Gas vs Diesel

[Vic Harder]

both my 2500 hd 8.1L gas and 3500 lbz duramax have 3.73 axles and Allison trannys. 10 mpg gas, 20 mpg diesel, 75 mph w loaded camper.

 

[Leviticus907]

both my 2500 hd 8.1L gas and 3500 lbz duramax have 3.73 axles and Allison trannys. 10 mpg gas, 20 mpg diesel, 75 mph w loaded camper.

Have you done any significant modifications to your LBZ? Oversize tires? Delete EGR?

 

[ntsqd]

13 - ~20 depending on conditions with a 6BT, 3.73's, & 315's. If I run it at the throttle setting that is 1750 rpm (well known sweet spot for these engines) on flat land we get the best fuel economy. That is to say that I maintain the throttle setting and let the engine & trans do whatever they need to do w/o varying the throttle. One 18.9 mpg leg was over The Grapevine, South to North, with that throttle setting.

About to embark on an expensive experiment, adding a GV OD to get a compound OD for higher speed super-slab runs. Curious to see if engine rpm or vehicle speed is the bigger mpg reduction.

 

[Vic Harder]

Have you done any significant modifications to your LBZ? Oversize tires? Delete EGR?

egt delete, 5' exhaust, 50 hp tow tune. Tires are 265/75-16, so just slightly over sized. Ran same tires on the 8.1L which was also extensively tuned (25% less fuel at cruise w camper on it!).

I chose the 2006 LBZ for the lack of emissions, fuel economy and reliability. Plus I love Allison transmissions.

 

[Leviticus907]

I just read up on the GV OD. That sounds like quite the transmission enhancement! More focused towards older 3 and 4 speed transmissions? To double the gearing? I didn't read much, correct me if I'm wrong. And I'm going to guess that it's vehicle speed is the greatest mpg reducer due to wind drag. Let us know how it goes!

 

[ntsqd]

I wouldn't be doing it if I hadn't found one used for significantly less than retail. Will need to adapt it to our truck's transfer case or change the transfer case to what it is set-up to work with. Even with that investment I'm well under retail. Will post the results when I have some.

 

[Leviticus907]

Well just a little update, I purchased a 2008 gmc sierra duramax. Hopefully it arrives before I leave for work. If not I'll post s pic when I get back! Happy camping everyone!

 

[ccorbridge]

2017 F350 Dually diesel.....48 gal on board tank with 10 additional gal attached to back porch. Plenty of range....plenty of power....only problem is the payment but that will pass.

Looks like the cab over part is very close to the cabs top. Does it touch when going over rough terrain?

 

[HughDog]

I like frugal - But think that a hedge could be appropriate when it comes to toys ...

If there is any chance you may switch up your game, you probably will. So - I vote getting something you can grow into even if it is way oversized (Kinda like buying a ski jacket for a child). Hedge approach obviously excludes the folks that are terrain specific and identify the need to "wheel" and squeeze through small spaces.

But lets say for example that an enthusiast dreamer may love everything "pop-up" . . . then, hopefully so does the spouse - One day, you may find out a 35' 5th wheel has secretly been coveted! Just say'! I'm sure this happens all the time- haha

At any rate, cant go wrong w/big'ol diesel with lots of power, payload, decent fuel efficiency, big tank and so on - AND - For whatever reason, the big'ol payment for a diesel rig is somewhat subsidized if your looking at current resale values - Probably an entirely different topic, but still relevant.

All that said - I'd love a Taco in the collection too!

 

[klahanie]

I like frugal ...

...At any rate, cant go wrong w/big'ol diesel with lots of power, payload, decent fuel efficiency, big tank and so on ...

Hmm, much as I like both, I've not found diesel and frugal going together for me

One fly in the ointment could be possible breakdowns and cost of repairs. These modern diesels are complex.

Two examples, prob not fair but here goes ... at ~65k mikes our DPF was pretty much all filled up and cleaning almost continuously. If it doesn't clean it can go in limp mode We were on a road trip days from home but were lucky to limp to a dealer and have it dealt with.

Two years latter, another road trip, literally just got to our destination and the PCM failed. No crank, 60 miles in. Managed to jump the starter solenoid and drive slowly out overnight, straight to a dealer and lucky again, have it dealt with. Nevermind the cost, we are thankful both situations weren't worse - and we do know what worse can be, so no complaints.

Like I said, maybe not fair but the OP did mention going deep into the woods. If there is a difference in complexity and potential critical failures between the two engine packages, and I think there might be, it's worth considering them and how they might impact the owner in certain applications.

