Should I go 1/2 or 3/4

obullfish

obullfish

Carolina Trail Blazers
Joined
Nov 21, 2011
Location
Candler N.C.
Will be in need of a new truck in the very near future. Waiting to see what the insurance company is going to do before pulling the trigger. Truck I’m replacing is a 22 F-150 5.0 FX4 crew cab 6.5’ bed with the max tow package. Looking at all options and feedback from what y’all like and dislike. What I’m considering at this point is a F-250 XLT 7.3 Tremor but I’m open to any and all brands if they are worth their weight.
 
obullfish said:
Will be in need of a new truck in the very near future. Waiting to see what the insurance company is going to do before pulling the trigger. Truck I’m replacing is a 22 F-150 5.0 FX4 crew cab 6.5’ bed with the max tow package. Looking at all options and feedback from what y’all like and dislike. What I’m considering at this point is a F-250 XLT 7.3 Tremor but I’m open to any and all brands if they are worth their weight.
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I'll say this...I just bought a fresh fleet for corporate use about 4 months ago. All were 250 crew 4x4's...some 7.3 and some 6.7. If I did it again, I would have gone 1/2 tons. Went 250's just in case any of us needed to haul a small building or trailer. So far that's happened twice out of a cumulative 70,000 miles put on these trucks. If you're not hauling, I wouldn't pay the premium or suffer with worse fuel economy of the 250.
 
What are you using it for? Them new Chevy/GM 1500's with the little Duramax are excellent on fuel and have a ton of power.
 
obullfish said:
Will be in need of a new truck in the very near future. Waiting to see what the insurance company is going to do before pulling the trigger. Truck I’m replacing is a 22 F-150 5.0 FX4 crew cab 6.5’ bed with the max tow package. Looking at all options and feedback from what y’all like and dislike. What I’m considering at this point is a F-250 XLT 7.3 Tremor but I’m open to any and all brands if they are worth their weight.
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That will average about 14mpg. Might be different from my experience but my clac's are consistently 14 average mostly around town stuff. Towing I get 9 - 10. If that matters to you.
UTfball68 said:
I'll say this...I just bought a fresh fleet for corporate use about 4 months ago. All were 250 crew 4x4's...some 7.3 and some 6.7. If I did it again, I would have gone 1/2 tons. Went 250's just in case any of us needed to haul a small building or trailer. So far that's happened twice out of a cumulative 70,000 miles put on these trucks. If you're not hauling, I wouldn't pay the premium or suffer with worse fuel economy of the 250.
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I can understand that logic.
jeepinmatt said:
What are you using it for? Them new Chevy/GM 1500's with the little Duramax are excellent on fuel and have a ton of power.
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But they are so ugly.
 
obullfish said:
Daily driver, road trip-vacation, towing under 10k on occasion. Not really interested in a diesel unless I’m making money with it.
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Those 3 factors are the exact reason I bought a Ram 1500 diesel, but everybody likes different things. I like torque and fuel economy/range. And a motor getting things done without a lot of drama. Gas motors seem to need 3000+rpm to make acceleration, whereas the diesels cruise along and get it all done in the 1500-2500rpm range so it just feels like its working less to accomplish the same task.
 
jeepinmatt said:
Those 3 factors are the exact reason I bought a Ram 1500 diesel, but everybody likes different things. I like torque and fuel economy/range. And a motor getting things done without a lot of drama. Gas motors seem to need 3000+rpm to make acceleration, whereas the diesels cruise along and get it all done in the 1500-2500rpm range so it just feels like its working less to accomplish the same task.
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What are the positives and negatives with the eco diesel? Haven’t heard anything about them that makes me want one.
 
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obullfish said:
What are the positives and negatives with the eco diesel? Haven’t heard anything about them that makes me want one.
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Sound probably for most of us. I have the big Cummings and probably could do most of my stuff with a Corolla. But it sounds nice. Diesel almost a buck higher than 87 octane right now even with TSD card.
 
obullfish said:
What are the positives and negatives with the eco diesel? Haven’t heard anything about them that makes me want one.
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Like I said, for me it’s torque and economy. The ram diesels average 22mpg, compared to the 15mpg of the 5.7 gasser. Even with the 20-30% higher fuel cost, it’s still better $/mile, and a more pleasant driving experience.
Here’s 40 million miles of real world data:
IMG_0575.png

Vs 5.7:
IMG_0576.png


And for reference, the F150 with 3.5 Ecoboost isn’t much better:
IMG_0577.png


And I think the Ecoboost requires 89 or 93 to get max power and economy.

Plus the diesels are knocking down about 450ftlbs at 2000rpm these days. They are just great drivers, especially if you are used to diesel power delivery from your work truck. You get used to the turbo spooling instead of a 3 gear drop-down and 5000rpms.
 
jeepinmatt said:
Like I said, for me it’s torque and economy. The ram diesels average 22mpg, compared to the 15mpg of the 5.7 gasser. Even with the 20-30% higher fuel cost, it’s still better $/mile, and a more pleasant driving experience.
Here’s 40 million miles of real world data:
View attachment 404519
Vs 5.7:
View attachment 404520

And for reference, the F150 with 3.5 Ecoboost isn’t much better:
View attachment 404521

And I think the Ecoboost requires 89 or 93 to get max power and economy.

Plus the diesels are knocking down about 450ftlbs at 2000rpm these days. They are just great drivers, especially if you are used to diesel power delivery from your work truck. You get used to the turbo spooling instead of a 3 gear drop-down and 5000rpms.
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Thanks for the info
 
obullfish said:
Thanks for the info
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If there's anyone who crunches enough data to choke a horse prior to making a decision it's Matt. So I'd feel comfortable knowing he's done the research.


