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

[RFOneWatt]

Jarlaxle wrote:
With all the junk tacked on the new diesels (DPF, EGR, urine injection), I wouldn't own one if you gave it to me.

I can certainly understand that. but what happens when you NEED the kind of torque a diesel provides?

For instance - there was no way I felt completely safe in my gas TV while in the mountains of Utah and Wyoming. With my diesel TV, there is no comparison.

I miss my gas TV, I really do - especially with a growing family. But after hittin' the mountains with the Diesel, I can't ever see going back.

[Jarlaxle]

With all the junk tacked on the new diesels (DPF, EGR, urine injection), I wouldn't own one if you gave it to me.

[Hannibal]

I said that 26 years ago. Never finally came. I got over it. :B

[RFOneWatt]

Deewayne wrote:
All I have to say about this is I'll never own another truck that has spark plugs.

One other thing : gas while towing 9 MPG, diesel 13MPG while towing.

ME EITHER!

[Deewayne]

All I have to say about this is I'll never own another truck that has spark plugs.

One other thing : gas while towing 9 MPG, diesel 13MPG while towing.

[Jarlaxle]

Don't put gas in it!!!!!! 😄

[RFOneWatt]

Truckboy wrote:
I am going to be borrowing my friends truck, 98 Dodge 3500 Diesel. Is there anything you have to do differently when starting or driving a diesel truck? It has not been sitting and its about 45 degrees here, but i dont know if that makes a difference. Thanks!

Only a couple of things:

When starting, wait until the "Wait To Start" or glow plug light shuts off. (Not sure what it looks like or is called on a Dodge.)

Try not to let it idle much.

If it gets below 40ish I'd make sure to plug it in, although completely unnecessary at these temperatures. I'm just of the belief that anything that makes the vehicle easier to start is a good thing!

Let it idle for a minute or three before you shut it off. (to cool the turbos)

And most of all... ENJOY driving it. 🙂

[Truckboy]

I am going to be borrowing my friends truck, 98 Dodge 3500 Diesel. Is there anything you have to do differently when starting or driving a diesel truck? It has not been sitting and its about 45 degrees here, but i dont know if that makes a difference. Thanks!

[overw8chevy]

got 15 2009 LFA 60 foot hybrid New Flyers at my job with ISL Cummins
and Allison hybrid drive..they run about 200 miles a day mostly light load miles
and I haven't heard of one needing a parking lot regen yet.

[Jarlaxle]

overw8chevy wrote:
you guys making it sound like somebody will have to do a regen every time they put fuel in the vehicle if they only putt around town...

scaring people away..

Mopar recommends you get truck out on the hiway for half an hour or so once a week if you exclusively do short trips driving.I read that in my buddies 08 Owner Manual..

whether you have Urea injection or not, sooner or later you will have to do a regen, and somewhere down the road the muffler will have to be removed and the filter inside of it get cleaned..

another reason to go gas.

We have one truck at work (2008 Freightliner M2, 220HP 6.7 Cummins) that puts around Boston every day...even with highway runs at the beginning & end of the day it does a parked-regen about two times a week.

[dfranks]

Or a good reason to unbolt that******and not worry another regen.

Just my 2cents

[overw8chevy]

you guys making it sound like somebody will have to do a regen every time they put fuel in the vehicle if they only putt around town...

scaring people away..

Mopar recommends you get truck out on the hiway for half an hour or so once a week if you exclusively do short trips driving.I read that in my buddies 08 Owner Manual..

whether you have Urea injection or not, sooner or later you will have to do a regen, and somewhere down the road the muffler will have to be removed and the filter inside of it get cleaned..

another reason to go gas.

[Jarlaxle]

The emission systems differ a bit...offhand, the Ram pickups do NOT use urea-injection, the others do, including Ram chassis-cabs. And the piskup engines are tuned for more power. (We have three Cummins 6.7's at work, two with 220HP and one with 240.)

But yeah, the ISB 6.7 in a Ram and the ISB 6.7 in a Freightliner M2 or a Thomas school bus are pretty much the same engine.

A truck used just in-town will have to do parked-regens on the DPF when it fills up.

[overw8chevy]

Cummins has different ISB engines in a Fed Ex truck than they would in a Dodge Ram?

[Tom_Holsinger]

Yahooligan,

You are entirely correct. If Biggziff had read back further in the thread, he would have discovered posts describing the commutes of my wife and I. Hers is 19.5 miles one-way on county roads with 19 full stops, and a maximum run of 5 minutes between full stops during which she might get up to 55 mph. Her one-way commute time averages 35 minues.

My commute is 12.5 miles one way with 14 full stops and a six mile run on a freeway. My average one-way commute time is 25 minutes.

I.e., neither of our daily commutes would engage the DPF, and any diesel tow vehicle we'd get (we won't buy new) would be in perpetual limp mode save for summers and a week or two after Easter.

We'll use the truck for towing a 5th wheel for two 2-week and two 1-week vacations each year, plus some long weekends. All but one 1-week vacation would be in the same ten week period every summer when my wife is not teaching high school, and the odd one-week trip would be the week after Easter which she also has off.

It makes much more sense for us to get a used Ford F-250 with a V-10 gasoline engine and use that to tow a smaller 5th wheel (12,000 - 13,000 GVWR - Crossroads Cruiser or K-Z Durango 2500 are the most likely) until we retire in 5-6 years. Then we'll rv part-time with a full-size 5th wheel and diesel dually, and not have to use the diesel tow vehicle for commutinig.

Yahooligan wrote:

Biggziff wrote:

That's just nonsense. There is no way Ford would produce a truck that is only designed for long haul.

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or serious, but NONE of the big 3 diesels that have a DPF and don't use DEF are really suitable for around-town or short trip (Less than 30 miles or so) because of the DPF. If you don't get it out on the highway for a stretch then the DPF regen will never happen and the DPF will become full, putting you in limp mode and directing you to visit your dealer for service.

Even without the DPF I wouldn't buy a diesel if it would be subjected to 90% around town/short trip driving and 10% towing/highway. It'd never get up to temp and you'd end up with more headaches than if you used the truck like it was meant to be used. These are not the same engines and emissions systems that are used in FedEx and UPS trucks.