Gas vs Diesel for New F350 and cold weather

Why go to all the hassle of keeping a diesel warm, when the V-10 will do the job you want done just as well, or maybe even better. I've owned both & never recouped the added cost of the diesel over the cost of the V-10. The savings figures you use to get on diesels was based on the old V-8 gas hogs, not the new V-10.

Tom J

2000 V-10 & never another diesel

Most people are getting 10mpg with the V10. If that's not a gas hog than what is?

Can you get fuel that will flow at that temperature? Keeping the engine block warm is pretty easy compared to making sure the fuel doesn't gel up.

If towing some sig weight, I'm sure this is true.

I get a tad better than 11 mpg towing a 2-place enclosed snowmobile trailer at 70+ mph. I get a tad better than 12 mpg solo around town. I've seen better than 15 mpg running at 55-60 with the cruise set. My typical "combined" mileage is about 12.5 mpg. (Quite a bit of small town driving.)

You do have to be smart enough not to constantly mash the go pedal "just because you can".

All in all, this is a very economical engine. (Realizing it is 6.8L and hauling around a heavy truck.)

Matt

99 V-10 Super Duty, Super Cab 4x4

Yeah, I'd rather have that 6.8 V-10 than that ancient Chevy 8.whatever liter V-8 (descendent of the venerable but old porcupine-head big block). All in all, I still love my PSD7.3. It's not for everyone for sure. Diesels are like women: you have to learn to live with them. Can't wait to try that 6.0.

It's interesting I didn't get anyone to stick up for the diesel here. Looks like it just isn't suited for cold weather then.

As far as one mention of the fuel gelling up, isn't there an additive that prevents that? Is fuel blended specially for winter temperatures? I'm not trying to be pro-diesel, but I would think that somehow there wouldn't be these problems, or at least, a good way around them.

I'm certainly not looking for problems. I was looking for the power of a diesel and also $3 per gallon gas prices in the not so distant future. Of course, diesel fuel has to rise also, but mileage should be better. But none of this matters on the first morning I can't start the truck!

Long engine life was another value I was looking for. I regularly get 250K miles on my vehicles now, before trade in. I run synthetic oil and change between 5 and 8 thousand miles. I would expect to get 300K out of a gas engine if I needed to. Would diesel life be that much more before a rebuild was needed?

Thanks to all who answered, any further comment appreciated.

The way around the jelling fuel is to keep the engine running. The fuel is heated and pumped back into the tank from the injector pump. Number 1 diesel is sold in northern areas in winter, but it will still jell, but don't remember at what temperature, but seem to remember -20 degrees.

Tom J

Do you really want to drive any "rattle box" vehicle after 300K regardless of the condition of the engine?

The answer to that one is yes. Once I bought deisel in the lowlands then drove to Pikes Peak. Got almost to the top before the fuel gelled.made it almost to the bottom before the engine would start. One of the park rangers finally clued me in to what had happened....When in the mountains buy fuel from there. Jack

You will find lots of folks sticking up for diesels at

and it is a great forum.

Diesels are great if you tow heavy a lot and/or your truck is going to sit and idle for looooooong periods of time. Beyond that, it comes down to a personal choice of whether you want to deal with the extra hassles of owning a diesel, or whether you can live with considerably worse mileage with the gas. Me, I like the power and convenience of the gas engine and expect it to last longer than I want to own this particular truck.

Matt

99 V-10 Super Duty, Super Cab 4x4

Matt, My experience is similar to yours except my solo mileage is about

13-13.5 around town. I tow a 14,000lb 5th wheel and on a trip from California to Montreal, 8,000 miles total, I averaged 8.1mpg. Now I don't drive hard, about 60mph with the 5th wheel. That being said, my next truck will be the 6.0 diesel because of the extra torque for my load. If towing anything greater than 10,000 lb, I would recommend the diesel.

'99 F350, 4x4 CC 4.3 rear end, V10 w/Banks Power Pac.

