Diesel vs Gas

Because every hd thread turns into a gas vs diesel battle I'll setup the octagon ring to go old school mma style battle on why YOU think one is better than the other. And YOUR choice for driving either.

I'll go first. I've owned both. 05 5.9L 3500 QCLB dually, 2010 6.7L 2500 CCSB fully deleted and now a 2015 6.4L 2500 CCSB. Towed with both and hands down both diesels will out tow the 6.4L. The 6.4L I can tell I have something behind me, not do to handling, but power. I don't tow very often anymore, during the winter months I'm off work so may only drive 15-20 miles a week. 95% of my trips are in the 6-15 mile round trips. I had a 1/2 ton 5.7L in between my 05 and 2010, and just towing my 5x10 trailer w/lawn mower (20 hp 42" deck) I felt under powered and could feel the trailer behind me. So for me I wanted to stay in a 2500, didn't need a diesel anymore (wanted, and liked it). So I wanted to give the 6.4L a shot. It does what I need it to do and don't is better as a dd for me.

As far as mpg goes, I'm getting about the same do to my commute. Pay less at the pump, not by much due to running 89 octane. Plus being back into a new truck I have a warranty again. Yes I know I can get a aftermarket warranty.

I haven't owned or driven a 2500/3500 with the 5.7L so I can't comment on how they tow.

I was once under the mind frame that a gas 2500/3500 was useless and they should only be diesels. But that was viewing older big block and some newish small block trucks and thinking more about the 5 mpg they probably got towing then for reasons you'd buy one.

I have owned 2 5.9l and a 5.7 1/2 ton. I tow so seldom anymore and I tried making the 1/2 ton work like the 2500 for that once every other month trip.
Kinda of shot in the middle when I found this 2500 6.4l. Does it perform my like old diesels with a load, yes and no!
What I have learned is i can pull every bit as much as my diesels but I have to do a little work. If I see a big over pass coming i have to manually downshift. My diesels would just pull through with the cruise set.
Does it handle a load like my diesel? NO! But that diesel weighs a lot more than my 6.4L so it makes a load feel more balanced.
What has changed is my job and commute. I may drive 6 miles total in a day. That big diesel would never run to normal temperature. Again, I have to do work to get my 6.4l to normal temps. Like run in TH and keep it manually shifted in 3rd.

I do like being able to use any pump I want and not just the obligatory diesel pump at every station. I do like having power on tap with NO turbo lag. I also like only having to add fuel and not Def too.

All that being said if I was towing weekly, I would have gotten the 6.7L beast but I didn't have too! Now that I have learned how to drive this truck I have no fears about pushing it to its limits and knowing that will handle it as long as I think ahead a little!

Although this is more of a "why I chose a ____ versus _____" thread instead of diesel versus gas thread as the title implies. That kind of thread would be an all out war with me against just about everyone else here it seems. Which is okay because that is just how I like it.

Here is my take on it as I have stated many times before. I chose what I chose because I wanted it. Pure and simple. Do I "need" a diesel? No, the 6.4L would probably do 99% of I need it to do albeit in a different manner that I do not like. Everyone has their own reasons why they bought what they did, and not everyone's reasons are the same. Neither is what everyone looks for in a truck. To say the 6.4L is the end all be all engine for everyone is just as false as saying the Cummins is the end all be all engine for everyone. However, I wanted a Cummins over the 6.4L or the 5.7L and don't really feel the need to justify why by pointing out the negatives of the other.

It's a "both" thread. I stated in the beginning to argue both sides and state your reasons for why you chose what you have.

Most threads that start turning into a vs conversation also come with a why answer, which when you break it down is a vs conversation. So someone stated someone should start a vs thread so I did so we can TRY and keep most of the HD conversation on the topic of the op's original post or question and not start another hijack vs conversation.

So southtexan this is your battle ground to run free, say what you will, no one gets butt hurt because it went off topic, you vs the world thread. I will not always defend gassers and will not always defend diesels. I believe gassersarenrdead (ironic name choice for his position) will be on your side.

There is a market and buyer for both.

For some cummins is the best choice.

For others it is not.

I for one am glad Ram stepped up and is challenging Ford's stranglehold on the gas HD segment. For years Ram never offered a Gas above 2500. Now the 6.4 is available in the chassis cab too. This could have big sales potential. Lots of Fleets around here run f250/350/450 gas motors.

I do see a lot more companies going to gas engines. Could be initial cost, maintenance costs or incentives. I know the University I work for during the summer buy all gassers. 2 main reasons are initial cost and they now "trade" them in every 2 years (private school, state contract). Good for the school kinda sucks for whoever buys them. They will have very low mileage but a **** ton of engine hours. Most run them about 6 hours a day. Heat for the winter and ac for the summer.

I heard if you are from Texas and especially the Southern part and you drive a gasser you are considered a
:**** Eater::****::****:

Skrap said:

I heard if you are from Texas and especially the Southern part and you drive a gasser you are considered a
:**** Eater::****::****:

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Sounds about right....

