Diesel vs. Gas-Powered Motor Home

As with most decisions there is not one that is best in all possible categories of consideration. The choice will be a comprimise between factors. My recommendation based on the information you have provided is diesel. If you will make many short trips I would recommend gas. This advice is worth exactly what you paid me for it.

From specing vehicles for commercial fleet use, if you plan to go more than 20,000 miles per year a diesel is usually recommended. That's just a guide. Diesels cost more initially ,but the routine maintenance required is usually less than a gasoline engine requires.

It's easy for me to tell you how to spend your money, but the decision is up to you. Newer diesels are much cleaner,quieter and fuel efficient than the older versions. If you plan to have an on board generator, a diesel will provide much longer life than a gasoline engine. Also a diesel engine is heavier than a gas job . A good thing to consider is to drive one of both types and that may help you in your decision. One consideration often overlooked is , how do you feel about carrying around 60 or so gallons of gasoline? I'm curious to know what you decide, Thanks

h

The wife and I and three Yorkie s,have a small Jayco trailer,which I pull behind my F-150 pick-up.

Recently I had some work done on the trailer(fridge),,while we were at the dealership,we explored all(20+) the coaches.

We found absolutely NOTHING that suited us more than our Jayco.We looked at Mountain Air,Gas,diesel,1K to 4K in price,and both of us,left,slightly puzzled at our reaction.We enjoy a slightly off the beaten path beach here in Texas,,,usually around 2 to 3 months,parked beside the ocean.

Life is really,really,Good.

Joe in Texas

My preference is for a diesel powered rig, as long as you are going to be traveling with it. If your just going to do short runs and long stays then the the extra expense of a diesel motor won't be warranted.

If this is a "Traveling" rig you will enjoy the benefits of better overall economy in fuel and basic maintenance.

I would ensure that the Motor was specced to suit your requirements, a motor that is too small will impact on both the enjoyment of the touring and the economy. Perversely you can have too large a motor for the job, and that will also negatively impact on the fuel economy.

You might like to Rent a motorhome of a similar spec for a week and see how that pans out for you. Give you a reasonable idea of the running costs.

What does Greyhound use in their buses ?

They would know best with the vechiles that run so many miles.

check out: www.theBusman.com

I take it that the OP likeinfo is looking to buy a ready to race, factory made, Motor home. Here in Oz (which I grant you is sometimes very different to the U.S.) we have a number of RV builders (like Winnebago, Jayco and Trakka) who offer a range of vehicles in different specifications. Most of them though these days are sold with diesel power as the bang for buck is better.

When people go on the road here for a holiday in a RV they usually travel interstate often over 1200 miles one way, so cost of fuel becomes a serious issue.

My next motorhome will be built in a coach, as I have done that before. We haven't had any petrol powered buses built here since the early 70's, so for me it will be what brand/size of diesel powered bus I buy.

Actually I cant think of any trucks supplied since the early eighties that weren't diesel. There have been a few conversions using medium sized caravans bolted in place of trays on crew cab 4.5 tonne trucks.

Licensing requirements in Oz are dictated by vehicle weight/configuration. I.E car license will allow you to drive a vehicle with 1 rear axle and up to 4.5 tonnes tare weight. Then we have gradings of 7 tonnes 15 tonnes single rear axle truck then two axles then articulated and gradings above for A & B doubles and the big daddy endorsement, Road Train.

For most of the commercially available motorhomes they go to great lengths to keep them within the car license category. For the larger motorhomes they require a medium rigid truck license which allows up to 15tonnes and a single rear axle. Its not that hard to get. It also gives valuable training to people who haven't driven anything bigger than a hyundai getz/VW Rabbit er Golf all their driving career.

I would go for diesel.

1) More economical

2) Risk of fire severely curtailed as diesel does not burn anywhere near as readily as Gas does. Less likely to start a fire from a spark (accident) for example.

3) Simpler engine, less to go wrong. Engine built to last.

4) Less sensitive to moisture as no High Voltages for the spark plugs (and no spark plugs either!). The glow plugs often last the life of the engine.....

5) Diesel engines given proper oil changes with good quality oil (I only use synthetic) and OEM filters, will last and last and last.......

6) Many diesel engines with either no or only minor changes will run on salad oil from the discount supermarket.....most will run with up to 50% salad oil mixed in with the diesel, especially in summer!!! Some people use filtered and cleaned oil from restaurants, when they drive it smells like French Fries are coming up!!!

It just depends on what is the cheaper Diesel or salad oil!!! Salad oil is better for the environment!!! and its carbon neutral!!!

7) Cold weather diesel fuel and a modern diesel engine design means they start as well as a petrol engine, even in cold weather.....

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I can not think of a single plus point for a Gas engine, I suspect there are some, but at this time I cannot think of one except that its probably cheaper to buy when new......Oh yes, and the heating works quicker in winter as gas engines give off more energy as heat (less efficient, less mpg!)

Gas engines are lighter. But you still would not want it sitting on your toes!!

Oh, gasoline of course. Diesel is really good for busses and big rigs. Most RV's don't get driven like that...they get a couple days, then a month off. Very bad for diesels. Most diesel fuel components expect fresh fuel to wash over them daily or else they gunk up.

