Are diesel engines overrated?

[Jbrow327]

On one side you have the gas camp. They'll say things like diesel emissions systems are very problematic. You have to drive tons of miles to hit break even due to the very expensive diesel engine option. Oil changes and fuel filters definitely add up for diesels.

On the other side is the diesel camp. They'll say things like diesel engines last much longer than gas engines. Diesels pull better in the mountains. You can just delete it(illegal) and get rid of all of it's emissions equipment problems. Some of them will recommend a diesel for someone looking at pulling under 5k pounds. Seems like overkill.

Personally I think gas does fine up to 12k or 13k, using a 3/4 ton or 1 ton of course. Above that, diesel seems to be the correct choice.

What do you guys think? Debate.

 

[Customweld]

I drive a 01 CTD, before that I had an 01 GMC 6.0 gasser. I had that GMC since it was new. I should have went diesel a long time ago. With an overhead camper and pulling a sxs on a 14 foot trailer, I was getting 6.5mpg in the GMC. With a 25 gallon tank, I was constantly looking for a gas station. With the diesel and the same camper, trailer and sxs, I’m right at 16.5mpg. With torque and power to spare. I don’t know if I would want anything that has the new emissions on it though.
I’ve been around heavy equipment all of my life and hate the smell of raw diesel and exhaust. The sound in the older CTD’s are quite obnoxious as well.

 

[dieselchessy]

I prefer diesel for doing work, gas for commuting. I don’t use my diesel as a daily driver.

I think overall diesel costs more, higher maintenance costs, more expensive fuel, higher purchase price, wear tires faster, ect..

A person would need to choose based on planned use, preference, ect…

 

[OrangeMan73]

yes.

 

[OverInfinite]

I have been using a 2nd gen cummins as a daily since I was 16. First a 94 single cab, and then "upgraded" to an 01 club cab. I've loved them. Then in 2020 we purchased a 2019 ranger crew xlt. We also bought a new 14' dune sport toy hauler: 3,500lbs.
My 01 pulls that campee allllmost as good as good as my ranger. Of course the weight, wheelbase and width of the 2nd gen helps with stability. Also being able to keep it in 5th the whole time on a trip is nice. But that tint little turbo 4 cylinder is absolutely a power house. Which is just one example that newer gas engines are worlds different than older diesel. They aren't apples to oranges though. My inlaws all have newer 4th gen and 5th gens and they are ABSOLUTELY worth every penny, when they are pulling down a house. But 90% of people don't NEED them.
And that's coming from a guy that works around and in heavy equipment and tractor trailers.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

I certainly don't need a diesel but I'm super happy with my Cummins. I like towing the boat 200 miles or the camper 1000 miles and just setting the cruise and smoothly rolling along. All my old gassers had plenty of power but the downshift going uphills or delays in power as it shifted annoyed me. Now I just watch the boost climb a little bit and speed just stays the same up hills or whatever. I put 120k miles on my factory brake pads probably because I'm always running the jig brake. It's not the best for mountains or deep sand but I've never had a problem with either one so must do well enough. I'm sure I'll have issues eventually but around 130k miles now and never had any problems. I change the fuel filters myself and obviously oil to save cash. I may look into deleting eventually but not for power, never had a want for more power, it'd just be to avoid the cost of emissions repairs since the warranty is long gone now.

 

[Nykki]

I've been driving a Dodge Cummins since 2001. My first was a 1 ton dually with a six speed. I've since bought an 03 and an 06, I wouldn't buy anything newer than the 5.9 because of the emissions bs. If you go 20% over on your injectors you will get better milage and better power than putting in a 40 hp tow tune. My 06 has 505k miles and 17k hours on it and is showing it's age but I don't think you can get a gasser to go that many hours without a rebuild. I've never had the pan off that engine and I ground the valves at 480k miles. I've done all the work on my three trucks and have logged over 700k miles my 06 being 400 of that.