Skrap said:

I heard if you are from Texas and especially the Southern part and you drive a gasser you are considered a
:**** Eater::****::****:

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That's not true. Only certain gasers, like the ones that can't go above 30 mph when towing heavy up long hills at high altitude.

SouthTexan said:

That's not true. Only certain gasers, like the ones that can't go above 30 mph when towing heavy up long hills at high altitude.

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What do you consider high altitude down here, above sea level?
]

Skrap said:

I heard if you are from Texas and especially the Southern part and you drive a gasser you are considered a
:**** Eater::****::****:

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And yet most of those guys probably don't tow anything heavier than a jet ski with their diesels.

SilverStreak88 said:

What do you consider high altitude down here, above sea level?
]

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The highest road in Texas is 6,800 ft. Most of east Texas is 0-1000 ft, but the hill country(just north of me), west Texas, and the panhandle are 2,000-6,000 ft and above.

Although, from what I read, it doesn't have to be that high for the "feature" to kick in.

Lol

theviking said:

And yet most of those guys probably don't tow anything heavier than a jet ski with their diesels.

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Nope, mostly cattle trailers or flatbeds with hay. Afterall, we produce a lot of cattle in Texas. When not working then yes, jet skis are being towed along with bay boats and hunting rigs.

1500ram12 said:

So southtexan this is your battle ground to run free, say what you will, no one gets butt hurt because it went off topic, you vs the world thread. I will not always defend gassers and will not always defend diesels. I believe gassersarenrdead (ironic name choice for his position) will be on your side.

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As I said in the thread you are referring to, I was not debating diesel versus gas. I was just commenting on the double standard in this forum and how I have gotten flamed for going off topic in the past even though I was just responding to someone who said something incorrect or partially incorrect. In this pro 6.4L forum it is okay to go off topic as long as you are praising the 6.4L while you are doing it, but if you are not then you are the devil. That is what I was trying to say, but people kept trying to turn it into a diesel versus gas debate and labeling me as the starter of it which I wasn't. I implore you to go through that thread and pin point who actually started the gas versus diesel debate and who actually labeled it as such. You will find that neither were me.

I am also not against the 6.4L either, but in this forum you are labeled one if you are not saying anything but praise about the motor. Yes, I do think the 30 mph "feature" is bull (and would think so regardless of what engine it was on even my own), but some think that my disdain for that "feature" means I hate the 6.4L which is not the case.

If you want to know how these circle jerks start then I will give you a run down. First everything is fine and going on topic until someone says something for the Cummins(like the last thread) which will cause a 6.4L owner in here to get pissy because they believe "you don't need a diesel". Then people start going off topic justifying their purchase by comparing the two which is mostly 6.4L owners. Again, this is all fine and dandy here just as long as you are saying things for the 6.4L and not against it. Then someone has to start talking nonsense and posting false info or partial info about diesels. Then I chime in to correct the false information. Others don't like it since I am not singing praise for the 6.4L so they label me as a 6.4L hater even though I am not.

Then they start griping saying I am going off topic even though they will not say the same to the guy that started the gas versus diesel comparison in the first place since he was singing the praise of the 6.4L. Then threads go on for pages and pages and I get called all sorts of insults(which I find very hilarious) especially when 6.4L dude chimes in. Then I have to respond in kind because it is my very nature.

In the end, I am the 6.4L hater when all I was doing in the first place was debating wrong information that was posted or responding to posts trying to get their jabs in like the one posted earlier by Skrap or the one by Theviking in that last thread. But hey, I am the evil one that starts crap, right?

SouthTexan said:

The highest road in Texas is 6,800 ft. Most of east Texas is 0-1000 ft, but the hill country(just north of me), west Texas, and the panhandle are 2,000-6,000 ft and above.

Although, from what I read, it doesn't have to be that high for the "feature" to kick

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Okay, I thought you were talking about "down south", but more up north it makes sense. The new trucks have a HA feature?

SilverStreak88 said:

Okay, I thought you were talking about "down south", but more up north it makes sense. The new trucks have a HA feature?

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It is what limits you at 4,200 rpm and keeps you to 30 mph in first gear when hunting gears too much while towing heavy just as what happened in the Ike Gauntlet. Some people here call it a "feature", but I call it a nanny just like torque managment. Members here and other forums have experienced this "feature" even at low altitudes.

SouthTexan said:

It is what limits you at 4,200 rpm and keeps you to 30 mph in first gear when hunting gears too much while towing heavy just as what happened in the Ike Gauntlet. Some people here call it a "feature", but I call it a nanny just like torque managment. Members here and other forums have experienced this "feature" even at low altitudes.

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Screw all that... whatever happened to the good ole' days with a 6 spd manual.... I think they went to an auto on everything because they didn't sell enough manuals.

Who has experienced it at low altitude?

"Feature" is what Ram called it.

The speed bumps in texas wouldn't trigger it.