Gasser fuel economy

[Gondul]

Double the interval for the 6.4....... wow, I didn't know that. I guess it is a wash if that's the case.

Pretty much... or close enough to it that it didn't make a difference to me. I kept reading on much more 'expensive' it was to maintain and was somewhat surprised whent eh answer was 'not really'... I suppose if go to the dealer every time it could get pricey, but that's with anything.

The only other this I would add is that if something does happen to go south on the 6.7, they are significantly more expensive to repair.

And if you are trying to find the break even cost, this isn't too bad is somewhat simple... to me, if you need a diesel (or not) is going to be obvious... it is the folks falling in that middle area who need to really think on how they are going to use the truck.

Gas vs Diesel – A Calculator and My Thoughts

 

[hutchman]

If you want/need a diesel, it just doesn't make sense payload wise to buy a 2500. A 2500 is artificially limited to 10000# GVWR as a Class II truck. Over 10000# and it becomes a Class III truck, which causes registration problems in some states. I believe a 2500 can haul/tow more weight than they are rated for because of this artificially low rating to keep them in a Class II status, but it doesn't make sense to do so. A 3500 does not cost much more, and comes with some 2500 options standard that narrow the cost gap even more.

However, if you live in one of the states that punish you for driving a Class III truck, you have to make your own informed choice when purchasing. The choice is clear; Do I buy the truck that is rated for what I need to do, or do I buy one that is capable, but not rated for my needs to save some bucks. Each individual has to make his/her own choice, and live with that choice.

 

[CrazyHorse]

Interesting perspective. I never thought about that being in Texas and seeing the large number of 2500 vehicles on the road. I had looked a licensing requirements. Class C limits a driver to operate a vehicle not to exceed 26,000 lbs. any higher and a Class A or a temporary permit would be required.. This of course should not be possible with a diesel 2500 unless you throw 2500 towing information to the wind. On a 3500 that is possible, but my travel trailer (empty) is not over 10k. I did try and look at the rules for vehicle classes in TXDOT.gov site and could only find definition of class vehicles by axle. Of course there were pictures (lucky for me) which indicated a truck is a CLII. TXDPS has length restrictions which limits motor vehicles to 45 feet. Thx for the information, definitely something to inquire about.

 

[orlando bull]

Interesting perspective. I never thought about that being in Texas and seeing the large number of 2500 vehicles on the road. I had looked a licensing requirements. Class C limits a driver to operate a vehicle not to exceed 26,000 lbs. any higher and a Class A or a temporary permit would be required.. This of course should not be possible with a diesel 2500 unless you throw 2500 towing information to the wind. On a 3500 that is possible, but my travel trailer (empty) is not over 10k. I did try and look at the rules for vehicle classes in TXDOT.gov site and could only find definition of class vehicles by axle. Of course there were pictures (lucky for me) which indicated a truck is a CLII. TXDPS has length restrictions which limits motor vehicles to 45 feet. Thx for the information, definitely something to inquire about.

There's a guy on cumminsforum that tows RVs for a living with a 2500. He has commented that he can tow heavier legally with the 2500 than he could with a 3500 based on his states requirements for a CDL... I think he said he can do up to the 26,000lbs you mentioned GCVWR... so, with a 2500, his GVWR is 10k, so, he can tow a trailer up to a GVWR of 16k... if he had a 3500 with a GVWR of 11,800, it would reduce the trailers he can tow by that 1800lbs.

Now, most 16k GVWR trailers are probably closer to 13-14 empty, so, the real weight he is pulling is less, but, it's an interesting perspective from someone who makes his living with this truck. He also has like 450,000 miles on a 2014 I think.

 

[texas.yankee]

In Texas... 2500 are cheaper to register (registration is GVWR based... I pay more to register my trailer than any vehicle), cheaper to buy, keep you under the 26,000 lbs limit for CDL, are nearly almost always daily drivers so the smoother ride is wanted, and less likely to be bothered by CVE (commercial vehicles enforcement) or DPS in general. There's hundreds (just in the DFW area) of hot shots here that run 40' goosenecks on 2500's with diesels. Diesels get better mileage under load, too. I could use the payload to show better than 1750 lbs on the 2500 Cummins I'm getting, but I wasn't wanting the crappy ride. I'm tired of feeling every nook and cranny in the road with that stiff ass end.

Also... It's Texas... Diesel is like a right of passage here... Like Buc-ee's or The Czech Stop.

On paper the 2500 losses a lot of payload because of the 10k class vs the 3500 for sure. So if you need your paper to show you're not exceeding that, then you can't go with the 2500 with a diesel... But for the vast majority of us, 2500 diesel real world payload is fine.

 

[CrazyHorse]

LoL. Buc-ee's...... I see 2500s, 3500s, 250s, and 350s everywhere here in San Antonio as well. Since I've had my ecodiesel, I've gotten partial to diesel. Especially after the facebook generated gas panick that occured a couple of years ago. It created a shortage of gasoline that was felt all over the city and surrounding area for almost 3 weeks, crazy. Luckily, diesel was not affected. Since they are pushing out the remaining 2018's the salesman had me test drive a Laramie (originally looking for a Lonestar) that was really nice. I always stayed away from the higher end models because I don't like to get hooked.......(fail). I think I'm going to go that route as the incentives make the price very enticing. Either the 6.4 or 6.7 will fit my needs, but after @Gondul stated that maintenence costs are a wash, and the price for either at the dealership is not more than 1000.00 difference, the diesel Laramie looks to be the better option.