Gas vs. diesel

[curlysue321]

Which is more economical? Diesel costs more, but supposedly gets better gas mileage. Anyone have both and find one more economical over the other?

[Veebyes]

Must admit, there is nothing quite like the sound of a diesel, particularly the old ones. Have a mid 90s Cummins 5.9L in my boat. The sound coming out of that 7" diameter pipe in the transom is something to behold even though it is toned down somewhat by a wet muffler.

The 6.6L Isusu in the Chevy is another matter. That is one lovely quiet engine. The Fords & Cummins/Dodge has gotten better recently but are still no match for the Isusu which is almost as quiet a gasser. I drive too many towing miles & go up & down too many Rocky Mountain passes to even consider gas.

140,000 on it so far. Headed to Alaska for its third time this year. In another 140,000 we will think about retiring it to somebody who just wants to drive around in big truck & make trips to Lowes with it to get plywood.

[Terryallan]

B.Sjulestad wrote:
And then there is the sound of a diesel, it just puts a grin on your face. Kinda like the difference between a Honda and a Harley, there is nothing like the sound of a Harley and there is nothing like the sound of a diesel. Pure Power.

I really have always hated the sound of a diesel. So after I stopped driving the big trucks. I promised my self I would never have one again.

On the other hand. The sweet purr of a V8 gas motor, is like music.

[hddecker]

Gas or diesel, what do I NEED?

There is no one size fits all answer when it comes to choosing a tow vehicle.

First off how heavy is the towed vehicle? Do you need a 3/4 or one ton or do you have a half ton towable?

How often/far are you towing each trip?

Will the TV be used for other purposes that require the torque of a diesel?

Is the TV also going to be a daily driver with no load?

Take a serious look a your towing requirements first, then look at what you really need for a TV, based on the GVWR of the trailer and the towing capacity of the TV.

I know based on my own experience, if I would have done a proper assessment of my needs, I would not have chosen a diesel. I am now stuck with more truck than I really needed. To go back to a gasser now would cost me about $20K.

With the engine and transmission combinations being offered today there are choices in gassers that could be right for your towing needs.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

LOL, I didn't pay 10K for my diesel engine. :R :S

And if I ever did sell my Duramax I could get big bucks for my mint condition LBZ. My diesel is worth 25 to 26K. I could get a little over 20K for the same condition truck if it had a 6.0 gas engine in it.

Like I said, I'm already in the black with the diesel and every day I drive it I save because of the mileage I get. If I would have bought the 6.0 I would be losing money every day I drive and keep it.

[TexasRedNeck]

Diesel for what purpose? Towing or motor home? If you are referring to towing and it's less than 12k. Gas is fine. Otherwise get a diesel. Get religious about maintenance. When's the last time you saw a gas rig go 400k towing a heavy load.

[JaxDad]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:

JaxDad wrote:

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
I have owned both with the same trailer.

The gas got 9 to 10 towing my trailer.

The diesel got 12 to 13 towing the same trailer.

Where I live, the diesel comes out waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay on top. When I travel over the country, the diesel comes out waaaaaaaaaaaaaay on top.

Just out of curiosity, what makes the diesel come out "waaaaaaaaaaaaaay on top"?

At first glance I thought maybe you meant fuel savings, but at an (average) savings of 1.5 mpg (9.5 - 11) and an average fuel price of say $4 / gal. the savings would only be in the order of $0.08 / mile.

At that rate I doubt many people would ever keep the vehicle long enough to recoup the cost of the diesel upgrade.

What am I missing?

Let me answer your question with an example; my vacation last year. Your figures are not my figures.

Here are "my" figures, and I have owned both a gas and a diesel rigs so I have no grudge or love for either. They both worked great. I have owned the same trailer and have towed it with both so it's apples to apples.

