Cornercarver
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Re: Diesel vs gas......................
I have a question on this topic that hopefully you all can help me with. First, let me tell you my situation and what I am running. I live in New York and have a 2004 1500 Silverado(non-HD)with the 5.3L in it, Ext. Cab, 4x4. I currently have an all-aluminum 19ft enclosed snowmobile trailer that I use to not only carry my snowmobiles in the winter, but also my race bike (and serves as sleeping quarters at the track) in the summer. The trailer is fairly tall at about 9ft to the top and has a V-nose. Loaded with the snowmobiles it weighs roughly 2700lbs - 3000lbs and that is probably the most weight it will see when I tow it. For the record, my 5.3 gets about 18 on the highway (I always run at 70+... just being honest) unloaded and about 11 towing this trailer (also 70+). My situation: Towing back and forth to NH and then to the mountains to go snowmobiling seems to really tax this truck. Going down the highway at 70mph the truck CANNOT maintain overdrive even in the slightest of head winds. So obviously any kind of grade makes the truck shift out of OD. When towing through the hills of RT 7 and 9 to NH, the truck seems like it is always screaming 3000+ RPMs to get it through the hills. It has more than enough power to pull the trailer and maintain speed, but it shifts a lot when doing so. (I believe this was explained well in the Hemi vs cummins analogy earlier on). My dilema: Everyone says that a diesel is not necessary for towing such a light load. So I looked into the 6.0L engines and 2500 trucks. While I tow all year round, I don't know as if I would consider myself someone who tows a lot. Although, my conditions are more difficult than most. Having said that, the 6.0L in the 2500 would be mostly a commuter truck, at which point the 12mpg they get unloaded on a daily basis would hurt (my cousin has the 2500HD with this reported AVERAGE mileage). In addition, having never driven a 6.0L with my trailer, I am not sure that it would totally solve my shifting problem going down the highway in OD (some light on this would be helpful). So I looked at Diesels. Pricing out the 6.0L truck and the more expensive Diesel vs. reported gas AVERAGE mileage for both (12mpg & 17mpg respectively), the Diesel would pay for itself in fuel over the course of 4.5 years at 20kmi/year (which is what I drive). That is even at current gas prices where I live, which is $2.90 Diesel and $2.60 for gas. My questions: How much are Diesel oil changes... really, and how often are they? How much are fuel filters? Will the fuel gel very often due to cold temps in my area? - What about warm up times? - I hear remote starters are not recommended? Do I still have to let the turbo cool? Will a 6.0L gas truck serve me better even though it will end up costing me more in fuel over the coarse of ownership? Should I stop whining about the truck screaming all the time and just suck it up for such a light load? :) Thanks for the help. I am right on the brink of buying a new truck and would like to make the best decision I can when spending this kind of money. Currently I am looking at an F-350 PSD and 2500 Duramax (350 only because that is all we seem to have in my area...and it seems little different than the 250). Travis440Views0likes0Comments
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Prefer to camp in a travel trailer? You're not alone.Jan 21, 202544,029 Posts
