At what price are your aftermarket "mods" too expensive? - Diesel Forum

Powerstroke2000 · 05-04-2006, 11:59 AM

I was thinking...with the price of fuel rocketing upwards, its apparent that eventually folks will have no choice but to sell their trucks, as they will just be too expensive to operate.
With that said, it's something none of us want to even contemplate, but it is a reality with todays fuel prices continuing skyward.
Most of our mods are geared to give us the power we all want, but to use those mods...well, you are obviously using alot more fuel than normal, thus throwing your fuel mileage into the tank (so to speak).

I know we all enjoy and love to drive our trucks both in stock form, and those of us with our aftermarket mods enjoy the thrill of a good push on the throttle, but eventually it might just come down to dollars and cents in how long we can afford to do this.

I know this is a hard question to answer, and one perhaps some have not contemplated, but how expensive does fuel have to get before you'd start considering another alternative method is needed? Perhaps Biodiesel or veggie fuel will become somewhat of a savior to some, but isn't viable for all?

I put this in the Aftermarket section, since it is those mods that affect our mileage more than anything else, but those hard on the throttle in stock form could also answer these questions.

While on the subject, I would assume injectors & programming are the culprits that open our wallet at the fuelling station more than the others, but overall it all comes down to how hard we push on the throttle I suppose. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Could be an interesting debate!

Thanks..

Dale

THE_ALASKAN · 05-04-2006, 12:11 PM

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Could be an interesting debate!

Thanks..

Dale

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Sorry Dale, I'll have to 100% disagree with you. My truck gets the best fuel mileage it ever has. When I bought it bone stock I was getting 10MPG, I could barely get 140-150 miles on each tank now after a few tweaks here and there I'm getting (last 2 tanks) 15 and 16 MPG, a 50% increase in fuel economy, not to bad in my book. And 2nd, I nor my wife or Kids will every own or drive a car (while they are in my house that is). I'll spend the 10-20-30-40-50 bucks a month more to make sure they have some good old American steel around them and not some plastic rickshaw.
That's the basis for my disagreement [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img].
JIM
P.S. Where ya been??

Nit · 05-04-2006, 12:31 PM

fuel is pricy yes , but for the same money I can drive this truck or a small ranger, I do agree with Jim, after gettign hit by a tow truck ( another Ford) and driving it away I love havign all that steel around me and my kids.

lemon boy · 05-04-2006, 01:00 PM

Unless you sell your truck and spend less or very close to the amount you sold it for for a new very efficient car the dollar savings are not usually there. EG: it's a feel good savings. Also if you absolutely need a truck and are therefore tying up additional natural resources by having a quiver car.

of course all of the aftermarket things (not many as of now) I've done have been to get better mileage not more power.

gregrob · 05-04-2006, 02:03 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I was thinking...with the price of fuel rocketing upwards, its apparent that eventually folks will have no choice but to sell their trucks, as they will just be too expensive to operate.
Dale

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How do you sleep at night? What do you propose I use as a truck, a Toyota? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/vomit.gif[/img]
Sorry, that aint happenin' on my block. I bought the rig because I needed it. The prices will have to get so bad that no one can drive period, before I consider selling.

I personally think that if the prices don't lower, the economy will modulate to deal with it.

lukecline · 05-04-2006, 02:24 PM

I will never sell either truck for a gasser. Why? Lets see a gasser tow a 24k (gross weight) load and still get 10mpg. Oh wait we used to tow with gassers and got 4-5 mpg, also they would kick down a gear and loose speed on the hills. Hell last time i drove my cc it got almost 17mpg on the hwy (waaaay back in october LOL), lets see an equivilent sized (engine ci and weight) gasser do that.

DeiselDaddio · 05-04-2006, 07:07 PM

sorry Dale ,
i think the same reason we put these mods on is the same reason we will keep driving these trucks it is IMHO addictve. some of us need them, some of us want them, but all of us love them. thanks kirk

RickHredf250 · 05-04-2006, 07:22 PM

There are other ways of dealing with the high cost of fuel and it does not involve selling your truck, the only reason you could do it is becuase you have a DIESEL!
Homemade BIODIESEL!
And echo the comparision to a Ranger and milage, ditto my S-10 (company veh), my truck(s) get BETTER milage, and after being hit by a Cadillac in the S-10, Well you get my point.
My fuel cost to drive my 97 CC 4x4 with auto and 4.10's is UNDER .04 per mile.
And to give my opinion on the mods, most will provide for better MPG, the problem is they also provide for more HP, that leads to the problem of the RIGHT FOOT! (or which ever one you use to stomp on the fuel feed!)
Rick H...

krowell · 05-04-2006, 07:43 PM

I own my truck the bank doesn't so the money I spend would be instead of a new truck payment. what I spend is above and beyond what my truck is worth. It would be hard to get enough for my truck to make me want to sell. the fuel milage is great and most of the mods I have done so far improve mileage per gallon. I would park my truck and buy a economy car (diesel) if I couldnt afford the fuel bill. as it is now I will be looking for a new job in a about a year (autoworker) so while I have money I have been buying parts used and or cheap as an investment in the future. as for what price are the mods too expensive? time will tell.

busbreath · 05-04-2006, 10:03 PM

At the point where my wife finds out!

