The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Tons 'o Fun Gas or Diesel in a modified 1-ton

My reply,
1. Noise to the neighbors: I like that noise, make that noise and won't claim to be anybody's friend in this respect. Of course I am hard of hearing and would not have a gaser without loud exhaust, rumble rumble on engine brake.
2. Noise of the engine: Yeah, I miss that sexy throaty sound of a build SBC getting it on. In the cab of 2002 and newer diesels one doesn't hardly hear a thing from the engine. Outside my 2002 Cummins is LOUD next to a newer Duramax or Powerstroke, but in the cab not so. Mash the pedal and you feeeel the acceleration, not hear it.
3. Working on: I'm no expert on either, but cut my teeth on pre-computer SBC. I've had to learn diesels since moving to the farm. I would rather learn the diesel computer tech than for the new gas engines. You can get a diesel as new as '98 that is non-computer but not gas. In fact I have both a LS1 and a 02 Cummins available for donor to the 65 one ton, Its the Cummins thats going in. So I best learn.
4. Torque band: Now this (I guess all of this) is subjective but I can feel the torque of the Cummins pulling 10K of hay over the rolling hills of eastern Kansas while in the gas rigs I down shift. Fuel consumption does decrease with load in diesel but not as much as in gas, it seems.
5. Smell: What smell? Ditto veg oil comments above. (I didn't know about burning engine oil though)Compare the additives and toxicity of gas to diesel. Compare the waste products in refining them. Wait a minute, I remember the smell of diesel back in the 70-80's. Seems I don't smell that until I get to a Truck Stop and the big rigs. My Cummins certainly does not have body odor.
6. Economy: That band is narrowing but in my book is not there yet. My '98 Trans Am (I transgress into cars, but they do put LS engines in one tons) with a LS1 engine has 160K miles (who would of thought that possible in the 1980s) and going strong but repair bills are close to the Cummins. The Cummins has 194K and is almost broke in, life span speaking. Ls1 gets a healthy 18 mpg at 65 mph on cruise and 5-6 mpg if you look at the gas pedal. Cummins gets 19-21 mpg at 75 with A/C blasting on cruise with up to 3000 payload and doesn't change much no matter what you do to the pedal. So until gas prices are less than half of diesel prices, diesel fuel economy wins hands down.

Another post mentions stop and go daily driving as a waste of a good diesel, not so with the newer designs. I don't argue that constant use would improve the life-span efficeincy of the diesel, I think my diesel does just fine as an around town versus on the road. I do equal amount of both. The only time I get nervous is when the temperatures drop to below -15' F and I'm not around electrical power. Seems that I read that at Chosin Reservoir in 1950 in Korea, they left the jeeps (gas) running for fear of not being able to get them restarted (-30-40' F).

Shifting: I like to shift. I fall asleep too easily in an automatic. I prefer the manual in snow, ice, mud, hauling and every day driving, even in stop and go traffic. Just me though.

Lastly, my new thoughts on chips. My 06 Cummins, recently bought 2nd hand with a chip (Bully ?) already in it, gets as good or better fuel milage on performance setting as on stock setting. And it will out run the LS1. Its the only time I've heard a diesel lope at idle.

But then the diesel versus gas discussion is akin to politics or religion. You are not going to convert a true believer with argument no matter how compasionately you speak, right?