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

[curt___Ang]

I forgot to mention I was avg 20 mpg unloaded before upgrading, I now get 22 mpg. I think I could get better milage unloaded-just can't get my big foot to do right. If I could go 55 no telling what my mpg would be.

[curt___Ang]

We just finished a 10,650 mile trip to Northwest USA. We decided to run 55mph pulling 33' TT w/97'ford PS 7.3. We were avg. 10.5 mpg til Or. I had an AFE upgrade done to open up the air going and coming from the engine. I could pull the mountain passes at 50mph and while in the mtns. we still got 10 mpg. Coming home to Texas we got 12.5 with wind blowing trucks off the hiway. Best we got was 13.5 mpg w/less wind. Diesel prices got up to 3.31/gal on our way home. We stared at 2.41 in Tx. I saw today 3.42 here in Tx. a 1.00 increase in 4 Months!. I'm very happy w/my upgraded 7.3PS. It has 185,000 miles on it and runs like a new one. I put 300,000 miles on a chev. gasser but I never pulled a TT w/it. Main. is the key to long mileage and happy truck and owner I think.

[mr61impala]

coeburn wrote:
..... I bought a 2004 Chevy with a LB7 Duramax..... The truck is a long bed crew cab ..... still gets 26 mpg empty on the interstate at 70 mph .....

2 of my best friends both bought new 2500 D-max crew cab Allison shortbed trucks in 2003. One black one red, otherwise identical.

After 4 years of ownership, each claim 20 mpg empty at the speed you mentioned.

Both haul enclosed race car trailers. One runs hard and claims 10 mpg towing, the other runs easy and claims 12.

I would not buy any 3/4 ton truck expecting 26 mpg.

JMHO

[Jarlaxle]

why not spend that $5-6k price of entry on a commuter car?

Because then I'm driving a roller skate instead of a truck. Why spend lots of money on a truck and keep it parked most of the time?

[SRockwood]

I've read a fair portion of this thread, but not all and there's a good chance in the last 140 pages that this point's been made...

Keep in mind I'm a brain-addled weekend racer who may have inhaled too many CO fumes... 😄

One thing I see a lot of people talking about is the kind of mileage their diesel gets unloaded vs. the mileage a gasser gets.

My question for a lot of the diesel supporters is:

If it's just a money thing and you're only towing a relatively small percentage of the miles the vehicle is driven (since this is an RV forum, I assume - you know what that does 😄 - that you guys aren't towing for a living, but for fun, maybe 10 times a year), why not spend that $5-6k price of entry on a commuter car? You can get any number of reasonable Toyotas, Hondas or Nissans for this kind of money, get more than double the mileage your diesel gets on cheaper fuel and have something you can actually park. If the mileage it gets unloaded is important enough for you to keep track of it, maybe you need to get another vehicle. Trucks were meant to haul crap, cars were meant to simply get you places. Personally, I feel the less miles I put on the tow vehicle dealing with rush hour traffic, the less likely I'll have an issue trying to get to the track on the weekend.

For me, I plan on getting a used F250 V10 when the time comes for me to upgrade. If resale value is horrible for gasser 3/4+ ton trucks, then why not let someone else eat the depreciation and pick up a used one for a song? Since I only tow about 10 times a year, the fuel savings just isn't worth it. I'll let something like a Toyota Corolla or similar get me excellent fuel mileage. At the rate I pull (5-6000 miles a year) it'd take 10 years to recoup the cost of a diesel.

In addition, if I run out of gas, I'll just pour some in that I take with me for the racecar, not to mention it's easier to find. 😄

I'd love to have a diesel, but the fact of the matter is I'm a patient man when climbing hills. If it means I have to pull a hill in 2nd or 3rd at 40-50mph instead of 70mph, so be it.

So my point? If you're hauling only a little bit a year, get a gasser and drive something else every day. If you just have to be the fastest guy up the hill, like to brag or are hauling tens of thousands of miles a year, get a diesel.

[NEVERSWEAT7]

Have to get my .02 in. I like the green image the newest diesels are producing. Cleanest by-products ever in a diesel engine. But fuel prices at 3.79 here and appears to be climbing does not excite the traveler in me. I will plan accordingly and still make the best of it.

[PSDExcursion]

Do the math before you pay the diesel premium price since the diesel options are double what they were several years ago and you could buy alot of gas for the extra $3,000 to $8,000 price.

[tr4petty]

New to the forum and happened to see this thread. I haven't taken time to look at all the posts (whew!) but thought I'd add my 2 cents since I've just been through this type of decision.
Recently retired, I started looking around and talking to various RV and pickup owners about what I needed to start doing some camping.
Decided on a 5ver RV. Began talking to many people about what truck to pull it with. Overwhelming response was a diesel pickup. Never had owned a diesel before. Even my farm tractor is a gasser! But nevertheless, I decided to take the plunge and bought an '05 Dodge 2500 with Cummins diesel. Wow! Love this truck! The torque is absolutely amazing! When not towing, I'm averaging over 19 mpg and that's mixed city/highway driving! I haven't checked it yet while towing. I now find myself having this strange compulsion to want to throw rocks at gas engined pickups! Seriously, though, I will never own another gas engined truck. In fact, I'm seriously considering going with a diesel auto next time I trade. Maybe the new Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 3.0L diesel.

