School me on Diesel trucks

[Kartracer]

You a canuck? Actually I think it would be nice if people in this country lived BELOW their means so this economy would get turned around. I just don't see the need for Susie soccer mom to be terrorizin the roads in a jacked up 4x4 diesel dually just because she wants it for some sort of status symbol.

Glad you came to your senses Alex, now is the worst time to get any kind of loan.

Way to stereotype diesels owners. That uneducated attitude is a huge part of our problem in this country.

As much as our regulations hurt them, diesels are still more efficient. The TDI owners are still getting 50 mpg. If someone actually introduced a small diesel in a subcompact, the hybrid's would be blown away.

[150aintenuff]

That's exactly what I'm talking about!!! I do think the new TDI's will show they get in the 50's for manual transmissions. I truly believe the clean diesel technology helps the environment and oil cunsumption of a nation. One question I haven't seen answered.....What happens to all those batteries in the hybrids when they need replacing?? I believe they are NiMH....talk about poluting the planet.

I'm hopeful that we ( U.S. ) have more choices of clean diesel powered vehicles....I think they'll show hybrid technology to be complex and inferrior.

Wayne

a prius has the emmissions foot print of a Tahoe and a suburban combined when you take in to account the batteries and their pollutants

[Senderofan]

a prius has the emmissions foot print of a Tahoe and a suburban combined when you take in to account the batteries and their pollutants

I had suspected the potential environmental impact would be huge with all the batteries that will need to be disposed of. Guess there are still some folks that can't / won't accept the fact that clean diesel technology is extremely beneficial to our country....Perhaps with time they'll come to understand...if they can truly open their minds and objectively examine the technology out there.

Wayne

[steady streamin]

checkmate -- i got a 07 6.7 and i love it. Bought it brand new and already have 70k miles on it, without a single problem. It has the six speed auto, which is much smoother than the 5.9 old 4 speed auto, get about 17 on the highway at 75 with 35's(do have two chips though) and if emission crap is a problem they have a half of dozen emission removers out on the market. just my two cents... i say get it.

[ford_forgotton]

Im a ford guy, and even I tell ppl to stay away from the 6.0 and the 6.4 trucks. Good ole 7.3 for me. Even then, stick to the late 99 to 2000 models, as the 2001's switched to powdered metal rods, and they explode right around 400 rear wheel HP and take out the block. late 99 and 2000 still had the forged rods. Good to a little over 500hp.

Early 99 superduties (build date 3/99 and earlier) were a bastardized mix of early style powerstroke (97 model) and late model powerstroke (99.5 and up). Weird injector size, weird turbo size, some goofy suspension changes, no front ABS, and an undersized steering sector shaft that would break.

The upside to the fords is, they look the best of all three makes (ford/dodge/chevy) but make the lowest "peak" HP.

Dodges are too cramped, until they came out with the mega cab, but even then, you could only get a shortbox, so you had to get a custom frame stretch and longbed conversion done after you bought it. The dodge motor makes some of the highest peak HP numbers, but have a pretty tight RPM range they like to run in. The powerstrokes can really stretch their legs in the RPM dept.

The chevies prolly make the highest peak HP number right now with the duramax motor, and the EFI Live tuning setup. 1000hp is not unheard of with fuel only. Biggest downside to the chevy is the front suspension. Its a beefed up car suspension. But not beefed up enough. They snap tie rod ends like candy canes. Most of the race trucks I see at the track can point their front tires at each other on a good launch, or heavy sled pull. Solid Axle conversion is the only "true" fix. Ive even seen some tow rigs snap the front tie rods, and they werent race trucks or abused.

As for cost of diesel, that doesnt concern me. I run vegetable oil and bio-diesel dependning on availability. And with research into algae based bio-diesel, and some other waste reclimation and bio-mass conversions coming into play also, then gasoline and even ethanol fuels become pointless. Only reason ethanol has any play in this game at all is HEAVY lobbying and some really deep pockets funding them.

