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Diesel even worth it still?
- Thread starter Rebel_driver
- Start date
n8zcc
Well-Known Member
To see what works for you do the math. Figure out the cost to drive per mile with respect to the MPG and see. The more your drive the more favorable diesel becomes.
It’s absolutely worth it to me since I’ve doubled my distance per tank of fuel (same size tank as my hemi). The thing that kills potential savings is the inevitable time when the dpf needs to be replaced. If you don’t have it long enough to do the dpf, then you’re ahead. Just to give you an idea of my usage, I’m at ~9900 miles in 4 months of ownership of the ecodiesel.
I love diesels and the ecodiesel, so it doesn’t matter to me if I have to eventually spend $4k for parts. The long-term question I struggle over is how long can I go before the Gov’t makes the cost of diesel and gas so high that I need to get rid of diesel for an electric powertrain.
I love diesels and the ecodiesel, so it doesn’t matter to me if I have to eventually spend $4k for parts. The long-term question I struggle over is how long can I go before the Gov’t makes the cost of diesel and gas so high that I need to get rid of diesel for an electric powertrain.
bucolic
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It is but barely. This compares my last Hemi Ram with 3.92 gears which barely saw above 19 mpg on HGWY trips. On my Ram with the 3.21 gears, I would regularly get 21-22 MPG so the difference would be less for those with 3.21 gears. MY Eco diesel has the 3.21 gears FYI.
You also do contribute to the cause by consuming less fuel than gas drivers also which makes some people feel good.
Scram1500
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If it was 30 years ago and you were talking about the 12 valve Cummins I'd say yes. The benefit of diesel besides economy was the lack of electronics and need for maintenance, that aspect is gone from modern diesels
I have to redo my calculations based on current gas prices, but before gas went crazy, I calculated that I save $168 per week with diesel. I should figure out just like you did what the dollar savings per 100 miles is.
bill-e
Ram Guru
I'm just not going to look at the math. Diesel just hit $6/gal here in New Hampshire where I live.
SnowBlaZR2
Fuel Economy Champion
To me, this is really what matters. Any savings I might see in the diesel are relatively minor and easily wiped out by the fact that I just don't like the way it drives.
morrpar
Active Member
The diversity of RAM owners is pretty awesome. We can all get just what we want. And not disrespect others for their choices.
For me, diesel powered light trucks do not make sense anymore. I am currently downsizing to a 1/2-ton truck now, so when I configured my truck to order last month, I was back and forth on the HEMI and EcoDiesel.
I went with the HEMI for a few reasons. First, I want the truck to respond when I gas it (add fuel). Right now, not in a few seconds.
EcoDiesels that I tested seemed "sleepy".
Even the tuned CTD I had previously had some lag; if you did not catch it just right, waiting for the turbo to spool was like dial-up internet service.
I traded the CTD 6.7 (2012) for a 2016 2500 6.4 HEMI (current DD). I sacrificed about 3-4 MPG. Lost some towing capability. But I have more towing capability than I use, and with the Flowmaster system installed, it sounds awesome! I now have 167,000 trouble-fee miles.
With the CTD, the 800-pound gorilla in the engine room made his presence known at all times. The truck felt front-heavy and the payload was reduced by about that amount. Warm-up and cool-down time seemed tedious. Maintenace costs were significantly higher.
When at about 150k miles it "lifted the head" (head gasket failure) the bill was north of $5K . The turbo went a few weeks later (mechanic mistake, I think) to the tune of $ 3K. EcoDiesels (earlier generations) have not had a great track record, I had concerns.
Sometimes less is...less. I personally don't see the ED as an upgrade to the HEMI-just a choice.
I respect you ED owners, I wish you internal combustion happiness.
For me, diesel powered light trucks do not make sense anymore. I am currently downsizing to a 1/2-ton truck now, so when I configured my truck to order last month, I was back and forth on the HEMI and EcoDiesel.