I traveled close to 5 thousand miles on my vacation last year in my 06 Dmax and TT. I keep every single price I pay for fuel and how much I take on. After the trip I added everything up and did the math on it. It came out that I got a hair over 12 MPG. That means I bought 416 gallons of #2. The average price for this fuel was $3.65/ gallon. The average price for regular gasoline was around 25 cents cheaper at that time. (Although it' about 50 cents cheaper now where I live)


Being that I have only 3 weeks vacation a year I have to haul a$$. 70 to 75 MPH is usually the limit on the freeways I travel and I'm at it all the time. There is no way in He!! my gas truck would get even 9 MPG at those speeds. 8 would be more like it. (The gas rig would get 9 to 10 at 55 to 60 MPH)

That is a 4 MPG difference. So lets do some math:

5000 miles / by 8 MPG= 620 gallons of gasoline.
5000 miles/ by 12 MPG= 416 gallons of #2 diesel.

$3.40 / gallon of gasoline x 620= $2,108
$3.65 / gallon of #2 diesel x 416= $1,500

That is a savings of $600 bucks on ONE vacation trip alone.

7 vacation trips x $600 savings = $4,200 in fuel savings over the 7 years I have owned my truck. (that's not figuring cheaper diesel, and sometimes it was cheaper than gasoline.)

I'm in the black with my truck now and have been for a few years because of the fuel savings. My Dmax gets 19 MPG out on the hwy and the 6.0 gas work truck I drove got 14 to 15. So another 4 MPG savings even when I'm not on vacation.

Since I keep my trucks 20 to 25 years the savings can really add up.......for "me."

Now I'm even more confused, 'my' figures were YOUR figures, NOT mine.

Beyond that, if you save $600 a year, over 25 years, you've saved about $15,000.

However a $10k investment in a diesel engine over the gas engine is, after accounting for the lost or paid interest, some $25k, so you're still down over $10k over the life of the truck.

Again, where's the "waaaaaaaaaaaaaay on top" part?

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

JaxDad wrote:

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
I have owned both with the same trailer.

The gas got 9 to 10 towing my trailer.

The diesel got 12 to 13 towing the same trailer.

Where I live, the diesel comes out waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay on top. When I travel over the country, the diesel comes out waaaaaaaaaaaaaay on top.

Just out of curiosity, what makes the diesel come out "waaaaaaaaaaaaaay on top"?

At first glance I thought maybe you meant fuel savings, but at an (average) savings of 1.5 mpg (9.5 - 11) and an average fuel price of say $4 / gal. the savings would only be in the order of $0.08 / mile.

At that rate I doubt many people would ever keep the vehicle long enough to recoup the cost of the diesel upgrade.

What am I missing?

Let me answer your question with an example; my vacation last year. Your figures are not my figures.

Here are "my" figures, and I have owned both a gas and a diesel rigs so I have no grudge or love for either. They both worked great. I have owned the same trailer and have towed it with both so it's apples to apples.

I traveled close to 5 thousand miles on my vacation last year in my 06 Dmax and TT. I keep every single price I pay for fuel and how much I take on. After the trip I added everything up and did the math on it. It came out that I got a hair over 12 MPG. That means I bought 416 gallons of #2. The average price for this fuel was $3.65/ gallon. The average price for regular gasoline was around 25 cents cheaper at that time. (Although it' about 50 cents cheaper now where I live)


Being that I have only 3 weeks vacation a year I have to haul a$$. 70 to 75 MPH is usually the limit on the freeways I travel and I'm at it all the time. There is no way in He!! my gas truck would get even 9 MPG at those speeds. 8 would be more like it. (The gas rig would get 9 to 10 at 55 to 60 MPH)

That is a 4 MPG difference. So lets do some math:

5000 miles / by 8 MPG= 620 gallons of gasoline.
5000 miles/ by 12 MPG= 416 gallons of #2 diesel.

$3.40 / gallon of gasoline x 620= $2,108
$3.65 / gallon of #2 diesel x 416= $1,500

That is a savings of $600 bucks on ONE vacation trip alone.

7 vacation trips x $600 savings = $4,200 in fuel savings over the 7 years I have owned my truck. (that's not figuring cheaper diesel, and sometimes it was cheaper than gasoline.)

I'm in the black with my truck now and have been for a few years because of the fuel savings. My Dmax gets 19 MPG out on the hwy and the 6.0 gas work truck I drove got 14 to 15. So another 4 MPG savings even when I'm not on vacation.