[PSDExcursion]

With the price of the diesel option double from my 2000 7.3 PSD and 2003 6.0 PSD I would like to see Ford come back with the V10/5-speed Torqshift option in the Extended E350 passenger van. Or better yet I would like to see GM put the 325HP 450TQ 8.1 big block that is in the 2008 C4500 Chevy medium-duty in the 3500 155" wheelbase passenger van with the new 6-SPEED HYDRA-MATIC 6L90 with 4.03 1st gear and 531ft/lb torque rating that is in the 2008 3500HD pickup.

[coeburn]

For what it's worth, I've been towing various trailers for 35 years with many different trucks, cars and motorcycles. I've towed over 300,000 miles to 48 states and 10 Canadian provinces on almost every type road imaginable in every kind of weather. After using a diesel in the late '70s, I swore that I'd never have another diesel, Three years ago, after towing a heavy trailer over Monarch Pass in Colorado in a friend's Cummings powered Dodge, I changed my mind. I had been over the same pass in my big block gas burner a year before towing a much lighter trailer and was reduced to 2nd gear and very high RPM to maintain 30 mph. In the diesel, we cruised in 5th gear at 60 mph without any trouble. Upon returning, I bought a 2004 Chevy with a LB7 Duramax. In August, we crossed almost every major pass in Colorado pulling our 30 foot fifth wheel that was towing a 16 foot flatbed loaded with ATVs. The two trailers totaled a little over 13,000 lbs. We never dropped below 55 mph except where such speed was unsafe. Fuel mileage for the trip was 11.9 mpg with most driving at 70 or so. Upon returning home to Tennessee, I added an Edge Juice with Attitude for even more performance and the ability to tune for power or mileage and keep an eye on temps, boost and the sorts. The truck is a long bed crew cab and will run 0-60 in 6.1 seconds and still gets 26 mpg empty on the interstate at 70 mph There are some great gas burners out there, but for serious towing, there's nothing like a modern diesel. I have to admit that I was wrong, I will own another diesel!

[bigger_e]

Steak2k1 wrote:
bigger E...sorry man but I don't for a minute buy you got better mileage than an 05 duramax did. Aint happening for the most part. I tow 5000 lbs and avg 14.5 mpg on prairie. In the BC montains it drops to about 12.5 mpg. And a Ford does better than that...and an '04 at that..?? Take some pretty strange convincing for me to buy that. I mean yea he might have had his right foot in it..or something was screwy..but overall Nahh.


Now mind you a lot of the guys (DieselPlace.com), will tell ya that their mpg sucks till they hit 25,000+ .. I know both the LBZ and the ('07.5+), New LMM motors - many were/are getting terrible mileage to start. MT Trucks and not towing....Typ avg of 11-13 mpg. After Break-in most will tell ya @ 70mph they are getting 18-19 mpg. Add/subtract whatever mods/toys you want...18-19mpg. Go slower and it goes up, go faster and it goes down.

Pretty much what one might expect when driving a 6000# vehicle.!

I drive one because I can, because I get paid miles (which pretty much pays all the costs and then some), but most of all because I really like this vehicle.!

Stk

Sorry...I guess I did not make myself clear. His truck is a 05 2500HD with a 6.0 GAS engine. Not a Duramax!

[ckhs]

How do we like Diesel trucks now that we're paying $3.62 a gallon? That's only $.25 cents a gallon more than SUPER Unleaded.

[Steakman]

bigger E...sorry man but I don't for a minute buy you got better mileage than an 05 duramax did. Aint happening for the most part. I tow 5000 lbs and avg 14.5 mpg on prairie. In the BC montains it drops to about 12.5 mpg. And a Ford does better than that...and an '04 at that..?? Take some pretty strange convincing for me to buy that. I mean yea he might have had his right foot in it..or something was screwy..but overall Nahh.


Now mind you a lot of the guys (DieselPlace.com), will tell ya that their mpg sucks till they hit 25,000+ .. I know both the LBZ and the ('07.5+), New LMM motors - many were/are getting terrible mileage to start. MT Trucks and not towing....Typ avg of 11-13 mpg. After Break-in most will tell ya @ 70mph they are getting 18-19 mpg. Add/subtract whatever mods/toys you want...18-19mpg. Go slower and it goes up, go faster and it goes down.

Pretty much what one might expect when driving a 6000# vehicle.!

I drive one because I can, because I get paid miles (which pretty much pays all the costs and then some), but most of all because I really like this vehicle.!

Stk

[Steakman]

...U drive what you want & so do I. Now ain't that the truth.

Gasoline, Natural Gas, Propane, Diesel whatever ... the bottom line is there ain't never gonna be enough cause it is the internal combustion engine that is the issue.

The earlier comment about bio fuels being an issue is correct. We are seeing it now that the price of corn has gone up dramatically..why.? Ethanol production and the fact that those producing will pay higher price for corn than feedstock owners will. Guess what.? your food prices will eventually skyrocket.! and not just grain prices but whatever feeds from that grain: cattle, pork, chickens etc.

We need to devise another way to get around. And electrical, In my opinion is the only way that I can think of - at least for city commuters and for the foreseeable future. Yea there are lots of issues to date. Battery life, range, how to charge etc. But those will all be solved. They will have to be. One only needs to look at the cost of a Barrel of oil. $92.00 and rising. I bet we see $150 or close to it by Summer 2008.

Hmm $1.80 per litre .! anyone..?? (that translates into about $7.00 a gallon)
and Diesel again in my opinion, won't be far off Gas prices either.

stk

[SKIRMISH]

Looks like it's your third post.:B