A Diesel Is Not Worth It!

[BigDsCummins]

I have owned many trucks in my life with all of the first ones being gassers. Started out with a Ford Ranger w/ V6 and then a Toyota Tacoma w/ V6 both were good trucks with good fuel mileage and the Toyota was very fast w/ the TRD supercharger and exhaust and some other mods. But what kinda haulin can you do with them, they were just toys. Then I bought an '02 4x4Dodge w/ the 5. 9L 360 (gas) and it was awful on mileage. Around town best was 12 mpg and towing a small boat back and forth to the lake all flat, I saw 8 mpg. Always wanted a Cummins so within 2 months of having it, I traded the gas for an '03 6 spd. H. O. w/ 3. 73 QC 4x4. Ever since then when I drive my truck it is a joy and I love fixing them up. I have now traded the '03 for my first brand new truck an '06 3500 48re dually and I absolutley love this truck. I don't tow all the time but I do tow a skid steer and a car trailer w/ some sort of vehicle on it from time to time. There is no way a gas motor would get the job done as good and as fast and reliable as a Cummins. I also just recently purchased a '96 12V and that opened up a whole new love for these trucks. Just my 2 cents worth anyhow.

 

[BTighe]

in a well cared for vehical there is no comparison. now if you get a used rig that was rode hard and put up wet you might be in for some $$$. my 97 was like that but to me, its about more than just gas vs diesel. the sound, smell, torque, easy of power upgrades, and durability is whats got me hooked. money wise, it might not be the best decision but what the hell, you cant take it with you and the kids havent earned it.

 

[Glock Guru]

I'll take my 20mpg anyday. BTW you can always go Bio diesel, then who cares about fuel prices.









-Troy

 

[EBolgiano]

We use our diesel Rams as daily drivers and for us it is well worth the investment. My wife drives her 03 2500 64 miles round trip to work each day. Seh gets 17 to 18 mpg. My 93 gets the same and my 02 3500 gets 13 to 15 mpg, 9 to 11 towing our 17K lb 5er. We have not seen a drop in fuel mileage on our trucks w/ ULSD.



All three trucks are turned up... if and when we by another maybe we won't turn up the power.



Diesels are not for everyone, but they are the ticket for us.



Wiredawg

As mentioned several times in this thread sometimes we drive what we want as opposed to what we need. The wife and I both drive Cummins trucks as daily drivers. Her father was an OTR truck driver and she just wanted a diesel pickup (good redneck girl). The maintenance might be a little more than a gasser but that comes with the territory. We both get 20 mpg plus (hand calculated) on the ULSD fuel. Ed B

 

[TCluff]

I Have Done More Engine Damage To My Diesel Than My 2005 Dodge Neon Sxt Cost New, So Now I Have A Practical Daily Driver And The Neon Saves Its Car Payment Each Month In Fuel Alone, The Truck Sits In The Garage Waiting For A Hunting,fishing, Dirtbike,dyno Competition Or Sledpull Event, By The Way I Have Never Had A Hemi Even Give My Cummins A Run, I Can Run Stock Fuel Map And Still Lose A Hemi, 19mpg With 37-13. 50 20s And 320 Rwhp With Timing Only, 650 Plus And 1179 Rwftlbs With The Fuel On... . Hemi Do That... .

 

[MEby]

for me I went with a diesel for several reasons. the first is that I "need" one, ok want one. 2nd, my truck before the diesel was a 95' dodge v-10 that averaged 11 mpg, my current truck averages 16 mpg, with the diesel truck weighing at least 1000 lbs more and being a dually. then the biggest reason I went with it is the 12v is an uncomplicated engine that I can bomb myself for a whole lot easier and cheaper than a gasser. I also havent dropped fuel economy since i've started bombing my truck.



On a side note, someone mentioned earlier that the new diesels are so complex now with all the emmisions stuff, have you checked out the complexity if the gasser lately?

 

[dtrevathan]

I tow, I tow, so off with diesel I go!

 

[Devan Manis]

Just read the diesel power for July, the part where they compare the new twin turbo PSD to the ford V10, and that will pretty much explain why diesel is better than gas. We have an 06' TDI and around town it gets 40 mpg, not to many gas cars can do that. Not only are diesels better when it comes to fuel economy, they tow better, and last a lot longer. I don't know what everybody's problem is with their fuel mileage, after racing my truck in vegas at the DHRA, I still got 15 mpg. That isn't possible with a gasser. And diesel is still twenty cents cheaper than gas is, where I'm form

 

[VVielmas]

i will never go back to a gas burner. i have a '02 3/4 ton 4x4 cummins i get around 20 to 22 mpg at 65 mph on the highway(70+) around 18 to 20 mpg. i had a 96 1500 4x2(318) at 200,000 on it and i got about 15 on the highway towing my hay trailer around 9 and forget my horse trailer with it. that's way i have a diesel for the durability(it just went over 160,000) '02 4x4 long bed,edge juice w/attitude,k&n air intake,6' stacks

 

[CUMMINZ]

My truck has 4200 miles on it and got 8. 8mpg going to Cherokee, NC on a camping trip last weekend. I expect maybe 11mpg when it gets broke in. You guys with anything from 06 back in good condition you might want to run it's tires off several more times. I like the truck for the 68rfe but this new 6. 7L is going to be a bear to bomb.



CUMMINZ

 

[gator 6]

diesel

show me a gas engine that will go 250k and still have any power at all, 250k cummins gotta love the resale value. and for the last little while diesel is cheaper.

 

[Devan Manis]

show me a gas engine that will go 250k and still have any power at all, 250k cummins gotta love the resale value. and for the last little while diesel is cheaper.

