Diesel Pickups gain in popularity

[4006990]

Diesel used to be cheaper than unleaded... this added to the fact of other historical disadvantages for diesel engines, but many of the new diesel engine designs using advanced computer control are eliminating many of these disadvantages, therefore smoke, noise, vibration and cost are all declining. When is it advantageous?
Diesel Pickup Trucks From Chevy, Ford, Nissan, Ram: Ultimate Guide

Diesel Pickups Gain in Popularity - PickupTrucks.com News

 

[JJEH]

I think Diesel is the biggest automotive scam ever pulled on people. Right next to all those unnecessary electronic helpers like the "put your seat belt on" reminder alarm, lane keeping assist, distance control, anti sleep pilot, etc.

Yes, I do like technology and making vehicles safer. But if you operate a vehicle pay attention! Don't rely on that overpriced electronic trash.

Diesel engines make sense in heavy vehicles that pull heavy loads on a daily basis. They have good torque and usually get more mpg than gasoline engines that would do the same amount of work. But Diesels are not clean. Not even in 2014. They still stink (I hate the smell) and more importantly, the particles are now - thanks to the filters - so small they can get in your lungs. Remember, back in the day when you worked on old Diesel vehicles? If you blew your nose at the end of the day black stuff came out, right? That were the particles caught in your nose. Now do this today. Your nose is clean. Why? Because the black stuff is now in your lungs. Great.... save the planet by killing the people. On top of that a Diesel is only that good b/c they have a turbo. Meaning the inside pressures are higher, EDC is needed to control everything. Purchasing such vehicle is more expensive, maintenance is more expensive, fuel is the same as gasoline if not more, insurance is higher, etc.

Sorry for the rant, I just don't like 'em...

 

[NYlakesider]

Well as a person that has owned well over 25 pickups I feel the biggest advantage to a diesel is heavy towing. That also should be if you intend to keep the vehicle a real long time, tow/carry a lot of weight frequently and need the torque. Also that that diesel is a expensive option and needs a lot of expensive maintaince. Add to that at least in my area many stations do not carry diesel.

I drove CDL for years and have a diesel tractor, but for my uses a diesel is not practical. I do haul a bunch of trailers around in the mountainous area I live in (boats, snowmobiles and general cargo types) and carry a lot of firewood in bed and will not get a diesel!

I realize a lot on here will probably not like what I have to say.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

Want stink, put used vegetable oil in the truck, it will smell like McDonalds!

I have never had diesel, don't tow anything and now I have a Jeep. To me too much stuff that goes along with it, plug it in etc.

That said, friends who have them swear by them

 

[Grayfox]

The real advantage to diesel pick-ups has always been power. More raw horse power and low end torque, along with comperable fuel mileage gives diesel a great advantage over gasoline engines. Especially in trucks that work hard for a living.
Another big advantage is in fleets which also have bigger diesel powered vehicles such as dump trucks, semis, heavy equiptment and such. Here they can all use a common fuel.
For the average person, diesel is only an advantage if you regularly haul heavy loads such as a large camping trailer.
The big disadvantage is that when something goes wrong, diesels are much more expensive to work on and the average owner doesn't have the tools or knowledge to do it themselves.
Thanks to .gov and EPA, the need for Diesel Exhaust Fluid and Re-gen systems is now working its way down to pick-ups. Both of which are costly to maintian and a PITA.
For the normal pick-up owner who uses their vehicle primarily for transportation and only occasionally hauls stuff, gasoline is a much better choice.

 

[Eaglestroker]

I have an older 7.3L Turbo diesel, we use it for horses/tractors/trailers and any combination of those plus more. Get better economy around town than a lot of newer gas burning trucks which is a perk - but that is a wash given the .50 cent premium for diesel fuel of 87. This year I had an injector cup crack and did an overhaul on the top end - big money but pennies on the dollar compared to what a new truck sells for. Owned one two model years older that had a 4' wide oak come center through the cab in a storm and you could still open/shut all 4 doors. It is a safe rolling tank.

A lot of folks justify purchases in their heads because of XYZ. 99% of folks cannot justify the expense of a diesel compared to their actual usage of it. Last I checked, though, here in America "just because" is a good enough reason to have something.

 

[just jim]

What is the life expectancy of a diesel motor compared to a gasoline?

 

[4006990]

"Diesel engines are built more ruggedly to withstand the rigors of higher compression. Consequently, they usually go much longer than gas-powered vehicles before they require major repairs. Mercedes-Benz holds the longevity record with several vehicles clocking more than 900,000 miles on their original engines! You may not want to hang onto the same vehicle for 900,000 miles, but longevity and dependability like that can sure help with trade-in and resale values."
The Pros and Cons of Diesel Engines - For Dummies

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Lots of the plowboys out this way have diesel trucks.
The 'real' cattlemen seem to prefer Dodges.
The yuppie look what my daddy left me guys seem to prefer Fords.
A few ago I was up in Pagosa Springs during deer-elk season.
It seemed like I was the only guy up there not driving a diesel truck.
Most of the out of staters were from Texas.