I wouldnt touch ANY of the new diesels with the emissions crap on them. ALL of them get horrible mileage, and Im not convinced they are any cleaner than my older powerstroke running on bio-D (well, except for NOX emissions, thats the one emission that goes UP with bio-d, all the rest go significantly down)

[mrcrsr]

don't forget also the ford and dodges w/ their weak transmissions, the dodge w/ front end issues, i agree that gm could've built a beefier front end though, but at 100 k miles i haven't had any issues w/ it, the only thing ever to go wrong w/ my 04 dmax 4x4 was the injectors and it was covered under warranty, as for the comments for the guys w/ the gas trucks, consider the fuel mileage difference, i get 18-20 mpg most of the time, my old ford 5.4 gas 3/4 ton was lucky to get 13 mpg, let alone towing something it would go down drastically, and the pos started to burn up the trans at 90 k miles, and as for small diesels, my wife's jetta tdi(2002) auto gets 40 mpg running 85 mph!!! screw the hybrids, when they look at co2 production they should look at the total sum including making the vehicle

[Senderofan]

don't forget also the ford and dodges w/ their weak transmissions, the dodge w/ front end issues, i agree that gm could've built a beefier front end though, but at 100 k miles i haven't had any issues w/ it, the only thing ever to go wrong w/ my 04 dmax 4x4 was the injectors and it was covered under warranty, as for the comments for the guys w/ the gas trucks, consider the fuel mileage difference, i get 18-20 mpg most of the time, my old ford 5.4 gas 3/4 ton was lucky to get 13 mpg, let alone towing something it would go down drastically, and the pos started to burn up the trans at 90 k miles, and as for small diesels, my wife's jetta tdi(2002) auto gets 40 mpg running 85 mph!!! screw the hybrids, when they look at co2 production they should look at the total sum including making the vehicle

Right On Brother!! I've got 110K on the clock...mine is an early 2002..so I had headgaskets go ( GM had too light of torque specs...they increased them two months after my truck was built.) And I had injectors replaced at 78K..on GM's dime. The front end issue was solved years ago by putting on sleeves...

My truck has been modded since it had 18,000 miles. She runs as strong today as then...and still gets great fuel economy alone or towing. I'm glad to see the Jetta TDI's are coming back. I'd like to replace my wife's TroubleBlazer.

Happy Motoring,

Wayne

[mrcrsr]

not to mention my friends 04 f250 diesel 4x4, that had a nasty habit of dropping into reverse on its own (talk about raising the blood pressure!) turned out to be an electrical problem, and i remember the boat haulers w/ the powerstrokes complaining about the transmissions going all the time, can't beat an allison!! all you have to do is look in the back of summit or jegs, dodge and ford both have transmission improvement parts, wonder why there are none listed for the allison??!!

[Senderofan]

Well...There are some serious upgrades for the Allison as well. I went with SunCoast..but there's ATS and a few others. If the Duramax is stock...the stock Allison will hold up great....but put the coals to her...then you start burning frictions / steels and going into "Limp" mode. With a beefed up tranny and a good torque convertor...life is really good!

Wayne

[motorheadbishop]

'Dodge'- Main shaft in tranny (weak) Beleave me I've broken two of them, and have been thru 6 clutches... Ceramic clutch in it
now and its the Shat!!! When it locks up its locked...
Fuel milage:
HWY 24.5 mpg @ 78mph
City 21mpg (no load) 14.5-15 (pullen 7k lbs work trailer)

Dyno 596 HP @ 1422 Fpt (w/ 100 shot of NOS)
Best E.T. 12.96 @ 109mph

[Senderofan]

'Dodge'- Main shaft in tranny (weak) Beleave me I've broken two of them, and have been thru 6 clutches... Ceramic clutch in it
now and its the Shat!!! When it locks up its locked...
Fuel milage:
HWY 24.5 mpg @ 78mph
City 21mpg (no load) 14.5-15 (pullen 7k lbs work trailer)

Dyno 596 HP @ 1422 Fpt (w/ 100 shot of NOS)
Best E.T. 12.96 @ 109mph

I'll bet you smile every time you get out on the road!! Life is pretty good sitting behind the wheel of a performance enhanced diesel pick up.

Wayne