fuel mpg ? give me some honest numbers

[bassrman]

I have been a gas engine driver all my life, I currently drive a chevy 3/4 hd with a 6.0 gas engine , it only gets 13 light & 11 towing the boat.,I am in the market for a new tow vehicle,is it really worth it too spend the extra $ for a diesel ,do they get that much more mpg ,too make the extra $$$ sticker price worth it ?.give me some honest reasons to buy one......what do you guys get for mpg ?..I want some true #$ ?,be honest!.....

[Basslab]

Being a Ford man for over 30 years, I recently purchased a 2007 Toyota Tundra/Extra Cab with the I-Force V-8 that cranks out an amazing 381 HP. Not only do you not realize you are towing a 3,000+ pound boat (202 Champion with tandem axle) but with just over 5,000 miles and not totally broken in, I am averaging 15.77 MPG towing over the hills to Clearlake on a regular basis. My '95 F-150 with a 351 engine could barely get me 7 MPG on the same trips. Take a good close look at one of these trucks and if you are a diesel lover, they will be introducing their diesel next year.

[bassrman]

thanks basslab ! come on guys! what do those new trucks get for mileage towing ?......

[Gator]

Bassrman - I drive an '01 F-150 Supercrew 4WD - I get 14-15 normally and around 12-13 towing (depending on speed). I drive a Tundra when I am at my companies home location, and drove it to Florida in August....I was impressed with the power and fuel economy. I averaged just over 21 on the trip to FL and about 18 around town. I was not towing anyhing but I know the truck would have the power to do it. If I get into the market for a new truck, I will definitely be looking at the Tundra.

[biteme]

I average 11mpg towing wayyyy too fast. I have a 06 Dodge hemi quad cab. I pull a 03 520 ranger. I was going to buy the mega cab diesel because its a heck of a truck for 45k otd. But its hard to justify the cost difference.

[Dewayne]

F250 4x4 lifted, big tires, and a V10. I get 10MPG towing, 14 not towing.

pretty much has the power of a diesel though.


When I purchased this gas model I did the calcs on the diesel and break even point was around 80k miles.

[getalife]

I just traded my 11 month old Tundra in for a Chevy because I just couldnt stand the Toyota. My LTZ Silverado gets 16.4 mpg just driving around and @ 13 mpg towing to clear lake. Its not a diesel and the mileage isnt much better than the rest of the trucks out there. BUT... the important thing is that I have rain sensing wipers, remote start, heated washer fluids, back-up sensors, a camera for hooking up the boat, heated leather, auto sliding rear window and sunroof, indash navigation... who cares about efficiency, I'm enjoying driving too much to care about my gas mileage.

[Scott L]

I will preface this by saying I don't own a diesel (my father in-law does. A Chevy duramax with the allison transmission.) He does get better mpg and does not see the drop off in mpg when towing. Unfortunately I can't remember the exact numbers, but they are in the high teens.

He did not buy it for the mpg, but for the towing power. He can tow anything on any grade. They just are a lot more powerful than the gas.

Don't buy it for the mpg/gas savings. It will take you about 100k miles to make up for the extra cost of the diesel. I would think you should be able to find a good gas truck to tow one of our relatively light bass boats. My Ford Explorer w/ a 4.10 rearend towed my TR21 to clear lake as fast as anything. BTW it had the 6 with a SOHC. Now if you are towing 5th wheels, travel trailers, or heavy equipment trailers the diesel can't be beat.

There are also some maintenance differences between the engines you should understand and figure into cost of ownership.

[201Pro]

I've had my Ford F250 SD w/ a 7.3l Powerstroke for about 7 years now. I've chipped it almost from the beginning and my mileage is about 14-14MPG towing and 17MPG driving city/freeway.

But the main reason that I got a diesel is not for the better mileage, though that it didn't hurt my decision. Rather, it's for the longevity and reliability of the diesels.

Since I've owned the truck, I've put in over 200K miles on the truck and it is still going strong. Like with every other car/truck out there, there's going to be some problems. But I must say, the drive train and all that (other than some power mirror issues) I've only put in a water pump and alternator (@ 160K miles; which I viewed as normal maintenance) and new sets of tires and brakes on a routine basis.

