Hows is a Ford V10 for pulling?

[Transporter]

Anybody that thinks pulling a sled trailer with a couple sleds requires a diesel and is a heavy load is out to lunch.

 

[Vern]

I have heard the 8.1L chev uses alot of oil, like 1qt every 1000 miles. Is this true on the newer ones?

I know the V10 had some problems that were suposed to be fixed in 2003 ( like blowing spark plugs out the hole).

normaly the 8.1s will use about a quart every 3000 miles so not to bad. unless theres other issues, ive seen some use a bit more and some a bit less.

as far as the people claiming huge fuel mileage advantages(like the 19-20+mpgs) by having a diesel i dont buy it unless its an old early to mid 90s diesel. ive never seen a newer diesel after say 99 get any better than around 14-15mpgs in normal mixed city/highway driving. which yes is a bit better than the gassers but not a huge margin. my 8.1 gets about 11 mpgs, but that is no matter what, empty, loaded or hotrodding in the city, havent done any highway driving in mine yet, but my brothers reg. cab 8.1 got 16 once with three dirt bikes in the back and all our camping gear on a long trip.

 

[94fordguy]

Anybody that thinks pulling a sled trailer with a couple sleds requires a diesel and is a heavy load is out to lunch.

ya, I was just thinking the same thing... apparently 2,000 lbs is too much weight for anything less than a 1 ton diesel with a tuner and 4" lift

 

[treemongrol]

I've got a 98 crewcab longbox chev with the 7.4 in it. Friend has 03 ford clubcab shortbox with v10, when were loaded the same he can't keep up to me, gas mileage wise, there close I have a bigger tank, but were anywhere from 9 to 12 depending how it's being drove

 

[XC700116]

My best friend had a 99 F350 with the V10. Great truck and actually wasn't that bad on Gas even when pulling 13-14 unloaded and 9-11 with a 24 ft enclosed and loaded behind it.

Then he traded it in on a 06 F 350 with the "new and improved" V10. It BLOWS. Very poor shift pattern for pulling, 12 MPG at best unloaded and with the same 24 ft trailer on our trip year before last we averaged 4-5 MPG from MN to Island park Id and back.

He's not happy.

 

[freak58trio]

I've got an 04' v-10 super cab and love the thing with my sled deck
and two sled's i'll get 12.5 -13.0 going over I-90 from the west side
the only problem that ford and most people that have had these motors
is the spark plugs/ holes only having a few threads on them and if over tightened they will shoot out the head resulting in you having the
head heely coiled. Too bad Ford has never fixed this problem i believe
99' through current have this problem.

 

[Snorider]

the v-10's pull good, but you just have to remember that they are not low rpm torque monsters. they need to be wound up. I have friends that have dodge and ford v-10s and they do good when you have the higher rpms. It just takes getting used to running more R's. THats probably the reason I love my 8.1L. It's a torque monster and just feels like it has more pulling grunt on the hills to me.

But each to their own. and a quart of oil for a 1k of hard towing seems a little high but probably not. All of the 8.1L that i know of(including mine) go through a quart oil in 1500 to 2k miles of hard towing. unloaded driving i have gone road triping for almost 2k miles and wasn't down even a quater of a quart.

 

[Billygoat]

ya, I was just thinking the same thing... apparently 2,000 lbs is too much weight for anything less than a 1 ton diesel with a tuner and 4" lift

a loaded 4 place enclosed weighs closer to 6k, which I know still isn't a whole lot, but at high elevations the turbo diesel is much nicer. It never leaves overdrive where the gasser shifts around. If you are at a low elevation the gasser probably pulls it fine. Another thing is if you were to own a 10k+ camper, then a diesel is pretty much needed if you plan on towing anywhere besides flat ground and still wanting to maintain speed.

It is nice never having it shift on you. My truck (1500 Ram Hemi) will pull a lighter trailer fine and in overdrive down the flat highways, but in the hills it likes its RPM's. A diesel will just keep trucking along without shifting. Another thing where the diesel shines is when you have to recover speed lost in climbing a hill if someone pulls out in front of you. the diesel will come back up to speed much faster than the gasser. same story when passing.