Other drawbacks...without the proper fuel additives, they fail miserably when it gets cold. And if you run out of fuel, they are a very devil to get started again. Ever been at a truck stop and wondered why the owners leave their rigs running while they dash in to get a meal or dealing with the customs agents? Hmmm. Bet it has something to do with getting them started again.

But then, my experience with diesels is pretty much confined to Diesel Generator sets for aircraft....and the owner's manuals request a lot of preservation-prep if you are going to let the engine sit for a couple of months. I found it to be a bit a pain, but hey, it was a living!

Cost should not be an issue...its not like you are going to using your RV for commuting! So finding bio-fuel or other low grade fuel will not be much of a savings, if any.

And THIS advise is worth pretty much what you paid for it. You will purchase whatever the best salesman can convince you to purchase.

All you say is was true, but about 40 years ago or more!!! Times have changed radically......

Modern diesels are a completely different machine to the ones you are talking about. Even the fuel has changed in some subtle but very important areas....the way the diesel is sprayed into such a fine mist, it ignites even when the engine is well below freezing. Many are what is called "common rail" which not only atomizes the diesel in extremely fine particles, but it also allows the diesel to be sprayed as "Multi-jets" which get over the hard sound of the old diesel engines. You may even think you are driving a refined gas engine.....

My VW diesel motor will start without waiting for the glow plugs to heat up easily down to -10°C. With the glow plugs, I have started it with no problems at -27°C, but that is the coldest we have had in the last 10 years or so, but that was also not a problem either.......it just started and ran.....

Diesels now can be left for months without running and just start like they ran the day before, which is why certain businesses that require constant electrical energy 24 x 7 have standby diesels. Hospitals are a prime example for that. They are generally test run once a year......at least here in Germany....when maintenance is carried out.

If what you said was true about "gumming up", then a lot of companies and hospitals have made some startlingly bad choices.......

Modern oils, the synthetics for example are also light years better than the older types....and keep parts well protected when not in use......

I seem to remember (apologies if I remember wrongly) that you are also against Synthetic oils and have never used them....am I correct? If so, you have REALLY missed something good and are also not in the position of being to say how good/bad they are, as this info is only really good from personal knowledge and experience, heresay is no substitute!!!

I have been using Synthetic oils for around 20 years (I don't remember exactly when I started, but early 1990 would be about right!), on many different cars/engines, both Diesel and petrol, and have ONLY had good experiences, in spite of the fact that some of the cars clocked up over 360,000 kms.....and my wife filled a diesel with petrol and went for a fast autobahn run and split the head, but she still got home OK, but not a single engine failure.

Dear Yusef1, you obviously have something against diesels that you probably got many years ago (or when using older machinery/cars/trucks ), may I suggest that you take the risk, buy a car with a modern diesel engine in it, use Synthetic oil as well and come back after a couple of years and give us the benefit of your (new) experiences here on these pages.......

I personally believe that you are never too old to learn something new, if a day goes by without something new turning up I am surprised, but I am someone with constantly changing hobbies and interests, so maybe that's just me!!

Have a great day and if I am wrong about you not liking synthetic oils, please accept a heartfelt apology for someone who remembered it wrongly, namely ME!!

Great post, you support my experiences with Diesels perfectly, many thanks for your input on this matter.

Even the gas/petrol in Germany has a percentage of Ehynol in it, they wanted to put more in but tests showed that older cars (over 5 years old) would often have trouble with it and it was put on hold!

I did not know that the shelf life was so short, but even normal petrol does not last long and will not run an engine after a year or more......but the new shorter life is a disaster for anyone with a petrol engine that does not get used for a month or so......

Go for diesel on safety if nothing else. Petrol can turn the rig and everyone inside to toast just for the sake of a cup of coffee.

Owning a diesel simply means finding out how to change all the fuel filter regularly (5000miles) and the oil filters in modern engines every 5000miles as well. older engines change more frequently. KEEP A SPARE SET OF FUEL FILTERS IN THE UNIT. You will need them someday. Diesel is often not as clean as it should be. A high volume water trap in the fuel line is as important.

You may well consider an auto transmission, but make sure it is equipped with a BIG oil cooler with an electric fan on it. Manual tranny lets u use diesel engine torque more effectively. Another must have is a rev counter to be able to use the engine properly.

When you test drive the unit you want, make sure there are a few hills to test it on. RV's can be real slow when they hit the hills. One thing about diesels is they use almost a constant amount of diesel, so when you choose that huge diesel engine to gallop up hills, you WILL pay for it on the flats as well. You find the comfort zone that works for you. A petrol will guzzle much more for the same weight unit up a hill than a diesel.

I have gone for 4litre diesel in a 4ton Iveco to build our motor home that I use for business and vacation (is there a difference). We cruise the African bush helping ranchers turn a buck from safaris and tourism. Tuff way to "retire" early, checking the hunting and fishing out......

