Diesel Vs Big Gasser

[Braap791]

I have a question for you guys that have the big gas GM 6.0L/6.2Ltrucks. Hows the mileage? And compared to a newer diesel (Gm) what kind of real world numbers are people seeing? can I drive the big gasser past a fuel station without filling up? Is spending an extra 9gs on the duramax worth it in the grand scheme of things? The truck will be used back and forth to riding and for dragging my travel trailer around which loaded up with water and gear and bikes is around the 8500-9000lb mark. Other than that it will be sleeping in my garage and not seeing daily driver use any insight would be great.

[dirtyboy]

I was looking to buy a different truck every 2-3 years in my past, mostly because of changing needs. Then I got a diesel with the high end trim and it meets all the needs that I can come up with. no regrets.

Or buy the big gas engine truck and re-visit this conversation in 3 years.

[Dobi]

Diesel. It is a little bit more money on the front end, but more than makes up for itself in the long run. I use mine exclusively for pulling a trailer and hauling bikes and wouldn't consider a gasser. Once you hook onto a trailer in a bad sidewind and set cruise at 115km/hr you realize the value of that torque and weight.

I can get over 20mpg on the highway with a bike in the back and on a good day 17mpg pulling 12,000lb of trailer with a bed full of dirtbikes. On a bad wind day it gets 12. Around the city it is a consistent 15mpg and I don't drive lightly. I love the power (I may have tuned mine a bit) and the acceleration of a truck this size.

http://www.trucktrend.com/truck-reviews ... vs-diesel/

[bikingagain]

I've got the 6.0L gas and the mileage is brutal. 100L tank and I get about 450k in the city. Up to 550-6 on the highway. If I pull my trailer at 10,000lbs it is about 250k. Love the truck but mileage sucks.

[Dakota_c69]

Diesel is the way to go. The resale should make up for the extra upfront costs, especially if you keep mileage low by only running it for your dirt bike/camping trips. The performance gains , like Dobi talks about, are just gravy. Cheaper fuel usually too.

You may also consider a 2014/2015 used diesel with under 25,000 kms. There are a lot of them on the market now that oil prices have crashed. The number of good used diesel trucks up North is crazy.

Couple of examples...

A Loaded 2015 Denali - $68,000 - 8,400 KM

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/calg ... nFlag=true

A Loaded 2014 SLT - $57,000 - 22,522 KM

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/red- ... nFlag=true

Of course, according to some people around here, the Duramax sucks.

[Bark]

I lust after diesels but don't feel like I can afford to jump in. That noted, I'm personally sort of stuck on the perception that since the fog controls came into place that the performance of the modern diesel has really, really suffered. Is this true? Or, am I misinformed?

These are my impressions. I don't know if they are true or not. But, I've come to the point where, even could I afford it, I'm not sure I would buy a diesel unless I absolutely needed it, say, to pull a massive trailer. From there, I'd want to buy it off the lot with the maximum warranty, maximum pre-paid maintenance plan available. Sell it when its off that. Unless a huge portion of your miles are towing, then can the extra cost and 'perceived lower reliability, higher cost of ownership' justify buying them? Again, not experience, just perception.

I'm curious if anyone has an unmolested, modern diesel? Again, I'm under the impression that from 2013 and newer, that US emissions rules have made it practically impossible to defog your ride to get both the performance and the economy back.

[cedric]

I use my truck for towing a holiday trailer a handful of times a year, and every time I tow the trailer I wish I had a diesel. But for the other 90% of the time I'm driving around hauling bikes and other light loads I'm happy to have a gas V8. The extra expense (purchase/operating/repairs) just doesn't make sense for an occasional tower like myself. You are really only saving money when you are hauling/towing and unless you do a lot of that the economics just aren't there, IMO. I'm sure it's very satisfying to blast up hills with a full load though, that is something you have to put your own value on...

[Brass]

I don't want to get into the "this vs. that" debate.