 

[Snorider]

a loaded 4 place enclosed weighs closer to 6k, which I know still isn't a whole lot, but at high elevations the turbo diesel is much nicer. It never leaves overdrive where the gasser shifts around. If you are at a low elevation the gasser probably pulls it fine. Another thing is if you were to own a 10k+ camper, then a diesel is pretty much needed if you plan on towing anywhere besides flat ground and still wanting to maintain speed.

It is nice never having it shift on you. My truck (1500 Ram Hemi) will pull a lighter trailer fine and in overdrive down the flat highways, but in the hills it likes its RPM's. A diesel will just keep trucking along without shifting. Another thing where the diesel shines is when you have to recover speed lost in climbing a hill if someone pulls out in front of you. the diesel will come back up to speed much faster than the gasser. same story when passing.

Let me take your for a drive in my 8.1L with my gooseneck loaded on mountain passes. I'll change your opinion, cause My truck dosen't shift around like you would think.

the biggest factor that plays into it is how much fuel your going to consume doing it.


also what motor do you have in your 1/2 ton dodge?

it helps comparing apples to apples

 

[94fordguy]

a loaded 4 place enclosed weighs closer to 6k, which I know still isn't a whole lot, but at high elevations the turbo diesel is much nicer. It never leaves overdrive where the gasser shifts around. If you are at a low elevation the gasser probably pulls it fine. Another thing is if you were to own a 10k+ camper, then a diesel is pretty much needed if you plan on towing anywhere besides flat ground and still wanting to maintain speed.

It is nice never having it shift on you. My truck (1500 Ram Hemi) will pull a lighter trailer fine and in overdrive down the flat highways, but in the hills it likes its RPM's. A diesel will just keep trucking along without shifting. Another thing where the diesel shines is when you have to recover speed lost in climbing a hill if someone pulls out in front of you. the diesel will come back up to speed much faster than the gasser. same story when passing.

You certainly do make a good argument, I was just trying to say that it seems like every thread I read always winds up saying that there is no choice other than diesel for hauling more than a single sled.

I can hear ya on pulling the big loads tho, diesel would be the superior performer no doubt, but a gasser will still get the job done, albeit slower depending on the size of the load.

 

[TRIGGER]

V-10

Owner of 2008 Superduty F-350----->V-10 I pull 10,000 Pound trailer on daily basis and with 4.10 gears it has lots of power in city and on highway.. It does like the fuel though!

 

[Billygoat]

You certainly do make a good argument, I was just trying to say that it seems like every thread I read always winds up saying that there is no choice other than diesel for hauling more than a single sled.

I can hear ya on pulling the big loads tho, diesel would be the superior performer no doubt, but a gasser will still get the job done, albeit slower depending on the size of the load.

I get your point, that happens a lot in internet arguements. I carry my sled around in the bed of my 1/2 ton and cant tell its there. Its mainly the bigger loads and higher elevations where a diesel would be desired.

 

[Billygoat]

Let me take your for a drive in my 8.1L with my gooseneck loaded on mountain passes. I'll change your opinion, cause My truck dosen't shift around like you would think.

the biggest factor that plays into it is how much fuel your going to consume doing it.


also what motor do you have in your 1/2 ton dodge?

it helps comparing apples to apples

My Dodge has the 5.7 Hemi...I know it is no 8.1 vortec. I will never deny that the 8.1 is not the gas engine of choice for pulling, and I am dissappointed that GM stopped putting it in the light duty trucks. My 1500 will tow a 4k trailer down a flat road at 65mph in overdrive just fine, it just becomes a pain in the hills. shifting up and down etc. it will still hold speed, but at 5000rpm.

what is your elevation? here you tow at 7-10k+ for long periods of time uphill. The gasser would do it for sure, but it would need it RPM's, whereas the diesel will just move along at 1800RPM @ 65mph.

