, but the DP dropped to 50 MPH on the steeper grades and never dropped below that (I suspect its how the 6 speed is programmed). When we got down to Sacramento, my wife made the comment that "this is a much better ride than the Mountain Aire" and I had to agree with her.

The ride on the gasser with Koni FSDs with great until I drove the same roads with the air ride of the DP. Much, much less rattles than with a sprung suspension. Fuel economy seems to be the same but I think the DP will give me better MPG when in the mountains. Weight difference is 22K vs 35K so I would expect some variations. I'll know more as I get some miles on the DP.

[427435]

DanTheRVMan wrote:

mena661 wrote:

DanTheRVMan wrote:
Quieter when accelerating or climbing a hill or on-ramp but no quieter when cruising.

If that's his experience, it is what it is. Nit picking it doesn't make it invalid.

I do not like misrepresentation.

Gassers are great MHs imo

But DP are quieter and ride better. Air ride can be added to a gasser to make the ride more equivalent.

Another misrepresentation is about speed. Many indicate DP are faster and this is frequently not always true. Gassers often hold their own on speed or are even faster in some instances.

People are going to spend a lot of money on these toys and need accurate information imo not misrepresentation.

Both make good MHs and gassers are much better choices for many people, but misrepresentation helps none of us imo.

On the positive side, At least you did not disagree with most of my comments. :B

Not all DP's (or gassers) are created equal (or modified equally). I have pointed out, in responses to other threads, that I have added $150 of sound insulating materials to my doghouse (a lot easier than making the payments on a DP). I also have Koni FSD's shocks on my motorhome and it is correctly aligned.

I do believe too many people are confusing the ride and handling of a newer DP with a gasser from the 90's or earlier. Or to put it differently, buying a DP will not guarantee you a smooth, quiet ride and good handling.

[427435]

John&Joey wrote:
Mark, how was braking compared to your F53? To me that is the weakest link with a gasser.

After talking to several on the road I'm starting to think when it comes to DP's it's all about the frame. I'm guessing that the Monaco had a freightliner under it. Seems like all the other DP's guys love to trash talk it.

I didn't really need to test them in a hard stop, but they seemed fine. However, they didn't seem to be as "linear" in terms of stopping power vs brake pedal force------probably needed a little more seat time to get used to them The brakes on my gasser have always been more than adequate, too.

[ArchHoagland]

Executive wrote:

wallynm wrote:
Lets run up the pass to Eisenhower tunnel on I-70 west of Denver or Wolf Creek Pass west of Alamosa, CO and see who passes who.

No such thing as a second class citizen with a Motor Home. Non Motor Home owners are second class.

Alfred622 wrote:
I really don't want to start a "war" but I sure appreciate your objective comments. I've been pretty happy with my Sightseer (gas) but have always felt like a second-class citizen since it is not a DP. I do enjoy passing the DP's on hills though...

That's pretty funny....mine never got below 5th pulling that grade with my HHR in tow....@ 58mph..passed a few gassers and many fivers..couldn't keep up with the Prevost though..:B..Dennis

Dennis...You went up Wolfe Creek Pass at 58mph??? Headed East??? Holy Cow Batman!!!!

[DanTheRVMan]

mena661 wrote:

DanTheRVMan wrote:
Quieter when accelerating or climbing a hill or on-ramp but no quieter when cruising.

If that's his experience, it is what it is. Nit picking it doesn't make it invalid.

I do not like misrepresentation.

Gassers are great MHs imo

But DP are quieter and ride better. Air ride can be added to a gasser to make the ride more equivalent.

Another misrepresentation is about speed. Many indicate DP are faster and this is frequently not always true. Gassers often hold their own on speed or are even faster in some instances.

People are going to spend a lot of money on these toys and need accurate information imo not misrepresentation.

Both make good MHs and gassers are much better choices for many people, but misrepresentation helps none of us imo.

On the positive side, At least you did not disagree with most of my comments. :B

[John_Joey]

Mark, how was braking compared to your F53? To me that is the weakest link with a gasser.

After talking to several on the road I'm starting to think when it comes to DP's it's all about the frame. I'm guessing that the Monaco had a freightliner under it. Seems like all the other DP's guys love to trash talk it.

[DanTheRVMan]

There are no second class citizens in RVing.

Speed is a bragging rights thing that is both lied about and way over rated.

