Diesel vs gas......................

[blt2ski]

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 diesel, pro and con, I will either leave your thread, or copy and paste pertinant info to the 4 posts of pro and con of diesel or gas. This can include the GM 8.1 vs Dmax or Ford V-8/10 vs PSD etc too.

Be real and honest in you answers, not hear say, flaming etc PLEASE!

If posts are good ones, I will leave, if inflamatory or trolling in nature, they will be deleted! I will get this stick'd to the top for future parusing for those that need this type of info.

Added 6-23-04

We are getting closer to answers I am looking for etc.

Stuff like Ken's - T-Bone posts are good. There are a few others of you that have not posted, some with a 9 point question and answer type to figure out how you went with one or the other. If you are one of those, PLEASE repost in this thread. I may have to look up whom has done this and PM you, but if you think this is you, you now know what to do.

Also, for those of you with $ per gallon for either fuel right now, I would prefer to see a post with ...."in my area, diesel is typically .10 less than unleaded" then explain your numbers. As currently in the Seattle area, diesel and unleaded are any where from 2.05 -2.30 per gallon, with mid test .10 more and premium about .20 more, with equal high low splits. Two weeks ago those prices were upwards of .30 -.40 per gallon more. people were posting $ per gallon that were for me. "I wish" If someone is reading your post a year from now, they may want to know where your paying 1.65, when the price of fuel is over $3 per gallon. Let's keep prices out of it if possible.

Bert and tin tipi, got into a good discusion on the pros and cons of RPM's, drive train etc. I would prefer to NOT see the quote of the other in responding threads, maybe just write a quick wording of re tranny gearing, instead of the whole 40 words or so in that paragragh, so the repsonse is shorter if possible quicker and easier to read etc.

I have deleted some 15+/- posts, that were off topic etc. Please note, I am trying to keep this at the top, as the ONLY gas/diesel thread in this area. So if one is trying to decide, we do not have to go thru this BS any more. As such, I will be deleting ANY future posts close to resembling this type of topic. I may have to change "this" title to a better one, if one has a better sounding title, to be more positive, better claification, let me know here, or in a PM/e-mail, what ever you feel most comfortible with.

Again thank you for all of you that are keeping responses positive, etc.

Also we could use a few more positive reasons to go gas, as many can see I have both gas and diesel, both have a place! Both have positive reasons to buy that fuel, lets keep the threads etc to that purpose only!

Marty

[bigg-limo]

ilovetocamp wrote:
Paying $1.55 a gallon for diesel and getting over 20mpg.

Paying twice that out here.

[Paul_Clancy]

The dmax allison combo seems to be the majority of what I see for TV in the Canadian west, real mountains to climb here. Ontario is prairie by comparison.

[Rvndave]

LimogesMan wrote:
I wonder when the moderator will close this thread... getting long and old.

Over here in Ontario, there's a Ford diesel in front of almost every big TT or 5er. I think if you pull often then diesel is the way to go.

If you feel this thread is long and old, don't post or read.

[XKarDoc]

tthomas32 wrote:
What is a "2006 Duramax 6600"?

The Duramax has a displacement of 6.6 liters. The General likes to designate enines that way. Hence the 3.1 became the 3100, the 3.4 became the 3400, the 3.8 became the 3800, etc., etc.

[tthomas32]

What is a "2006 Duramax 6600"?

[LimogesMan]

I wonder when the moderator will close this thread... getting long and old.

Over here in Ontario, there's a Ford diesel in front of almost every big TT or 5er. I think if you pull often then diesel is the way to go.

[Rvndave]

All I saw was Dodges with the Cummins towing the big rvs, LOL. Just kidding, welcome to the world of towing with a diesel. Yes your going to find out all the torque and fuel economy you hear about is true. I recommend you order your air, fuel, and oil filters online. I have saved quite a bit over the years of driving a diesel, getting filters online. Geno's garage has a 30,000 mile filter pack for my truck, $80 bucks and I get 4 oil, 2 fuel, and 1 air cleaner. Some oil filters have alot of reports of paper breaking loose and damaging engines. I wanted the filters recommended by the manufacture, in my case Cummins. You might want to check into a Ford diesel web site for more info on your international engine.

[D_Bach]

I'm a rookie. I can't testify what is best, I can only pass on my limited experience.

I bought a 24' Zinger TT, the TV was a Chevy 1500 with the 4.8L V-8. The truck would pull the TT fine. Unless you were going up hill or there was a stiff head wind. In this case the xmission would downshift and RPM's would climb. Gas mileage was around 8 to 10 mpg towing. Highway at 20mpg, average.