Most say, that if you take care of the truck (replace it's fluids regularly), these diesels will last you 400k to 500k or ... even up to a million miles w/o problems (but you may have to rebuild the tranny once in a while too). My truck at 200K runs as strong as when I first bought it. Yes, 200K on the tranny ... maybe another 50 or 100k, I'll have to have it rebuilt ... but, for an extra 3K or so, it'll last me another 10 years maybe!

Then performance wise, you'll not beat any gas off the line ... or will you?! These diesels are STRONG ... towing or not. I just say ... I love my truck!! it's old and a little beat up (scratches on the paint etc, but runs as good as new. Hope that helps you. Good luck on your decision!

[bassrman]

thanks chris ! one more thing to think about is the maintenance/upkeep cost ? what does it cost to keep a diesel running ?......

[fishyd]

'04 F250 super duty diesiel w/ 06 tr 20x clear lake 16.8 doing 65mph. Flat land towing 16.8 doing 70mph. And I love the power boat or no boat passing is a breeze unlimited power at your foot. That 6.0 kicks a$$.

[CN]

You wont believe the differance.If you can I would highly recomend you get a Diesel.I have not checked the mileage but I can go to San Antonio from Salinas and it's 87 mile's one way and I'm still half way between 3/4 and 1/2 a tank when I get home.

They pull so much better you wont believe it.Mine's a 2006 6.0.....some problem's I've heard.But the new 6.6L is so quite.I was at a ramp the other day as one was pulling out and I was amazed at how quite it was.

Dont worry about the noise.That's why I never really wanted one but it's like night and day between gas and diesel.

Wait 1/2 a tank if it's a 24 gallon tank that would be................at 3.12 a gallon today...........that's if it dont go to 5.00 buck's..............would be......................It's getting tuff aint it guy's.

[CN]

[quote="bassrman"]thanks chris ! one more thing to think about is the maintenance/upkeep cost ? what does it cost to keep a diesel running ?......[/quote

That's what I get for not reading all the post's..............way,way more than a gas motor you are correct there.But that's normal service,oil change and filter's becouse there are a few fuel filter's and water collector's on the diesel's so I dont want to try it myself.

So yes a service is expensive.

[BIG DADDY BLUE RANGER]

funny,, this topic always comes up at work and gets my buddies arguing....... in short, yes diesel's are better,,, but you can buy a whole lot of gas for the $5-6k price difference. If you plan on driving cross contry frequently or keeping that truck 10+ years, it may be worth it.

[BIG DADDY BLUE RANGER]

Oh and should add..... my buddy who I commuted with had an F250 lifted 4x4 diesel which got 20-22 mpg,, not towing..... he got it cause diesel used to be the cheapiest stuff at the pumps.. a couple years ago the price of diesel made a huge jump and was more than regular.... I had to listen to him whine every week he drove. They do sound cool though

[SHAFT]

I did the math on it years ago when diesel was cheaper than gas , comparing a new gas truck and a new diesel truck and you will drive tens of thousands of miles before you pay for the diesel up grade and start to save money on fuel . I think we came up with around 70 to 80 thousand miles .

[tunaeater]

When it comes to towing your better off with a diesel...Tundra is the best truck out there in my opinion...there diesel comes out next year and I will say its safe to bet it will be the best boat towing truck ever built...I plan on buying one in a couple of years...better start saving now

[SloppySeconds]

Toyota does make an excellent product - I just wonder if the first year's diesels will be bomb proof or if you will have to wait a few years for them to work out the bugs. I'm sure they have been building diesel engines for other international markets, but Ford and Cummins have been refining their diesel designs for pickup trucks for decades. That new twin turbo Ford looks sweet.

I'm driving a 2000 F-250 with the older style 7.3L diesel. The around town mileage is not great - probably 12-14. Towing a bass boat is a breeze, and it gets the same mileage (17.5) on the freeway towing a boat as not, even at 70mph. Supposedly, the longevity and resale value is much better than gas engines.

A couple things you should consider before you go diesel. Don't do it because you think it will save money. Now that diesel is more expensive, I don't think it is possible during the normal time you will own a truck (5-10 yrs?). The other thing is that an oil change on a 7.3L engine takes 15 quarts of oil.... yes, 15. A typical Jiffy Lube oil change is about 70-80 bucks. If you live in a cold climate - where overnight temps are usually below 30, the diesels don't like that. I lived in Utah for 3 hard winters (-14 F) and the mileage sucked when the engine is cold - so it's not a good engine for short commutes. Get a beater commute car and drive the diesel on the weekends when you tow the boat.

