Diesel vs gas. Which one is better?

[Whaledriver]

I have owned a ram 2500 with 6.4l hemi and traded into same truck with 6.7l diesel. Within 1000 miles the dpf took a dump. Was under warranty but would have been 3k to fix otherwise. I have not had any other issues but getting close to the 100k motor warranty. Will probably trade back to a gasser. The gasser got 9 mpg pulling our travel trailer. The diesel gets 11-12 over same route, mountains of CO. I get 18 or so on highway going to work. Gasser got 15 or so. The maintenance elephant in the room with the diesel is no joke. Something engine wise, turbo or emissions shits the bed and you could be stroking a large check. Not as much with a Gasser. Also the chance of limp mode in a diesel is higher than a Gasser. Just my opinion.

 

[tdhanses]

I have owned a ram 2500 with 6.4l hemi and traded into same truck with 6.7l diesel. Within 1000 miles the dpf took a dump. Was under warranty but would have been 3k to fix otherwise. I have not had any other issues but getting close to the 100k motor warranty. Will probably trade back to a gasser. The gasser got 9 mpg pulling our travel trailer. The diesel gets 11-12 over same route, mountains of CO. I get 18 or so on highway going to work. Gasser got 15 or so. The maintenance elephant in the room with the diesel is no joke. Something engine wise, turbo or emissions shits the bed and you could be stroking a large check. Not as much with a Gasser. Also the chance of limp mode in a diesel is higher than a Gasser. Just my opinion.

I bet if you do go back to a gas it’ll be short lived, you’ll miss the ease of going over passes with a diesel and the engine braking.

I would say this though, 1 issue in 100k is good for any vehicle no matter the brand.

 

[Bubsterx1]

Gas works very well if you have a hornets nest in the ground and the Raid spray doesn't seem to affect them.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Just made this decision for myself. I tow my old Jeep and Bronco couple times a year and in the process of getting a slide in camper. I went 7.3 gas. The 11k adder for diesel motor, plus regular maintenance, plus Def, plus all the problems I would eventually have with emission system because I don't tow everyday. Just didn't make sense for my use. YMMV

 

[isItFallYet]

I have a Silverado 2500 with the L5P and Banks Derringer. It has great power and I consider the regular maintenance cheap. I can get a 2.5 gallon jug of Mobile Delvac at Rural King for $25ish dollars. The AC delco oil filter is $7. I replace the fuel filter every other oil change at $15. I pull trailers frequently. One of the worst things about a Diesel engine when hunting is the weight of the front end. Also, they are not as quiet as a gasser.

 

[loganwayne]

if you are comparing new trucks. i think it depends on what your pulling and how much. if its just a small camper, boat. id go gas. most of the 1/2 pickups now have similar payloads to mid-90s early-00s diesels, have better brakes.

I have a diesel truck and im currently debating selling it now and waiting for the truck market to drop and buy a newer model 1/2 ton. i think ill miss the diesel at times but probably not the 125 dollar oil and filter changes doing it myself.

 

[rustneversleeps]

I'm on the Cummins bandwagon....owning gas trucks all my life, I'll never go back. My 1 ton gets better gas mileage than my old 1/2 ton Chevy and pulls like a raped ape over mountain passes.

Higher cost of fuel, DEF, and higher cost of oil changes/maintenances are an easy trade off for me.

 

[tdhanses]

if you are comparing new trucks. i think it depends on what your pulling and how much. if its just a small camper, boat. id go gas. most of the 1/2 pickups now have similar payloads to mid-90s early-00s diesels, have better brakes.

I have a diesel truck and im currently debating selling it now and waiting for the truck market to drop and buy a newer model 1/2 ton. i think ill miss the diesel at times but probably not the 125 dollar oil and filter changes doing it myself.

You do known there are 1/2ton diesels that smoke the 1/2ton gas pickups in efficiency and really don’t need to be worked like a 3/4ton but they will lose a drag race every time.

I personally wouldn’t by a gas 1/2ton with all the cylinder deactivation bs, gas engines have plenty of issues as well. I personally am not worried and only buy new anymore, used just isn’t worth it.