My thoughts: I have a 2001 F350 4X4 PSD that I love. I drive alot and have a large Lance slide in camper that i live out of Spring and Fall. I got a diesel for the extra power on pulling something that is heavy and for the better MPG's. I do live a ski resort on the east coast and the fuel issue is something that I had trouble with last year once, that was the first year with the diesel so the learning curve was steep at times but this year everything is going great. I do use a diesel addictive and that works great, last year was cutting my diesel with Kero and that was fine but the addictive is better I think. On really cold morning, like -5 or so, it does take awhile to start, just have to be patient with it. I do use the block heater but that only heats the block, the fuel can still gel on you, had that problem last year the one time that it froze up on me, it ran for about 4 min and then while I was driving it just stopped, kinda hard to push a rig that big just out of the road:) I know that with the diesel you have to pay more in the beginning, I think that you will make that back up with mpg's along with when you go to trade it in. I traded in our old F350 PSD last summer, it was a

2000 with 161,000 on it and still got a great trade in deal on it... Happy shopping, Chris

Lotsa folks gave lots of good advise here so I'll just add my two cents worth. Talk to any big rig driver - they will tell you that you have to add additive to keep the fuel from gelling when it is cold . I'm told that most fuel stations don't add anything because they don't know what each driver has added (this is from a man who runs a terminal). So it is up to you. The PS will run forever. The V-10 - assuming you have one without the exploding heads - will run probably longer than most people will keep their truck. If you are like me that put 300,000 on their last _car_, I'd opt for the diesel (in fact mine is arriving in Feb) and put up with the minor inconveniences. Of course, perhaps that is a little easier for me to say living in Las Vegas where the biggest friggin' problem I have found is to find a station that sells diesel. However, there is something about that sound of a diesel just makes your blood warm no matter what temp.

i have been saying all along that the v 10 is a gas hog, but it is your decision as to what you buy. i have a diesel, it starts without pluging in all the time. it is 2 degrees now, and i just went to the store with not ever a hickup.

This is my second year with my E350 7.3 PSD and I have to say in spite of the stink I love that engine. My van is loaded to the hilt and my mileage is high enough that I use it as my personal vehicle. I had a Ford Contour that I really liked but I found myself never driving it anymore so I gave it to my son for graduation. I have no problems starting the PSD and right now it's -10F. I never seem to have any problems finding fueling stations that sell Diesel. Like I said before, they aren't for everybody and they require a considerate owner to maintain neighborly peace ( I never leave mine idling outside for more than 2 minutes).

EFK, I just went through this discussion with myself the last few weeks. The conclusion: If you tow more than 20% of the time then the Diesel pays off. At today's Fuel prices this is around 41,000 miles till your start saving money over the purchase of the Diesel.

Michelle

EFK wrote:

It's hilarious at our shop in the winter. We get service calls from long haul truckers commin up from the deep south somewhere to Alberta all the time....... I can't get my rig started...... Where did you last fill up....... Some where down south...... Look in the tank, does it look like jello.... Yes.... OK, we'll be there as soon as we can. We get there, the dude doesn't even have decent jacket and it's like -35C or -40C.

My F250 6.0 PSD is going through an unusually cold New England winter without incident. It didn't go above freezing for almost the entire month of January, and for a two week period, the temperature averaged -10F to -15F below zero. I never had a starting problem.

I remember my Army days in Germany. I was a radar technician, and made many trips to the tops of mountains in a deuce and a half, and I don't ever recall a problem with fuel gelling - though there were many dead batteries. Some mornings, it was so cold, the tires froze flat on the bottom, and it took a couple of miles (a bumpy couple of miles) before they warmned up and rounded out again.

With a little extra attention, diesels are quite reliable in very cold weather.

i have had my diesel for 18 years now ,and NEVER pluged it in, and only one time it would not start,and that was when it was 40 degrees out. the glow plug controler went. this thing had no problem sitting on top of a mountain in main for 2 weeks at 20 below. i cycled the glow plugs 2 times, and it fired rite up.