borislav it's hard to explain to people why you can add twin superchargers and all the chips and tuning in the world but at the end of the day, you can simply not in any reasonable way make a gasser have the low rpm torque that a diesel has. Others here in N2 witnessed for example as my 5.9 diesel pulled a large enclosed trailer with multiple bikes up the exit from the paddocks at Barber - at idle. Not even a foot on the gas peddle whatsoever. A control rider was sitting next to me and could not believe it. I could have gotten out of the truck and walked next to it up the hill. I have built many many engines, and my pro-touring car makes better than 600hp and 550tq. It carries more than 500lbs torque from 2500rpm (where the dyno starts) through 7000rpm - never ever dropping. And the truck, making less hp, would pull it across the country without even breaking a sweat. The reason I trailer the car if I'm going a long distance? The truck gets more than twice the fuel economy and I can carry spare parts/tools.
The issue is the torque curve. Yes, you can bump up hp and torque (really, who cares about hp in trucks. HP is just a fabricated number that is a function of torque and rpm). It's all about torque. In my 5.9, I'm making tons of torque - from 1000rpm through 3000rpm. Frankly, I never ever go above 2500rpm. I typically "cruise" or "pull" between 1400rpm and 2100rpm. I've pulled the enclosed trailer across route 68, across route 70 through wheeling, down through PawPaw in the Smoky Mountains - and have never gotten less than 12mpg regardless of how fast I'm pulling. When doing that, I'm typically pulling (not including truck) a trailer that is around 10000lbs - at between 65 and 85mph. Driving from SW PA to Barber in November, I downshifted from 6th into 5th gear going up a hill - one time. Set the cruise, and just stay clear of stuff in front of me. Same thing for when I drive from here (near Beaver/PittRace) to either NCBike or Summit. We have another truck. A 3/4t Chevy with the 6.0l LS based motor. Yes, I can pull the trailer. But the one time I pulled it - when I bought the trailer in Ohio and dragged it back - empty - it was working HARD just to maintain 60-65mph, constantly downshifting even at a relatively minor grade on open highways. If I would have had the trailer loaded - it would be a real pain.
As to cost, without getting into details, remember that diesel engines have a far higher life expectancy. Some more than others. The 5.9 cummins (no longer made) has more than twice the rated service life - which if you look at the size of the piston rods compared to a Duramax or PStroke, you can understand. That's also why it makes more low end torque but runs out of steam faster - the others are more hot rods in the diesel world. But on top of that, speaking bluntly - I bought a 5yr old Cummins powered Dodge, 6spd manual - for around $10K. I had to fly to FL to get it, so you won't find them everywhere - but if you look carefully you can find them, so the idea that it's a rich mans solution is simply not accurate. If you can only have one vehicle, you are absolutely correct because ALL of the trucks new are ridiculously priced these days - with the diesels being the worst in terms of pricing. But if it's a weekend only tow vehicle, and you don't need it to be "fancy", there are plenty of reasonable options that will make pulling a trailer a pleasure rather than a chore.
every time I knew the rear had to be changed. . .