1997PSD4ME · 05-05-2006, 02:04 AM

i'm keeping my baby for a long time. but a 45 mile one way commute 90 miles a day is not feasable in my psd. so i bought a commuter car. bash it all you want but i am not rich.

i can spend 150 a week for fuel or 30. you decide. i already have. although i do drive my truck all the time still around town. its safe for the boy and wife. i am the only one who rides in my car.

i saw what a psd did to my dad in his commuter car. almost killed him. had he been is his psd a different story.
i definitely like all that steel in the psd.

Powerstroke2000 · 05-05-2006, 12:10 PM

Thanks for the responses so far.

My point in this is basically "with" mods, most of us tend to push the throttle more than the average guy because of that adreneline rush. Yes, that rush is worth something, but how much?
Many of us also "throw the hammer" down on many occassions through the day, and then wonder how the tank dropped so darn fast...so is the fuel price rise slowing the "hammer" down for many of you? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]
I suppose many of us could call this our "entertainment" dollar at work too! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img]

Lets just say fuel continues to surge in price, (looking into the future a few years) and say hits say....$10.00 a gallon...maybe higher (some will say it won't happen...but just watch, a whole different debate!) and my thinking (for myself) was just how high does fuel have to climb, before I'd personally think of selling my own, thus I thought I'd see where that $$ figure was for you!
If it's costing you over well over $150. now to fill your two tanks, would tripling that make you think about what your other options where, or would you bow to the oil companies and pay whatever they ask of the petroleum product of choice (Diesel)?

I enjoy my truck every bit as much as the rest of you...so it was just a thought, as to what it might take to pry the keys out of MY hand, and at what price it would take to do that. It seems the greed of these companies has everyone over a barrel (pun intended) with little we can do but complain. If everyone got together (won't happen) and said we won't buy your product, they would soon bring the price down to a realistic $$ figure, but with the world gobbling it up at an unsatiable rate, I doubt we'll see any relief soon!

Believe me, I agree with those saying it's better to have the larger vehicle around our families (as well as ourselves) so it will be interesting to see if "new" truck sales start to dip considerably.
Perhaps enough SUV owners will park their vehicles enough to make a slight dent in the upward surge in prices, to at least slow the continuing rise.

Dale

Powerstroke2000 · 05-05-2006, 12:15 PM

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i think the same reason we put these mods on is the same reason we will keep driving these trucks it is IMHO addictve. some of us need them, some of us want them, but all of us love them.

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Some of us of course said similar things when we got married, (or "women" in general) but have made changes there too over the years! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img]

Then again, we wheren't talkin' "mileage" then either, where we! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

Dale

kasprzak85 · 05-05-2006, 12:41 PM

[ QUOTE ]
i'm keeping my baby for a long time. but a 45 mile one way commute 90 miles a day is not feasable in my psd. so i bought a commuter car. bash it all you want but i am not rich.

i can spend 150 a week for fuel or 30. you decide. i already have. although i do drive my truck all the time still around town. its safe for the boy and wife. i am the only one who rides in my car.

i saw what a psd did to my dad in his commuter car. almost killed him. had he been is his psd a different story.
i definitely like all that steel in the psd.

[/ QUOTE ]

I am in the same boat got a commuter car when I sold my 95 cc drw 2wd alittle over a year ago. I drive at least 1000 miles a week for work and to the g/f house. Got the truck I have now for fun. After the car payment insur. it would kinda make sense to sell the car and drive the truck but in the end I will have two cars paid for. I am going to get my biodiesel set up with my brother soon. Or might just go to costco and get vegie oil for the summer. My .02

1997PSD4ME · 05-05-2006, 03:19 PM

i also might add that i am gonna start using bio this week in my truck and seriously considering some form of home brew in the future.

for now ill use the truck for truck things and short family trips. i have noticed in the past few weeks that when i do drive it am tending to blow a lot more black smoke than i use too(turning the chip up). i guess its just missed by me so i have to make up for it when i do get to drive her.

and to answer your question i dont think i will sell her for a long time regardless of fuel prices. it's paid for and so is my commuter car.so its a win win situation. it may just get driven less.

in the next few months it might be a good time to purchase one as the supply goes up and the demand down.