Diesel vs gas......................
OK folks, there have been a few to many diesel vs gas threads that have shall we say gone to "Hell and a hand basket"! So if all of you would put in you BEST, no flaming reasons for going gas vs diese...
Forum Discussion
John is right once again. A 200 lb man with a 4' long breaker bar can put 800 ft/lbs of torque on the input shaft of the transmission. But at only a few rpm if that. Four rpm would calculate to .6 hp. All that torque and very little rpm means very little hp which means very slow movement. Turn that up to 2k rpm and you're looking at 300hp with 800ft/lbs of torque. There you will be towing your 10k lb 5th wheel up the 6% grades with traffic. A 400 ft/lb engine at 4k rpm (300hp) will be running right along with you regardless of fuel type. Torque is only half the equation. Horsepower is what determines how fast you tow up the grades.
Part of a manufacturer's tow rating is based on "customer expectations". This more often than not as we read right here on the forums from rpmaphobes is that we run 65mph at 2000rpm empty so anything above that towing is screaming and struggling. Nothing could be further from the truth but that's what people falsely believe based on perception.
The other consideration is start ability on a grade. With a torque converter's 2100rpm stall speed, the 300hp at 2k rpm diesel will launch far easier than the 128hp at 2k rpm gas engine if they both have the same transmission and rear end gear ratios and tire diameter.
Part of a manufacturer's tow rating is based on "customer expectations". This more often than not as we read right here on the forums from rpmaphobes is that we run 65mph at 2000rpm empty so anything above that towing is screaming and struggling. Nothing could be further from the truth but that's what people falsely believe based on perception.
The other consideration is start ability on a grade. With a torque converter's 2100rpm stall speed, the 300hp at 2k rpm diesel will launch far easier than the 128hp at 2k rpm gas engine if they both have the same transmission and rear end gear ratios and tire diameter.