 

[S-3 ranch]

My family had a 1984 Volkswagen rabbit diesel it got 45mpg @ 75ct a gallon
and a 3/4 ton Detroit diesel suburban ( terrible for traveling in the mountains being none turbocharged)
now days a diesel engine is very complex and expensive to operate and repair
technology has made gas towing under 14k a better choice

 

[crich]

My 6.7 isnt over-rated when the engine brake alone is slowing my 24k lbs rig when going down a steep grade or when pulling the same load up hill like its not there.

When Im just driving to and from work every day its completely unnecessary.

 

[Vedauvoo]

I bought a Ram with a Cummins new in 2006, racked up just over 200k miles, and sold it for an obscene amount of money. For most of the time I owned it I regularly pulled a boat. I learned to love the torque of a diesel. And for what I did the fuel mileage was great.

The down side? It is heavy! Off road if I got stuck, I was stuck bad!

I now have a 2020 Raptor. That truck is in so many ways different. Now that I don't pull a boat all over, I'm being spoiled by a quiet, powerful, and comfortable truck.

But we still own a 2014 Audi Q5 diesel. It is almost perfect for our needs. Gets 33 mpg, has gobs of power, and has been a great car. When diesel was closer to gas prices, I really liked my Audi. Only down side is the dang turbo lag.

 

[z987k]

The modern turbocharged gas trucks can give you all the torque you need to tow. It's almost like things like forced induction give you lots of torque. The mountain thing is also mostly related to all diesels are turbocharged, and until recently, most gas was not. Go get an old 7.3idi and tell me how well it pulls in the mountains.

You'll never get the fuel economy out of gas because there is more energy in a unit of diesel. But you do have to weigh that against costs. Between higher cost of diesel and much higher maintenance costs, the break even is usually well past how long most people own vehicles.

You just have to look at if it's right for you.
1) Are you towing almost all the time
2) Do you need the fuel economy for purposes of range
3) Are you going to keep it over 250k miles

If you can say yes to those three things, the diesel is likely the better option.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

If you are pulling loads frequently? There is no comparison between diesel and gas trucks. None. Yes, gas rigs are powerful now versus older offerings. But, so are diesel trucks.


I pull a loaded enclosed tool trailer full of all sorts of tools and material a lot. My gassers get pushed around and really work hard doing it. My diesel doesn’t even break a sweat.

 

[timekiller13]

If the diesels didn’t have all the stupid emissions crap on them, then it wouldn’t even be a discussion.

There is no comparison when pulling with a diesel vs gas. My 2015 6.7 has 850ft lbs of torque. It pulls my 12k 5th wheel up and down mtns at 70 mph and never even blinks. I average 11-12 mpg while towing. I had a 6.2 gasser it and it got 6 mpg towing my 5th wheel and wouldn’t go over 55mph climbing hills.

If you towing greater than 10k, diesel all the way. Just have to deal with the stupid DPF/DEF and EGR crap.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

The weight/price difference between diesel and gas is also something to consider. I dont tow a lot and use my truck offroad a lot. The 10k price difference and 800lb weight difference didn't make sense for my application. I went 7.3 instead of 6.7.

 

[MCS]

You won't be able to buy a diesel Cummins in a few years. Cummins is coming out with gas and cng engines for heavy duty applications. If you want a diesel you better buy it soon.

 

[Mike D Texas]

On one side you have the gas camp. They'll say things like diesel emissions systems are very problematic. You have to drive tons of miles to hit break even due to the very expensive diesel engine option. Oil changes and fuel filters definitely add up for diesels.

On the other side is the diesel camp. They'll say things like diesel engines last much longer than gas engines. Diesels pull better in the mountains. You can just delete it(illegal) and get rid of all of it's emissions equipment problems. Some of them will recommend a diesel for someone looking at pulling under 5k pounds. Seems like overkill.

Personally I think gas does fine up to 12k or 13k, using a 3/4 ton or 1 ton of course. Above that, diesel seems to be the correct choice.