 

[RMK Junky]

I did own a '99 F-250 with a V-10 for a short time. It had a little over 60,000 miles on it when I purchased it from the dealer. Drought it home and averaged 17mpg and loved the power. Parked it for about a week till I sold my other truck then went to start it and BANG! Ran for a bit then started puffin' blue an knockin' like a cold power joke. My ford mechanic looked at the truck and final diagnostic was to pull the engine. A rebuilt 10 was around $9000 to drop in. I phoned the dealer and they took it back. Never did find out what was wrong with the truck but a few people figured it was a wrist pin failure. A buddy of mine.....his brother runs ford v 10's in all their company trucks for their equipment operators and just frikin' loves them for the abuse they take. If you can get the history of the truck and it was looked after I can't see why it wouldn't fit your driveway

 

[PowderProject]

I have a buddy with a 1999 32' class A motor coach with a V-10. He's around 10 mpg and loves the power. I get 13 mpg with my cummins loaded up like you see in the pic. Check it out at www.dieselpowermag.com for a comparison with the F-250 gas vs diesel. Or read this:

It's the $6,895 question: When buying the '08 Super Duty, should you order the V-10 gas engine or the brand-new Power Stroke 6.4L, dual-turbo diesel V-8? We didn't even bother to consider the standard 5.4L, V-8 gasser. The V-10 is rated with 32 more horsepower at the flywheel than the 5.4L and only adds $600 to the price of a Super Duty, but the $6,895 diesel produces 193 lb-ft more torque and does it at 3,000 rpm or less. Even though we hate to admit it, there is more to life than just horsepower and torque, so we had to know for sure.

In addition to strapping gas and diesel versions of the '08 Super Duty to a load dyno, we tested their fuel economy, raced them down a dragstrip, measured acceleration while towing 8,500 pounds, and observed noise levels with a decibel meter. We also logged hundreds of miles that included elevation changes of more than 4,000 feet and driving conditions that ranged from nasty city gridlock to cruise-controlled highway rides-and we even spent a little time in the dirt.

The test vehicles were two similarly equipped '08 Ford Super Duty F-250, 4WD, extended cab, shortbed pickups with the automatic five-speed Torqshift transmissions. The V-10 gas truck had the FX4 off-road package, while the diesel was a Lariat edition, the only significant differences being more power seat motors, a power rear window, and dual-zone automatic climate controls in the diesel. The gasser weighed in at 7,050 pounds with a full tank of fuel, and the diesel came in at 7,710 pounds. The V-10 tester had 4.30 gears (4.10s are standard), and the diesel is only available with a 3.73 ratio, but as the acceleration runs proved, the gas truck was still at a disadvantage while launching.

The MSRP of the diesel we tested was $51,040, and the gas truck had a sticker price of $45,055. Neither one is cheap, but a Super Duty F-250 XL, 2WD, regular cab with the six-speed manual starts at just $23,305, which means the cheapest V-10 is $23,905, and the cheapest diesel can be in your driveway for about $30,200.

Take a look at the data collected and ask yourself, Would I pay $6,895 more for the diesel? We asked ourselves that question and came to the conclusion that our jobs are not in jeopardy-diesel is now, more than ever, the best choice for powering a heavy-duty pickup truck.

Dyno Test
Scott Clark and the staff at Spectre Performance hooked both of our F-250 extended cab trucks to their Mustang MD-1750 load dyno so we could get baseline horsepower and torque ratings at the rear wheels. The diesel pushed out exactly 200 more lb-ft of torque and 67 more horsepower because the gas truck would not hold Fourth gear long enough to reach the advertised rpm for peak power. The gas engine likely has more horsepower than our dyno data shows.



6.4L, V-8 Power Stroke Diesel290 hp at 2,969 rpm516 lb-ft at 2,814 rpm
We tested two '08 Ford Super Duty F-250, 4x4, extended cab, shortbed trucks with automatic transmissions. The green one (left) came with the new dual-turbo, 6.4L, V-8, Power Stroke diesel engine...
6.8L, V-10 Triton Gasoline223 hp at 4,032 rpm (rpm limited)316 lb-ft at 3,458 rpm
...and the red truck was equipped with the 6.8L, V-10, Triton SOHC gas engine. Here are the easiest ways to tell the difference between '08 Super Dutys on the streets:
The diesels have red, plastic honeycombs inside the fender vents by the front doors; a ribbed, aluminum rear differential cover; and dual venturi tailpipe tips.

MPG Testing
The trucks were fueled and weighed (7,050 pounds gas and 7,710 pounds diesel-a 600-pound difference) before the fuel-economy testing began. It consisted of mostly unloaded driving on city streets and highways (oh yeah, and seven passes down the dragstrip), along with towing and hauling with the diesel truck. Why no towing or hauling mpg figures for the gas truck? Only one trailer was available and only one transmission needed to be hauled, and both drivers chose the diesel. Go figure.

