Diesel trucks from the big 3

[YotaFun]

damn really? saw gains of 19 on highway.

Just not sure where to head atm. A lot of people tell me a dodge 1 ton is the way to go, and others are telling me ford, though pretty much everybody has told me chevy completely sucks sans transmission

I don't know, maybe dude.
I only had the truck for a week, and I know the first day I had it I played with it just to see what the 5.7l had to offer, after realizing this was a lot of engine for me I started to drive it gingerly.
and the computer said I was averaging 14.

I think it rose to like 14.9 when I was on the highway, and that is the best I can recall, It might have needed a tune up, but it felt like it was running great to me so...

I am just one of many, I think you need to go out and do a few test drives.

[CJM]

Dodge is a joke period..

A ford truck with the V8 will get 14mpg too.

Bottom line is, you aint getting mpg out of a big truck-just not possible.

HOWEVER if you can find an older Ford F250/150 with the inline 6 you can get 18mpg in town and 23 highway. With the right gearing its a beast, its no speeder but it has massive torque. Hard to find truck tho, I drove a 92 250 with a stick and inline 6 and i loved it. Wasnt fast but it could handle payload and towing pretty well. Ford quit putting the inline into the trucks in 97 tho..

[MTL_4runner]

I'm bringing up an old thread because I have a bit more insight now that when this thread was first started. I'm not sure there's alot of advice being offered in the thread that is first hand info (alot more my buddy said, or I see alot of these......big difference when you own and maintain one). We bought a new travel trailer for the family to go camping and the 4runner just couldn't cut it as a tow vehicle so I bought a truck that hauls my 6,000 lb trailer with ease. I would have liked a crew cab for the kids in back but I couldn't beat the price I paid for it. Extended cab still has a surprising amount of space in it for a family so it's worked out well. Anyway, I've attached a pic of my truck below.

My truck is a 2005 Silverado 2500HD, LS trim, Duramax 6.6L Diesel, Allison Auto Transmission, Extended Cab, Trailor Tow Package, Cruise Control, Auto Climate Control, CD Player, Electric Mirror Extender, Power Seats, Box Liner, 5th Wheel Rails, Tekonsha P3 Electric Brake controller, AFE Turbo inlet......alot more mods (esp EFI Live) on the way!

I've talked to a bunch of people about diesel trucks and test drove probably 30+ trucks in the process. Here's a few things to keep in mind if you are hunting for a diesel truck in the future. Again alot of this info has been relayed to me by other diesel mechanics/owners I've spoken with in the process.

Dodge

• Cummins inline 6 cyl is a very robust design and has proved quite reliable
• Common rail injection system is made by Bosch
• Transmission tends to be the weak link on these trucks
• Lots of engine and tuning mods available for the Cummins, most potenbtial for boosting torque/HP numbers
• The Dodge trucks tend to be a bit sub par on the build quality
• Dodge trucks have the fastest depreciation of any of the diesel trucks

Ford

• Powerstroke 6.0L and 6.4L V8 motors were designed by Navistar, 6.7L designed in house by Ford
• 6.0L used Split Shot HEUI injection, 6.4L used common rail and 6.7L used a Bosch system like the Duramax and Cummins
• Only 6.7L (2011) has been able to completely eliminate head gasket problems, both 6.0L and 6.4L can be problematic
• Ford has supposedly licensed Cummins for 2012, very good move IMHO!
• Basically if you're going to buy Ford, get the 6.7L or wait for the Cummins next year
• Some engine and tuning mods available for the Powerstroke motor, but prudence is needed for earlier models
• Decent build quality and holds their value quite well

Chevy & GMC

• Duramax V8 engine is made by Isuzu and has proved to be quite reliable
• LLY engine code was best, it was made from 2004.5 until the end of 2006
• Uses a common rail Bosch injection system
• LB7 suffered from injector issues and later LBZ/LMM motors had reduced MPG from DEF useage
• Lots of engine and tuning mods available for the Duramax motor
• Diesel engine is mated to an Allison transmission, basically bulletproof
• Allison transmission was 5-spd from 01-05 and the better 6-spd was offered from 06-present
• Trucks have decent build quality and hold their value very well

Up here in Canada I would have to say the Duramax is the preferred mode for hauling big loads by around 3 to 1 for any other brands. Same thing with construction sites, mostly GMC and Chevy diesels. This observation isn't exactly scientific but at least I figure I would pass along what I've seen through my experience in narrowing down my search for a reliable diesel truck at a reasonable price.