 

[ntsqd]

Modern gassers are no less complex, and quite possibly more so. The difference is that gassers have been going down this road far longer than has diesel. I think the thought was that everything learned in doing this to gassers would translate to diesels, but I suspect that hasn't always been the case. And since ground vehicles don't fall out of the sky when their electronics go FUBAR, the idea of building in redundancy isn't economically viable.

 

[HughDog]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Yup - Know your battles no matter what you buy,... Complexity can leave you on the side of the road (gasser, diesel, electric - ha). I blew a freakin water pump in the desert after last year's Oveland Expo West – (they don’t discriminate). Got to spend an unplanned day in the fabulous town of Avondale AZ… and the point here is that shtz gonna break on ya - so be prepared (i.e. good sam towing, tools, emergency kit, buddy system, unplanned adventure, etc). [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]That said, I place my preference with diesel, even with the issues surrounding the system garbage that some newer models are forced to come equipped with (Just to put it out there, some of the breed's systems is a complete garbage from a reliability point of view, but some are not). But, this is not without much thought . . . [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Best ways to address some of the issues = Don't buy on impulse and do your research. Stay away from Diesel models and breeds that are first gen conformers to the new diesel regulations post 2006 and have known recurring issues and have not been addressed with actual corrections vs. recurring failures down the road (or be prepared to delete them). Here we are in 2019, and yes, there have been revisions to many of the garbage systems that were implemented in earlier days.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]Also not a bad way to go Pre 2007 Diesel, but ya still gotta go through the research so you don't find yourself on top of one of the other known issues like bad injectors that cost $5-8K to replace![/SIZE]

[SIZE=10.5pt]End of day, [/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]when my FWC is on, it’s like a flea on the back of a bison and[/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt] if you like the option of being over-powered and don’t mind big w/[/SIZE][SIZE=10.5pt]big'ol diesel with massive payload, decent fuel efficiency and most importantly, if you may one day find yourself hauling toyz, 5th wheels, or whatever the next obsession will take you to - big'ol diesel ain’t a bad option! I am also comfortable enough with myself that I can state that I still love Tacos, they just don’t fit my current adventure needs![/SIZE]

 

[Leviticus907]

Well I have travelled from, Virginia to Oklahoma so far and should be in Colorado at the great sand dunes later tonight. Everything has been amazing so far with the new diesel. I'm getting 19-20 on the highway 14-16 in town empty with no camper. The vehicle is a dream to drive, the allison transmission is amazing and the power band of diesel is so much better than my previous gasser. And like the others have said my needs will most likely be bigger rather than smaller as I'm planning on getting a boost so now I will have no issues with towing whatsoever. Thanks for all the great info everybody! I'll post a pic of the truck soon!

 

[Vic Harder]

Well I have travelled from, Virginia to Oklahoma so far and should be in Colorado at the great sand dunes later tonight. Everything has been amazing so far with the new diesel. I'm getting 19-20 on the highway 14-16 in town empty with no camper. The vehicle is a dream to drive, the allison transmission is amazing and the power band of diesel is so much better than my previous gasser. And like the others have said my needs will most likely be bigger rather than smaller as I'm planning on getting a boost so now I will have no issues with towing whatsoever. Thanks for all the great info everybody! I'll post a pic of the truck soon!

Yep, I love the Duramax and Allison combo too!

 

[Leviticus907]

Well here is the new truck! Made it back to Nor Cal from Virginia with no issues. I do have a CEL for glow plug sensor but should be a quick fix. Now it's time to get the proper happi jac set up and get to camping!! Oh and sell my old truck. Attached picture has the great sand dunes of colorado in the background.

 

[Leviticus907]

Well here is the new truck! Made it back to Nor Cal from Virginia with no issues. I do have a CEL for glow plug sensor but should be a quick fix. Now it's time to get the proper happi jac set up and get to camping!! Oh and sell my old truck. Attached picture has the great sand dunes of colorado in the background.

Didnt properly attach picture, oops, here it is.

 

[ClimberRob]

Nice truck. Great year Duramax and Allison.

 

[karsonb]

One thing about diesels, I had a few and worked with many. With the newer low sulfur fuels, you have to add some sort of additive to the fuel if you want to have trouble free operation of fuel system components from the pump to the injectors. There are some good ones out there. Hammonds makes Biobor, as well as a product called Lubribor, the lubribor is very good for adding back in the lubricity that was taken out by making the fuel low sulfur. You will add much more life to your engine if you religiously use some sort of lube every time you fill. Amsoil also makes a superior diesel additive. For my 6.8L v10 as well as my 4.2L v6 fords i use amsoils performance enhancer for gas, eliminates any bad tendencies with gas, as well as improves MPG by about 1mpg just with the additive.