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6.6L GAS for 2010HD?


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On 12/12/2018 at 7:42 AM, Cowpie said:

There is some truth to that.  But it is also E85 capable and at the price I get E85 for, the 6.0L has a cheaper cost per mile for fuel than any diesel in a 3/4 ton pickup.  But it is hardly gutless.  If I can pull felled trees across my property with mine so they can be stacked and burned, then the 6.0 is quite adequate. And I have some hilly property.  And it really doesn't strain itself pulling double grain hopper wagons. Sure, not pulling them up the side of Pike's Peak, but still the same hilly area on gravel roads.  No brakes on those trailers either.

 

My 2500 6.0 has been on E85 exclusively for about 2 years.  Right now, $1.11 a gallon.  I average about 10 mpg (all miles) with the stuff, for about 11 cents a mile fuel cost.   With diesel near me running at about $2.84 right now, a diesel 3/4 ton would have to average 25 mpg to break even on fuel cost per mile.  Not going to happen.  I have never seen a Dmax 3/4 ton "average" 25 mpg for all miles.   Maybe highway mpg with a tail wind.   It is the one reason that I will not look at any vehicle that is not E85 capable.  If some 6.6 gasser isn't, then I will never consider it.  Many fleets base their pickup buying choices in the same manner.  GM knows that, so I will wait and see what they do.  Now, if I was pulling heavy most every day, most of the day, I would have no problem going diesel.  That is what it is made for.  

 

The 6.0 is not perfect for every scenario.  it is a solid, reliable motor.   While mine is not "fleet" use, I do need the same level of reliability, functionality, and wide range of fuel choices to keep my overall costs down.  It is 11 miles to the closest town.   And when I am out on the semi truck, I need to know that my wife will have a reliable pickup for those rural gravel roads, push snow out for me so I can get the semi truck in the drive, and haul drums of oil or materials well.  She claims to feel more secure with this 2500 than the one time I ventured into 1500 territory and bought one.  That won't happen again.

Where are you getting e85 for $1.11 per gallon?

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48 minutes ago, diyer2 said:

Corn country = cheap prices.

 

:)

You bet !  Just like Gulf Coast usually has cheapest petro fuel prices

Edited by Cowpie
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9 hours ago, Cowpie said:

Actually, filled yesterday for $1.10 a gallon.  Murphy’s in Newton, IA

 

9 hours ago, diyer2 said:

Corn country = cheap prices.

 

:)

Central Illinois is just as much "corn country" as central Iowa....but I've never seen E85 nearly that cheap. $1.10 per gallon is really good. I'd argue that Cowpie's local station has some of the lowest E85 prices in the country. I check https://e85prices.com/ on occasion, and the price he pays is always much lower than anywhere else. For many others (including myself), E85 actually has a higher cost per mile than regular 87 octane gas. It's nice to have the flex fuel option, but I seldom utilize it because the cost spread isn't good enough. Being able to run regular 87 octane is a plus though. 

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It has been a pretty good 2 years in regards to the E85 vs regular pricing.  E85 has consistently remained 80-90 cents a gallon cheaper than regular in my area.  Regular at that Murphy's station is $1.90 right now.  E85 is $1.10.    it is that consistent 80-90 cent spread for 2 years that has made it so my 2500 has been on E85 exclusively for 2 years.   The spreads were still well enough across country that the wife and I did a 2000 mile round trip to Wyoming last August and we used E85 for the entire trip.  On the road trip, we were able to average about 13.8 mpg on the stuff.  Most other road trips, regular gas and E10 would be about 16-17 mpg in the 2500.  That is the same 3 mpg spread as local.  The pickup averages 10-11 mpg on E85 and about 13-14 on regular for local running around.  At the $1.10 price for E85, I would have to average 16-17 local mpg to break even on cost per mile using regular.  Not going to happen, so I stick with E85.

 

I have grown fond of the flex fuel game.  Even if E85 wasn't as cheap to use, having the ability to use a smorgasbord of fuels is a plus.  I have used E0, E10, E15, E20, E30, E50, and E85 in this pickup and the previous 1500 I had for a short time.  Only one I haven't used is Premium.    The flex fuel thing is king in my book.  I can select the fuel that gives me the lowest cost per mile to use and switch as I need to as seasonal prices change.    

  

Edited by Cowpie
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18 hours ago, Big Whiskey said:

 

Central Illinois is just as much "corn country" as central Iowa....but I've never seen E85 nearly that cheap. $1.10 per gallon is really good. I'd argue that Cowpie's local station has some of the lowest E85 prices in the country. I check https://e85prices.com/ on occasion, and the price he pays is always much lower than anywhere else. For many others (including myself), E85 actually has a higher cost per mile than regular 87 octane gas. It's nice to have the flex fuel option, but I seldom utilize it because the cost spread isn't good enough. Being able to run regular 87 octane is a plus though. 

If I could pay $1.10 for E85 that would make my city driving ten cents a mile and even less for the highway!  87 wouldn't come close at fourteen and a half cents a mile.  Either way the motor runs soo  much better on the stuff, it's a shame to switch back to gasoline and lose all that performance and smoothness!

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23 hours ago, i82much said:

I just jam corn cobs directly into my fuel tank.  I get some funny looks at the gas station, but saves me a bundle!

Deer corn, every time I travel through the mid-west or back east during the fall there are stacks of bagged deer corn next to the pumps. ?

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Even disregarding the E85 issue, from what I have read elsewhere about the new 6.6 gasser, I am less than thrilled.  The power seems nice but direct injection and AFM cylinder shutdown stuff is a major turn off.  Was commenting this morning to the wife how I am glad we have a 2015 2500.  Even if the box rusts out, will yank it off and put on a aluminum flatbed.  Either way, will keep it a long time.

 

And it doesn’t help that the factory shutdown stuff and major layoffs by GM is tainting my thoughts on this.  But that is another issue.

Edited by Cowpie
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On ‎12‎/‎16‎/‎2018 at 11:14 AM, Cowpie said:

Actually, filled yesterday for $1.10 a gallon.  Murphy’s in Newton, IA

To bad the Union 76 closed on I-80. They served the worlds worst hot beef and we stopped for one every time we went through. 

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2 hours ago, Grumpy Bear said:

To bad the Union 76 closed on I-80. They served the worlds worst hot beef and we stopped for one every time we went through. 

Wow, that goes back.  That 76 has been gone for a long, long time

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2 hours ago, C/K Man said:

I think it's a safe assumption the new 6.6L will have direct injection.  pretty much all gasoline engines have that now, or will be getting it soon.  As for AFM and E85 capability, I have heard nothing concrete either way.

The GMauthority website and some others mention AFM

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DI is not bad if done right.  Like dual setups... PI and DI together. The main problem is that NONE of the OEM’s do PCV oil filtration setups on their engines.  If one preemptively installs PCV filtration separator “catch cans” on the DI motors, they can greatly reduce many of the issues.  I would never buy a used vehicle with a DI motor.  

 

The AFM just complicates the problem more than any perceived benefit.  Again, an owner would probably come out ahead if they disabled that function.  

 

I have something with a established track record.  The more complicated they make the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain.  If they truly were interested in the greatest benefit, they would make electromotive drivetrains using the gas engine as power generation.  Electric motors put even a Diesel to shame in terms of torque, especially at the low end.  And they could eliminate transmissions, Xfer cases, and diffs.

Edited by Cowpie
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