Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives 2500 HD 4x4 crew cab short bed--5.7 Hemi or 6.0 Chevy??

And a lot of diesels on the road don't pull anything or haul a load heavier than a black lab. I had my last gas truck 14 years, and didn't buy it new. mtmuley

If a diesel doesn't have a DPF, 23 or 24 mpg is possible on the highway. With a DPF equipped diesel, you are unlikely to see mileage that high. That being said, even 17 or 18 mpg is pretty good when pushing an 8,000 pound truck down the road at 65 mph with nearly 400 hp and 800 lb ft of torque at your disposal. I love driving my diesel as a daily driver. The higher price of diesel fuel washes out any gains in mileage over a gasser. Couple that with more expensive maintenance and initial cost, and a diesel is hard to justify from a purely economic perspective unless you tow heavy a BUNCH. Once you get one, it is hard to give up the capability.

Diesels are great till you lose an injector out of warranty. And as K1500 points out, the cost of diesel eats up the mileage benefit. I went back to my 5.3 GMC 1500 and only get 14 mpg average but so far the maintainence has been a lot cheaper.

As to the original question I would think it is a toss up. If you like the dealer of one better than the other I would go that way.

A bit of difference between "My truck gets 24mpg.." and this


My gun has shot a couple groups around .100", but it's not .100" gun.

Since the first '55 I've always had real good luck with Chevys. Of the trucks you mention I'd get definitely get the 6.0 GM has kept refining the smallblock and that LS engine is just excellent. It's very strong.

My old '94 gas truck has been a good one. With 225K miles it's always started if there was enough juice in the battery, always, even after sitting in snow for 6 mos. It's rarely been driven since I got the diesel in '04. It's also done 18mpg on the highway at a careful 60mph with a tailwind.....but it's not an 18mpg truck.

About diesels....upkeep costs more, so what? Power / torque makes them really enjoyable. You don't even feel mountain grades or altitude. And about twice the fuel mileage of a gas truck that's anywhere near the same capability. You don't need to tow heavy or even tow at all to enjoy a diesel truck. I very seldom tow and didn't get it for that anyway. The diesel is just more fun to drive. If you like strong acceleration, tweak it some with bolt-ons and it'll be quicker than most of what you'll ever meet at a stoplight. With a pickup truck diesels are the way to go.

My Cummins gets that, hand calculated. Only upgrades are tubo-back exhaust with a Hogg muffler and Drop-in filter.

ETA, obviously not a DPF. Those things are mileage killers!

I've heard of older 2WD 12V's doing that, they're also slow dogs. I know several guys with CR's and they don't get anywhere near that kind of mileage.

got 23 mpg (hand calculated )on a several hundred mile stretch once with my 97 4x4 12 valve , 5 speed trans and had a cab high topper on , which I think helps out


that was running a steady 65 mph and no wind ; up the speed and or get some headwind/crosswind it drops off fast....under good conditions barely 20 mpg at 75 mph

I drive to Vegas About 2-3x a year from northern Utah. 436 miles, a shade over 18 gal of fuel.