6.4L, V-8 Power Stroke dieselCity traffic: 69.10 miles/3.78 gallons = 18.28 mpgTowing 8,500 pounds and highway traffic:351.90 miles/22.47 gallons = 15.66 mpgGrapevine pass with cruise control:72.90 miles/3.82 gallons = 19.08 mpgHighway 99 driving and city runaround: 197.60 miles/10.02 gallons = 19.72 mpgHighway 99 and Grapevine pass with cruise control with Dodge transmission in bed: 174.40 miles/11.08 gallons = 15.74 mpg

V-8 Power Stroke diesel mpg averages865.90 miles/51.17 gallons = 16.92 mpg (including towing)339.60 miles/17.62 gallons = 19.27 mpg (unloaded)

6.8L, V-10 Triton gasolineCity traffic: 123.50 miles/13.80 gallons = 8.95 mpgHighway driving without cruise control:74.60 miles/7.88 gallons = 9.47mpgGridlock traffic: 33.50 miles/3.63 gallons = 9.23 mpgGrapevine pass with cruise control: 73.80 miles/6.18 gallons = 11.94 mpgHighway 99 driving and city runaround:207.50 miles/21.00 gallons = 9.88 mpgHighway 99 and Grapevine pass with cruise control:181.70 miles/14.48 gallons = 12.55 mpg




V-10 gasoline mpg average694.60 miles total/66.97 gallons = 10.37 mpg

Calculating The Savings
One way to answer the $6,895 question is to calculate how long it will take for fuel savings to pay for the diesel option. At the time of testing, diesel was actually cheaper than gasoline-something we haven't seen in California for more than a year. In fact, it cost more than premium 91-octane gas just a few months ago. To make the math easier, we ran the numbers assuming gas and diesel both cost $3 and used the standard estimate of 12,000 miles of average yearly driving. When the calculator cooled off, we learned the diesel Super Duty will take about four years to pay for itself, and every mile after that can be considered part of the diesel bonus round.

($6,895 - $600 V-10) = $6,295 diesel option/$3 per gallon = 2,098.30 gallons12,000 miles per year/10.37 mpg = 1,157.20 gallons of gas per year12,000 miles per year/19.27 mpg = 622.70 gallons of diesel per year2,098.30 gallons/534.50 gallons saved = 3.93 years to break even

Towing Test: Steep Grade 15-65 Mph
One of the most important areas of 31/44- and 1-ton truck performance is the ability to accelerate while hauling a trailer. To simulate merging with highway traffic on a steep grade . . . well, we did just that. A 3,000-pound trailer was loaded with a jungle-gym-rollcaged Jeep Cherokee 4x4 (about 8,500 pounds total), and the trucks were timed in passes that started with a 15-mph rolling start followed by full acceleration to 65 mph. The diesel averaged 7.32 seconds faster than the gas and felt like it could perform the same feat with even more weight in tow.




6.4L, Power Stroke V-8 diesel
Engine type: V-8, iron block, iron headsDisplacement: 390.5 ci, 6,400 ccBore x stroke: 3.86 x 4.13 inchesCompression ratio: 17.2:1Fuel injection:High-pressure, common-railValvetrain:OHV, four valves per cylinderHorsepower:350 hp at 3,000 rpmTorque:650 lb-ft at 2,000 rpmOil capacity: 15 quartsTest vehicle curb weight: 7,710 pounds

6.8l, V-10 Triton Gasoline
Engine type: V-10, iron block, aluminum headsDisplacement: 415 ci, 6,802 ccBore x stroke:3.55 x 4.16 inchesCompression ratio: 9.2:1Fuel injection:Sequential, multiport electronicValvetrain:SOHC, three valves per cylinderHorsepower: 362 hp at 4,750 rpmTorque:457 lb-ft at 3,250 rpmOil capacity: 7 quartsTest vehicle curb weight: 7,050 pounds

Dragstrip Testing
After the trailer was unhitched, the gas and diesel trucks were raced head-to-head on the Los Angeles County Raceway dragstrip. Both trucks were placed in 4WD High with the wheel hubs locked and power-braked at the line for full-throttle launches. Standing on the brake and flooring the throttle in the diesel allowed boost to build to more than 30 psi, which made the Power Stroke pump out torque off the line and build speed faster than the gas engine-and it is a lot of fun. On the final run, we tried to squeeze a little more speed from of the gas truck by taking it out of Overdrive. Unfortunately, the Super Duty only offers Third gear below Drive, so shifting out of OD at the top of the track resulted in instant Third-gear rev-limiting and a slower top speed.



