EXPECTED MILEAGE - Diesel Forum

morequestions · 08-15-2006, 12:49 PM

Hello,
I am completely new to this so please bear with me.
I need a new truck. I am looking at the F250 Diesel with Crew Cab and Short bed.
It will be primarily a tow vehicle. I will be towing a boat that weighs approx 5,000lbs.
My main interest in the diesel is for better fuel mileage. My current (gas) truck gets approx 12mpg towing 60 to 70 MPH.
I know this is a loaded question but should I expect better mileage from the diesel. Thanks...W

DirtFarmer · 08-15-2006, 01:00 PM

Howdy Morequestions, and welcome to the list.

My educated guestimate is that you'll get two or three mpg better, but that is at the cost of fuel that has often been running 5-10% higher than regular nolead. Throw in the higher initial cost of the diesel and I'd say that it is, at best, a wash.

If you were towing a heavier trailer, it would be easier to recommend a diesel which does a much better job of pulling a heavy trailer. For 5000lbs, either of Ford's gas burners would do the job just fine.

Buy what makes you happy. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Mark

Tazman822 · 08-15-2006, 01:03 PM

12mpg seems good to me. I only get 8.5 pulling my 5er old 19’ TT I got 10.5. Just the truck down the highway 17.

OMCUSNR · 08-15-2006, 04:38 PM

Truck is in sig.

Towing 6K 26' Prowler TT @ 62: 14ish
@ 70: 12ish

Unloaded @ 70: 18ish

Best ever: 19.9

Alan_Hicks · 08-15-2006, 09:20 PM

As others have said, you really don't need a diesel to pull that kind of weight, and you're fuel mileage isn't going to be much better with the diesel. When you're pulling so little weight most of your mileage loss over unloaded is going to be wind resistance, not the weight of the trailer. In fact, a half-ton shoud haul that boat easily.

If you really want the diesel for the added power (especially with mods) then by all means, purchase one, but you'll certainly come out ahead on money with a gasser if all you're going to do is sometimes pull a light boat.

Rich807 · 08-15-2006, 11:20 PM

With that light of a load I'd say there's no way you can justify buying a diesel in a cost/benefit comparison. Diesels are heli expensive to operate & maintain compared to gassers (way more eng oil, fuel filters to change, more expensive for fuel in some places......)

With big loads that are NOT contained within the slip-stream of the truck the diesels shine a bit of the gassers, but you're boat doesn't fall into that category. Still you're only talking 2-4 mpg better from my experience.

Again, there's absolutely no way you can justify a diesel by a cost comparison but ultimately it's all about what you want to own. If you want a diesel, go for it, just don't think you'll save anything because of better mileage.

If it were me and I was in your boat (no pun intended) I'd keep what I had or if I really wanted a SD I'd get the V-10. There's no way I'd have a SD with the small V-8.

p.s. 12mpg towing is not bad at all.

Sparkydm · 08-16-2006, 05:57 AM

"If it were me and I was in your boat (no pun intended) I'd keep what I had or if I really wanted a SD I'd get the V-10."
Another thing to consider is are you going to keep the
truck for a while? Around here diesels keep their value better than
the gassers. Also, do you plan on getting a larger boat? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img]

morequestions · 08-16-2006, 07:29 AM

Thank you all for the input. I realize a diesel isn't a necessity for my towing needs, my interest in it was purely better mileage.
I (out of ignorance) thought the diesels got much better mileage and with such a light load it would run at the top end of the mileage range. So much for my ignorance. Again, thanks for the education...W

pabrannan · 08-16-2006, 08:21 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Thank you all for the input. I realize a diesel isn't a necessity for my towing needs, my interest in it was purely better mileage.
I (out of ignorance) thought the diesels got much better mileage and with such a light load it would run at the top end of the mileage range. So much for my ignorance. Again, thanks for the education...W

[/ QUOTE ]

You only go around once in this life, I say get the diesel and see what all the hype is about. Also, if everybody did the required maintenance on gassers that we do on diesels it would be a pretty close wash.

JMHO.........

Paul B

HenryE · 08-16-2006, 09:22 AM

I average 10 mpg pulling a high profile 10K fifth wheel camper.

Consider the diesel trucks oil filter is 10 bucks, it takes 4 gallons of oil at change, the fuel filter is maybe 28 bucks. the air filter cost a bunch more than gas. ya gotta service the radiator more, and the practicality for light towing goes down the drain if you are figuring straight money.

yep, I got one but when people ask me, first thing I say is that they are expnsive.

pabrannan · 08-16-2006, 07:35 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I average 10 mpg pulling a high profile 10K fifth wheel camper.

Consider the diesel trucks oil filter is 10 bucks, it takes 4 gallons of oil at change, the fuel filter is maybe 28 bucks. the air filter cost a bunch more than gas. ya gotta service the radiator more, and the practicality for light towing goes down the drain if you are figuring straight money.

yep, I got one but when people ask me, first thing I say is that they are expnsive.

[/ QUOTE ]

Fuel filter $15 +-, oil filter $10, 4 gallons of oil every 5k(not 3k), air filter every 60k+- miles at $60, radiator every 600k!! Yes 600k if done right. Better fuel milage(at least in my case) than a gasser, and lasting longer, I think it does become a wash. My Dodge Dakota on a good day only got 15 mpg on the highway, with my X I get 12 to 14 around town, 18 to 22 highway and 10 to 14 towing 9k TT, and it isn't even struggling.

JMHO and we all have different ones..........

Paul B

Rich807 · 08-16-2006, 08:39 PM

Here's the problem with the worth-more-money-on-the-tail-end scenario. Yes, it will book more than an gasser 5-10 years down the road but what I just found out last summer trying to sell my 99 Dodge was you have to find a needle and haystack buyer with a lot of cash in his pocket, this is hard to do. The problem is no lending institution gives a hoot whether the vehicle is diesel or not.

Basically, banks will not loan money on used cars with over 100k on them, doesn't matter one iota if it's a diesel or not.....all they see mileage and years old. So now I'm stuck looking for that "special" one-off buyer to sell my truck to i.e. someone with $15k in their pocket to buy a used truck with over 100k on it and 6 model years old.

Dealers were only offering me 7-8k for trade (basically 1/2 of low book) because they said even though the truck was very nice, it wasn't worth waiting for that "special" customer to sell it to. The average guy walking in off the street wouldn't be able to get a loan for it because of mileage and age of the truck. I eventually found that special buyer and got 15k for it but it was touch-and-go and I really did lose my rear end with all the stuff that was on the truck.

Long story short is it's easier to sell gasser used truck 5-6+ years old as what it'll book for is way more in reach of the typical shopper of a truck like that. Yes, they book for less but you paid $5k+ less up front than the same rig in diesel form.

The bottom line is get what do you want. Most people don't keep their trucks 8-10 years and 150-300k miles and even if you did either it ain't going to be worth much at that time anyway or with lower miles you're going to be hard-pressed to find a buyer with a lot of cash. I'm just looking at it from the perspective of the original poster: economically. From a purely economical standpoint 99% of the typical truck owner couldn't justify owning one (but that's not a valid reason to own one anyhow).