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Old 05-29-2016, 11:03 PM   #141
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Originally Posted by Fancy Free View Post
You are first to state you drive as I do, by matching engine torque curve to power needs. Anything over 4,000 rpm, regardless of HP peak curve, is just spinning with no power. By using throttle to manage shift points, I try and keep my rpm between 3,200-3,700 on most grades (I do not have the 5-Star tune or other enhancements, pure stock v10). I have yet to find uphill east of the Mississippi I can't maintain at least 50mph in a 34-ft coach. Good enough for me, at least until next year when we try the Rockies! ��

You should be fine. You're coming to my neck of the woods and the V-10 does the job well. I have the 5 Star and also use the throttle to manage shifting. I stay in about the same rpm range you do, sometimes getting to 4000.
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Old 05-29-2016, 11:10 PM   #142
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I agree completely, the real question here is, if the engine is 2 feet or 35+ feet from the drivers ear, which will be less noisy? Simple physics tells us the one 35+ feet away. If you want to measure the noise level in the bedroom that is another thread and unless you put seat belts in that bed, none of the coaches is designed to be driven that way making it irrelevant data.

The turbos put on many diesels does create more noise at a high frequency, but since it is "way back there" it is not as loud to the drivers ear.

Another VERY unscientific observation from me, I hear a lot of MH owners adding insulation to their front engine rigs, I am sure someone will prove me wrong, but I have never heard of someone adding insulation to a rear engine coach, unless it was for thermal insulation.

They would if they drove the coach from the rear instead of the front.
Diesels are much noisier than gas engines.
If the V-10 was in the rear of my coach, my Bounder would be quieter than a DP.
It's front engine vs rear engine. Not gas vs diesel. Hmm, I think this has been mentioned before.
Our gasser isn't loud, normal voice pulling mountains. A FRED would be much louder than the V-10.
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Old 05-30-2016, 10:11 AM   #143
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Well, I live in AZ and I was born and raised in NM. The only terrain I drive in is mountainous, 4000 feet or higher.
As I, and others have posted, normal conversation in these conditions. 2002 vs 2013, that's 11 years of advancement. Not really fair to compare a 2002 gas coach to a 2013 gas coach. I'm willing to bet that a 2013 DP is much quieter than a 2002 DP.
X2....this is what I was saying in several pages back. As in anything, even automobiles, newer models bring better more advanced rides and amenities. Most of the people who over exaggerate the noise levels are speaking from the experience of driving an older Class A gas MH. I've driven some of the older diesel MH's and the ride and noise is much worse than the newer ones, and definitely worse than my gas MH. We live in California so you have to climb grades to get anywhere, and our favorite place is the Sierras. We have never had to raise our voices or yell to have a conversation.
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Old 05-31-2016, 07:38 AM   #144
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I've had both gas and diesel motorhomes, and that little sound level meter doesn't mean a thing when it comes to the actual experience of day-long drives over differing terrain. There just is really no comparison.

And although I only read 5 or 6 of the 9 pages, I don't remember seeing the OP telling everyone that a 3db decrease in level is actually cutting the volume IN HALF, while a 3 db increase, is DOUBLING the volume. Increase the noise by 3 db again, and what you're hearing is now twice as loud as it just was.

So the meter can fool people into thinking that, 'awww, is not much louder than that other coach... it's only 3 db higher'.

I know the readings in the photos were both of the gas coach, but that's not the point. The point is, a reading of 73 db is twice as load as a reading of 70. A sound level of 76 db, is 4 times louder than 70; etc. That's what you're hearing, and that's what matters.
let me help you with your math...70 + 70= 140 I did a test with the meter..

there is hardly a difference from 70 to 73 in fact I can go up 15 db just changing the tone of my voice..
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Old 05-31-2016, 07:48 AM   #145
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Originally Posted by Mike and Cha View Post
X2....this is what I was saying in several pages back. As in anything, even automobiles, newer models bring better more advanced rides and amenities. Most of the people who over exaggerate the noise levels are speaking from the experience of driving an older Class A gas MH. I've driven some of the older diesel MH's and the ride and noise is much worse than the newer ones, and definitely worse than my gas MH. We live in California so you have to climb grades to get anywhere, and our favorite place is the Sierras. We have never had to raise our voices or yell to have a conversation.
I remember when I bought my first DP.... I did all kinds of math... how much it cost VS what I would save.... it never penciled out..so I asked the salesman...

why would you buy a DP vs A gas coach... what would be the reason...

he said.... be cause you CAN!!!! he said it will never make any mathematic sence....

so what I see is people try'n to justify the reason they paid so much more by constantly have to brag about that they have a diesel motor ...

and it's not just the new one either ... they can have 10k 20 year old coach and try to tell you how much better it is than a new 100k gas coach

it kinda like pulling up to the boat dock at the lake... all you ever here is how they can drink with out spilling with there 3 engine 42'r....