I went with the HEMI for a few reasons. First, I want the truck to respond when I gas it (add fuel). Right now, not in a few seconds.
EcoDiesels that I tested seemed "sleepy".
Even the tuned CTD I had previously had some lag; if you did not catch it just right, waiting for the turbo to spool was like dial-up internet service.
I traded the CTD 6.7 (2012) for a 2016 2500 6.4 HEMI (current DD). I sacrificed about 3-4 MPG. Lost some towing capability. But I have more towing capability than I use, and with the Flowmaster system installed, it sounds awesome! I now have 167,000 trouble-fee miles.
With the CTD, the 800-pound gorilla in the engine room made his presence known at all times. The truck felt front-heavy and the payload was reduced by about that amount. Warm-up and cool-down time seemed tedious. Maintenace costs were significantly higher.
When at about 150k miles it "lifted the head" (head gasket failure) the bill was north of $5K . The turbo went a few weeks later (mechanic mistake, I think) to the tune of $ 3K. EcoDiesels (earlier generations) have not had a great track record, I had concerns.
Sometimes less is...less. I personally don't see the ED as an upgrade to the HEMI-just a choice.
I respect you ED owners, I wish you internal combustion happiness.
Idahoktm
Spends too much time on here
Well, $2200 more than the Hemi. Nobody orders the V6.
Rebel_driver
Active Member
Thank you for all the replies. I appreciate everyone’s input!
I know I can crunch the numbers to get a definitive answer, Im not going to do that. It’s just frustrating when diesel is $0.50/liter more than gasoline. I love the way my diesel drives (like many of you have said), so yes to me I will still continue to drive it. Just more of a rant/opinion poll more than anything!
Hopefully this nonesense stops soon!
I know I can crunch the numbers to get a definitive answer, Im not going to do that. It’s just frustrating when diesel is $0.50/liter more than gasoline. I love the way my diesel drives (like many of you have said), so yes to me I will still continue to drive it. Just more of a rant/opinion poll more than anything!
Hopefully this nonesense stops soon!
davidajpritchard
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Well you can check out fuelly and see that most hemi drivers are getting between 14 and 15 litres per 100kms. So on the low end you are saving 4 litres every 100kms. So the gas is costing about $28 per 100kms at a $1.86 per liter. I filled up 2 days ago at 2.03 per litre so the same 100kms cost me $20.
I drive about 1000kms or so per week so that is currently saving $80 a week or about $4000 per year.
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SnowBlaZR2
Fuel Economy Champion
I'm right around that with towing mixed in. Without towing I'm over 20 mpg.
bucolic
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Diesel just shot up to $6.29 here last night. Almost $2 a gallon more than Gas.
Well, $2200 more than the Hemi. Nobody orders the V6.
very true!
I hope it stops soon also.
I chose diesel because I drive enough that it saves me a tank and a half of gas every 5 days compared to my hemi that I traded in, but I always have in the back of my mind that there is going to be some kind of epic failure in the EGR or DPF system. At this point I’m not sure I really care though, since the chances of me keeping it longer than four years is pretty slim.
Having had both, I slightly prefer the EcoDiesel I had in my 2021. Great efficiency, actually felt/sounded like a diesel (my friend's GMC I6 baby Duramax is weirdly quiet for a truck), and I didn't find the EcoD laggy at all. The low end torque was great for effortless driving up to about 50 MPH - passing power on the highway sucked, but otherwise I liked everything about it. I'm back to a HEMI now and kinda wish it had the EcoD, although the savings are no longer there which is what convinced me to try it in the first place (it was my first diesel engine). Diesel is only about $1 more per gallon where I'm at, but after you factor in even DIY basic maintenance costs (oil, DEF, fuel filters), cost per mile is about the same... and add the fact it's a $3,200 option, it starts to make zero sense in terms of cost savings. Still, I liked it a lot, and may try to use the market values to my advantage and order another truck with the EcoD because I miss it that much.
I got a banks derringer and the pulling power to pass traffic is awesome now.
