2020 Silverado Diesel 3.0 EPA Rated...

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by slowmover

1). Expect that diesel pricing will continue to reflect the 1/3-more energetic content of that fuel. THEN make your calculations.
Against a gasoline big block of 20-yes ago or more, yeah, it’s great. Against today’s gassers, barely.
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Even against the new ford 7.3 liter?

[Hersbird]

Originally Posted by slowmover

1). Expect that diesel pricing will continue to reflect the 1/3-more energetic content of that fuel. THEN make your calculations.

2). Then it comes to use. “Solo, empty”, ISN'T a valid category.

Then IRS applicability.

Against a gasoline big block of 20-yes ago or more, yeah, it’s great. Against today’s gassers, barely.

We built this country without pickups. It’s “need” now is still more “want”. Desire.

The higher risk of accidents (and type) ALWAYS mitigates against pickups. (“Skill” is a laughable counter).

You can make the want/need argument against ANY car, truck, bus, train, airplane, space shuttle etc, ever made. People buy a pickup and then use it for many tasks including (and probably mainly) solo commuting because it's what they have and it works just fine doing it. They probably do need the pickup for a pickup task at some point but people cant have 4 cars to have just the right tool for each job. To claim they somehow aren't safe (especially a modern 2020 1500 series pickup of all types) is just not supported by statics. Basically all vehicle deaths in the USA when you take out no seatbelt use and drunk or drugged driving are less than 10,000 per year for something 300,000,000 people do almost every single day. You know what's not safe, the mail truck I spend 8+ hours a day in, and yet 350,000 of my colleagues dodge that bullet every day. It's not the vechile that is prone to accident it's the drivers.

[slowmover]

Vehicle design is first in evaluating risk.

The salient point is once.

Gunshots & car accidents. Life-changing or ending.

A pickup is “best” next to never.

Claiming “skill”, etc, is side-splitting funny versus the statistics. The skill range difference among humans is tiny. No matter how well-magnified. A moments inattention makes a mockery of ego statements.

A pickup can’t do what’s important: Steer, brake & handle. It rolls where a car will spin.

You guys need some remedial physics.

Buy it where IRS numbers work. But don’t ever expect to “keep up with traffic” if intelligent use is planned. It’s bar none worst highway choice. The penalties go with the reward.

And for those that operate it like a car, it’s an unbelievably bad form of selfishness. Screws up the road for everyone around them. There’s not a situation involving others it doesn’t make worse. Mario Andretti couldn’t change this.

Same is true for any size truck. The larger, the worse for all others.

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[Xist]

Please clarify how a 20 MPG solo commuter "works fine."

[Ecky]

Originally Posted by Xist

Please clarify how a 20 MPG solo commuter "works fine."

The U.S. is following the Easter Island model for crash safety.

[Piotrsko]

Please change that to "sub 20 mpg" my neighbor contractor does a 40 gallon tank a day minimum. He does drive like a hotrodder.

[Hersbird]

Originally Posted by slowmover

Claiming “skill”, etc, is side-splitting funny versus the statistics. The skill range difference among humans is tiny. No matter how well-magnified. A moments inattention makes a mockery of ego statements.

A pickup can’t do what’s important: Steer, brake & handle. It rolls where a car will spin.

You guys need some remedial physics.

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I didn't claim skill, I claimed it is the driver. I agree it has nothing to do with skill as actually the higher skill may lead to even a worse driver. What makes a good driver is paying attention, attention to detail, knowing the limits and staying far away from them, checking ego and anger while driving.

The physics part I do understand, a rollover is a greater possibility, but so is a greater survival in every other kind of collision. There is no physics that helps a low mass come out well in a collision with a greater mass.

A pickup isn't supposed to be the best at anything, what it is is good at a lot of things.

[Hersbird]

Originally Posted by Xist

Please clarify how a 20 MPG solo commuter "works fine."

I don't know where that question is directed but for me personally I get around 11 year round solo commuting. It does work fine, my total cost is maybe $4/day depreciation, insurance, gas, oil, repairs, liscense, everything. Could I get that down to $2/day and save a whole $500/yr? I doubt it. I may get something else, but not for financial reasons, more just out of variety is the spice of life.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

I didn't claim skill, I claimed it is the driver. I agree it has nothing to do with skill as actually the higher skill may lead to even a worse driver. What makes a good driver is paying attention, attention to detail, knowing the limits and staying far away from them, checking ego and anger while driving.

The physics part I do understand, a rollover is a greater possibility, but so is a greater survival in every other kind of collision. There is no physics that helps a low mass come out well in a collision with a greater mass.

A pickup isn't supposed to be the best at anything, what it is is good at a lot of things.

It’s only good at one thing. Filling the bed. It’s handicapped in all others.

As to mass, it’s a good point. It’s easy for a low mass car to roll a higher mass pickup in a T-bone accident. Same where the car is hit first by traffic in an adjacent lane and in its turn hits a pickup in the bed, causing it to turn over. I see this annually. Often enough it’s notable. Everyone is upright except the pickup.

Wet weather makes it all more fun. In a pickup. Where it was the wrong vehicle spec.

Back to topic and to repeat. This little Chevy will work for a VERY high average annual miles business owner. Higher than what it’s gasser counterpart would see.

Not an RV’er, etc.

The private owner is only fooling himself. (My favorite was the one about the long unpaved driveway: the years of residence and FAR higher costs of a 4WD pickup versus a car paid for first class paving a long ways back).

The private owner and the RV’er we’ve covered: the design & quality of the trailer is paramount (as is any necessary hitch rigging). NOT the tow vehicle. A few changes in family vehicle spec covers it. Doesn’t include pickups.

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[slowmover]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

Except the baby diesel can crack 43 mpg at 60 mph, it will certainly beat the 33 mpg EPA rating. Also currently even in Montana where diesel prices are usually well over unleaded (one big reason I sold the Cummins) now gas and Diesel are within 3 cents of each other.
So say 35 mpg vs 20 and 10c more for diesel. That is a $860/yr savings for the same initial price based on average miles driven.
They both make the same 460ft-lbs of torque as well.
To me if buying a new GM pickup the choice would be a no brainer.

An empty little diesel might hit 40.

30 & 20 as I cited is solo. But not empty. The high cylinder pressure makes a diesel less sensitive to added weight (to a point). I can add almost 1k in weight and not change a baseline MPG figure.

Besides, if the trucklet can’t carry half the payload, it’ll make two trips. Size or weight.

30 & 20 is fair because it’s already beneath potential. Like everyone else, I’ll be interested if we ever have a number set to work with (scaled weight tickets to isolate true payload — and a pic to show aero — plus constant use of cruise control over a described course).

For this and other private ventures, it’s like pulling teeth. I doubt very much we will ever see it. No scale tickets? Invalid MPG. CC use not constant? Invalid MPG. Failure to describe course & conditions plus a pic? Invalid MPG

Conditions MUST be such that the fuel burn really doesn’t change from driver to driver. The absolute number isn’t important.

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