Although many of your points are very valid, there have been some changes with modern diesel engines over the last 10 - 20 years or so, may I draw your attention to them:-

1) Modern diesels, running on synthetic oil, often only need an oil/filter change at 20,000 miles or so. This depends on two factors a) how modern the diesel id b) the manufacturer, has he built in the computer an oil change algorithm. My VW Touran would run to about 33 - 35,000 KMs before requesting an oil change, in spite of towing a heavy trailer.....my previous VW Diesels were very similar.

2) The modern Turbo blown diesel can show a clean pair of legs to many modern petrol engines and with a substantially higher mileage per gallon of fuel (due to far better engine efficiencies), for the same vehicle at the same weight, modern diesels will show a much reduced "thirst!" Up hill and down dale! On the Volvo Diesels that I drive pulling a trailer with a car loaded on it, the fuel consumption varies little with the load, only with the speed!!! 8.6 Liter/100 KMs, equivalent to better than 30MPG if I remember correctly!!! Heavy car, heavy trailer and a heavy load!!!

Naturally, if you pick a vehicle with an old style diesel, no turbo etc, then far more of your points are perfectly true.....

Filter changes in the US; with a diesel pusher of 11 to 12 liter service a fuel filter if using the "Davcotech" setup will last on average 11,000 miles and if using a bypass oil filtration system with twin filters; one 6-7 micron and one 5 or less micron you may expect 15,000-20,000 miles from straight synthetic oil.

Many touring units employ the automatic transmission with 6, 8, 10 or sometimes 12 speeds

Hi there,

I'm not a diesel mechanic, I am however a very experienced driver though I retired from it last year I had logged 80,000 mi per year for many years driving various sized vehicles in all regions and road/weather conditions one may experience in CONUS.

From and economical stand point a vehicle of the size you indicated and the purpose of touring a diesel pusher would be well suited. Touring objectives often include mountainous vistas and high elevation driving, drivers of diesel pushers do not experience the disastrous effects of elevation and steep grades upon gas pushers like lugging, loss of power—fuel starvation due elevation, etc..

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I'll break here for a story: neighbor wanted to tour and I advised diesel because of the terrain they would see in the western states. He got a 1-tn dually powered by a big 454 V-8 Chevy gasoline engine and a 28" bumper pull trailer. They loaded the Pu full with extra fuel and gen-set etc. and off they go.

I get a phone call from him a month later from Utah; canyon-lands area, saying the 454 is a little weak and he's going up the mountain an tells his son and wife, if this comes to a stop—jump out! . When they got home the next week he was driving a diesel pusher and he told me that he was incredulous when that big V-8 gas was overheating and barely getting along and at less than 6mpg the diesels were whizzing by at 15mpg!

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The skeptics warn about fuel troubles when its cold; use "power-service" fuel additive and you'll never worry in temperatures down to -35°F, anywhere your touring if temps are low enough the fuel distributor will add a 20% mix of winter blend and you're fine but if temps are below zero degrees; rule of thumb, add the power-service product.

Along with the posters knowledgeable of diesel use parking diesel fueled vehicle for a year will not cause any starting issues. If you run out of fuel, stop ASAP; do not try to go farther because doing so may cause a hard restarting procedure but if you have a "Davcotech" style fuel filtration setup restarting is a breeze and changing the fuel filter is a ten minute job without getting dirty too.

[When specing vehicles with diesel pushers a condition not to be overlooked is that each diesel engine will have a RPM range in which great performance and economy will occur and the gear train will then need to accommodate this "sweet spot" as it's referred to]

I have not driven diesels in the US in winter time, but here, after October, the diesel already has the extra stuff in it to allow it to remain fluid for down to -22°C.....by law.

Also, in most of my diesels there was a diesel heater that warmed the diesel just before it got to the filter. It would heat the fuel as long as the engine was running to stop the paraffin wax blocking the filter. It worked automatically as soon as the fuel temp went below +4°C....alone this should be enough even if you still have summer diesel in the tank....

Only on my first diesel was it missing and I bought one and fitted it. My mechanic said that I had the easiest to start diesel engine that he knew.....(mostly due to my good work on the inlet & exhaust valve sealing!!)

The old trick when very cold was to add 5% unleaded Petrol to a tank of diesel, but this does wear components in the injection system as petrol does not lubricate as well!!!

I would like to add my 2 cents worth.

The driving distances are going to be the answer to your question. Driving shorter distances will make the value of the diesel seem less valuable, unless the driving area is hilly. In hilly areas, there is just no substitute for a diesel. The heavier the RV, the better match the diesel is. Today's diesels are so far ahead of the engines sold 15-20 years ago. Computer controls, and emission devices are every where now. But they run better, with better mileage than older engines.

If you are going to let it sit long periods, an auxiliary fuel filter that is easy to service and get filters for is a wise investment. Algae is going to grow in your fuel tank. learning to deal with it will eliminate the bulk of the problems that come with algae. Treat the fuel system with an algae killer such as Bio-Con, and let the growth get collected in the extra fuel filter. the fuel filter manufacturer can give you a starting point for how many gallons of fuel can pass through the filter before it needs replacement. Then just replace the extra filter, and get on with your life.

Synthetic oil is just extra insurance for the long list of "what ifs" that are on the RV trail. Enjoy it.