back to gas v diesel

rhagfo wrote:

msmith1.wa wrote:

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

frankwp wrote:
I'll have to try driving a new diesel. When I got my 8.1 in 2003, I drove a duramax to compare and was most underwhelmed. So not worth the $$$. But that was then & this is now & things have changed big time.

You should because things have changed a lot just like you said. Back when you bought your big block it had 340 HP and the diesel had only 300 HP. 40 HP is a big difference and couple that with the instant HP feel that the gas engine gives is going to be a lot.

Nothing wrong with kicking tires.

I'm curious how heavy of a trailer you towed with your 8.1 and what kind of mileage you got while towing?

I also have an 03 8.1. It is in a Silverado. My toy hauler is a little under 10,000 lbs empty and has a gross rating of 12,900 lbs. and I am close to the max if I fill the water tanks and have all of the atv's.

I get about 6mpg towing this trailer. It is very tall for a bumper hitch rig at about 13' high per the brochure.

Well 6 mpg, compared to 10 to 12 mpg pulling the same load, that is as much as 100% better fuel mileage.
So 1,000 miles of towing, at 6 mpg would be 166.7 gallons, at 12 mpg would be 83.3 gallons. then at $3.50 per gallon 166.7 gallons would be $583.45, at 12 mpg $291.55 difference of $291.90 now the $10,000 of difference in cost for a diesel. $10,000 divided by 291.90 equals 34.25, or break even in 34,250 miles of towing.

On a side note Msmith1.wa, states Tacoma, Wa. as home so those fuel prices are true, gas and diesel in the PNW have been neck and neck for the last several years.

I bought the truck new. At the time based on the available mpg of the dmax and the 8.1 and the price difference of the two fuels, diesel was about 10 cents less than gas. I estimated it was going to take 100,000 miles to make up the cost of buying a dmax over the 8.1. These were not towing mpg numbers. And there were many years in that time frame diesel was more expensive. I only drive this truck when I need to do things a car can't because of this it only has about 73,000 miles on it. My previous trailer was smaller, lighter, by about 3000lbs, and had less frontal area towing that one I got 9 to 10 mpg. I didn't include this in my first post, but I am sure I would get better mileage if the truck wasn't lifted with 35 inch tires. Also I haven't had a truck payment since 2008 and it was a 0.0% loan.

I can buy a lot fuel for the price of a new truck.