 

[cuerro viejo]

I bet if you do go back to a gas it’ll be short lived, you’ll miss the ease of going over passes with a diesel and the engine braking.

I would say this though, 1 issue in 100k is good for any vehicle no matter the brand.

I’ve ran the 7.3 with 15k pounds, it’s not my 6.7psd but it’s pretty impressive, torque is in the right RPM range for it. Best big gas on the market, for now.

I have yet to own a DEF equipped truck to have a DEF pump or heater make it 75k. I’m on third on current truck. Since 2010 I’ve been through 6. Do the math. It’s ridiculous. I also yet to have 2010 plus truck to get more then 14-15 MPG

 

[tdhanses]

I’ve ran the 7.3 with 15k pounds, it’s not my 6.7psd but it’s pretty impressive, torque is in the right RPM range for it. Best big gas on the market, for now.

I have yet to own a DEF equipped truck to have a DEF pump or heater make it 75k. I’m on third on current truck. Since 2010 I’ve been through 6. Do the math. It’s ridiculous. I also yet to have 2010 plus truck to get more then 14-15 MPG

For a 3/4 ton I agree but that 7.3 has had big issues from what I remember, the 6.2 I had in my 2019 f250 was as reliable as they come with a whooping 11.9mpg avg for my driving and 7mpg towing lite. I really didn’t need a 3/4ton so downsized to the GMC 1/2ton, I get 22mpg in town and have had up to 34mpg hwy unloaded. Towing the same loads i did with my 3/4ton I get 15mpg.

The gravel yard loaded up my dump trailer a little heavy recently and that little diesel pulled the 12k load no problem up my steep road, wouldn’t recommend it as it’s hard on stuff but for 2022 GM bumped the towing to close to 13k so maybe not as hard as I thought on my 21.

I have a warranty, It’s there for stuff that goes wrong, seems everyone assumes they will not have any issues with gas vehicles, guess how much you’ll pay to fix a diesel or gas under warranty, $0.

Another thing no one discusses, no matter if 1/2ton or 3/4ton, the diesels have a 5yr 100k warranty while the gas has a 5 year 60k, pretty easy to see which warranty will be gone sooner if you drive much.

Oh and on the 1/2ton diesels for GM, it costs $900 more then the 5.3 and is around $1700 cheaper then the gas 6.2 GM offers, which they highly recommend you use premium fuel for.

Truthfully if towing less then 9k, the 1/2ton diesel is the way to go, if over a 3/4ton diesel in my view.

I hated driving my 3/4ton gas Ford in the mountains wrapped out at 5500rpm+, same load and my little diesel pulls it up the mountains no issue at half the rpm.

If GM would put the little diesel in a 3/4ton I’d buy one, you’d get better mileage, just the weight of the truck would help work the motor and you’d have the same pulling power, if not more, as an early 2000’s 3/4ton plus the added weight of the vehicle for towing stability, I don’t need an 800hp 1200ft/lb vehicle.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Another thing no one discusses, no matter if 1/2ton or 3/4ton, the diesels have a 5yr 100k warranty while the gas has a 5 year 60k, pretty easy to see which warranty will be gone sooner if you drive much.

As a head's up, my CPO '19 RAM Limited 5.7 came with 100k warranty.

Tons of good points on this board, and whoever is looking at one or the other certainly has the information they need to make their own decision. At the end of the day, guys on this forum are buying trucks to do real "truck stuff", and kudos to ya'll and what you decide to purchase.

A couple guys have made great points about diesels that should be emphasized one more time.
1- If you are pulling heavy trailers regularly (horse trailers, 5th wheels, large fiberglass boats, gravel, wood, etc...) diesel motors in a 3/4 ton or 1 ton platform are likely a better choice for their immediately available gargantuan torque, supporting horsepower, beefy transmissions, etc...
2- If you live in or near or regularly travel through the mountains, turbo charged diesels with engine braking will outperform similar gassers all day long. Even my '15 RAM eco ran circles around similar gassers chugging up and screaming down the passes in CO.

I switched back to gas from the eco due to maintenance cost, catastrophic failure anxiety (112k miles), and because I wanted to go back to a truck I could just jump in and drive.

