Gas vs Diesel

[ShotgunZ71]

Originally Posted by videoarizona

The 6.2 gas with the 10 speed trannie on the GMC Sierra HD is a great combo for towing.
The combo will downshift automatically acting like an exhaust brake... Downshifting the trannie to keep you from using your brakes. I have the same engine with 8 speed on my Denali. My trailer averages 6k lbs for a normal week trip. Higher if we travel. I've had no problems with 7% hills that last for miles..up and down. Rarely use the brakes!

The GMC HD gas trucks don't have a 10-speed transmission, nor a 6.2 engine. Either it's a 1500 series, or it's the 6.6 gas with 6-speed transmission. Both tow well when equipped properly for the desired task. The 3.0 Duramax is very capable for towing with a 1500 as well.

[gunafulltime]

Our next TV will most likely be a 1 ton SWR gasser. If we were going to a large fiver, a DRW diesel would be the call. We can get more than we need out of a gasser. 90% of our travel is regional (in the South), and we do not want a "monster" RV. The added payload and purchase price factor in, too. We will have boo-koo payload and a good chunk of cash to bank.

There's no argument about performance. The diesel wins hands down. It really comes down to the rig size, use/purpose, and budget. If you stay 12,000lbs. or less, 3500 gassers are more than ample and economically prudent, especially if you're not climbing the Rockies every year.

This said, DW and I also have a small B-Class in the mix as our no-fuss old folks travel vehicle. Aren't RVs fun? They can be a royal pain, but we keep coming back for more!

[Mad5581]

Now I'll be the first to admit both gas and diesel engines have come along way. I was a gas guy until 2017. I had only gas a gas half tons a gas 2500hd all chevys and all ford's for work trucks. Never had major issues with any of them except my 97 half ton and 2006 2500hd chevys both were early life (as in just before 100k miles) transmission failures. Other then that no problems. I worked both trucks pretty hard. They both pulled really good they both got so so fuel economy. I maintained them pretty strictly also. My 2017 GMC 3500hd duramax has been flawless. I freaking love this truck. It pulls great and has had no issues. 54k miles not 1 DEF or SRC or EGR issue. I also purchased an extended warranty just to put my mind at ease with the emissions system. My truck has a bumper to bumper 130k miles warranty. When that's up I'll be getting another truck. Now I drive commercial trucks for a living and I have definitely seen my share of emissions issues on the class 8 trucks that's probably why I was anti diesel until 2017. Now that emissions stuff has come along way since it was all mandated to be put on. Early systems were more or less all the same. They were built by basically one manufacturer and adapted to work with the different motors. That's not the case anymore. Now the engine manufacturer (gm, cummins, ford) have all developed their own systems. Now yes at first that had different issues. Now most of the bugs have been worked out. My 2017 gmc has the l5p duramax same as the 2018, 19, 20, 21, 22. I would highly recommend the L5P. I personally like the 2017-2019 because it still has the true allison transmission. 2020 gm switched to the 10 speed that is built and designed by GM and is "allison certified" so in other words GM paid allison to be allowed to put their name on it. Now I haven't heard of any issues with that transmission but it hasn't been out long enough to gain my trust. The 6 speed in my 17 had been out forever and is an extremely reliable transportation. Honestly my point is both gas and diesel today and solid platforms and both have +/-. You need to pick also keep in mind diesels will hold their value much better I've seen 2500 diesels with 100k miles for $50k plus. Gas with 100k miles your in the $20 to $30k range. So my point is the $10 to $15k price difference is likely gonna be made up on the back side. As for maintenance it's slightly more expensive on a diesel. Fuel is definitely a diesel plus. Not pulling my 1 ton srw 4x4 crew cab long bed I get 18 to 21 pretty consistently. My 06 gas was 13 to 14. Pulling my duramax is 13ish with my my 43 foot northpoint and 14ish with my 30 for Colman trailer. My 06 got 8 pulling my old 34 foot Dutchman. So real world diesel is definitely better MPG in all cases. Now also keep in mind if you plan to let you truck sit for long periods or your daily use is less then 10 miles I would lean to the gas. If you live in an extreme cold climate I would lean gas. If you live in a mild climate with lots of hills and mountains and plan to go with a bigger rv while you have this truck I would definitely lean to diesel. Sorry it's a bit long-winded...

[lrhogusa]

No one mentioned what DEF SRC or EGR means. Of course I will "duck duck go" the definition.

[Mad5581]

