350 Tremor - Diesel or Gas?

[Velvet Elvis]

I wouldnt say youre wrong. But, i would say youve never driven a boosted Godzilla

Thats a big reason I got the 7.3. I work from home and the most I typically drive is 5 miles to the gym 4x a week and 5 miles to meet a buddy for a beer every Friday.

And I tow a <7000 camper -5 X a year.

For My use case I’d rather have the $10K sitting in my bank account than in my driveway.

Totally makes sense for your usage.

Diesels don't like short trips, I'm told.

Hell, gassers don't like short trips either, but you're a lot better off with one.

Be sure and let her clear her throat occasionally!

 

[Velvet Elvis]

I wouldnt say youre wrong. But, i would say youve never driven a boosted Godzilla

As a toy.. awesome.

As a work truck. .. Meh..

My truck stays loaded with tools, pulls a trailer full of tools quite often, and has 18,000 miles on it since Thanksgiving.

The lowest elevation it typically sees is 7,000 ft, and i top 12,000 at least twice a week.

For my purposes, there was only one choice.

Yeah, that 7.3 will do it... but the difference in efficiency and effort is comical.

No fucking way am i paying to feed a thirsty big block up here. Blower or not.

 

[MelonPicker]

That’s not waiting for a regen that’s failing super basic maintenance and running yourself out of def when the stuff lasts thousands of miles in these trucks and is available basically everywhere

If only things had worked that way back in 2008/2009!

Before 2010, there was no def infrastructure for heavy trucks. But in my case it wouldn’t have mattered. At the time, the EPA and industry were still trying to sort things out, and it’s my recollection that you would get derated for minor things that would now be a MIL event. With preproduction hardware, minor things that trigger fault detection are pretty much a constant.

 

[Apples]

Be sure and let her clear her throat occasionally!

Back in the day it was called the "Italian tune-up".

The lowest elevation it typically sees is 7,000 ft, and i top 12,000 at least twice a week.

This is where forced induction really pays off. Altitude.

At 6000' (typically my highest ASL commonly driven) my 500/500 Godzilla is down +/- 20-25% power.

But it's that way for every N/A motor up there and the Godzilla Tremor still runs and sounds awesome through the Borla S-Type, so there's that.

 

[The Evil Twin]

4 pages and no answer? Ugh.

 

[Apples]

4 pages and no answer? Ugh.

We are forced to admit this topic question is categorically rhetorical.

Kinda like, "Which came first? The chicken or the egg?"

 

[Tremorlaw]

if you tow heavy routinely, diesel. If not, probably cosplaying with an oil burner.

If no towing, get 7.3 or f150 raptor

 

[Optimus🤖]

We are forced to admit this topic question is categorically rhetorical.

Kinda like, "Which came first? The chicken or the egg?"

The egg. Even if you mean specifically a "chicken egg," two bird ancestors that were almost chickens (proto-chickens) mated and produced a genetic mutation in a zygote, creating the first true chicken. That first chicken hatched from an egg.

 

[ramv]

Oh, one more pro for diesel (Ford and Ram only)... More gauges. I love my boost and engine brake gauges and like to keep an eye on DEF % and DPF level. This is only if you are a nerd who likes more data. I do have the Edge CTS in my cart on Amazon so I can watch the ECM calculated EGT and fuel pressure (and take little to no action.... but jot it down for next time.)

Once I found out the C8 Corvette had an eLSD gauge if got the option (Z51) I was like I have to have that. (I didn't buy a Corvette but talked my g/f out of buying the non-Z51 one she test drove.)

More useful, the exhaust/engine brake is really nice with the trailer. I drove a lot of older diesels (7.3/6.0s) and the new VGT turbos and the controls make going down hill painless compared to a gasser. Not that it can't be done (I towed a 16k lb trailer from Denver to Moab and back with my 8.1 Chevy and had no issue but you definitely have to manage the brake application and really be mindfully of slowing hard and then letting it speed back up 10 mph and then braking hard again. These new diesels are almost set and forget.)

