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'm new to Diesel's and towing. I had an F150 4.2V6 and purchased a 20ft Interstate cargo trailer to tow dirt bikes. I towed a bit with my 150 and decided I wanted something stout that wouldn't be phased by the trailer. So I looked at 2500 series pickups. I did test drive a new F150 with the 5.4 Triton but that was a joke compared to the diesels I test drove. Plus I heard of the gas mileage advantage and I figured even with the higher prices it would still be a money saver if I did any amount of highway driving with the trailer.
I ended up purchasing a GMC 2500HD with the duramax Diesel. I've taken two trips with the truck. A 1700 mile trip without the trailer and a 400 mile trip with the trailer. Here is what the truck did on the 1700 mile trip wihtout the trailer. The price per Gallon is an average. The prices locally where I filled up are around 2.25 a gallon but North of my home prices were 10 to 20 cents cheaper. Go figure. As for gas I based that on local mid grade prices. Some of you may run the cheaper stuff or the high octane varies from engine requirements and personal preferences.
Diesel - 1700Miles / 20MPG * 2.10 = $178.5
Gas - 1700Miles / 18MPG * 1.95 = $184.16
Below are results from a more local trip with my trailer. I based the MPG on a friend who has the 8.1 Gasser version of the 2500HD. He says 6 - 7 @ 75 MPH. I added another MPG on top of that.
400Miles / 13MPG * 2.20 Price Per Gallon Diesel = $67.69
400Miles / 8MPG * 1.93 Price Per Gallon Gas = $96.5
It's easy to see that there isn't much of a gain with current diesel prices unless you are towing. However, if you do any amount of towing Diesel is the way to go without a doubt if you have the means. Some folk may already have a gasser that has the power and torque to tow a large trailer and it may not make sense for them to trade up. Where you do loose with a Diesel is city driving. In the city I get about 17MPG and that isn't any better then my previous gasser but I'm paying 30 cents a gallon more locally. So if your going to get a truck that will also dub as a daily driver in the city it's not as clear cut as if the vehicle was mainly being used to tow in city or highway.
That is just my 2 cents.
I ended up purchasing a GMC 2500HD with the duramax Diesel. I've taken two trips with the truck. A 1700 mile trip without the trailer and a 400 mile trip with the trailer. Here is what the truck did on the 1700 mile trip wihtout the trailer. The price per Gallon is an average. The prices locally where I filled up are around 2.25 a gallon but North of my home prices were 10 to 20 cents cheaper. Go figure. As for gas I based that on local mid grade prices. Some of you may run the cheaper stuff or the high octane varies from engine requirements and personal preferences.
Diesel - 1700Miles / 20MPG * 2.10 = $178.5
Gas - 1700Miles / 18MPG * 1.95 = $184.16
Below are results from a more local trip with my trailer. I based the MPG on a friend who has the 8.1 Gasser version of the 2500HD. He says 6 - 7 @ 75 MPH. I added another MPG on top of that.
400Miles / 13MPG * 2.20 Price Per Gallon Diesel = $67.69
400Miles / 8MPG * 1.93 Price Per Gallon Gas = $96.5
It's easy to see that there isn't much of a gain with current diesel prices unless you are towing. However, if you do any amount of towing Diesel is the way to go without a doubt if you have the means. Some folk may already have a gasser that has the power and torque to tow a large trailer and it may not make sense for them to trade up. Where you do loose with a Diesel is city driving. In the city I get about 17MPG and that isn't any better then my previous gasser but I'm paying 30 cents a gallon more locally. So if your going to get a truck that will also dub as a daily driver in the city it's not as clear cut as if the vehicle was mainly being used to tow in city or highway.
That is just my 2 cents.
