Originally posted by: BlackandRedWarrior
Diesels aren't overkill. Especially if you are towing any decent sized trailer. Even the small toy boxes aren't exactly what I'd call light weight. Almost every place I ride I'm going to I have to pull a grade to get there.Pismo: Have about 3 or 4 good climbs heading "south" on CA 41 and/or 46, plus Questa Grade north of San Luis Obispo which I believe is 6%. Trucks are limited to 35 MPH on the downhill (south bound) side of US 101 if that tells you how steep it is.Hollister Hills: Pacheco Pass. Again, I think part of it is 6%.Hungry Valley (Gorman): The Grapevine. Again, I think it's 6%.All of these grades are several mile long grades.Miami Trails: It's in the mountains. Several climbs but nothing has a grade marking except maybe one stretch on CA-41 (just climbing going south out of Oakhusrt) that is several hundred vertical feet over a mile or so. You can watch the lug nuts on tractor trailer go around when they climb this thing.My truck does decently when I drive on these. But I'm not towing a TT or Toy Box.But with a diesel you're not even breaking a sweat. Toss out a 7000lb anchor behind a truck and then you see the diesels shine. Yeah, the big block gas motors can do it, but you're also paying out the nose for gas. Those gas motors might, if you are lucky, pull 10MPG. Unloaded. So for most people on here if they are looking to pull a toy box, it just makes sense to go with a diesel if you can afford it.And it looks like now diesel fuel has started receeding. Local price around here dropped a good 20 cents (was over $2.50 at some places, its about $2.20 to $2.30 now). Nice way to welcome in the summer I'd say. I paid $2.53 in Grover Beach ("Pismo") for 87 on Sunday. Could have saved if I would have waited and filled up in Paso Robles about 40 miles to the north at $2.31. Local price was $2.27 on the way out of Clovis on Friday morning.Power, welcome back man. Got the 'Lander ready to roll?I do also wish they'd come back with diesels as at least an option in more stuff. On the rumor mill is a V6 Powerstroke for the F-150 next year or so. (Probably the motor that's in Ford's new city truck). Also, the Jeep Liberty will be available with a diesel motor from Mercedes.Overkill might be an F-650 4x4 with a CAT 3126B and tricked out....nahhhh. Why can't I just win the Lotto? Saw a nice looking black GMC Kodiak 4x4 out at Pismo this weekend. Overkill is actually the guy with the freaking Tractor motor home that was out there. Maybe around Pole 4?

Originally posted by: IceLogic
Diesel is definatly the way to go I curently have a ford f350 7.3 stock it was running 18-20 mpg, then I got a microtuner gave the truck 60 extra horse power and that also increased my mpg to 25-28 mpg!! Towing a boat was around 21 mpg now that is DANG GOOD MPG.