Considering Trade from Gasser to Diesel

mileshuff wrote:

wintersun wrote:
Diesel is also more of a problem in very cold weather

I get better mileage of course with my 2011 Duramax diesel but with the higher purchase price for the truck and the higher cost of diesel fuel my breakeven point is after more than 200,000 miles.

Cold weather isn't as bad of a problem as it once was. Winter diesel blends seem to make gelling far less common. With the new emissions systems on diesels the mpg gains aren't as great. While the older Dodge V10 cranked out power almost equal to the diesel it averaged only 10-12mpg city not towing. My Dodge 6.7L diesel averages 16mpg empty, 10mpg towing. However, a late 80's to mid 90's Dodge 5.9L diesel could easily top 20mpg on the highway, 14-16 towing.

My '05 gets better than 20 on the highway and close to 20 mixed. The brand new one are getting close to that also.

64thunderbolt wrote:
Diesel is not a problem in cold climates if you know how to operate it & care for it. maybe some of our Canadian friends will jump in here or someone from Alaska. Someone call Sarah Palin please.

Maybe they just don't turn their diesels off? LOL.. Ice Road Truckers.. right?

Diesel is not a problem in cold climates if you know how to operate it & care for it. maybe some of our Canadian friends will jump in here or someone from Alaska. Someone call Sarah Palin please.

wintersun wrote:
Diesel is also more of a problem in very cold weather

I get better mileage of course with my 2011 Duramax diesel but with the higher purchase price for the truck and the higher cost of diesel fuel my breakeven point is after more than 200,000 miles.

Cold weather isn't as bad of a problem as it once was. Winter diesel blends seem to make gelling far less common. With the new emissions systems on diesels the mpg gains aren't as great. While the older Dodge V10 cranked out power almost equal to the diesel it averaged only 10-12mpg city not towing. My Dodge 6.7L diesel averages 16mpg empty, 10mpg towing. However, a late 80's to mid 90's Dodge 5.9L diesel could easily top 20mpg on the highway, 14-16 towing.

Experience with maintenance and repair varies by make and model year. Since 2003 there have been 5 different Duramax engines and most have had problems that necessitated a redesign. The current LML is no different as it is the first to have the DEF and NOx sensors and the sensors have not been especially reliable and problems have been very difficult for the dealers' service people to diagnose correctly and fix. Many posts on the www.duramaxforum.com website.

Older Ford diesels had their problems and Dodge trucks have not been trouble free either when you consider all the truck's components including heating and cooling systems and emissions and electricals.

The biggest difference with the new diesel engines is the need to change the oil and filter more often and to use twice as much oil with each change. Overall not a big difference. When repairs are needed it can be both very expensive and often difficult to get items covered by the manufacturer warranty without a battle - in particular with regard to the emissions system's components that are supposed to be covered by federal law - not that the corporations care about the laws.

Diesel is also more of a problem in very cold weather with the potential for fuel gelling (worse with today's bio fuels) and longer warm up time. Fuel economy is at its best when doing heavy hauling or towing or at freeway speeds, and at its worse for short trips and around town driving.

I get better mileage of course with my 2011 Duramax diesel but with the higher purchase price for the truck and the higher cost of diesel fuel my breakeven point is after more than 200,000 miles.

But for dealing with heavy loads the diesel engine's torque and engine braking are exceptional benefits. Just don't try to rationalize the decision as so many people feel compelled to do. No free lunch in effect.

Used diesels are another story altogether and for the price on the used truck market they don't offer much in the way of value for their new owners. Some people get luckly but many do not and repairs on most diesel engines are a great deal more expensive than with a V-8 or V-10 gas engine.

jerem0621 wrote:
Around here it's common to see a 250-400k mile gas truck. It's very rural and a 35 minute drive to anywhere.... My wife's new 2013 Kia has 27k miles on it.

I put a lot of miles on vehicles as well. Have a 2013 Nissan thats 4 months old with 11K on it. My 2007 Dodge diesel is somewhat low milage. Only 72K because its not a daily driver. I plan on keeping it for 300-500K in part because new diesels are very expensive. I do have a 2004 Durango with 5.7L hemi that now has 135K on it and running strong. Doubt it will last 500K.

Wish I lived 35 minutes to anywhere! I did live in such an area. Not anymore and I didn't move! The city built up around me!

mileshuff wrote:

jerem0621 wrote:
And the late model trucks are everywhere.

Late model trucks with 500,000 miles on them? I don't see 'lots' of late model gassers nor diesels with 300-500K miles on them! Point was I do see numerous older diesels with such high mileage pulling the big rigs at the RV parks I visit but not so much with the gassers.

Remember, Diesel fuel acts as a lubricant. Gas acts as a solvent!

Ok. Point taken. Your right about big rigs.

Around here it's common to see a 250-400k mile gas truck. It's very rural and a 35 minute drive to anywhere.... My wife's new 2013 Kia has 27k miles on it. We put lots of miles on our cars around here. So I was speaking from my experience. My 1999 Dually just turned 151k miles. It's just getting broke in :)

Of course your experience may vary.

Thanks

Jeremiah

jerem0621 wrote:
And the late model trucks are everywhere.

Late model trucks with 500,000 miles on them? I don't see 'lots' of late model gassers nor diesels with 300-500K miles on them! Point was I do see numerous older diesels with such high mileage pulling the big rigs at the RV parks I visit but not so much with the gassers.

Remember, Diesel fuel acts as a lubricant. Gas acts as a solvent!

mileshuff wrote:

jerem0621 wrote:
and there are many many reports of 300-500k mile gassers still doing their thing under heavy loads.

Where? I rarely ever see any 300-500K mile gassers pulling heavy loads. Mid 80's diesel trucks yes, mid 80's gassers? Pretty rare.

I never said anything about 80's model gassers. And the late model trucks are everywhere. Not just at campgrounds with trucks who's only workout is pulling an RV a few times a year.

Ya know, working trucks with owners who don't care or even know about the opinions of RV.net users. :D

jerem0621 wrote:
and there are many many reports of 300-500k mile gassers still doing their thing under heavy loads.

Where? I rarely ever see any 300-500K mile gassers pulling heavy loads. Mid 80's diesel trucks yes, mid 80's gassers? Pretty rare.