RE: [A/S] noisy diesel

["Perry Joe Scudder" <perryjoe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Dan,

Riding in that noisy Diesel may be part of your hearing problem. I have been
on caravans with folks with Dodge Diesels, and they are LOUD. You can't
carry on a conversation with the driver while standing outside an idling
Dodge Diesel, they have to shut off the engine before you can talk.
I have a 2004 GMC Duramax and it is also more noisy than a 8.1 L gas engine
in the same truck (my brother in law has a 2003 Chevy just like my GMC but
with the 8.1 L gas engine). My wife thinks it is causing her to loose some
of her hearing after a 7000 mile trip this summer. I have poor hearing
already caused by high noise levels while working around jet aircrafts in
the Navy, so I know you can loose your hearing from noise.
 
> One thing in favor of the Dodge Cummins diesel, mine gets 23 
> mpg w/o the Airstream and 15-16 mpg with it. Chevrolet and 
> Ford get 6-8 mpg less. 
> 
You need to update your facts in this area also. I just drove my truck 1200
solo miles last week and averaged 20.76 MPG even though some of those miles
were in and around the Smoky Mountains National Park. I just got home today
from an Airstream Rally in Longs, SC, just outside Myrtle Beach. I pulled my
34' Limited for a total of 218 miles and averaged 14.37 MPG for the trip. I
got anywhere from a low of 11.89 to a high of 14.51 MPG on the 7000 mile
trip out west this summer. Flat country at 60 MPH gets the high numbers, and
the Rockies or rolling hills at 70 MPH gets the low numbers.

Joe Scudder