Diesel engine vs. gas engine

[winter_time]

alright can you call the dealership for me and let them know that your diesel gets this then ill go pick one of these up

 

[indy_500]

alright can you call the dealership for me and let them know that your diesel gets this then ill go pick one of these up

I bought it from a private owner.

 

[winter_time]

can you see if he has another one i would really like one of these but i would like it in white with black rims

 

[indy_500]

can you see if he has another one i would really like one of these but i would like it in white with black rims

he's got an orange one.

 

[winter_time]

tell him to give it a white paint job maybe add a black strip along the bottom and then ill be interested

it would be really sweet if it had the 10 cylinder triton in it then too because the gasser is more of a financial benefit than the diesel in my opinion

 

[indy_500]

tell him to give it a white paint job maybe add a black strip along the bottom and then ill be interested

it would be really sweet if it had the 10 cylinder triton in it then too because the gasser is more of a financial benefit than the diesel in my opinion

but gassers can't do this

 

[lenny]

come on indy, show him your real ride

 

[cuzzinolaf]

I went from a diesel back to a gasser. Part of the reason was the 4.10 gears it had and the other part is I couldn't justify owning a diesel for the limited towing I do. Driving on the highway I get 18mpg or so doing 70-75 with my 5.3 gasser that is plenty for me. When I cruised the 4.10 diesel at this speed I got less than 16mpg. I had slightly bigger tires on it too but it didn't help much. If you tow a lot I'd get the diesel BUT make sure it has 3.73 gears or higher (meaning a lower lower number).

 

[winter_time]

I went from a diesel back to a gasser. Part of the reason was the 4.10 gears it had and the other part is I couldn't justify owning a diesel for the limited towing I do. Driving on the highway I get 18mpg or so doing 70-75 with my 5.3 gasser that is plenty for me. When I cruised the 4.10 diesel at this speed I got less than 16mpg. I had slightly bigger tires on it too but it didn't help much. If you tow a lot I'd get the diesel BUT make sure it has 3.73 gears or higher (meaning a lower lower number).

i am currently getting 16 miles to the gallon on my 5.4 l v8 in a f 250 running 33s

 

[cuzzinolaf]

i am currently getting 16 miles to the gallon on my 5.4 l v8 in a f 250 running 33s

Sounds about right. Unless you tow a lot (often or weight) I don't think a diesel is needed for most (Chad is special). The motors are known for longevity but I don't know too many people who keep a truck for that long.

 

[lenny]

I'm running a 94 dodge Cummings with auto trans. 65 mph down da interstate from da UP to Ill I get 23.3 mpg. Drove from Mass City to Oswego Illinois and back to Rhinelander Wi before I needed fuel. I love the torque of climbing hills with no down shift. I have not encountered a hill I couldn't climb in the UP where it needed to downshift. Cummings is a power house motor. Old blue gets about 12-13 mpg with the vortec v-6, 15-16 on highway. I tow just a little and do not need the diesel but prefer it because it is a impressive machine.

 

[russholio]

BTW changing oil is the same as a gasser, changing filter is easy too. Otherwise, put a new belt on it, like a gasser, every once in awhile and run it. Dont use K&N oiled air filters on diesels, bad for the turbo and engine.

Good to know, since I have a K&N in my current truck and it's one of the first things I would have added should I get this diesel.

It was prone to overheat on hard pulls, but it is a intake air design flaw, and is easily and cheapy fixed by a do-it-yourself'er at home.

What is involved in this fix?

 

[switch07]

BTW changing oil is the same as a gasser, changing filter is easy too. Otherwise, put a new belt on it, like a gasser, every once in awhile and run it. Dont use K&N oiled air filters on diesels, bad for the turbo and engine.

No engines like a mile long commute, especially diesels.

Why would you not use a K&N on a diesel? I have over 50k on my K&N with no problems on my D-max. What proof do you have that they are bad for diesels. K&N is a well known manufacturer of quality products and if there was proof that their product was bad for an aplication, I would think they would do something about it. Back to the subjuct now, I will probably never go back to a gasser after owning a D-max with the Alison tranny. My 06 has the 6 speed and I can get as high as 23.3 mpg depending on speed. Normaly tho a constant 17 to 19 running empty at 65 to 70. Pulling my 38 foot Montana fithwheel at 55 to 60 to the Hodag last year we got 14.3 mpg. When we went out west pulling a Triton inline, bucking wind at 70 to 75 we got 10 to 12 mpg's. I found rpm is everything, if I keep the rpm between 1500 to 1700 max I get great mpg's. Anything over 1700 rpm and the mpg's start to suffer. My dealer does my oil changes at about 70 bucks, (gotta remember 10 qts oil) every 5000, fuel filter in the fall at about 80 bucks. I feel the extra cost is well worth it considering the awesome power and torque that a diesel brings to the table. That isn't even counting the better trade/resale value. And the higher fuel price is is negated by the better mpg's as stated in a previous post. Good luck in your decision.

 

[rocketman356]

Why would you not use a K&N on a diesel? I have over 50k on my K&N with no problems on my D-max. What proof do you have that they are bad for diesels. K&N is a well known manufacturer of quality products and if there was proof that their product was bad for an aplication, I would think they would do something about it. Back to the subjuct now, I will probably never go back to a gasser after owning a D-max with the Alison tranny. My 06 has the 6 speed and I can get as high as 23.3 mpg depending on speed. Normaly tho a constant 17 to 19 running empty at 65 to 70. Pulling my 38 foot Montana fithwheel at 55 to 60 to the Hodag last year we got 14.3 mpg. When we went out west pulling a Triton inline, bucking wind at 70 to 75 we got 10 to 12 mpg's. I found rpm is everything, if I keep the rpm between 1500 to 1700 max I get great mpg's. Anything over 1700 rpm and the mpg's start to suffer. My dealer does my oil changes at about 70 bucks, (gotta remember 10 qts oil) every 5000, fuel filter in the fall at about 80 bucks. I feel the extra cost is well worth it considering the awesome power and torque that a diesel brings to the table. That isn't even counting the better trade/resale value. And the higher fuel price is is negated by the better mpg's as stated in a previous post. Good luck in your decision.