Since I keep my trucks 20 to 25 years the savings can really add up.......for "me."

[lenr]

I once witnessed an Amish gentleman answer the question “how far can a horse pull a cart in one day.” Answer->”Depends on the horse.”

The answer to the OP’s question is “you need a dually.”

[JaxDad]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
I have owned both with the same trailer.

The gas got 9 to 10 towing my trailer.

The diesel got 12 to 13 towing the same trailer.

Where I live, the diesel comes out waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay on top. When I travel over the country, the diesel comes out waaaaaaaaaaaaaay on top.

Just out of curiosity, what makes the diesel come out "waaaaaaaaaaaaaay on top"?

At first glance I thought maybe you meant fuel savings, but at an (average) savings of 1.5 mpg (9.5 - 11) and an average fuel price of say $4 / gal. the savings would only be in the order of $0.08 / mile.

At that rate I doubt many people would ever keep the vehicle long enough to recoup the cost of the diesel upgrade.

What am I missing?

[Nomadac]

curlysue321 wrote:
Which is more economical? Diesel costs more, but supposedly gets better gas mileage. Anyone have both and find one more economical over the other?

It would help if you would qualify either a tow vehicle or Motorhome, as there are features with a Diesel MH that do not apply to Diesel tow vehicles.

[SuzzeeeQ2012]

we got maybe 7 MPG with our 31' Tioga.


we have a 1998 Holiday Rambler Endeavor and get 10.

But, we go FOREVER on a tank of gas. LOVE the fact that we can go a long ways without having to fuel up. It's more expensive for diesel, but it's a toss up I think with the mileage going up.

[Veebyes]

The thread is not even 24 hours old & page 3 already. Must be winter. I'll bite.

My answer is, it depends. If I was a weekend warrior doing short hop trips to the local CG I guess I be happy with gas. I am not. I usually do something over 15,000 trailer miles a year. I figure on $2500-$3000 a year on truck maintenance including the oil & filter changes. It gets nothing but the best. Over the years the bulk of maintenance has had nothing to do with being diesel. Biggest engine replacement part has been a radiator. The rest has been stuff like steering bushings, tires etc.

There is no real better. It depends on the application.

[DutchmenSport]

OK, from above post -- I never was good at math, but you get the idea. Divide the number of miles you get per gallon into the cost per gallon and determine exactly how much you are paying for fuel per mile gas, or diesel, or propane even. (Some vehicles run on propane .. not very common, but they do ... Schwan's trucks comes to mind immediately!


Then weigh all the other issues everyone else identified and then decide which is better for you, gas or diesel.

But random say one vehicle gets 15 mpg diesel, and the other gets 20 miles per gallon gas, you still need to figure the cost per mile, based upon the cost of the fuel.

Comment on the above two posts. My father-in-law's brother is a farmer, farms something like 1000 acres property he owns and tenant farms for others. The trucks he owns which transports the corn-beans-wheat from the field to the elevator are Ford 500's (gas). Now there's some "load" on the back of those trucks. They don't go fast, but they sure do move the load! They're fun to drive too!

[JaxDad]

Led 67 wrote:
OK here I go into the merde'...From personal experience being an OO why do you think the majority of class 8 trucks are diesel, Power, for towing and hill climbing with heavy loads you really need torque to pull and climb. Flatland running with speedbump hills, not so much.


Simply put it is your choice and decision to make however I encourage you to listen to other people and their opinions and choices and also do plenty of research before making an investment into a tow vehicle.
Good Luck

You really can't make a blanket statement like that. Aside from the fact it's misleading, in many, many cases it's just flat out wrong.

Case in point, my own class C motorhome, it's got a 460 in it which produces 245 hp and 400 ft/lbs of torque.

In the same year the 7.3 powerstroke produced just 210 hp and 425 ft/lbs of torque.

However, because a diesel makes peak torque at low rpm, and peak hp at high rpm, it's an either / or, not both situation. In this case, peak torque is at about 2,000 rpm where the hp is only about 170 at that point.