Haha amen. My truck has 254,000 and is making 500 rwhp

 

[KnightR]

This is my first diesel truck...

got bunches of diesel tractors farm type that is. Never ever have problems with them and work them hard. Do my maint. and just work them. Now the truck scares me only put 2000 miles on it pulled a fifth wheel really was'nt the power wagon I expected, but did better than my 350 chev 1/2 ton. I'll wait and see.

 

[ChrisKringle]

Anything fuel sucks, try an electric car YouTube - Electric car with instantaneous electron throttle response, gee wonder why locomotives are electric. Cause it's effecient to store and use energy when needed. Ever wonder what fat is for, but I guess evolution could be wrong? That's just the beginning all you air pump enthusiasts, like the vacuum tube vrs. the transistor. Gas vrs. diesel, old school fossil fuel crap. Like the abacus vrs. the bit. That's binary digit for the old school. Pencil neck Bush capitalist selling their daddy's oil for profit. Blow up all the fossil fuel in Earth, and we'd have some tuff engines! Electromagnetism for propulsion!

 

[courierdog]

I do no know where your head is in reference to the ULSD. Since the conversion here in Canada on June 2006 my milage has improved and the MTCE on the injectors hs decreased as the fuel does not gum up the works like the previous LSD. The operational cost of diesel vs gas is a no brainer with the 30% improvement over gas. The Engines are built for WORK not for running to the mall to BRAG about how fast you got there. The modern diesel has more torque than any gas engine ever invented.

Go back your mama and get the story straight!

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Anything fuel sucks, try an electric car YouTube - Electric car with instantaneous electron throttle response, gee wonder why locomotives are electric.

EHhhhh - remove the DIESEL engine from that locomotive, and see how much freight you haul! :-laf:-laf

Cause it's effecient to store and use energy when needed.

UMmmm how much energy do those locomotives "store" for later use - ever see a battery bank used for propulsion in a locomotive? :-laf



And for that matter, what size battery bank does YOUR local power company fall back on when conventional generation/supply sources fail?



Ever see a battery powered factory or city? :-laf

Blow up all the fossil fuel in Earth, and we'd have some tuff engines! Electromagnetism for propulsion!

YUP, perhaps - but WHERE will the electricity come from to power the electrics? Remove fossil fueled power generation from the current power grid, and you'll see LOTS of dark homes and factories! Nuclear? perhaps, some countries do, we do some in this country - and the by-products DO make dandy toys for the military to use...



Wanna try a trip with your family across the USA in a purely electric vehicle - in a reasonable length of time and manner as compared to a "Fossil fueled" vehicle?



GOOD LUCK! :-laf:-laf

 

[CumminSense]

Gary is absolutely correct. If someone could figure out a true all-electric vehicle, with no fossil fuels consumed to create that electricity, don't you think fossil fuels would have gone by the wayside decades ago? And someone would have gotten rich off of it by now?



The fact that fossil fuels are still around, and the majority of our energy production, is a testament to how difficult it is to produce large quantities of energy by means other than fossil fuels. I think wind has a good future, and if we could find a way to use nuclear without the nasty waste problem and risk of another Chernobyl, it could have a future, too. (France has been very successful with nuclear, but do they have a time bomb on their hands???)Newer solar-to-electric systems I also think have promise -- see Stirling Energy Systems Inc. - Home Page -- very "cool"!



-- Steve

 

[DerekW]

For those that actually buy a diesel for a work truck---you can't beat em!!



For those who buy a diesel and expect it to be a car---your right!!



Randy

shoot i bought mine for several reasons. daily driver, play tow, and capability to do what ever i wanted. there also where a few other things on that only made me want a diesel more like ability to run homebrewed biodiesel and ability to install some of the tuners i was seeing in the magazines. am i satisfied with my first diesel? H-YEAH!!! sure i have had transmission issues but you know what? a cummins is hard on 48RE. I dont put additive in my fuel hardly except when i get to experimenting with something. as for changing engine oil and gippin bout the cost of change cuz amount of oil I suggest you make your service intervals the every 10K and the cummins would still out last a hemi or vortech.



right now i am actually in the middle of two vortech engine projects. both are freaking broke and the more I dig the more we find. then on a regular basis when ever I used to see a hemi and all i had was a banks 6 gun with speedloader, straight pipe and k&n replacement filter like my set up was back in the day I would spank them hemis. I do know for sure one of them was had around 2 or 3 grand in engine work. and as for the ford gassers just dont go there.



Sry you had bad experiences with you dodge diesel. i wish you best of luck.

 

[DerekW]

EHhhhh - remove the DIESEL engine from that locomotive, and see how much freight you haul! :-laf:-laf







UMmmm how much energy do those locomotives "store" for later use - ever see a battery bank used for propulsion in a locomotive? :-laf



And for that matter, what size battery bank does YOUR local power company fall back on when conventional generation/supply sources fail?



Ever see a battery powered factory or city? :-laf







YUP, perhaps - but WHERE will the electricity come from to power the electrics? Remove fossil fueled power generation from the current power grid, and you'll see LOTS of dark homes and factories! Nuclear? perhaps, some countries do, we do some in this country - and the by-products DO make dandy toys for the military to use...



Wanna try a trip with your family across the USA in a purely electric vehicle - in a reasonable length of time and manner as compared to a "Fossil fueled" vehicle?



GOOD LUCK! :-laf:-laf

not only the military has fun with the nuclear waste. Duke power company took imported nueclear bomb materials and had them shipped by sea too their new facility and is going to be using them to make power for thousands of folks in the charlotte area.

 

[JEstes]

Ya know, I'm starting to think this guy is just a troll that's fishing for a nerve to strike... .



I agree with yall that nuclear, solar, and wind energy has a very bright future. I also think that bio-fuels have a really good future too. That'll just take some more time to iron out.