I just put a lid on my cup
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Old 05-31-2016, 07:50 AM   #146
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Anyway,... I'm taking off the magnaflow muffler today...

all I got out of the swap was noise

I wanna try to see if I can quiet down the exhaust any...
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Old 05-31-2016, 08:37 AM   #147
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If anyone is interested I found an interesting article, part of which is below, about the "Perception and Interpretation of Sound" which I think will explain why you don't perceive a 3dB change, which is twice as loud, as being twice as loud.

Note: there are a lot of links in the article that I didn't want to take the time to enter. If you want to read the entire article click on the original Penn State University article Noise Basics and Metrics.article
You will see a reference to not only dB but dBA. The dBA, dBB and dBC are shorthand notations for A, B and C scales.

-------------------------------------------

Perception and Interpretation of Sound

Hearing is a complicated process with several steps that alter sound's original form. The sound that you hear is not an exact representation of the pressure waves that reach your ear.

Perception of the loudness of a sound - Sounds carry a certain amount of energy. The ratio of energy between the sounds we can just barely hear and the sounds that are so loud that they cause us pain is about one to ten trillion. However, we don't hear the painful sound as being ten trillion times louder than the sound we can just barely hear. An increase of 10 decibel (dB) in a 1 kilohertz (1 thousand vibrations cycles per second) sound is perceived as twice as loud. This is why we use the decibel, a logarithmic scale, to measure loudness. A logarithmic scale more closely mirrors the way we hear.

Perception of different loudness for sounds of equal intensity level but different frequency (different pitch) - People can hear frequencies in the range of about 20 hertz (Hz) (vibrations cycles per second) to 20,000 Hz. However, because of the structure of the ear, we are best at hearing sounds in the range of normal human speech. The relative sensitivities of human hearing have been plotted in the form of equal loudness contours as seen in Figure 2. Each line, or contour, in the graph represents the pairs of frequencies and intensity levels (measured in decibel) that sound equally loud to us. For example, a 20 Hz sound (a very low pitched sound), whose intensity level is about 75 dB higher than a 3 kHz sound (a sound closer to the pitch of a human voice) will be perceived as equally loud.


Figure 2. Equal Loudness Contours.

Source: Handbook For Acoustic Ecology

Click here for a larger version of this image.

These relative sensitivities differ for sounds at different intensity levels. For example, a 20 Hz sound with about a 65 dB intensity level sounds equally loud as a 3 kHz sound with about a -10 dB intensity level. This is a difference of 75 dB. However, a 20 Hz sound with about a 120 dB intensity level sounds equally as loud as a 3 kHz sound with about a 110 dB intensity level. This is a difference of only 10 dB.

To account for our relative sensitivities of different frequencies and intensity levels, the A, B, and C-weighted decibel scale were created.
  • The A-weighted decibel scale weighs the loudness of sounds at different frequencies in a similar way as the ear for intensity levels of about 40 to 65 dB. Because of this, the loudness of a sound measured in A-weighted decibels (dBA) is closer to the loudness you hear at these intensity levels.
  • The B and C-weighted decibel scales weigh the loudness of sounds at different frequencies in a similar way as the ear for intensity levels of about 65 to 85 dB and about 85 dB and above, respectively.
Most measurements of airplane noise, including the Equivalent Noise Level (LEQ) (See Noise Basics), use an A-weighted decibel scale. The LEQ is essentially the average sound level as measured by the A-weighted decibel scale over a period of time. It is used over a 24 hour period with 10 dB added to the sounds occurring between 10 pm and 7 am to calculate the Day-Night Level (DNL). The DNL is used in evaluating the noise levels in a community. Therefore, our hearing process and perception of sound are an important part of noise assessment.
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Old 05-31-2016, 09:25 AM   #148
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beings the thread is about truth and facts,,..

fact is.. everyone so far that has a gas coach says they can hear someone talking in the seat besides them...


and the only one saying you can't have bought a rear diesel

pretty sure the rear gas mh is quieter

so far I have only seen one video proving that you can talk in a gas motor home going down the road..mine....

I have never seen any proof,... video.. of some one unable to hear because of the gas motor noise in a motor home..

so I move that all responses from dp owner be removed as "hear say"
and that anyone that says you can't hear in a gas coach provide doctors results of a hearing test
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Old 05-31-2016, 05:32 PM   #149
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well I did it.... my gas coach is quieter than a 40' diesel pusher...