DEF. Is D= diesel
E= Exhaust
F= fluid

It is a fluid that is used in diesel exhaust systems to lubricant one of the exhaust filters to catch particulates. It is injected into the exhaust based on how many gallons of fuel you consume. Modern pickups have between a 5 and 7 gallon tank and that tank not pulling is designed to make it approximately from oil change to oil change. 5000 ish miles now pulling that number drops drastically because you using more fuel. Not pulling my 2017 duramax gets about 1000 miles to the gallon of DEF. Pulling it drops down to 500 to 600 miles to the gallon. If you run your truck out of DEF it will go into limp mode and eventually shutdown. It will do damage. Your truck will warn you well before you run out. Gm dose not have a gage for it but has a % indicator when you drop down to about 30% or 500 ish miles before you run out. Ford and ram have a gage that tells you the information. The def tanks have heaters in them to prevent the DEF from freezing. With gm the heaters reset when the tank drops below 30% and then is refilled. There are heating elements at different levels in the tank as the def level drops the heaters turn off. They do not recommend refilling def until your truck tells you to because the heaters don't reset until the system drops below 30% (don't want to heat and empty part of the tank). This is a common problem is people just top off def whenever and the heaters don't reset. Then the def can freeze and or take to long to start flowing through the system. Def is mostly water so had a relatively high freezing point. I believe it starts to freeze at about 28 degrees. Def is about 90% distilled water and the rest is a mixture of urea and some other chemicals. It smells like piss. I make fun of it as referring to it as cat piss. If you purchase Der in the 2.5 gallon bottle it is about $15 to $20. If you purchase it at a truck stop in the truck pumps it's about $2.99 to $3.50 a gallon. I buy it at the pump because it's fresher. Def has a relatively short shelf life about 1 year to 18 months. Freshness is important. Your truck will give you problems if you put old or bad DEF in it.

I hope this answers the question...

[bluztoo]

Don't get lost in the Diesel Emission Fluid, Exhaust Gas Recirculation or Selective Catalytic Reduction jargon. Diesels are still dirty and cleaning them up has also meant clogging them up. Case in point: after one trip to the mountains I caught an EGR code and the rig was in the shop for eight days. It was just a vacuum hose. New engine with about 1,500 miles on it - Mercedes diesel. But ... if I can keep it clean I'm going to try to run up the miles on it traveling. Just came off a month-long, three-thousand mile journey. Got an average of 15 on one leg, and 12.9 on another (chugging up the Allegheny pass). My Melbourne is only 24 feet but the seven-speed diesel is a joy and driving the truck is sweet. The adaptive cruise control is phenomenal - everything right at your fingers including switching car lengths on the fly. I've learned to let cruise control do the driving to get better mileage too. I found out I could accelerate but at a cost. You still lose some steam on very steep inclines. Having had two previous diesels in my life and about 15 gas vehicles I don't regret diesel for this purpose. Here's to smooth and "unclogged" sailing ahead.

[Dave A]

We've got a big 5th wheel and the diesel is great! Is it my daily driver? No.
I believe you have decide what you will use this truck for the most. Do you drive it to work everyday, to the grocery store or for errands and just tow occasionally. Get the gas! If you towing all the time, get the diesel.

[TaftCoach]

Originally Posted by TxLoser

The most civil gas vs diesel thread I’ve seen thus far.

It’s not a truck forum. Lol

[Mad5581]

Like I said there are definitely pluse and minus to both. In the last 5 years or so gas has definitely closed the gap that once existed between gas and diesel. Diesels are getting plugged up with emissions and gas is getting bigger displacement, turbos, 8 and 10 speed transmissions, cylinder deactivation, more efficiently fuel systems. All of the above equals less and less of a difference. The newest generation of Diesels are pretty amazing with there output and are beginning to get more reliable with the emissions. I agree with a previous post that if you plan to pull frequently diesel is definitely the way to go. That said if you plan to use as a grocery getter and to and from work and pull 7 to 10 times a year diesel is probably not your best choice. Diesels need to be worked or they will literally fall apart on you. Work them hard but maintain them and you can see 300k to 400k miles with out major issues. At about 150k to 200k plan for about a $2k bill to have your exhaust filters replaced and your src and egr systems cleaned out and you can easily get another 200k miles on them. I personally know multiple guys that are at 300k in about 4 years of working there Diesels hard and they are still running strong. I can't say the same about gas motors.

[Dave A]

Originally Posted by TxLoser

The most civil gas vs diesel thread I’ve seen thus far.

Hadn't thought about until your comment and you are absolutely right. Haven't seen anybody jump down any body else's throat over a comment. Kind of refreshing, thankfully he didn't ask SRW or DRW that usually gets people cranked up!

[gymracer]

This is a good question, but there are different answers for different situations. I have both, a 2500HD 4WD. It pulls fairly well but is terrible on milage. I mean towing 8 or less. I have a MH on a C5500 chassis with the Duramax. Being a much heavier vehicle the milage is about 10 towing the same trailer (24' enclosed with racecar). But the MH just set cruise at 70 and ride, very seldom down shifts for hills. Had a Ford V10 MH before and it got 6-7 at best and downshifted at any grade at all. Gas is cheaper to buy, service and repair, but for serious towing in hills you need a diesel.

[YoungEngineer]

I currently own a Silverado 3500 DRW 4wd Duramax with 78k miles. This is my second GM truck, the first was a Sierra 2500 6 liter gas. While I agree with the statements about power and mileage, the unscheduled repairs have effectively added 1/2 of the cost of the truck to the high price of the vehicle and now I am trying to determine if I need to replace the CP4 pump, 5 - 10k when it breaks. I understand GM, Ford, and Ram all use the same fault prone pump. Do what you feel most comfortable with, but if I get out of pullong the Pinnacle, I’ll be going back to a gasser.

[TxLoser]

I think Ram just went back to a CP3 for this year or last, and GM ditched the CP4 in 2017. Not sure what Ford does. That pump was one of the driving factors when I switched out my 2016 for a 2019 GM. It’s actually pretty rare, but as you’re experiencing it does happen. Sorry to hear about that. That’s a lot of $$.

[Midnightmoon]

That is correct. The CP4 is gone on the Cummins.