To meet strict '07 emissions laws that reduced soot output by 90 percent while limiting nitrogen oxides, a combination oxidation catalyst/diesel particulate filter is used to scrub exhaust before it exits the dual tailpipe tips. About once per fill-up, the Power Stroke will go into Active Regeneration mode...
...which raises idle speed and increases the richness of combustion to heat the exhaust and burn soot trapped in the DPF. The venturi tailpipes suck in ambient air to cool the exhaust, which can be hot enough to burn a person during Active Regeneration if a normal tip was used.




It's much easier to make a gas engine run within the EPA specifications for emissions, especially in the 31/44- and 1-ton truck classes. Passive catalytic converters are used along with oxygen sensors to seamlessly vary the richness of fuel used during combustion to keep the catalysts working to their full potential. After the catalysts, exhaust is combined before entering a single muffler (that's about half the size of the diesel's DPF) and exiting through a single tailpipe.
The gas F-250 came with 4.30 gears in the axles and a plain stamped-steel differential cover in the rearend. A 4.10 gearset is also available with the V-10 gasser. The white and red Rancho shocks are part of the FX4 off-road package that also includes a painted grille, a unique interior design, bumpstops to prevent bottoming out, and skidplates to protect the transfer case.

Great Post!

 

[ndmtnsledder]

This spring we got a 2006 F350 crewcab longbox V10 2wd Dually for our farm service vehicle. It was about 10,000 less then comparable diesels. With all our tools, generator, air compressor, parts and service tank empty it weighed a lil over 11,000 pounds plus the 300 gallons of diesel in the service tank. It does that with no problems averaging around 9mpg but we don't drive it to nicely seems like were always in a hurry. We also regularly pull our 5000# skidsteer on a 3000# tilt deck trailer behind it. It doesn't have the torque of our 7.3L but it gets the job done just fine. I would have no worries about pulling any kind of sled trailer with one. I've noticed used ones don't hold there value very well and have seen a couple great deals on low mile used V10s.

 

[cbc24]

we didnt have the v10 but we had a 2000 f250 withthe 5.4l it was no speed demon but could handle more than enough weight. ya dont see chevs 5.3 being able to pull in that size of chassis. dads freind got one and luvs his v10. diesel might be cheaper there but here it costs a fair bit more. stick with whats in ur price range. the ford 6leaker was known for quite some troubles but alot of people have no problems . go for what u can afford to drive

 

[snopropanther]

i laugh at some of you comparing a gas to a diesel. geeze

 

[Jeff C]

I have a buddy with a 1999 32' class A motor coach with a V-10. He's around 10 mpg and loves the power. I get 13 mpg with my cummins loaded up like you see in the pic. Check it out at www.dieselpowermag.com for a comparison with the F-250 gas vs diesel. Or read this:

It's the $6,895 question: When buying the '08 Super Duty, should you order the V-10 gas engine or the brand-new Power Stroke 6.4L, dual-turbo diesel V-8? We didn't even bother to consider the standard 5.4L, V-8 gasser. The V-.............................

In addition to strapping gas and diesel versions of the '08 Super Duty to a load dyno, we tested their fuel economy, raced them down a dragstrip, measured acceleration while towing 8,500 pounds, and observed noise levels with a decibel meter. We also logged hundreds of miles that included elevation changes of more than 4,000 feet and driving conditions that ranged from nasty city gridlock to cruise-controlled highway rides-and we even spent a little time in the dirt.

The test vehicles were two similarly equipped '08 Ford Super Duty F-250, 4WD, extended cab, shortbed pickups with the automatic five-speed Torqshift transmissions. The V-10 gas truck had the FX4 off-road package, while the diesel was a Lariat edition, the only significant differences being more power seat motors, a power rear window, and dual-zone automatic climate controls in the diesel. The gasser weighed in at 7,050 pounds with a full tank of fuel, and the diesel came in at 7,710 pounds. The V-10 tester had 4.30 gears (4.10s are standard), and the diesel is only available with a 3.73 ratio, but as the acceleration runs proved, the gas truck was still at a disadvantage while launching.