 

[tdhanses]

What’s crazy is in 10-15 years we’ll all be driving electric and these will be old conversations we miss.

 

[tdhanses]

As a head's up, my CPO '19 RAM Limited 5.7 came with 100k warranty.

Tons of good points on this board, and whoever is looking at one or the other certainly has the information they need to make their own decision. At the end of the day, guys on this forum are buying trucks to do real "truck stuff", and kudos to ya'll and what you decide to purchase.

A couple guys have made great points about diesels that should be emphasized one more time.
1- If you are pulling heavy trailers regularly (horse trailers, 5th wheels, large fiberglass boats, gravel, wood, etc...) diesel motors in a 3/4 ton or 1 ton platform are likely a better choice for their immediately available gargantuan torque, supporting horsepower, beefy transmissions, etc...
2- If you live in or near or regularly travel through the mountains, turbo charged diesels with engine braking will outperform similar gassers all day long. Even my '15 RAM eco ran circles around similar gassers chugging up and screaming down the passes in CO.

I switched back to gas from the eco due to maintenance cost, catastrophic failure anxiety (112k miles), and because I wanted to go back to a truck I could just jump in and drive.

Yeah I think CPO do usually have a decent warranty but you never know if your getting someones lemon and that’s why they dumped it.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Yeah I think CPO do usually have a decent warranty but you never know if your getting someones lemon and that’s why they dumped it.

That is always a risk whether buying new or used. When I'm shopping, if the vehicle doesnt either have a detailed carfax history or dealer history (re: maintenance, recalls, etc...) I keep looking. Trucks are too damn expensive these days for guys not to do ultimate due diligence given the availability of information on the internet these days. If it sounds too good to be true, it almost always is on cars and trucks. Fortuantely, so far this 5th gen RAM has exceeded all my expectations.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

What’s crazy is in 10-15 years we’ll all be driving electric and these will be old conversations we miss.

Once they fix the range limitations and batttery charge time, I will get one. Electric motor performance far exceeds compression/combusion driven motors. However, the battery life/range/charging technologies need to catch up before I seriously consider one. I'm not going to give up 500-600 mile range, a quick 5-10 minute fill up, and another 500-600 miles at 80+mph for a similar electric truck experience that requires several hours in between to charge. Might as well be driving an old gasser at 55 at that rate.

 

[tdhanses]

Once they fix the range limitations and batttery charge time, I will get one. Electric motor performance far exceeds compression/combusion driven motors. However, the battery life/range/charging technologies need to catch up before I seriously consider one. I'm not going to give up 500-600 mile range, a quick 5-10 minute fill up, and another 500-600 miles at 80+mph for a similar electric truck experience that requires several hours in between to charge. Might as well be driving an old gasser at 55 at that rate.

I wish they would come out with one that has an onboard diesel generator under 25hp that is exempt from EPA regulations. You could drive forever on 10 gals of diesel and not have def or a dpf.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I wish they would come out with one that has an onboard diesel generator under 25hp that is exempt from EPA regulations. You could drive forever on 10 gals of diesel and not have def or a dpf.

Absolutely agree. Some kind of hybrid model with onboard charging would be the ultimate.

 

[tdhanses]

Absolutely agree. Some kind of hybrid model with onboard charging would be the ultimate.

Yup, if they came out with that i’d jump onboard, current electric is for city use only in my view.

I believe GM already has stated their goal is to only sell electric around 12-15 years from now, hopefully we see huge improvements.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

What’s crazy is in 10-15 years we’ll all be driving electric and these will be old conversations we miss.

Nope...I will be rebuilding the 7.3 I just bought...Nobody talks about the weight of the EV...we are a long way off from a true offroad EV, plus gonna take a big solar panel to charge it to get out.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Nope...I will be rebuilding the 7.3 I just bought...Nobody talks about the weight of the EV...we are a long way off from a true offroad EV, plus gonna take a big solar panel to charge it to get out.

yeah, if you're application is full offroad DIY camping for multiple days, an aftermarket charging solution will likely be mandatory.