One thing about diesel though is that they hold their value extremely well. Your best bet is to buy a newer model higher mileage vehicle. Make sure to look for dealer service records, but it's not uncommon for diesel trucks to go 500k miles if they are well taken care of (nothing like gas domestic motors which are usually in need of a rebuild by 100k miles). I bought mine with around 200k on the clock and it still pulls HARD when I decide to get on the skinny pedal.....turbo will make you smile when that kicks in! So if you're looking for something to trade off to find a vehicle with a lower price used, don't be concerned about mileage on these trucks.

Feel free to hit me up if anyone needs help on working on/maintaining your diesel truck.

[Crinale]

nice lookin truck jamie.. my parents too have a 2500 hd, and i so wish it was the diesel, but the 6.0 hauls pretty nicely as well. im sure it will serve you well

[X-Tool Pimp]

Funny I have no problem getting 20mpg around town in my Ford and loaded with the 11' Lance, car trailer and my rig I was pulling 70mph and avg. 13mpg guess Im just lucky

[img width=800 height=598]http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc245/tonytoolpimp/New%20truck/truck0.jpg[/img]

[MTL_4runner]

Very nice truck X-Tool Pimp.

For comparison my truck is getting around 21-22 MPG Highway (flat, low wind, no rain) and 15-16 MPG City unloaded. On the highway at 70 MPH (flat, low wind, no rain) I get about 13-14 MPG towing my 25ft travel trailer.....not sure if I'm one of the lucky ones too. The biggest irony is that my 6200lb truck still gets better fuel economy around town than my 4400lb 4runner ever did (obviously towing anything it blows the 4runner away).

I also put a better/larger pic of the truck in above.

[DHC6twinotter]

We have a newer min-bus at work, and it's based on the Chevy 3500 van cab and chassis. It's got the Duramax/Allison drive train, and that bus will move. Waayyy quicker than my 4Runner. I'm super impressed with that motor and transmission. Huge amounts of torque, and the Allison shifts really smooth.

The other vans we drive are the 15 passenger chevy express 3500 vans with the 6.0L. I hate the motor/trans in it. Maybe something is wrong with the vans (government doesn't take care of them too well), but they can be really slow. Sometimes it's fine, but sometimes they feel like they lose 100hp. It's really bad...almost like the tranny is in 2nd gear instead of 1st. I have not been impressed with the 6.0. Friend of mine has a box truck with the 6.0, and he loves the motor, so maybe it's just something wrong with the government vans at work.

[CJM]

I drive a 6.0 chevy 2500 truck for work, even with some kinda misfire or vac line it has balls. Sounds like the vans are pos.

[MTL_4runner]

What makes me laugh is how many people see diesel on the side of the truck and think it's slow as molasses in January. Then they are totally dumbfounded when the truck shoots out of the hole at the light (thanks to turbo spooling). I mean you can't put down 600+ ft-lbs and not be accelerating quickly.

I'm too old to do it on a regular basis, but the occasional naive student has been dusted badly.

[YotaFun]

I was making an observation on the way to work.
It was interesting for every 10 Fords I saw there was one Chevy.
I think it has to do with the area.

Also the Fords consisted of either the last gen with the 7.3 or the newest gen with the new 6.7.

I always wanted a diesel, a F-350 Crew Cab Diesel Jacked up to high heaven on 37" with dual whips and stacks lol!