The MSRP of the diesel we tested was $51,040, and the gas truck had a sticker price of $45,055. Neither one is cheap, but a Super Duty F-250 XL, 2WD, regular cab with the six-speed manual starts at just $23,305, which means the cheapest V-10 is $23,905, and the cheapest diesel can be in your driveway for about $30,200.

Take a look at the data collected and ask yourself, Would I pay $6,895 more for the diesel? We asked ourselves that question and came to the conclusion that our jobs are not in jeopardy-diesel is now, more than ever, the best choice for powering a heavy-duty pickup truck.

Dyno Test
Scott Clark and the staff at Spectre Performance hooked both of our F-250 extended cab trucks to their Mustang MD-1750 load dyno so we could get baseline horsepower and torque ratings at the rear wheels. The diesel pushed out exactly 200 more lb-ft of torque and 67 more horsepower because the gas truck would not hold Fourth gear long enough to reach the advertised rpm for peak power. The gas engine likely has more horsepower than our dyno data shows.



6.4L, V-8 Power Stroke Diesel290 hp at 2,969 rpm516 lb-ft at 2,814 rpm
We tested two '08 Ford Super Duty F-250, 4x4, extended cab, shortbed trucks with automatic transmissions. The green one (left) came with the new dual-turbo, 6.4L, V-8, Power Stroke diesel engine...
6.8L, V-10 Triton Gasoline223 hp at 4,032 rpm (rpm limited)316 lb-ft at 3,458 rpm
...and the red truck was equipped with the 6.8L, V-10, Triton SOHC gas engine. Here are the easiest ways to tell the difference between '08 Super Dutys on the streets:
The diesels have red, plastic honeycombs inside the fender vents by the front doors; a ribbed, aluminum rear differential cover; and dual venturi tailpipe tips.

MPG Testing
The trucks were fueled and weighed (7,050 pounds gas and 7,710 pounds diesel-a 600-pound difference) before the fuel-economy testing began. It consisted of mostly unloaded driving on city streets and highways (oh yeah, and seven passes down the dragstrip), along with towing and hauling with the diesel truck. Why no towing or hauling mpg figures for the gas truck? Only one trailer was available and only one transmission needed to be hauled, and both drivers chose the diesel. Go figure.

6.4L, V-8 Power Stroke dieselCity traffic: 69.10 miles/3.78 gallons = 18.28 mpgTowing 8,500 pounds and highway traffic:351.90 miles/22.47 gallons = 15.66 mpgGrapevine pass with cruise control:72.90 miles/3.82 gallons = 19.08 mpgHighway 99 driving and city runaround: 197.60 miles/10.02 gallons = 19.72 mpgHighway 99 and Grapevine pass with cruise control with Dodge transmission in bed: 174.40 miles/11.08 gallons = 15.74 mpg

V-8 Power Stroke diesel mpg averages865.90 miles/51.17 gallons = 16.92 mpg (including towing)339.60 miles/17.62 gallons = 19.27 mpg (unloaded)

6.8L, V-10 Triton gasolineCity traffic: 123.50 miles/13.80 gallons = 8.95 mpgHighway driving without cruise control:74.60 miles/7.88 gallons = 9.47mpgGridlock traffic: 33.50 miles/3.63 gallons = 9.23 mpgGrapevine pass with cruise control: 73.80 miles/6.18 gallons = 11.94 mpgHighway 99 driving and city runaround:207.50 miles/21.00 gallons = 9.88 mpgHighway 99 and Grapevine pass with cruise control:181.70 miles/14.48 gallons = 12.55 mpg




V-10 gasoline mpg average694.60 miles total/66.97 gallons = 10.37 mpg

Calculating The Savings
One way to answer the $6,895 question is to calculate how long it will take for fuel savings to pay for the diesel option. At the time of testing, diesel was actually cheaper than gasoline-something we haven't seen in California for more than a year. In fact, it cost more than premium 91-octane gas just a few months ago. To make the math easier, we ran the numbers assuming gas and diesel both cost $3 and used the standard estimate of 12,000 miles of average yearly driving. When the calculator cooled off, we learned the diesel Super Duty will take about four years to pay for itself, and every mile after that can be considered part of the diesel bonus round.

