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
I have been reading this thread with great interest for several months.....interest and the entertainment value! I will state right up front that I am a believer in HP. It is HP that moves the load and not torque.....low rpm torque produces more HP at low engine RPM. Nothing more and nothing less.
I have an 11000# 5th wheel that I tow in the mountains of NE OR and SE WA. I have towed this trailer with an 06 Dodge Cummmins with an auto, an 07 Chevy with a 6.0 liter and 4.10s, and a new Dodge Cummins. Of the three I prefer either the Chevy or the new Dodge....I did not like the 06 Dodge.
The 5.9 Cummins towed the trailer with no fuss. It would pull Cabbage Hill south of Pendleton, OR at 60 mph with no sweat. It would accelerate from 40 bact to 60 on the hill with no issue. It had great pulling power and was good to drive when loaded. However, it was a bear to drive empty. It had a severe hesitation when giving it the throttle. This hesitation was not turbo lad either, it just had a severe flat spot off idle. This truck got a maximum of 18 on the highway and about 10 average when towing.
The Chevy was a joy to drive no matter where you were or when towing the trailer. It pulled the trailer on the flat at the same 60 mph as the Cummins with no lack of power. When pulling Cabbage, I would slow to 45 in second gear. This resulted in an engine rpm of about 3600, which gave plenty of power to pull the hill......albeit at 15 mph slower than the Cummins. This was fine with me. I also concentrated on slowly pulling the gas out of the engine as it climbed small hills to prevent downshifting into second gear. By watching the way I drove, I averaged 8.5 mpg pulling the trailer. One advantage of the gasser was the increased payload due to the lighter drive train. I was always well within the GW of the truck. This truck got a maximum of 13 mpg on the highway, so it cost of fuel for it was higher than the diesel, but it was a much cheaper truck to start with.
I really liked the Chevy, but we bought 40 acres in the mountains and I needed 4WD, so I decided to buy myself one last new truck. After test driving a new Dodge with a Cummins, and finding it not to have the issue that my 06 did, I decided to buy it.
So the question is, how does it compare to the gasser.......
It compares very favorably. This one is new, so it is still getting loosened up, but it gets 10 pulling the trailer and about 12.5 average highway and around town.
I pull the trailer at the posted speed limits....60 in WA and 55 in OR. Cummins states that this engine should be run at around 2000 rpm when towing, so with 3.73 gears, I run it in 5th gear. This results in about 1800 rpm at 55 and 1950 at 60. It pulls cabbage at 60 just like the 06 did with no sweat. It is a dream to drive as it rides better and is much quieter that either of the other tow trucks I towed the trailer with.
So after having all three, which is the best? I would pick the Chevy gasser any day over the 06 Dodge. It drove better, rode better, and was much more responsive than the Cummins......my guess is there was something wrong with the Cummins. And I would pick it for towing over the 06 Cummins without question.
However, this new truck is a different animal. It is great to drive day to day and much more quiet than the other two. The interior is nicer, the seats more comfortable, and it pulls the trailer without fuss. I would pick this over the gasser except for one issue......cost. It is a much more expensive truck, but should last long enough to run the cost per mile down.
In the end, I believe each of us should buy what blows our skirt up and pay no attention to what other say about our choice. I know I would have been happy to keep the gasser except for the 4WD issue, but now that I have my new Dodge, I think I'll keep it.
These new Dodges are rated at 800 ft-lbs of torque and 1600 rpm so they make much better low end HP and the result of this low end HP is better towing at low RPM.......!
I have an 11000# 5th wheel that I tow in the mountains of NE OR and SE WA. I have towed this trailer with an 06 Dodge Cummmins with an auto, an 07 Chevy with a 6.0 liter and 4.10s, and a new Dodge Cummins. Of the three I prefer either the Chevy or the new Dodge....I did not like the 06 Dodge.
The 5.9 Cummins towed the trailer with no fuss. It would pull Cabbage Hill south of Pendleton, OR at 60 mph with no sweat. It would accelerate from 40 bact to 60 on the hill with no issue. It had great pulling power and was good to drive when loaded. However, it was a bear to drive empty. It had a severe hesitation when giving it the throttle. This hesitation was not turbo lad either, it just had a severe flat spot off idle. This truck got a maximum of 18 on the highway and about 10 average when towing.
The Chevy was a joy to drive no matter where you were or when towing the trailer. It pulled the trailer on the flat at the same 60 mph as the Cummins with no lack of power. When pulling Cabbage, I would slow to 45 in second gear. This resulted in an engine rpm of about 3600, which gave plenty of power to pull the hill......albeit at 15 mph slower than the Cummins. This was fine with me. I also concentrated on slowly pulling the gas out of the engine as it climbed small hills to prevent downshifting into second gear. By watching the way I drove, I averaged 8.5 mpg pulling the trailer. One advantage of the gasser was the increased payload due to the lighter drive train. I was always well within the GW of the truck. This truck got a maximum of 13 mpg on the highway, so it cost of fuel for it was higher than the diesel, but it was a much cheaper truck to start with.
I really liked the Chevy, but we bought 40 acres in the mountains and I needed 4WD, so I decided to buy myself one last new truck. After test driving a new Dodge with a Cummins, and finding it not to have the issue that my 06 did, I decided to buy it.
So the question is, how does it compare to the gasser.......
It compares very favorably. This one is new, so it is still getting loosened up, but it gets 10 pulling the trailer and about 12.5 average highway and around town.
I pull the trailer at the posted speed limits....60 in WA and 55 in OR. Cummins states that this engine should be run at around 2000 rpm when towing, so with 3.73 gears, I run it in 5th gear. This results in about 1800 rpm at 55 and 1950 at 60. It pulls cabbage at 60 just like the 06 did with no sweat. It is a dream to drive as it rides better and is much quieter that either of the other tow trucks I towed the trailer with.
So after having all three, which is the best? I would pick the Chevy gasser any day over the 06 Dodge. It drove better, rode better, and was much more responsive than the Cummins......my guess is there was something wrong with the Cummins. And I would pick it for towing over the 06 Cummins without question.
However, this new truck is a different animal. It is great to drive day to day and much more quiet than the other two. The interior is nicer, the seats more comfortable, and it pulls the trailer without fuss. I would pick this over the gasser except for one issue......cost. It is a much more expensive truck, but should last long enough to run the cost per mile down.
In the end, I believe each of us should buy what blows our skirt up and pay no attention to what other say about our choice. I know I would have been happy to keep the gasser except for the 4WD issue, but now that I have my new Dodge, I think I'll keep it.
These new Dodges are rated at 800 ft-lbs of torque and 1600 rpm so they make much better low end HP and the result of this low end HP is better towing at low RPM.......!