 

[Canyon Trekker]

The egg. Even if you mean specifically a "chicken egg," two bird ancestors that were almost chickens (proto-chickens) mated and produced a genetic mutation in a zygote, creating the first true chicken. That first chicken hatched from an egg.

Maybe it was two Monotremes, and one didn't want to breed, it was chicken.

 

[McE]

*Insert profound common-sense statement that gives credit to both options based on use case*

 

[JM454]

As a toy.. awesome.

As a work truck. .. Meh..

My truck stays loaded with tools, pulls a trailer full of tools quite often, and has 18,000 miles on it since Thanksgiving.

The lowest elevation it typically sees is 7,000 ft, and i top 12,000 at least twice a week.

For my purposes, there was only one choice.

Yeah, that 7.3 will do it... but the difference in efficiency and effort is comical.

No fucking way am i paying to feed a thirsty big block up here. Blower or not.

Every engine I own is a thirsty big block, once you come to terms with it life is sunflowers and roses. MPG? Never heard of her.

 

[Velvet Elvis]

Every engine I own is a thirsty big block, once you come to terms with it life is sunflowers and roses. MPG? Never heard of her.View attachment 264909

Sexy.

 

[Chadx]

...This is where forced induction really pays off. Altitude.

At 6000' (typically my highest ASL commonly driven) my 500/500 Godzilla is down +/- 20-25% power.

But it's that way for every N/A motor up there and the Godzilla Tremor still runs and sounds awesome through the Borla S-Type, so there's that.

I believe the general rule of thumb is that a non-boosted gasoline engine loses approximately 3% of its horsepower for every 1,000 feet of elevation gain over sea level. So typically down 18% at 6,000ft. Though there could be more details/specs I'm not aware of that influence your situation and would be interesting to hear.

 

[4wheels and a hitch]

This thread has gone on for so long, I can't remember if I voted or not.
Gas for us old guys that love to hear 445 cubic inches sound off when needed.

 

[Tremorlaw]

There’s also the idea that you are adding 800lbs to the front axle, and hundreds of pounds in emissions equipment around the truck, just for the 5x a year you may tow, which could easily be done with a 150. Don’t see any reason to get a diesel unless you use it for work or tow 15k+ routinely. And this is coming from someone who owned a high output.

 

[McE]

Diesel vs gas is like busting a nut with a ho vs making love to a 9 - diesel gets the job done, the other you marry

 

[Chadx]

Diesel vs gas is like busting a nut with a ho vs making love to a 9 - diesel gets the job done, the other you marry

Now I'm even more confused. Are we supposed to marry the ho or the 9?

 

[McE]

Now I'm even more confused. Are we supposed to marry the ho or the 9?

Depends on whether you're trying to take your time and enjoy the view or just get there as fast as possible

But make sure you do your part - one wrong move and either of them could leave you stranded and take half your savings...

 

[Slem351]

As a toy.. awesome.

As a work truck. .. Meh..

My truck stays loaded with tools, pulls a trailer full of tools quite often, and has 18,000 miles on it since Thanksgiving.

The lowest elevation it typically sees is 7,000 ft, and i top 12,000 at least twice a week.

For my purposes, there was only one choice.

Yeah, that 7.3 will do it... but the difference in efficiency and effort is comical.

No fucking way am i paying to feed a thirsty big block up here. Blower or not.

Oh absolutely! Some of us have the privilage of being well off enough to not be a slave to the grind and live at reasonable altitudes. My rig is absolutely a toy as are my other 5 cars and rigs. Only thing the Tremor is for is to tow a prepped Raptor 1000-1500 miles west to go play in the sand. But itll tow the Raptor, all my tools and camping gear, food and some fire wood with ease across the Great Divide. Its an excellent overlander. And when the diesel bubbas get antsy and think they have a hot truck they cant keep up with the boosted Zilla