($6,895 - $600 V-10) = $6,295 diesel option/$3 per gallon = 2,098.30 gallons12,000 miles per year/10.37 mpg = 1,157.20 gallons of gas per year12,000 miles per year/19.27 mpg = 622.70 gallons of diesel per year2,098.30 gallons/534.50 gallons saved = 3.93 years to break even

Towing Test: Steep Grade 15-65 Mph
One of the most important areas of 31/44- and 1-ton truck performance is the ability to accelerate while hauling a trailer. To simulate merging with highway traffic on a steep grade . . . well, we did just that. A 3,000-pound trailer was loaded with a jungle-gym-rollcaged Jeep Cherokee 4x4 (about 8,500 pounds total), and the trucks were timed in passes that started with a 15-mph rolling start followed by full acceleration to 65 mph. The diesel averaged 7.32 seconds faster than the gas and felt like it could perform the same feat with even more weight in tow.




6.4L, Power Stroke V-8 diesel
Engine type: V-8, iron block, iron headsDisplacement: 390.5 ci, 6,400 ccBore x stroke: 3.86 x 4.13 inchesCompression ratio: 17.2:1Fuel injection:High-pressure, common-railValvetrain:OHV, four valves per cylinderHorsepower:350 hp at 3,000 rpmTorque:650 lb-ft at 2,000 rpmOil capacity: 15 quartsTest vehicle curb weight: 7,710 pounds

6.8l, V-10 Triton Gasoline
Engine type: V-10, iron block, aluminum headsDisplacement: 415 ci, 6,802 ccBore x stroke:3.55 x 4.16 inchesCompression ratio: 9.2:1Fuel injection:Sequential, multiport electronicValvetrain:SOHC, three valves per cylinderHorsepower: 362 hp at 4,750 rpmTorque:457 lb-ft at 3,250 rpmOil capacity: 7 quartsTest vehicle curb weight: 7,050 pounds

Dragstrip Testing
After the trailer was unhitched, the gas and diesel trucks were raced head-to-head on the Los Angeles County Raceway dragstrip. Both trucks were placed in 4WD High with the wheel hubs locked and power-braked at the line for full-throttle launches. Standing on the brake and flooring the throttle in the diesel allowed boost to build to more than 30 psi, which made the Power Stroke pump out torque off the line and build speed faster than the gas engine-and it is a lot of fun. On the final run, we tried to squeeze a little more speed from of the gas truck by taking it out of Overdrive. Unfortunately, the Super Duty only offers Third gear below Drive, so shifting out of OD at the top of the track resulted in instant Third-gear rev-limiting and a slower top speed.



To meet strict '07 emissions laws that reduced soot output by 90 percent while limiting nitrogen oxides, a combination oxidation catalyst/diesel particulate filter is used to scrub exhaust before it exits the dual tailpipe tips. About once per fill-up, the Power Stroke will go into Active Regeneration mode...
...which raises idle speed and increases the richness of combustion to heat the exhaust and burn soot trapped in the DPF. The venturi tailpipes suck in ambient air to cool the exhaust, which can be hot enough to burn a person during Active Regeneration if a normal tip was used.




It's much easier to make a gas engine run within the EPA specifications for emissions, especially in the 31/44- and 1-ton truck classes. Passive catalytic converters are used along with oxygen sensors to seamlessly vary the richness of fuel used during combustion to keep the catalysts working to their full potential. After the catalysts, exhaust is combined before entering a single muffler (that's about half the size of the diesel's DPF) and exiting through a single tailpipe.
The gas F-250 came with 4.30 gears in the axles and a plain stamped-steel differential cover in the rearend. A 4.10 gearset is also available with the V-10 gasser. The white and red Rancho shocks are part of the FX4 off-road package that also includes a painted grille, a unique interior design, bumpstops to prevent bottoming out, and skidplates to protect the transfer case.

I just wish you had some sort of data to back up what you are saying!

I think you did your homework!

 

[IDspud]

Says the guy on the snopanther.

I compare diesels to gassers daily because I tow with both daily, both have strengths and weakness.