Diesels Tow Great, but as daily drivers??? PLUS MPG Impact on Towing

[trikdacy]

Mileage info only: Over the lifetime of my truck it's 13mpg. I have an f350 dually 6.7l diesel, and I strictly use it only for towing my 30' Classic. Nothing else. I have the bed loaded with generators, tent canopies, tools, leveling blocks, camping equipment and much more. I also have a Thule mounted on the bed with rail track, and that is loaded with tents, sleeping bags, inflatble matresses. I hardly load anything into my trailer. I always keep my fresh water tank full while traveling. A bit off topic, but my truck gets better milage loaded on the highways at speed limtis in cruise control, than my 1994 V8 Grand Cherokee does empty.

[kipziprip]

I am amused by the fact that evey week or so at least someone electing to drive a gas TV fills the need to defend his election. I don't understand rambling on about an engine choice and then telling me what I can discuss? If you want to drive a gas engine go for it. But don't try and tell me that if you truck has a diesel engine you can't park it near a Walmart. The truck has the same options regardless of engine. An 8 ft bed is just as hard to park with a gas engine as with a diesel engine. A short or shorter bed truck really doesn't care what engine is under the hood. This subject just makes me laugh. Size matters but engine election does not park the truck. Now I took the bait and posted on this subject. Lol

[KevinFH]

Old information: Diesels are not good daily drivers
New information: The new 1/2 ton 3.0L diesels are very drivable, quiet, and tow very well.

I just completed 5000 miles pulling my 7200lb (weight on the axles at the CAT scale) 28'. We went from FL to the MN, WI, UP and back. Extremely nice towing; very nice (like a Caddy in my F-150) around town.

[RivetED]

Since the OP has decided to not respond or return this is looking more like a troll post, just my opinion.

[moosetags]

We have been using our Duramax Silverados as daily drivers for the last ten years. The newer diesels are quiet and smooth. Using our Duramax as a daily driver is much more financially advantageous than buying, insuring, and maintaining a second vehicle.

Brian

[superChop]

OP Here

Thank you all for responding to this thread. It may have been a poor attempt to address the subject for newbies on the viability of driving diesel super dutys as a daily driver?

Turns out most of the comments are based on current diesel owners supporting their choice of TV’s.

I believe gas super duties can handle every AS that is currently on the road. Do diesels tow anything better yes, but unless you are towing a lot, they are overkill to meet AS weights. Checkout YOUTUBE channels, “Big Truck, Big RV” and “TFL Trucks” and you will find a similar recommendation.

Finally - I may have a misplaced hope when Forum experts address MPG that they will provide a context. Towing = lower MPG’s! Range is the context, and many of you provided MPG’s impact on your range and several addressed adding larger tanks to increase their range.

Hope you all are finding a way to camp during this restrictive summer based on virus considerations. Drop by the Top of Georgia AS Park, near Helen, GA and say hello, as I will be hosting for two weeks in mid-August!

[Bill M.]

Even people who drive diesels know that gas engines can pull Airstreams. If I could understand you comments about what you hope about fuel millage comments I would try to comply. I get 14 to 15 towing and 19 running empty. That works out to about 400 range towing and a bit less than600 driving. I do not push the near the range. I got 10 with a gas truck and the same trailer with a range of about 250 towing. Gas or $8000 more for a diesel. Buyers choice and he brings his own set of reasons.

[kipziprip]

Ok, I got my you tube assignment. I think I'll go sell my diesel.

Any gas drivers out there got any suggestions?

LOL,

Stay safe on the road.

[Gibson3798]

As a daily driver, I look forward to stepping up into the cab of my RAM 2500 and driving away. I can park it anywhere a gas powered truck can park and if after working 45 years I can’t afford the maintenance or added fuel costs, shame on me.
I plan to enjoy it in the CO mountains this fall, in a far more secure environment than my wonderful Tundra would have been capable of.