What do you guys think? Debate.

I have towed an 8k# trailer behind a gasser and it was no fun.

My Cummins pulls a 12k# trailer effortlessly and gets better fuel mileage doing it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Beetroot]

In my experience diesel all the way for towing/work, either or if not.
Diesel usually will get considerably better fuel consumption regardless when comparing similar power/torque, and will give a better torque.
When it comes to towing diesel fuel consumption is dramatically better, the fuel consumption on my diesels usually drops by about 10-20% when towing, vs 30-50% with a petrol.

If working at altitude then diesels are usually better as they will all be turbo charged, if you choose a turbo/super charged petrol then it’ll be the same.

Maintenance wise I don’t think there is much of a difference, big engines with plenty of torque seem to do equally well in each fuel type. Petrols are annoying (in my opinion) in that you need to do plugs, leads, coils etc, where as diesels may need glow plugs but these aren’t as critical.

Emission control wise many diesels will have DPF filters which can cause headaches if you only ever drive around the city, if you do frequent long trips then they aren’t so bad.
Diesels will have EGR valves that cause grief and many people remove them, but many petrols have these now too.
The direct injection petrols also commonly need inlet valve de-carboning which may or may not be difficult.

Personally I like diesel, the fuel consumption and torque is nice for all purposes but a turbo/supercharged petrol can be great for a spirited drive.
If doing a lot of towing then there is no comparison IMO, definitely diesel.
I’m in New Zealand so have experience with totally different vehicles so keep that in mind.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I prefer diesel for doing work, gas for commuting. I don’t use my diesel as a daily driver.

I think overall diesel costs more, higher maintenance costs, more expensive fuel, higher purchase price, wear tires faster, ect..

A person would need to choose based on planned use, preference, ect…

Living in S Florida, it's nice to be able to go 650 miles on one tank of diesel. During Hurricane Irma, it was like Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome trying to get out of Florida. Every man for himself....was disgusting, and a good glimpse of what any future catastrophe might look like. Families on the side of the road broken down, run out of gas, kids crying and parents helpless, fist fights and worse due to people trying to cut in the miles-long lines of the few gas stations along I-75 that still had gas. All 4 lanes and both road shoulders were full of vehicles, and many people were driving on the grass to go around. It was complete chaos, and I felt very lucky to have my diesel and keep chugging along. Sadly I couldn't help anyone on the side of the road who had gassers. I'll drive a diesel as long as I can for that reason alone, or until something with more range comes along. Nevermind I have legitimate towing needs.

 

[Brendan]

I'm thinking about this now in terms of an F250 "Overlanding" type rig. Bigger Tires, Lift, Bumpers, pop up or hard side camper on the back, lots of gear, but generally towing lower loads that's fine for gas. No huge campers or boats.

Diesel makes almost no sense whatsoever in that case (Up front cost, fuel cost, ownership cost, reliability) except the biggest thing that gets me is range. My gas option in the F250 is a HOG of a big block that gets horrible mileage that really impacts my range between fill ups. I've been on hunting trips and in the backcountry where that's a real issue. I think I'd basically need to get a 50 gallon tank installed (and won't do any of the aux. bed options) or there are scenarios where I'd be filling up the bed with Jerry Jugs.

As much as I "Want" a diesel and complain about gasser mileage/range, I'll probably end up with gas and finding that aftermarket tank, and keeping my Grand Cherokee for all my daily driving.

 

[bowhuntercoop]

I will never sell my 07 5.9, will pass it down to the kids for a show truck. I’ve had them all, Cummins, powerstrokes, dmax and a pile of gas jobs. Diesel wins pulling, in mileage, and power every single time.

Sad day we can’t order a new truck with a stick anymore. That’s another reason I won’t own a new one, I love rowing gears daily driving and for sure while towing.

I’m a gear head at heart and love simple designs and power. I will drive this truck into the ground and keep shooting my longbow and recurves haha.