i82much

Just think about how cheap it would be to live in a box van with an engine that never died!

Right, I tend to agree with your comment. If I am looking to buy a box van to move containers all over town, I want a big V8. But I think consumers will see a lot of benefits to a boosted, smaller-displacement engine in an HD platform. I think the real question is whether commercial buyers will ever decide the smaller boosted engines are reliable enough under tough use conditions to fully replace the naturally aspirated V8. I guess the big distinction is there are a lot of HD consumer owners that are unloaded 90% of the time. That's not really the case for commercial users. Also, consumers tend to do things with their HD trucks like pull a big trailer through the mountains, where the boost can mitigate the effects of altitude on power output. And of course the big 3 will have to think about how many diesel sales they will lose in the HD market if they offer boosted gas engines as well. Personally, I think they are coming and they will be successful, but at the same time, I'd buy a big naturally aspirated V8 over a smaller boosted engine myself. I'm pretty slow to jump on the new technology train, I bought a 4.3 Silverado in 2007 because I just didn't quite trust those newfangled LS engines yet

Ford hasn't gotten around to it yet, but smaller forced induction gas engines will arrive in HD trucks eventually. Recall the HD segment did not affect CAFE standards, that is why no ecoboost hd engine. A boosted 4.5 liter engine would handle HD applications just as well as a v8 and do better at elevation.

The only reason I would ever lift my truck would be to annoy people like the author. Or maybe drive over their cars.

Ecoboost has advantage of making its own atmosphere at altitude. For high elevation towing, forced induction is the way to go. But 6.2 starts off with big power advantage so this mitigates the issue to some extent. For lower elevation towing, if you are willing to let the 6.2 rev, it should beat the ecoboost handily. The disadvantages of NA engines are elevation and high rpm. High RPM is more of a psychological issue than a real one - modern engines can handle what you throw at them, it is the driver that quits before the engine. I drive a 6.0 2500HD and I do not feel the least bit concerned about letting it rev.

Yeah, we have 6.5% sales tax in WA on cars, and if you trade, you only pay tax on the difference. So, for instance, I traded in a 2013 Wrangler Unlimited at 30k for a new 2500HD base model at 35k. Let's look at the numbers: Difference between trade and new truck = 35k - 30k, or 5k. And 6.5% of 5k is $325. Or, sell privately and pay tax on the whole truck, 6.5% of 35k is $2275. $2275-$325 = $1950. So now, I would have had to have gotten 30k + $1950, or 32k, for the Jeep private party just to break even.

i towed through the tetons on bfg km's in june once, coulda sharted myself when the snow came in. i got religion on tires now!

mud terrains are horrific on packed snow and ice. people will swear otherwise until they are blue in the face, but they are wrong. mt's have little to no siping and hard compounds, because they have large voids and therefore less tread contacting the road. first time you come down the mountain and hit a slick spot, you will wish for all terrains at a minimum.

i bought a 3/4 ton as a daily, under the theory that i can gain 2500 lbs and still won’t need a new truck.

If it were 1972, I would have just gotten a regular cab longbed because: (1) They didn't have extended or crew cabs, (2) Regular cab trucks look the best, and (3) Kids have fun and, more importantly, *sound* great when they are in the back of a truck and you can't hear them. But it's 2018, the wife and the gummint ain't having none of that, so I bought a crew cab.

Ask yourself one question - when the wife throws you out, do you want to sleep in a 5.5' bed, or a 6.5' bed?

I am in the car seat boat myself, with one car seat you can put it in the middle and get by with a smaller back seat, with two the crew cab gives you much more room. I also wanted a standard bed instead of a short bed. Like many here, I didn't see much selection in a 1500. So I just bought a 2500 instead, cc 6.5 bed. I was a bit shocked when I went on the web site and did the build and price and found a 2500HD work truck, crew gasser actually had a *lower* MSRP than the 1500 in the same configuration, cc 6.5. I'll confess, my gas mileage isn't great, but I got exactly the configuration I want and it's a hell of a lot of truck for the money.

try some immodium in the tranny fluid?

My first two trucks were red. Then I got adventurous. My new truck is ... white!!!! Base model, end of year, deep discounts, last one on the lot ... I have mixed feelings on this. I feel a certain kinship with anyone that has spent a lifetime buying the leftover vehicle just to get the discount. Hearing your story is like hearing that someone is leaving our club. On the other hand, it's always nice to see someone get what they want. If you see some cheap-ass hillbilly looking mo-fo in a white base model truck with the snazziest snugtop camper shell they make, wave hi!

hey we all make mistakes, just count your blessings you weren't the one with the family emergency. get a leftover red one and don't sweat the small stuff. have fun on vacation, and one day your kids can tell their kids about how grandpa always drove red cars because he wanted to save a few bucks. fwiw, i have had a few red base models myself for the exact same reason!