I redid my exhaust and intake...can bearly hear it running

here's the diesel results..

I finally have some measurements on my Discovery. I did not get a chance to "play" around much, so the measurements are kind of limited. All measurements taken with Dash AC off, generator off and the meter held at the drivers head position.

Sitting in the coach, engine off 30.5 dBA
Stationary, engine idling. 48.7 dBA
Driving 40 MPH smooth road, windy 65.6 dBA
Driving 65 MPH, highway, windy. 72.3 dBA

I might note my Discovery seems a bit noisier since I had the new windshield installed. There seems to be more wind noise. There is also a 'harmonica" like buzzing noise under very windy conditions that I suspect may be the new windshield molding vibrating in the wind. I have to call the installer back to see if he can add some sealant to,quiet that down.

Thanks the people who have posted some numbers or who plan to. I'll bump the thread from time to time if it goes dormant to keep it active.
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Old 05-31-2016, 05:39 PM   #150
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heres a few more facts...



Sitting in the coach, engine off 40.5 dBA

Stationary, engine idling. 50.7 dBA

Driving 40 MPH smooth road, windy 57.5 dBA

Driving 65 MPH, highway, windy. 66.2 dBA

here an even better one..

my dash ac is at 56 dBA on low and 69 on high...

so my engine is quieter than the AC...

and I know for a fact that DP dash air is way louder than fords f53 dash air...

and another fact, dp chassis make more noise
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Old 05-31-2016, 07:02 PM   #151
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beings the thread is about truth and facts,,..

fact is.. everyone so far that has a gas coach says they can hear someone talking in the seat besides them...


and the only one saying you can't have bought a rear diesel

pretty sure the rear gas mh is quieter

so far I have only seen one video proving that you can talk in a gas motor home going down the road..mine....

I have never seen any proof,... video.. of some one unable to hear because of the gas motor noise in a motor home..

so I move that all responses from dp owner be removed as "hear say"
and that anyone that says you can't hear in a gas coach provide doctors results of a hearing test
Check out the Wynn's video when they were on their way to Alaska in a gas coach. Lot's of engine roar and noise in a gas coach.
Hey, I own a gas coach and I am happy about it. I have a lot more cash in my bank account because of my decision.

LVRVLUVR why do you sound so angry in your posts?
People in life are always going to disagree. Life is way too short to let anyone get your dander up. It's not about being right or wrong. Enjoy life. I am!
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Old 05-31-2016, 07:27 PM   #152
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Check out the Wynn's video when they were on their way to Alaska in a gas coach. Lot's of engine roar and noise in a gas coach.
Hey, I own a gas coach and I am happy about it. I have a lot more cash in my bank account because of my decision.

LVRVLUVR why do you sound so angry in your posts?
People in life are always going to disagree. Life is way too short to let anyone get your dander up. It's not about being right or wrong. Enjoy life. I am!
not angry at all......i'm more of a prove it guy,
one thing that does anger me was when I bought my first DP... before that people told me how good they rode.. how smooth and quiet .. how they got 15 mpg.. and on and on..

so I buy one... horrible to say the least..tryed to come down the 15 interstate from victor ville to riverside, thought the whole motor home was coming apart.... big ruff riding fuel hogging pigs.... so I go back to the dealer...


"oh , you have to go home and load this coach up... not gonna ride good till it's at full weight.."

so I say, it can't make it up the grade at speed limit..and it gets 8 mpg..

he says"you gotta keep her under 55mph if you wanna get good mileage"



dp chassis will only ride good on a smooth road.... the suspension can't adjust fast enough for a bumpy road... ever time you hit a bump the bags pump up harder..the farther down a bad road you go... the worst the ride


and you have no control...

diesels are quiet till you turn on the a/c or you head down a dirt road....

and they have plenty of power .... unless you wanna go up hill

but.... all around you never get to hear about what they are really like..

and the funny thing is ... you seem to only remember the good things about them when there gone..
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Old 05-31-2016, 07:29 PM   #153
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Check out the Wynn's video when they were on their way to Alaska in a gas coach. Lot's of engine roar and noise in a gas coach.
Hey, I own a gas coach and I am happy about it. I have a lot more cash in my bank account because of my decision.

LVRVLUVR why do you sound so angry in your posts?
People in life are always going to disagree. Life is way too short to let anyone get your dander up. It's not about being right or wrong. Enjoy life. I am!
oh....and I got the roar figured out finally...runs like a mouse in slippers now...

wait till I tell ford..
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Old 05-31-2016, 07:59 PM   #154
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oh....and I got the roar figured out finally...runs like a mouse in slippers now...

wait till I tell ford..
Are you going to share?
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