 

[mtgianni]

What is the life expectancy of a diesel motor compared to a gasoline?

In the old days it was 3 times or more, I am not sure about it now. Europe has almost all diesel vehicles, they work great and are much more fuel efficient than gas.

 

[Big Cholla]

And one further plus on the side of the Diesel powered vehicle: IMHO, In the case of a real shutdown of the USA electrical distribution systems situation, diesel fuel will be the most available in most areas because of the need to power emergency vehicles, supply trucks, trains, etc. It won't be easy to obtain, but will be easier than gasoline. ....................... Big Cholla

 

[jdh]

My 2wd 2500HD standard cab 6L gas on a good day got 11 mpg. My 3500 crew cab 4wd DWR on a bad day gets 15. It gets better economy pulling 10K# than the 2500 got empty.

I'll be willing to bet you my diesel's tail pipe is cleaner than your gasser's.

My last diesel had 300K miles and was still going strong when the wildfire got it.

My next car is probably going to be a Cruze diesel.

 

[mrrick]

Cummins Blue-tec Ram's exhaust is cleaner than most city air.

Get 22mpg, hand calculated. Ram 2500.

Cummins are documented to get more than 1 million miles. rebuild is at 500,000 miles.
Chevy and Ford is a 250,000 mile rebuilt.

Agree with the Pilgrim, real workers here in the mountains of AZ mostly have Rams.

 

[absolutevil]

Had a mid to late 90's Dodge, can't remember exactly what year, with the 12 valve Cummins. That truck I sold when it had 286k miles and besides two new batteries and tires it only needed a seven dollar injector pump bolt thingy that kept the fuel primed in the pump. I now have a 07.5 GMC Duramax 4x4 crew cab that gets about 22mpg highway. Also had a VW TDI which I purchased new and it got about 50mpg highway, until my daughter crashed it. The only vehicle that stunk was the Dodge, it was a first generation diesel with no electronics, no emissions. I really liked that truck, it was like a tank.

 

[4006990]

2015 Nissan Titan with Cummins 5.0L V8 Turbo Diesel
http://cumminsengines.com/cummins-5l-v8-turbo-diesel

 

[johngalt]

For the zombie-apocalypse crowd, diesel fuel doesn't go bad while gasoline does. Your diesel engine can also run on alternate sources like fryer oil.

I think back in WWII, the fuel that went in the ships wasn't even refined, it was just raw oil pumped out of the ground and into the fuel tanks.

 

[EugeneNine]

Cummins Blue-tec Ram's exhaust is cleaner than most city air.

Get 22mpg, hand calculated. Ram 2500.

Cummins are documented to get more than 1 million miles. rebuild is at 500,000 miles.
Chevy and Ford is a 250,000 mile rebuilt.

Agree with the Pilgrim, real workers here in the mountains of AZ mostly have Rams.

The new GM's are million miles between rebuilds too. Diesel place forum has a thread where people have never done anything with the engine and found out the odometer went into error when it tried to turn 1million.

 

[pawngal]

I've had 2 experiences with diesel pickups, 1 horrible, 1 excellent.
Early 80's 3/4 ton Chevy 4x4, worthless, freeze up going down the road in the winter, stuck in 3 or 4 inches of mud, hardly enough power to pull a farm wagon full of corn.

2001 F350 Ford 4x4 crew cab dually, great truck, power to pull anything, great highway ride. 160,000 miles in 1st 5 years. After my late husband's health began to fail it mostly sat for the next 6 years. I drove it once in awhile, then he gave it to his son in AZ.
I loved the "get out of my space" sound when I'd get on it!

 

[LostintheOzone]

I think Diesel is the biggest automotive scam ever pulled on people.

Look around to see how many low mileage diesel trucks are for sale. Very few. The reason is people that own them don't sell them. The reason is they do the job that people want them to do. If a gas truck could do that for the same money there wouldn't be any diesel trucks on the road. A lot of those farmers, ranchers, and contractors have bean counters. If there are any scams it's probably showing up as equipment costs driving profits down. Those poor folk are being scammed all the way to the bank.

Oh, and the RVer's. Forgot about them. You know the guy with the 30' diesel motor home or the guy with the F -350 towing a 30' fiver. Yep, I suspect they got scammed too. Just not enough to keep them from buying all those diesel powered rigs in retirement.

 

[Lost Lake]

I drive a Cummins, unfortunately it's attached to a Dodge truck.

6 cylinder, 425 horsepower with 850ft/lbs of torque. I could get 22 mpg with that kind of power too, at least until I put the bigger tires on to haul more weight.

I've got 200,000 miles on it now and have only changed the oil and the fuel filter. I regularly pull 18,000 pounds and the truck itself weighs 8,200lbs.

Your gas truck just isn't going to do that.

.