SF

[Dan McKenzie]

Toyota has been producing diesel trucks for more than 30 years, just very few for the U.S. market. Hino is their commercial truck brand and they are some of the best trucks around, hands down the most reliable truck we've ever had, and weve had all of them GM, Ford, Mitsubishi, Izuzu, International.....

[201Pro]

thanks chris ! one more thing to think about is the maintenance/upkeep cost ? what does it cost to keep a diesel running ?......

The maintenance? Well an oil change every ~5K miles if you use regular dino oil or maybe ~10K miles if you use man made oil (full synthetic). But you need just shy of 4 GALLONs each change (~14quarts). Other than that, it's the usual filter changes (oil, fuel, and others). I also change my tranny oil evey 50K~60K miles (once every two years) as well. One thing that I've not done is change the glow plugs (~$500 job) ... but after 200K, the engine still starts, so it's probably ok still.

That's basically all the maintenance is required. It's a lot less than gassers I think.

[Scott D.]

I have a 2005 Chevy 2500HD Duramax 4X4. Here's what I get, and it is exact because it is constantly computed by the engines monitoring system and displays it for me on the dash. I get 18-20 on the highway without the boat(Ranger 520), and 14-15 towing the boat. Used to have a Chevy 1/2 ton, and I think I made an AWESOME choice with the new truck. It has probably already paid for the extra cost already, and I only have 55,000 miles on it. Another thing to remember is that when you buy a new diesel, it monitors your driving habits and tweeks into where it needs to be for your driving. You won't be dialed in until after 30,000 miles. I think that one thing guys don't think about when choosing a tow vehicle is that getting the tires of the trailer rolling isn't the only important thing. Stopping them is REALLY important, and the lighter trucks will not do as good/safe a job as a 3/4 ton or better. I know guys are going to jump all over this statement, puff up their chests and get all defensive. But facts are facts, laws of inertia don't lie.

[bassrman]

your right on scott!,my 2500 hd with the 4 wheel disc brakes do a great job of stopping my rig!,my old 1/2 ton,was really weak in the brakes dept. plus it needed a brake job after 25k,my hd has 110k and the brakes are still in great shape!.....

[chf8500]

All the power under the hood is great, but unless you order the right gears in the axle it don't do what it is supposed to. want fuel milage, hi gears 343 or higher, want to pass everything on the road but the next station, 411. want good all around gearing decent millage and enough pull power up the grades, 373,up to 343, will give better economy but you will see the trans shifting a lot more often on small inclines, thats what the m on the shift lever is for, pull it down a click and keep on trucking, as far as what brand you buy basicly they are all the same if all is equal, ford chevy dodge doesn't matter if you set it up for how you are going to drive. personally I drive a 98 1/2 ton short box chevy, 350 w/ 373 gears flowmaster exhaust and stock otherwise. 17 /18 not towing at 65/70, strap on a rngr 482 13/14 around 60, no problems. shop smart, buy smart then you won't be dissatisfied

[dkoerber]

bassrman:

Here is the straight scoop

I had a 2002 Chevy 2500 HD Crew Cab 6.0 liter 4:10 gears and got the same numbers you have stated towing my bass boat 160,000 miles on it when I sold it. Towing the travel trailer mileage would drop to about 9 MPG.

I sold it in 2005 and bought a Dodge 2500 Crew Cab 5.9 liter diesel. I currently have 96,000 miles and average about 19 MPG empty and about 13 MPG towing (probably towing a little fast) Highway 20 to Clear Lake the diesel doesn't even know the boat is back there.

As far as maintenance goes there is no cost difference between the gasser and the diesel. Cummins recommended oil change interval is 8,000 - 12,000 miles depending on driving habits. I've been changing mine every 10,000 and it costs $67.00 at my local oil changing facility. Fuel filter should be changed every 15,000 miles which you can get from Napa for around $12.00 and it takes about 2 minutes to change. The gasser has a shorter oil change interval but only cost $36.00 so if you change it every 5000 you are spending $72.00. No tune ups required on the diesel. Yes the new gassers don't need one until 100,000 miles but it will be costly when you get there.

Safety is another factor that needs to be brought up. The diesels are all 3/4 TN trucks or larger. Which means bigger brakes, bigger axles, bigger suspension, more weight (my truck is +/- 8,000 #) which lets the truck control the boat while towing, not the other way around.