I worried about the wear and tear on my truck. I could imagine myself being in a xmission shop, replacing the tranny.

I went shopping. Came home with a 2006, 2500HD Chevy Duramax, 4X4. Pulling the TT is a whole new ballgame. It never downshifts on an overpass, and it pulls great.

I haven't had it long enough to do any towing MPG. Daily driving shows anywhere between 13.8 and 15.8 MPG. I hear this will improve with time.

One thing I did notice. When I drive down the road, I now notice what is pulling the Travel Trailers that I see. Most of the time it's a Ford diesel. I'd guess I see five diesels for every gas rig.

Maybe it's a local thing?

I'm South of Houston, Texas. There are a lot of Trucks here.

[Rvndave]

Also excellent fuel mileage here, and never any soot on my truck or trailer.

[Ron_Brogan]

Two cents worth based on brief experience with our new 2006 Duramax 6600.

1) First tank of fuel with 2/3 highway, 1/3 city driving = 18.75 MPG. During the highway drive we saw as much as 20.9 on the DIC. The hand calculate milage actually exceeded the DIC average by about .75 mpg.

2) Second tank of fuel all in town. DIC showing a little over 15 mpg so far.

3) No towing yet. Probably next weekend.

[XKarDoc]

Wintercamper wrote:
The diesels have one draw back that I have experienced in person, witch I have not seen mentioned as often as I feel it should.
This is the diesel soot entering the TT and adhering to plastic surfaces of the right electrical charge (+ or- I don´t know). This is a pain in ......

I'm not sure what kind of diesel you pulled with but I have tow many miles with one and I have never noticed any soot particles outside or inside the trailer.

[Wintercamper]

Hi,
The diesels have one draw back that I have experienced in person, witch I have not seen mentioned as often as I feel it should.
This is the diesel soot entering the TT and adhering to plastic surfaces of the right electrical charge (+ or- I don´t know). This is a pain in ......

A gasser will not emit soot particles, so this is a great gasser bonus I feel.

The other draw back with diesels is the common rail systems, IF the pump fail, the warranty dept or the owner may have to pay for a complete new fuel system.
The microscopic debri cut off inside a pump when it is failing is impossible to clean out, and whats worse is that this debri is released on the "wrong" side of the fuel filter.
There by contaminating the common rail/pipes and all the injectors as well as the return line to the tank.

The repair in Europe for these failures can easily reach 8000 dollars.
This is why I will never own a common rail Diesel witch is out of warranty.

Br//

[Rvndave]

I hurried and bought an 03 with no emission cat or other junk. I just hope it holds out long enough to see how the new engines will work out.

[kah68]

This fall ( or earlier ) ULSD Ultra Low Sulfer Diesel will be what we will all be buying at the pumps. 07' will bring on the next tier for emmissions regs. and ALL highway diesels ( yes including our pick-ups ) will have DPF. Diesel Particulate Filters. So along with EGR and Cat. systems will come DPF and lower sulfer fuel ( read more expensive ) and more complex engine controllers. I have just found a new 06 D/A and am glad I got in under this next tier. If you are running a current or older diesel all you will need to do is change your fuel filters more frequently as the new fuel is supposed to ' clean your whole fuel system ' and I would think that would include the refinery tanks, tankers and retailer tanks and pump equipment. I have heard confliting reports on fuel additives to add lubricity to the ULSD. The big question will be how much these new 07 compliant diesels will cost over current model year prices, and how will it perform and will these changes effect fuel milage??? Could be a point for the gasser side.

[teriberibin]

Towed with a 30' Komfort 5th wheel with a 1986 Ford F-250 Ext Cab for several years. Later drove a 1996 Ford F-350 Crew Cab towing a 2002 Montana Big Sky (3295). Hands down liked the towing capabilities of the diesel over the gas and the increased mileage was an added bonus. Bought both used so price was not that much of a difference. Felt a lot more comfortable buying a used diesel (with excellent records on servicing) than a used gas unit. Still own the diesel(now have a DP).

The gas unit was totalled in a side crash. Guy ran a stop sign across a thru road and plowed into the driver's side. Fortunately, our 17 yr old son was not injured.

I doubt we'd ever go back to a gas unit after towing with a diesel. Might not go with the crew cab w/long bed. Made it hard to get the unit into tight spaces.