Engine noise - DP vs gasser

[sprayman]

rented one with a large diesel in a dog house. 1. floor was very hot, A/C

could not cool it off. Noise was so bad could not talk to each other.

Go up a hill and it gets real crazy, it screams.

Jim

[a_snowbird]

Thanks to everybody who posted in response to my question - the input was in the main informative and helpful.

Sorry for the apparent heated discussions that resulted in some cases - I stupidly did not realize that people would take this topic so personally.

My takeaway from all the info above is this:

1. DPs are quieter in the cabin than all other engine configurations. Am not sure about rear engine gassers - did not even know they existed.
2. DPs are considerably pricier than CL A gassers, and the maintenance is also more expensive, but in return you get quiet, more power and torque, and perhaps better mileage albeit with more expensive fuel.
3. CL A gassers may possibly be quieter than my 2012 Greyhawk CL C, which is not quiet even when just cruising at 2500 RPM. I will have to drive some to find out.

Thanks again to all

[Steve Ownby]

Originally Posted by a_snowbird

Thanks to everybody who posted in response to my question - the input was in the main informative and helpful.



Sorry for the apparent heated discussions that resulted in some cases - I stupidly did not realize that people would take this topic so personally.



My takeaway from all the info above is this:



1. DPs are quieter in the cabin than all other engine configurations. Am not sure about rear engine gassers - did not even know they existed.

2. DPs are considerably pricier than CL A gassers, and the maintenance is also more expensive, but in return you get quiet, more power and torque, and perhaps better mileage albeit with more expensive fuel.

3. CL A gassers may possibly be quieter than my 2012 Greyhawk CL C, which is not quiet even when just cruising at 2500 RPM. I will have to drive some to find out.



Thanks again to all

Glad you gleaned some useful info out of your post. It seems that any post that has "has gas vs diesel" in the question, brings out a defensive response from some owners.

1. The rear gassers, for the most part, were built on the UFO (universal fuel option) chassis built by Workhorse. It could be configured with a gasoline or diesel drivetrain. Conversely, there was a FRED (front engine diesel) which was used by some coach builders. Tiffin built lots of these.
2. Those things are true. The primary reason for Diesel engines in motorhomes is weight. The gasoline chassis are all limited to under 25K pounds. With standard configurations of slides and market driven options, these chassis hit there limit at 36 to 38 feet. The longer coaches, particularly with tag axles weigh from 26 to 50k pounds. They must be diesel.
3. Decide what your wants and needs are and go driving. I'm guessing that noise level will be on the list but not in the top half dozen or so.

[jacwjames]

I had a 1997 Georgie Boy Maverick Class C on a Ford chassis with a 460 engine. The engine was extremely loud and the dog house got so hot you couldn't touch it.

The engine was a beast, had lots of power and subsequently lots of heat. There was a known problem with this chassis in that the exhaust manifolds would get too hot and crack. Had 1 replaced under warranty, which took over 3 months due to no manifolds in inventory, which tells you what kind of problem it was. The 2nd manifold I replaced myself with after market.

At that point I took the Class C to a Ford dealer who ran diagnostics on it to make sure it wasn't over fueling and to determine cause of failures.

At that point the shop manager informed me that this was a common problem. I inquired about a "fix" and he said didn't have one but he knew of owners putting 12 volts fans under the coach pointing at the exhaust manifolds, the type that race cars use to cool the engine. This was an expensive option.

Instead I actually cut ventilation holes in the plastic air scoop under the front bumper and then ran a combination of plastic and metal tubing to direct air across the manifold. Solved the problem, no more cracked exhaust manifolds and the dog house was cooler.

[530ktm]

Originally Posted by a_snowbird

Thanks to everybody who posted in response to my question - the input was in the main informative and helpful.

Sorry for the apparent heated discussions that resulted in some cases - I stupidly did not realize that people would take this topic so personally.

My takeaway from all the info above is this:

1. DPs are quieter in the cabin than all other engine configurations. Am not sure about rear engine gassers - did not even know they existed.
2. DPs are considerably pricier than CL A gassers, and the maintenance is also more expensive, but in return you get quiet, more power and torque, and perhaps better mileage albeit with more expensive fuel.
3. CL A gassers may possibly be quieter than my 2012 Greyhawk CL C, which is not quiet even when just cruising at 2500 RPM. I will have to drive some to find out.

Thanks again to all

Good luck with your search. You will find that some models of gas motorhomes are very pleasant to drive and they do make noise when going up hills. However, I personally do not spend a whole bunch of time going up hills. And even though a DP is quieter on the road, you sure know when one comes into a campground or gets ready to leave one. And most importantly, when they are all sitting in your campground without engines running, they are all fun, and they all do the same thing.

