diesel vs. gas

[The Shadow]

Originally Posted by Steve N Sal

One thing I do have to mention though not to counterdict a previuos statement I made about diesel power I sure have not had any problem passing a few of them on grades that I would have not thought possible. HMMM? Well that't my story and I'm sticking to it.

And, if while driving your PT you passed a Corvette going uphill what would you conclude?

No doubt another wrong conclusion.

Don

[kelliepoodle]

I think everyone made some excellent points. Here's a few other things to think about:

If you are talking about a unit that doesn't need the HP or torque of a Diesel engine to push it or tow it in the case of a heavy fiver, and all things about the RV in question being equal, then there are a few things to consider.

Cost Effectiveness
First the Diesel engine will cost significantly more than the gas engine. The mileage will be about 2-3 mpg better with Diesel, however Diesel fuel costs more than gasoline. Think about how much you are going to use that unit and whether the Diesel engine will be cost effective for your individual needs. A weekend warrior who does a couple of small trips a year will not save anything (and probably pay more) than a full timer or someone who takes 6-8 month trips across country, etc. The more and further one drives, the more cost effective the better mpg on the Diesel becomes.

Service
Diesel engines require more expensive maintenance. Lots more motor oil. You just can't take it into a Jiffy Lube or Oil Can Harry for servicing. You will have to go to a place that services trucks. In the truck service business, motorhomes are the bottom of the food chain. First priority is given to over-the-road drivers who are stranded needing repairs. Next level is the fleet owners who have contracts with the service center. We had a Freightliner RV hauler and it was probably third down from the top, but if it had been a Freightliner "Sport Chassis" MDT, Freightliner classified that as a "motorhome" and put it at the bottom. If you need to have your Diesel pusher or MDT serviced, you need to leave it for a while. If it's a Diesel pickup, the regular Ford/Dodge/ Chevy dealer and many garages can do it.

Fueling
It is easier to fuel a Diesel pusher or an MDT or Diesel pickup as you can use the big truck pumps at Flying J and the other truck stops. You can't do that with a gas puller and it isn't fun to have to pull a long motorhome with a towed attached or a long fifth wheel lashup into the gas station that was built for little cars. In case you haven't noticed, most gas stations have the pumps perpendicular to the building. Many gas stations have cut off limits on the pumps and it's a real pain to have to put your credit card through 3 or 4 times to fill up a 100 gallon gas tank.

There are benefits and detriments to each type of engine and each RVer has to work out the numbers for their own type of unit and their own version of travel.

We have owned a converted school bus, a Dodge chassis Minnie Winnie, a pickup camper on an F250 gas truck, a 37' fifth wheel pulled by an F350 Diesel dually, a 40' heavy fiver pulled by a Freightliner MDT and a 37' gas puller motorhome.

We have now downsized to a 23' class C and are overjoyed.

[The Shadow]

Janet, I need some info from you. We've gone 34 ft gasser to 39+ DP to 41DP to 32.5ft SuperC gasser - which we needed in order to tow our Tahoe. DW's 06 Equinox was swapped for a 2011 Escape this week and my 07 Tahoe was swapped for a new Flex. We are going to put baseplates on the Escape. Thus, we could downsize again and DW really likes the idea of the Freelander 21QB (likes the 23BB as well - but wb/length ratio a bit light).

ARE YOU HAPPY WITH THE QUALITY OF YOUR NEW MH? I say that because I read a report on RVIA posted by an owner of a 21QB and they had all kinds of problems that stopped us in our tracks - especially when they found Coachmen factory service people to be of no help. Jayco service staff up the road from Coachmen have been great.

We are really interested in learning about your experience. For the price one doesn't expect a Newell, but we've had enough headaches to last us a lifetime and don't want to buy a bunch more.

Thanks

Don

[WOODYDEL]

10 mpg---55 to 57 mph gas

[rough road]

forester you probably should compare the V10 to the 6.0 Ford Powerstroke diesel and you should find that they are both very close and very different with the V10 producing more hp and slightly less torque with the production of both being the only real difference, other than mpg of course.

I believe the numbers are:

V10-463 ci: 640 lbs weight 362 hp @ 4750 rpm 457 ft lbs @ 3250

Powerstroke-363ci: 1100lbs weight 350hp @ 3300 rpm 570 ft lbs @ 2000

While most agree on the power numbers there has been some spirited discussion on the true engine weights-of course there are some minor changes during the model run.

The late editions of the Powerstroke are reported to be some of the finest diesel engines made, the eary ones are reported to be among the worst with the middle years being a crap shoot-disclaimer power chips may be the culprit. Similarly the early v10 were well known to puke out spark plugs at very inconvenient times while the latter models were/are fine powerplants that will provide good service for many many years.

Of course the mpg with the diesel will be approximately 50% to 75% greater and the true maintenance costs are a wash when all is said and done.

A pre emissions diesel is a gem, excercise caution if you are considering a late '07 on diesel as very strict emissions changes were put into place, very complicated and fuel consumption took a significant hit, less mpg.

Generally speaking the diesel will perform better as the numbers show, hp and torque is produced at significantly much lower rpm's, right where the power is most needed in heavy duty applications.

Lastly, the diesel engine is far, far greener than the gas engine, even Al Gore said this.

Speaking of whom, have you seen/heard about his new mansion?????