Funny threads

[RavensFan]

I don't know if that was ever a real car, or just one made for the movie.

[Hooovahh]

Is it 12 yards long, 2 lanes wide, 65 tons of American pride!

http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Canyonero

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Temptation_of_Krust

[elset191]

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@Hooovahh wrote:

Is it 12 yards long, 2 lanes wide, 65 tons of American pride!

http://simpsons.wikia.com/wiki/Canyonero

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Temptation_of_Krust

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Smells like a steak and seats 35!

[SnowMule]

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@Intaris wrote:

6.2 MPG?

What kind of vehicle is that?

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Power Wagon, pulling my enclosed trailer and 2 sleds into 30-40m/h headwinds for most of the day.

I usually get about twice that mileage.  But there's a reason I'd rather ride the motorcycle that gets about 50.

[Intaris]

You mean a Ram?

[SnowMule]

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@Intaris wrote:

You mean a Ram?

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Yeah, Power Wagon flavored Ram.  5.7L V8, 4.56 diffs (that's what really kills my mileage; 4.10 would be just fine... but dat torque... ), 4x4 (duh), front/rear lockers, sway-bar disconnect, 12k lb winch (guts are actually 14k, but the cable's only rated to 12), oversize everything else...

...I didn't buy it for its fuel efficiency, I bought it to pull sleds/gear around the country. 

It gets terrific mileage sitting in the driveway all summer.

[Intaris]

10klb allowed trailer weight it certainly something.

Is it a diesel or gasoline motor? Diesel motors have more torque than gasoline.

[SnowMule]

It's a gasser (5.7 Hemi).  I'd like to see how the new 6.4's perform. 

Was also considering the 8.1L GM 3/4-ton with the Allison transmission when I was shopping.

Common fuel between sled, bike, generator, and truck is really nice.

Don't have to deal with gelling issues or fuel additives in the cold... which is where the truck gets most of its use.  There are days half the diesels at the trailhead don't start because of the cold.

I'm kind of inbetween for gas/diesel - trailer+sleds+mountains is on the high side of what a gas engine can do (although there's more to a good tow vehicle than just the motor that's in it), but I don't pull enough weight often enough to really *need* a diesel.  With the gearing in that truck, it's got plenty of torque to get everything moving.

Maintenance costs more with a diesel.  An oil change on a diesel will run you about 2x what a gas motor does.  Then there's injectors, glow plugs, etc. to deal with when they go, and those can be expensive.

Diesel's about the cost of regular unleaded now, but last year when it was 30% more than unleaded, my cost/mile was less than a diesel.

[_Bryan]

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@SnowMule wrote:

Maintenance costs more with a diesel.  An oil change on a diesel will run you about 2x what a gas motor does.  Then there's injectors, glow plugs, etc. to deal with when they go, and those can be expensive.

Diesel's about the cost of regular unleaded now, but last year when it was 30% more than unleaded, my cost/mile was less than a diesel.

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15 quarts of oil does not help.  No real problems with glow plugs around my area, but injector labor can get expensive real quick.  I do some of the work on my truck, but any trip to the shop is usually $2-3K.  I have been lucky so far and it stays out of the shop.

[Intaris]

I had a Volkswagen TDI (1.9L 130 HP - Yeah laughable by US standards) and it got up to 200,000 km without any real problems from the motor.  Sure the cam belt needed to be changed every 60,000 km (We bought too early, newer models a few months later only needed every 90,000 and modern cars only need every 180,000).  If I ever go for Diesel again, I'd make sure it's got a chain and not a belt.

Seeing how we do more motorway driving than load pulling, the fuel economy was great.  200,000 km at a difference of (at least) 1l per 100km gives me a saving of 2000l, which at a price of around 2 Dollars per Litre makes a fuel efficiency difference of 4 thousand dollars.

I honestly don't know if the saving was worth it, but I liked the car either way.

Ps Looking at the mpg values for the Passat on a government site in the US gives a rating of 34 MPG for the car I had.  I got WAY better fuel economy than that, more like 50MPG (both versions with 130 HP and around 300Nm Torque).  I don't know if you guys get different versions of the cars or if your Diesel is so different but that's a world of difference.