Truck mileage

What can a guy expect in mileage in a 3/4 ton when comparing gas to diesel? Im talking new truck.

silverado vortex 6.0 (gas) 2500 HD 11.7mpg w/ slide in camper pulling a 18′ boat
approx 14.5mpg straight up

That is a huge question. lots of variables. 2WD/4WD, cab choices, motor options wallet, Amount of driving you do, etc. Throw in any discounts rebates etc, crazy!
your best bet is to look at the stcker mileage only, cause you’ll get different answers from somebody who dropped 34K on a truck.
last, for me, mileage is the very last thing to look at when shopping for new wheels. I’m not gonna let a few miles a gallon jack up the price and interest for a new truck. I’d rather take the money saved get after market options to get more power, and mileage.
So since I’ve not helped you at all, here is my choice for a new truck, If the money was there,(its not!):
GMC 2500, reg cab, short box, 2WD, loaded interior, biggest gas engine they can put in it. 4:10 gears. then I’d get on the aftermarket bandwagon, lower it a bit, intake, exhaust, fan. That would be my new truck. I’ve searched and nothing north.
Good luck in your search, sept oct should bring great deals on leftovers, you pick the brand. 3/4 tons go real cheap then.

My dad has a 03 3/4ton with the 6.0 and he gets 11-13mpg empty and 9-10 with his slide in camper towing a 618t ranger. My uncle has a 3/4 ton diesel and he gets around 17mpg empty.

Diesels are not “stickered”…. for example a RAM 3/4 ton with the HEMI will do an honest (real world) 12-15 city/hwy. With a diesel, you’ll do 15-20 city/hwy. For alot of towing, hands down the diesel Have fun shopping

Right Glen, thats why semi tractors are diesel.

I went through the same thing in the last 10 months did research on online forums and ordered my new Chevy 2500HD Duramax cc sb 4×4 just after the first of the year.

I’ve got under 5k miles on it. Hwy empty 17.5 to 22.5. In town stop and go 12 to 14.5 (would be more if I had more freeway miles. Pulling my 5k trailer in the big hills around Branson MO interstate 13.5 to 14.5. My life time average is now 14.41. This is all hand calculated and I’m keeping an excel file on the truck.

When I split up my driving in town, hwy, pulling, I figured it will take me 5 to 7 years to break even on the additional cost of the Duramax/Allison up charge. This is just concerning fuel cost and millage difference between it to a gasser. Diesel will resale higher, I expect to have this truck for 10ish years. Mine is quite, clean, smokeless, stinkless and a dream to drive pulling or not.

Chevy sounds like they are coming out with the new lineup starting in 2013 and the HD’s in 2014.

Good Luck!

Get a Diesel, everybody always says its cheaper to be over powered when you start and downgrade if you have to, but if you need more power thats when it gets expensive.

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silverado vortex 6.0 (gas) 2500 HD 11.7mpg w/ slide in camper pulling a 18′ boat
approx 14.5mpg straight up

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I get about the same with a HD 3500 one ton Chev – same motor. Loaded bed with glass topper pulling an 18 foot glass boat.

-J.

I know my 2008 Tundra is a heavy duty 1/2 ton…but when I added a topper last summer instead of a bed cover, my gas mileage dropped from average of 17 to around 15 mpg.
Sure didn’t know that would happen!

Everyone says go Diesel for Towing and my experience with Gas says they’re right.

2-friends have virtually Identical F-350 QuadCabs with a 8ft box and tow 21ft Bass Boats with a 250hp.
1) Has the older Big 10L? Diesel: Towing = 18mpg
2) Has the smaller 7.4L? Diesel: Towing = 14 mpg.

I run a 03 Jeep Liberty w/V-6 3.7L:
Non-towing Tops @ 21mpg, average = 18mpg,
Towing my 1500# Aluminum drops to 16 if I’m lightfooted (i.e.: under 60mph), but generally drops to (13-13.5 depending on wind) when I am towing at 70mph.

My wife’s Grand Cherokee w/Hemi V-8, no change in mileage when towing my boat or not. The HEMI does not realize the boat is there, runs pretty much at 14mpg city or hwy, but given that, If ya gotta move, she takes right off.

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1) Has the older Big 10L? Diesel: Towing = 18mpg
2) Has the smaller 7.4L? Diesel: Towing = 14 mpg.

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I think you have that bassackwards the older was 7.4 the newer was 6.0 in the deisels.

if your talking new truck, the 2 last things you worry about are mileage and resale value. AS soon as those 2 things come out of the salesman’s mouth, leave. we all know that diesel has better mileage and better for towing but has a higher intial cost. Gas is cheaper but has worse fuel economy. If you got money to burn go diesel… I myself would rather spend that money on a nice interior, or a bigger model truck.
come labor day, go shoppin’!!

The diesel will get better mileage. But the fuel will cost quite a bit more. The only experience I can give you is with my truck.

My mileage is better with a F350 Diesel than it had been with a F150 5.4. Just a little better empty and also just a little bit better when pulling an 18′ boat. I have the diesel because I have farm equipment that gets moved around that would be difficult to impossible with a gasser. Now when winter rolls around and you start running winter blend diesel, you will see the mileage on the diesel drop and the fuel cost go up

What has not been mentioned yet is maintenance costs.

Oil change: Filter on my diesel is $15, and it takes 15 quarts of oil. Where I think on my gas truck it was a $3.50 filter and 6 quarts of oil.

Air Filter: $60 for the diesel, and I think it was around $12 for the gas truck.

Fuel Filter: Every 15,000 miles $70

I am happy with my truck and so far (110,000 miles) it has been bullet proof. But you should know there are a lot of little costs that you may not see on the surface.

I think you might be also doing your service intervals 2x’s as often on the gasser as opposed to the diesel?