As far as manufacturers go Ford, Chevy, Dodge they all make a good truck. The Dodge costs the cheapest but in my opinion come with the best engine out of all 3 and trust me the Cummins is a lot more user friendly when it comes time to change filters or if you like to tinker on it yourself. Don't take my word for it just go to each dealer and pop the hood and look at each engine yourself or call each dealer and ask them how much they charge to change filters.

Bottom line, there is not a gasser made that has the power or the longetivity of a diesel. Toyota claims the new Tundra has 381 HP well it isn't the HP that is going to get you up a hill it is the Torque that will get you up a hill and the new diesels have a heck of a lot more than the Toyota.

Good luck in your search

[Scott L]

Scott I completely agree with your statement about the stopping. As I mentioned in my previous post, I could tow my boat everywhere with my old explorer because of the tow pkg it came with. I think in some ways it has more torque than my Yukon XL (it has a 3.73 or something in the rear). But the longer wheel base makes a huge difference in towing and in cross winds. The stopping is better, but if I had the 2500 or HD series truck it would be even easier.
IMHO that is what you really benefit from in the HD trucks. The stopping. all the brakes and suspension are better. Our boats are just not that heavy when compared to the trailers the HDs are designed to tow.

[Scott D.]

bassrman, I was shocked when I put new tires on at 45,000. I had them eyeball the brakes thinking they were probably close(old school frame of mind working here!!). The guy said, "oh you haven't even touched these things yet. You'll get 200,000 out of them no problem". Damn, now that's awesome. Meanwhile, the guys with smaller tow rigs have gone through 3 sets of brakes.

[Slippy]

i just got a 04 Tahoe, havent towed with it yet but was towing with a 98 Yukon. I hear the Tohoe even with the smaller motor (5.3 compared to the 5.7) will tow better.

towing a Skeeter zx200 duel axil trailer.

[Jim Conlow Sr.]

My tow vehicle is a 2006 1/2 ton short bed single cab sport model with a Hemi engine. I get an aveage of about 13.5 mpg when not towing and about 12 when towing. It is a great tow vehicle and it tows up over the mountain to Clearlake with total ease. I have to watych very carefully or it will sneak up to 75 while towing on straightaways
I also have a 3/4 ton long bed 4 door turbo diesel engined 2006 Dodge pickup which gets about 13.5 to 14 on the highway with no load. I only make short trips with it when it has a load so i dont really have a good average mpg for that.
At this point tjhe only real advantage that I personally see in the diesel is that I can probably put 2 1/2 to 3 times as much mileage on it before the engine wears out.
I currently have 26,000 on the gas rig and 21,000 on the diesel

[Jeff C.]

I have a 2006 Silverado 2500 4X4 crew cab with the gas 6.0 liter and it only gets about 10-11 mpg towing or otherwise. At least that's what the onboard computer is showing. I can't even afford to drive it on a day to day basis - had to talk my wife into getting another car so I could use her old car to go the 50 miles to work every day.

[schreecher2]

I have a 2001 Dodge 2500 Diiesel, and have put in a Predator chip. I get 18 to 20 on the freeway with no load, 15-17 pulling a boat (Ranger 482VS), and 11.5-13 with a loaded camper, 5 people, and the extra kitchen sink that the wife threw in. This is going over some big passes. But, with the cost differences between diesel and gas, not sure if you can call it a savings.....

[palmdale-shane]

1997 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins turbo diesel. I get 17 mpg while towing. I added a torque plate, high pressure injectors and after market manifold. Last year I went from Phoenix to Riverside on a single tank. (Not towing)


-Shane

[Slippy]

I have a 2001 Dodge 2500 Diiesel, and have put in a Predator chip. I get 18 to 20 on the freeway with no load, 15-17 pulling a boat (Ranger 482VS), and 11.5-13 with a loaded camper, 5 people, and the extra kitchen sink that the wife threw in. This is going over some big passes. But, with the cost differences between diesel and gas, not sure if you can call it a savings.....

where can i get a chip for my 04 Tahoe?

[Clif]

2003 2500 HD Duramax drove the same route 154mi. point a to point b @ 60mph 19mpg @ 65mph 17.5mpg 75mph 16.9mpg towing 13-14.5mpg @ 70mph.