HP vs altitude & gas vs diesel

[noteven]

Thinking on a new truck... thinking on gas vs diesel...etc.

At the moment we need tow capacities in the 13,000 - 15,000lbs trailer weight range with 13ft high frontal area...

We live just above 2000ft elevation (lots of windy days too) and most of our TC hauling and 5th wheel towing happens from 2000ft - 7000ft and we haven't travelled Colorado yet...

Watching the manifold pressure (sorry "Turbo Boost" sounds more powerful doesn't it?) on the diesel engine I see it "normalizes" at various altitudes (stays the same) which means the engine maintains it's power output.

Plugging in some advertised numbers and altitudes to this calculator I see the 6.4 Hemi I like (410HP at 5600rpm) would be 50HP down at 2200ft and over 100HP down above 8000ft...

HP at altitude calculator clicky

Prolly have to wait for F150's turbocharged, direct injected, Vsomething MegaEcoBoost bigger brother to enjoy spark plugs...

[C_Schomer]

A TD only loses 1.2 percent/1000'. Craig

[Tystevens]

A 1-ton diesel would be my only choice for 12k+ lbs.

[wilber1]

APT wrote:
It's not gas vs. diesel that is the difference. A turbocharged gasser will maintain higher % of power at higher altitudes too. There just have not been many turbocharged gas engines in thee history of pickups. F-150 Ecoboost does very well at altitude.

Yup, before jet engines, some piston engine aircraft with two stage superchargers were flying around above 30,000 ft. They weren't diesels.

[jmtandem]

It always puts a smile in my face when approaching some campers pulling those long grades in the western states, smoke billowing out of the tail pipe, limping along at 20 MPH, and i can safely pass them without even breaking a sweat.

What a lot of the gasser guys don't understand is that the diesel does not climb the hills better -- it flattens them!!!

[jmtandem]

It might struggle with a 15,000# fiver

Might????

[mpfireman]

It always puts a smile in my face when approaching some campers pulling those long grades in the western states, smoke billowing out of the tail pipe, limping along at 20 MPH, and i can safely pass them without even breaking a sweat. Diesel power will do that. My 98 Cummins still runs strong with 125,000 miles on it.

[APT]

Yes, absolutely, carringb. 🙂 13-15k RV? Get a diesel dually.

[goducks10]

Even on somewhat flat or rolling hills I'd want a diesel for that weight.

[e-light]

downtheroad wrote:

06Fargo wrote:
Thinking on a new truck... thinking on gas vs diesel...etc.

At the moment we need tow capacities in the 13,000 - 15,000lbs trailer weight range with 13ft high frontal area...

Keep it simple and think Diesel.

Yup, diesel is the logical choice here...

[carringb]

APT wrote:
F-150 Ecoboost does very well at altitude.

It might struggle with a 15,000# fiver;)

[APT]

It's not gas vs. diesel that is the difference. A turbocharged gasser will maintain higher % of power at higher altitudes too. There just have not been many turbocharged gas engines in thee history of pickups. F-150 Ecoboost does very well at altitude.

[downtheroad]

06Fargo wrote:
Thinking on a new truck... thinking on gas vs diesel...etc.

At the moment we need tow capacities in the 13,000 - 15,000lbs trailer weight range with 13ft high frontal area...

Keep it simple and think Diesel.

[jmtandem]

Towing relatively heavy and in the monuntains, diesel is the way to go. Ford's towing guide on line website has excellent information about the loss of power and towing capacities for gas engines by altitude. A travel trailer and certainly a fifth wheel has frontal area considerations as well and those are also addressed on their website. The Ford guide specifies a two percent reduction for each 1000 feet altitude gained for normally aspired (non turbocharged) gas engines and no reduction for turbocharged diesels.

[ib516]

I'd suggest a turbo diesel for that kind of weight at altitude.

[rhagfo]

If you want to pull that kind of weight at that attatude there is only one answer and it doesn't have spark plugs!
It if you chose correctly it won't even have glow plugs (sorry personal opinion on Cummins)! Get yourself anyone of the new diesels and enjoy the tow!