[rodz]

Originally Posted by 530ktm

Good luck with your search. You will find that some models of gas motorhomes are very pleasant to drive and they do make noise when going up hills. However, I personally do not spend a whole bunch of time going up hills. And even though a DP is quieter on the road, you sure know when one comes into a campground or gets ready to leave one. And most importantly, when they are all sitting in your campground without engines running, they are all fun, and they all do the same thing.

[palehorse89]

Here is a interesting video on engine noise........
https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=jfbYg3UaN9c

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by jondrew

A good long test drive is the only answer. Come back a week later and take another one.

I was very disappointed in our 2014 Excursion from a cabin quietness point of view. Our Discovery is much, much quieter. Both are DPs

Our present rig is quieter than our previous Dutch Star, both are DP's and both good quality rigs. Magna has much bigger engine, but it's further away too.

[Dutch Star Don]

"UFO Pilot".....I will apologize.....I knew the UFO stood for something unusual, but forgot there were some rear gassers built for a few years. Yes, yours would definitely be quieter than a front engine gasser, but really wasn't what the discussion was about.

[UFO Pilot]

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

"UFO Pilot".....I will apologize.....I knew the UFO stood for something unusual, but forgot there were some rear gassers built for a few years. Yes, yours would definitely be quieter than a front engine gasser, but really wasn't what the discussion was about.

These discussions always talk about gas rigs when they should say "front engine" MH's.

[DHart]

I think we all understand well that a rear engine diesel is going to be much quieter in the cabin, especially when climbing hills. That's one factor to consider in choosing between front gas vs. diesel pusher. The DP also will tend to have a better ride, more power, better engine braking, etc. But these are not the only factors to consider when deciding which motorhome to buy.

Also consider size. Some want to stay compact so that they can more easily maneuver and get into smaller (typically more beautiful) campgrounds like State Parks and National Forest campgrounds. In this case, a 30' to 32' Class A gasser may meet those needs better, at the cost of more noise climbing hills, etc.

We have had a 41' DP and a 44' tandem axle DP. Both were awesome coaches, but they were BIG and expensive. They served our needs well at the time.

Today, we prefer a much shorter coach that we can get into more State and National Park campgrounds with, so we wanted a 32' Class A. In this size, with 2016 rigs, you get the Ford F53 chassis with their recently upgraded Triton V-10 gas engine. This is a great engine, practically bulletproof, but it is designed to run at higher RPMs than a diesel engine is. It will be louder when driving than a rear engine diesel is. But as some have mentioned, it is likely to be quieter than older front engine gassers are known to be.

Our 2016 Newmar 3124 is noisier than our previous diesel pushers were, but at a relatively short 32', it is 12' shorter than our Endeavor was and meets our needs better in that regard. It's also a much less expensive coach to buy.

So, as others have suggested, your best bet is to determine what your exact requirements are with an RV.

No single choice is the right one for all needs. Some need a 44' coach, some need 32' coach, some need something in between, and some need a trailer or a 5th wheel. Diesel is a better choice for some needs and V-10 gas is a better choice for others. There is no perfect choice, nor one right choice to meet everyone's needs.

Sound level while driving may well be one of the lesser (of many) considerations in your choice.

[Rich-n-Linda]

Originally Posted by palehorse89

Here is a interesting video on engine noise........

Good Lord! Listen to that thing scream!

Climbing a 6% grade in our Cummins ISL-powered diesel, I don't hear anything from the engine.

[stepside454]

Omg it's horrible . That should be a noise violation.

[jackreno]

Originally Posted by a_snowbird

DW and I have a 2012 Greyhawk 31DS Class C, and like it a lot, but are considering moving to a class A coach for several reasons.

One of the reasons for the change is to get reduced noise in the coach while in motion - the engine and road noise in a Class C is pretty loud (I know, it is a truck after all ). My question is about the noise level in the front half of the coach in a Cl A DP vs. that in a gasser. One would instinctively think the DP with the rear engine would be quieter, but I don't know if that is true. Also is the Cl A gasser quieter than a Cl C?

Any input from folks who have experience with both types of coach would be much appreciated.

I am replying late on this thread so if this has been mention than here it is again.

To the OPer about gas motorhome noise issue, yes factory stock gas motorhomes can be noisy because 99 percent of the builders do not put in sound proofing material in doghouse and under the floors in front of RV, I spent $400 in quality sound proofing in the dog house, under the driver/passenger seats floors/outside and areas on the fire wall and my noise level is over half what it was, its so quiet now we can talk with a whisper and still hear each other, also zero heat issues..

You can spend thousands more for a diesel and hundreds or thousands more in service/repairs for a diesel to be quieter or save all that money on a gas motorhome and sound proof the front..


Oh yea the 5 Star Tuning also helped with the noise level as well.

My 2 cents