Installed 37" toya's on our dually diesel to keep the rpm's down ,4" SS straight dual exhaust ,superchips programer and K&N .Its a beast

 

[russholio]

I did read in a few diesel forums I was perusing that some guys did have trouble with the K&N filters and didn't recommend their use (something about the oil fouling the MAF sensor). But, never having owned a diesel, I can't say one way or the other whether it's fact, fiction, or what other variables may have been involved.

 

[srt20]

What happens is people over oil any brand oiled filters. The turbo sucks a lot more air through the air filter than a non turbo engine. The oil is sucked out of the air filter. The oil gets in the intake tube, on the turbo vanes and in the intake. When oil collects on surfaces, it collects dust. Since it sucked all the oil out of the filter cannot filter the air properly. K&N filters are proven to not filter as good as non oiled filters. Get dust and dirt on your turbo vanes, it get out of balance and knocks your turbo bearings out. It doesnt take much, turbos spin up to 100,000 rpms. I have used K&N on a diesel before and even oil properly it can lead to dusting. I have even heard of warranty claims turned down because of K&N filters.

I dont remember what is all involved on fixing the intake, if you google it and k&n filters you can read about both.

I currently use a Amsoil nanofiber filter and I am happy with it. There is many different non-oiled filters on the market for diesels that are very good. K&N used to be good technology, but there is much much better out there today.

 

[xcswitch]

Just don't get a 2011 duramax if your looking for fuel mileage. 3300 miles and getting 10.6 on all miles. Can't forget the fertilizer. Suppose to use 5 gal. every 5000 miles. I already put 5.5 gal. in it and this weekend it told me 250 miles until empty. That means another 5 gal at $4.29/gal. Still wouldn't trade it for a older diesel for power reasons, but if I had a chance to get a good used 05 duramax for the right price I would buy it instead of gas.

 

[cat_m7]

Last spring I switched from a 6.0 gas to a 2007 Duramax. No regrets in the change.
Mileage is better empty and towing. Lucky to get 14mpg empty with the 6.0 and now get 16 to 17 with a mix of city and hwy. Best I've gotten with the Duramax was 21mpg on summer fuel going 65mph all hwy. The 6.0 would get 7.5 to 8 towing my travel trailer but the Dmax gets 10 to 11. The thing I like the most about the Dmax is you can set the cruise no matter what your towing and it will pull it. Driving the gasser would wear me out on long trips towing. All the downshifting for hills would drive me nuts so I'd leave the cruise off and let it slow down on the hills. I agree with the others that maintenance is more but it's worth it.
Recommend that you get diesel fuel from a station that pumps a lot of it. (truck stop etc.)
It'll cut down on your chances of getting bad fuel - one downside of a diesel. Always keep one if not two extra fuel filters behind the seat and a bottle of 911. Having that along with the filter wrenches during the winter time will save your butt if the truck gels during the winter.
duramaxforum.com and dieselplace.com are great sites with tons of info.

 

[russholio]

Last spring I switched from a 6.0 gas to a 2007 Duramax. No regrets in the change.
Mileage is better empty and towing. Lucky to get 14mpg empty with the 6.0 and now get 16 to 17 with a mix of city and hwy. Best I've gotten with the Duramax was 21mpg on summer fuel going 65mph all hwy. The 6.0 would get 7.5 to 8 towing my travel trailer but the Dmax gets 10 to 11. The thing I like the most about the Dmax is you can set the cruise no matter what your towing and it will pull it. Driving the gasser would wear me out on long trips towing. All the downshifting for hills would drive me nuts so I'd leave the cruise off and let it slow down on the hills. I agree with the others that maintenance is more but it's worth it.
Recommend that you get diesel fuel from a station that pumps a lot of it. (truck stop etc.)
It'll cut down on your chances of getting bad fuel - one downside of a diesel. Always keep one if not two extra fuel filters behind the seat and a bottle of 911. Having that along with the filter wrenches during the winter time will save your butt if the truck gels during the winter.
duramaxforum.com and dieselplace.com are great sites with tons of info.

Your experience with the 6.0 sounds almost exactly like mine!

 

[snow_monkey]

If you use the truck primary for towing, diesel is the way to go. The Duramax is a wonderful engine. Had a 2001 and loved it for towing. Fuel price is of coarse now higher than before the low sulfur came to the US. Oil changes are going to cost more, dealers charge around $90 now. Bottom line is you buy a diesel for the power, not the fuel economy. The extra cost of fuel, and maintenance will soak up your fuel savings. Now for towing, you would not be disappointed with the Duramax. I used to tow a Dutchman 5th wheel, triple slide outs, Garage in the back with two sportsman 500's. Never a complaint for lack of power.

I agree the only reason I would stand in a puddle of diesel and grab that nasty filler hose is if I had to pull a giant trailer. I work at a dealership and when things go bad on a diesel it can be extremely expensive wiping out any savings over the term of ownership. I also just threw out 3 k&n filters they are junk and it has been proven many times the amount of contaminants that slip by the filter. If I can find the study I will post it for others to read.