A Reddit Refugee

current college student, permanent pirate, lover of all things mechanical and on wheels

moved here from lemmy.one because there are no active admins on that instance.

  • 21 Posts
  • 535 Comments
Joined 6 months ago
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Cake day: December 22nd, 2023

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  • Yes.

    Diesel engines are heavy, usually being cast iron blocks to support the continuous high torque & high temperatures caused by towing and their very high compression ratios. This heavier weight on the steer tires wears tires and brakes faster. Gas trucks almost all have aluminum blocks now and are much lighter. This makes diesels usually require tires that are 1-2 letter load ratings higher than a gas truck, which is also additionally more expensive to buy.

    Diesel engines also produce significantly more torque, and torque is what causes tire wear during acceleration if you beat on it or tow a lot (it’s a huge problem with EV’s right now).


  • Diesels are really nice and generally get better mpg than gas when towing, but their maintenance is more expensive and they are significantly more expensive to purchase in the first place. They take more oil, more tires, and nowadays require DEF that partially negates the fuel cost savings. Plus a lot of modern diesels seem to have consistent emissions equipment problems.
    They’re amazing if you’re moving very heavy loads all the time or travel over mountain passes frequently, but at only 5000lb payload I think a large diesel is overkill in any other situation.