RVing is an adventure to be enjoyed by all imo.

[mena661]

DanTheRVMan wrote:
Quieter when accelerating or climbing a hill or on-ramp but no quieter when cruising.

If that's his experience, it is what it is. Nit picking it doesn't make it invalid.

[wallynm]

My most humble apology as I should have said Non RV owners are second class citizen. Fivers are great folks, and so are tail pullers, popups and all the rest of the RV community.

TucsonJim wrote:
"second-class citizen"!!! Shame, shame, shame on you. Us 5er tuggers will argue all day with you on that one.

[DanTheRVMan]

Quieter when accelerating or climbing a hill or on-ramp but no quieter when cruising.

---- OK, but and odd way of not indicating a DP is quieter

Acceleration on a par with my gas MH. We were pulling a Jeep Liberty. The Monaco had a 330 hp Cummins.

------ Similar HP similar acceleration

The transmission shifted fine-----glad there were 6 speeds due to the limited rpm range of the diesel.

------- OK

Didn't care for the front entry.

------- OK

Ride over tar strips and bumps no better than mine (new shocks were recently installed).

-------- ?????

Swaying about the same as mine, also. Not impressed at all by the air ride that DP's are supposed to be known for.

------ You can not differentiate what most view as obvious

Steering precision maybe not quite as good (probably needs more caster).

--------- DP or gasser can have mechanical issues

Ended up in rain, and Monaco did a poor job of specing the wipers-----they did not cover as much of the window as my MH.

---------- DP or gasser can have bad wipers

[TucsonJim]

wallynm wrote:
Lets run up the pass to Eisenhower tunnel on I-70 west of Denver or Wolf Creek Pass west of Alamosa, CO and see who passes who.

No such thing as a second class citizen with a Motor Home. Non Motor Home owners are second class.

Alfred622 wrote:
I really don't want to start a "war" but I sure appreciate your objective comments. I've been pretty happy with my Sightseer (gas) but have always felt like a second-class citizen since it is not a DP. I do enjoy passing the DP's on hills though...

"second-class citizen"!!! Shame, shame, shame on you. Us 5er tuggers will argue all day with you on that one.

[Executive45]

wallynm wrote:
Lets run up the pass to Eisenhower tunnel on I-70 west of Denver or Wolf Creek Pass west of Alamosa, CO and see who passes who.

No such thing as a second class citizen with a Motor Home. Non Motor Home owners are second class.

Alfred622 wrote:
I really don't want to start a "war" but I sure appreciate your objective comments. I've been pretty happy with my Sightseer (gas) but have always felt like a second-class citizen since it is not a DP. I do enjoy passing the DP's on hills though...

That's pretty funny....mine never got below 5th pulling that grade with my HHR in tow....@ 58mph..passed a few gassers and many fivers..couldn't keep up with the Prevost though..:B..Dennis

[wallynm]

Lets run up the pass to Eisenhower tunnel on I-70 west of Denver or Wolf Creek Pass west of Alamosa, CO and see who passes who.

No such thing as a second class citizen with a Motor Home. Non Motor Home owners are second class.

Alfred622 wrote:
I really don't want to start a "war" but I sure appreciate your objective comments. I've been pretty happy with my Sightseer (gas) but have always felt like a second-class citizen since it is not a DP. I do enjoy passing the DP's on hills though...

[Groover]

Having just recently invested in a DP I sympathize with your observations. I am wondering if mine needs more caster, if it was not so far to the nearest Freightliner dealer I would have taken it there already. I was also disappointed in how it handles sharp bumps in the road. I agree with the comment about the front door but must say that is why I picked one with a mid-door which I really like. The things I like best about the air suspension are that I can lower it when stopped and it always rides level.

As the owner of an E350 with a V10 I feel that my 300hp diesel is more powerful but the coach is definately heavier so they accelerate about the same when loaded. However, the DP gives about the same mileage as the van and I get to take a lot more with me. It also seems to be much less affected by a trailer.

The coach is quite for the driver but the bedroom is noisy. I wonder if that if that was a good swap.

I have a Palazzo and just looked at a friend's Outlaw gasser by the same manufacturer. Each has things that I like and things that I don't. To that point there are things I like about backpacking, the old popup I had and the truck camper that I still need to sell. You just have to pick the rig that fits your needs best right now.