But..then again...he does have an ELECTRIC SxS :laughing:


:flipoff2::smokin:
 
jeepinmatt said:
Like I said, for me it’s torque and economy. The ram diesels average 22mpg, compared to the 15mpg of the 5.7 gasser. Even with the 20-30% higher fuel cost, it’s still better $/mile, and a more pleasant driving experience.
Here’s 40 million miles of real world data:
View attachment 404519
Vs 5.7:
View attachment 404520

And for reference, the F150 with 3.5 Ecoboost isn’t much better:
View attachment 404521

And I think the Ecoboost requires 89 or 93 to get max power and economy.

Plus the diesels are knocking down about 450ftlbs at 2000rpm these days. They are just great drivers, especially if you are used to diesel power delivery from your work truck. You get used to the turbo spooling instead of a 3 gear drop-down and 5000rpms.
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Now do maintenance and repair cost
 
Ron said:
Now do maintenance and repair cost
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Ok, so for maintenance, 10k oil changes at $100 for diesel vs 5k at $50 for gas? Same price, but dealing with it half as often is a win. Everything else is exactly the same between the two. Throw in $20-30 of DEF every 10k miles. I can't imagine repair cost is a real factor since most new vehicles make it well over 150k miles before needing any type of significant repair, and @obullfish was driving a 2022, so I imagine it will be a new one.
 
jeepinmatt said:
Ok, so for maintenance, 10k oil changes at $100 for diesel vs 5k at $50 for gas? Same price, but dealing with it half as often is a win. Everything else is exactly the same between the two. Throw in $20-30 of DEF every 10k miles. I can't imagine repair cost is a real factor since most new vehicles make it well over 150k miles before needing any type of significant repair, and @obullfish was driving a 2022, so I imagine it will be a new one.
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Ram gas recommends 10k mile service intervals.
I know you are a diesel fan boy - but don't forget things like air filters cost double.
The eco diesel DPFs are going out around 90-110k miles at a cost of $1,800.

Of course if we are talking new - eco diesel doesnt matter because Ram discontinued it due to the lost revenue associated with warranty claims. (from their earnings call).

In a 2500 - unless you are towing to edge of rating - I can authoritatively state that gas wins hands down. Its amazing what having a 100+ vehicle fleet can do for data...
 
Shon said:
The eco diesel DPFs are going out around 90-110k miles at a cost of $1,800.
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Got a source for the "eco diesel DPFs are going out around 90-110k miles"? That sounds like internet lore, but I'm open to being proven wrong.

Shon said:
In a 2500 - unless you are towing to edge of rating - I can authoritatively state that gas wins hands down. Its amazing what having a 100+ vehicle fleet can do for data...
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Wins what? Dollar per mile fleet maintenance cost? Sure. But comparing fleet trucks to personal vehicles probably isn't an apples to apples comparison. I've had quite a few vehicles through the years, and diesels have always proven more economical for me. That's why I keep buying them.
jeepinmatt said:
You get used to the turbo spooling instead of a 3 gear drop-down and 5000rpms.
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jeepinmatt said:
I like torque and fuel economy/range. And a motor getting things done without a lot of drama. Gas motors seem to need 3000+rpm to make acceleration, whereas the diesels cruise along and get it all done in the 1500-2500rpm range so it just feels like its working less to accomplish the same task.
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^It's more about this to me anyway. I'll happily pay the premium for a more composed vehicle that suits my needs. And the ownership costs have worked out better for me too.

Shon said:
Ram gas recommends 10k mile service intervals.
I know you are a diesel fan boy - but don't forget things like air filters cost double.
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I put in a 2022 Ram 1500 Laramie on Autozone, and the diesel air filters (on right) are actually the same or cheaper than the gas ones:
1696360024267.png



Everything I'm seeing online says 5k or 6k oil change interval for Ram gassers, but I didn't put much effort in to it because I'm sure you will find a document somewhere that says 10k. I also am not speaking about Ram specifically, and will admit I am generally out of touch with gassers because I have a diesel car, and 2 diesel trucks. I know this gets tossed around every time this topic comes up. What I can say is I change my oil at 10k in my diesels, 5k in my wifes van, and every 100 miles or 10 years in my TJ, whichever comes first.
 
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So in this thread we have learned that @obullfish should buy a half ton diesel because Matt likes them morer.
 
It all depends on what type of lifestyle you live, but I’d rather have it and not need it vs being under gunned for the job. Dragging a small fishing boat with my Tacoma sucks. It’s better with my old 7.3. I don’t tow it often, but enough to piss me off when I do. If I was forced to live with one truck forever, I’d certainly go with the overkill.
 
I have the ecodiesel gladiator, one of the biggest benefits has been the range. It's knocking down 23/24 mpg Ave on 37's. I can get about 100 miles more range on a tank of fuel. Not having to search for a fuel station before i get to the beach is way better.
The diesel torque is amazing compared to a gas engine. I know jeeps only had the 3.6 to compare against, but the gladiator tows better than the 2021 silverado I have with a 5.3 V8
 
Third party opinion here as I have no real skin in the game and am certainly not in the position to get a new truck.
I see this come back around fairly regular and the arguments from both sides are alway the same: torque and power vs. cost and usage.

End of the day for me is exactly what @Wes said: better to have than not and want.

FWIW: wife dd is a 2012 Laramie longhorn 2500 Cummings because bells and whistles and it’s the fanciest thing we could afford when we bought it used. At 300,xxx miles it has been problem free and when it needs to tow it flat out performs. My dd is a 1998 ram 2500 HD and it does the same without some of the B&W but it makes loud diesel noises and I’m a child at heart.

Buy what makes you comfortable with the knowledge you may tow from time to time and verse that against what you can afford.

My .02.
 
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