Will a 10 mile commute kill a diesel?

ib516 wrote:
As many of you know, I'm a huge fan of the Cummins diesel. The two I've owned (2002 and current 2007 5.9L) have been very reliable, easy on fuel (not like a Prius, but good for a HD truck), and powerful pullers.

That said, I will be taking a serious look at a 6.4L Hemi powered 3500 SRW when I am shopping for my next truck. I have a 12 mile commute (one way), and I have the whole grill blocked off with a winter front. My truck is garaged (not insulated or heated garage, but it is slightly warmer than outside, and it is out of the wind). I run the block heater on a timer that comes on 4 hrs before I leave for work.

This morning, the outside temp was -13*f, and the engine temp on my truck finally got to about 1/3 on the gauge (160*f coolant temp on the ScangaugeII) when I pulled into the parking lot at work - just started to blow warm air out of the heater. That gets old....fast.

The 5.7L Hemi is ok for light work in the 2500s with 4.10 gears - as good as any other smallish gasser, but the 6.4L Hemi has that little bit more for me to seriously consider it. I know a 6.4L Hemi in a HD truck won't be great on gas, but they do say the 6.4L Hemi will get better mpg than the same truck with a 5.7L Hemi due to the MDS system on the 6.4.

Do you have an aftermarket idle up feature? Makes a WORLD of difference on my 5.9. My factory idle up is at 900 rpm. My Bully Dog idle up is at 1150.