Nunya,
I think you got your math wrong. There is absolutely no way in hell that I
will EVER own another gasoline driven vehicle. Fuel economy is one of the
lowest elements of the "Total Cost of Owner****p" (TCO). I do agree that
using a 3.5 ton truck to get groceries is improper use of the vehicle.
That's not my point. The fact that US auto makers are not offereing 2 & 3
Liter diesels is the problem. The Europeans have it correct. On another
point, sulpher in the fuel does not help an engine and it is not a
lubricant. Sulpher in all oil is the main contributer to the formulation
of
sulpheric acid, which ac***ulates in the lube oil because of water
condensation that occurs every time the engine crosses the dew point. This
is what corrodes the oil. There are far more diesels in use in Europe and
the fuel there has been sulpher free for a very long time with absolutely
no
ill effects. The small diesel vehicle in Europe consistantly see mileage
like 60 MPG regularly. Remember, engine wear goes up with engine speed.
Diesels have no air control and make their power at lower engine speeds
saving significant wear over the gasoline driven couterparts. The run onto
diesels in Europe has been so profound that the governments in Europe have
lost serious revenue as fuel is severly taxed to the point that the road
tax
and duties on diesels and diesel fuel have been drastically increased to
compensate. Please also note that diesel has 25% more latent energy by
volume over gasoline and if the fuel is ONLY $.50 more per gallon, you are
still getting a super deal. After all, you pay by volume, not weight.
Steve
"nunya" <nunya@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:DO6Gj.25639$r76.6038@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> "GeekBoy" <abuse@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
> news:47e8c1f5$0$30514$4c368faf@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>
>> "Phyloe" <scott_lindemann@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
>>
news:e3a8f192-b7e6-471b-ae8b-4ab439f75e7e@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>> I have a 2000, 1500 extended cab truck with a 318 EFI automatic with
>>> overdrive. I would like to use my upcoming tax rebate to do some
>>> modifications to try to get better gas milage. With $600 in hand what
>>> would be the best way to accomplish my goal? Headers? Is there an
>>> electronic modification I can make? I only get about 15 mpg no matter
>>> how conservative I drive.
>>> Phyloe
>>
>>
>> Trade it in and use the extra $600 for a down payment on a diesel and
get
>> 25 MPG
>
> a diesel is not a money saving vehicle anymore unless you are using it
for
> towing heavy loads almost daily. first you figure in the extra 6k on
your
> purchase price over a gas burner. then you figure in the extra cost to
> service. 12 quarts of rotella, fuel filter and such for every service
is
> much more expensive than the service costs on a gas burner. then add in
> an extra 50 cents a gallon for fuel, this is going to stay that way due
to
> the new low sulphur requirements, then the addition of a decent
lubricant
> to the fuel to make up for the lack of sulphur. for daily driving a
> diesel is just not as good of a deal as it used to be even with the
extra
> fuel mileage.
>
> i have been considering a new truck. i did the math to see where the
> break even point on the diesel over gas burner would become advantagous.
> after figuring the additional cost of purchase, service and fuel
compared
> to the little tad of extra fuel economy the calculator said that the
> diesel would not save me a dime until somewhere in the 250,000 to
300,000
> mile range. that was compared to a 1500 with a 360. when i did the
> comparason to a dakota then the diesel was never going to catch up
> economically.
>
> i have a 2500 4x4 diesel and when i filled it up last week it cost 140
> dollars. of course it does get 19mpg on average. my wife drives this
> truck as her daily driver. i have a 1500 4x4 with a 360. at 285,000
> miles on the clock it gets an average of 12 mpg. it is my personal
daily
> driver. i use it for short to medium length trips. when i have a
longer
> trip i have a 4x4 dakota with a magnum v-6. it gets 19 mpg just like
the
> diesel does. but the gasoline costs much less and the service cost is
> less than half that of the 2500's.
>
> on days where i am just taking myself somewhere i ride a motorcycle. my
> three harleys average over 40 mpg between them. sunday i had to drive
80
> miles round trip to visit my mom for Easter. it would have cost me 16
> bucks in the diesel, 23 bucks in the 1500, or 14 dollars in the dakota.
i
> rode the harley and when i got back home it took 6.50 dollars worth of
> fuel to fill it up. the proper tool for the job... you don't use a
> slegde hammer for driving finish nails in trim. you don't necessarily
> need a ***mins powered diesel for a passenger vehicle.
> michael
>
> p.s. remember all this is coming from a guy who likes everything jumbo
> sized and my wife is worse than i am. she was a long haul trucker for
> over a decade and then spent about 5 years driving a tandom dump truck.
> she refuses to drive something small so i don't worry about the cost of
> keeping her in the ***mins. if economy was a primary issue she would be
> in a v-6 dakota.
>
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