I recommend you pop into a rental agency like Driving Force or similar and take one out for a weekend. Get a rental truck, hook up your trailer and pull it down to Longview and back. Perhaps a diesel is overkill for your trailer and application and a 1/2 ton will do the job, or you could find that it is exactly what you need. Only you can decide.

If you're really serious about pulling the trigger on one, your local dealer shouldn't have a problem with getting you a used loaner for a weekend to test drive.

[Braap791]

This is wicked feedback. I am getting a demo to rip around in next week so we will see what happens

[Dobi]

In Canada you can still get around the emissions stuff fairly easy. We have some of the 2015 diesels in the family and fleet at work and now that they have the urea sorted out I don't think I would bother desmogging a truck again. Stock Dodges make almost 900ft/lb of torque. You don't need anything more than that. I have turned my controller past sensible before and it just blows black smoke and makes you giggle like a school girl and its not much more than 900ft/lb in my duramax. I used to run cummins and tune them in the days of sub 500ft/lb stock and was impressed with how much better they pulled my trailer than my last gasser (98 dodge).

I agree with Brass. Go and rent one for a weekend and see what it does.

[350scott]

My two cents. Buying a 3/4 ton gas engine truck doesn't make sense. My reasoning, if you truly need the load capability of a 3/4 ton then the gas engines just don't cut it. Conversely if you don't need the load capability then just get a gas 1/2 ton.

I believe the top powertrains in the 1/2 ton's are as good as the gas powertrains in the 3/4 ton's. For reference: Chevy's 6.0L V8 in the 2500 is rated 360hp/380#ft and the 5.3L V8 in the 1500 is rated 355hp/383#ft ; Ford's 6.2L V8 in the F250 is rated 385hp/405#ft and 3.5L Ecoboost V6 is rated 365hp/420#ft.

If I had a 9000# trailer, even though a 1/2 ton could pull it, I'd get a 3/4 ton diesel. Note, I had a F150 with the Ecoboost + airbags and a trailer that was ~7000lbs loaded and although it pulled the trailer fine, if I bought a 9000# trailer, I wouldn't consider a gas. I'd just get the nicest diesel I could afford. Note #2, if I only pulled the 9000# trailer out to Fallen Timber once or twice a year, I might consider a gas 1/2 ton.

[downunder366]

Great advice and opinions above.

I too had the same question a few years ago. I ended up going with a 2012 F250 6.7L Diesel XLT which had 25000K, only a year or two old and run around $37K. The XLT isn't fancy but I wanted to get a diesel at a lower cost and didn't really need all the options.
It has been a great truck and pulls our 28ft trailer full with a box full of gear really well. Fuel consumption isn't great, but I am sure the F250 gas would be allot worse.
My truck is pretty well is stock and none of the emissions control system has given me issues (which was a concern).
So in a nut shell I am glad I made the investment.

Ford, Dodge, GM, Chevy who cares they are all pretty good trucks in my eyes.

[kjo417]

I have a question for you guys that have the big gas GM 6.0L/6.2Ltrucks. Hows the mileage? And compared to a newer diesel (Gm) what kind of real world numbers are people seeing? can I drive the big gasser past a fuel station without filling up? Is spending an extra 9gs on the duramax worth it in the grand scheme of things? The truck will be used back and forth to riding and for dragging my travel trailer around which loaded up with water and gear and bikes is around the 8500-9000lb mark. Other than that it will be sleeping in my garage and not seeing daily driver use any insight would be great.

Get what makes you happy, on one condition....I get to drive it!

[Spinalguy]

Based on your needs, i would not recommend any new truck.
i would look for an older diesel in the flavor of your choice.
i have a 97 12V Dodge (maybe not this old for you) i bought from Florida and it does everything i want even when it sits sleeping in the winter.
i even spent money putting in a brand new complete interior.
Spending more than 30g on a diesel truck for your needs makes no sense unless you have a truckload of cents you want to spend...err...waste.

[twotired]

Get the diesel. My '13 Ram bighorn 5.7l hauls my 7000lb trailer around pretty good but man do I have diesel envy. That's the way to go. I'd look at new vs. used for what price you can afford, but get the diesel.