[switz]

I towed my two motorcycle trailer (two Harleys inside) with two axles behind the Acura MDX. To maintain at least 55 mph going up the mountain toward Payson, AZ, the V8 gasoline motor was running over 4,500 rpms with lots of noise from the engine compartment. Towing our 31' Classic with our 2012 Ram 2500HD Cummins up the same incline (which is a much heaver trailer), the Cummins is at 1,650 rpm maintaining 65 mph with no change in noise from the engine compartment.

Both vehicles got us to our mountain destination. The MDX was smaller and more nimble around town (still a thirsty vehicle at 13 mpg hwy). The Cummins actually got better milages towing and not towing than the MDX. The MDX also liked only premium gas and with it's much smaller gasoline tank, fuel stops were quite a bit more often than with the 56 gallon diesel fuel tank on the Ram.

As long as we plan to tow the 31' Airstream around the country side, our dedicated to towing 2012 Ram will do the job just fine. When the Classic gets permanently parked at our RV park in Lakeside, AZ, we could retire the RAM and use a smaller towing vehicle just for the 23D that scales 6,069 pounds.

I guess all this conjecture is based upon not getting COVID-19 at our age. Odds not in our favor being over 75 now.

[Dexterpix]

2017 Ram SD2500 Cumins diesel crew cab 4x4

My wife's daily driver. She went from our 2009 Mega cab Ram diesel 4x4. Not sure what the issue is using a truck for a daily driver. I will put the interior comfort and luxury of our Longhorn Laramie up against any luxury vehicle (car or other). Yes the ride is not as plush, but it's not the truck of 25yrs ago that rattles your teeth out over bumps. We average 20mpg overall as a daily driver.

We looked at other daily drivers for my wife (she likes Audi S5's or a Grand Turismo) but she hates "sitting on the ground" as she put it. Yes you have to think more when you drive a full size truck everywhere. Parking at the rea of the lot makes life easier. Also what is wrong with having to put a little more thought into your driving anyways.

Hope this helped. Drive what you want it's your vehicle, you have to drive it.

Joe D

[tjdonahoe]

Town driving is not good on the diesel...nor is short drives

[drmox]

My TV is a 2003 Dodge 2500 with a Cummins 5.9 HO and is RWD. That combination is one of the best ever for a HD truck. I once went 731 miles on a tank: on a road trip, cruise set, and minding the speed limit. Averaged 23.1 mpg on that trip.
My daily driver is likewise a diesel; it's a BMW 328d, and is the best car I have ever owned. The driving characteristics of my car is perfect for idling along in bumper-to-bumper Chicago traffic, as well as highway cruising.

[KevinFH]

Town driving is not good on the diesel? Sounds like urban legend.

[lsbrodsky]

When I took some hands-on courses in diesel repair and overhaul, the advice had nothing to do with type of driving. Rather, it was about assuring that the engine was warmed up sufficiently before driving, that it stayed loaded while running, and was cooled down before turning it off.

Larry

[Hermes]

I have been driving vehicles with diesel engines since the late 70's, mainly from Germany. And we live in a cold part of the continent, but it has never been an issue (only use synthetic engine oil). Diesel is still the dominant engine in vehicles in Europe, but electric will put an end to that in the coming years.

The engine is not the concern as a daily driver, it is the size of the vehicle and its maneuverability. Our 3/4 ton Duramax TV gets us around, but it wouldn't be my first choice for a soccer mom!

[crispyboy]

The real issue with daily driving a modern diesel is the emission system. From time to time the engine will go through the regeneration process which allows the exhaust system to get very hot and burn off the soot in the dpf filter. The emission systems have gotten much friendlier for daily driving in the past 8 years with the introduction of DEF fluid in the system. Before 2012 there were a lot of growing pains with diesels and why so many had the emission systems taken off. This doesn't happen nearly as much these days since the systems are more reliable (but very expensive) and the crazy amounts of power available from the factory with no modifications.
I don't daily drive my truck in the winter. I keep a beater car around for commuting back and forth to work and sacrifice to the road salt. In the summer it gets used much more for all kinds of duties.