6.6L gas, will it disappoint??

kylant · September 22, 2023

Looking at moving from my '22 Duramax into a '24 gas AT4.

concerned that i may regret giving up diesel, simply for the power.

sounds like these new 6.6/10 speed combos are pretty darn good

I rarely tow. when I do, it is my 6000lb boat or a dump trailer from the gravel yard.

I briefly had a 7.3 gas ford, and was not very happy with it. mostly because of the gearing and the tranny didn't know what the hell it was doing.

reasons for going back to gas are the simplicity of them, lower down time risk, cheaper fuel.

anyone have any insight or thoughts on gas vs diesel, power, regrets, etc...

thanks

Elite130 · September 22, 2023

I'd say go for it. Since you rarely tow, or tow 6,000lbs, that's nothing for the 6.6L w/ 10-speed. I'd get rid of my '22 Duramax if I could for the same reasons you are. Unfortunately I cant because I have a 12,000lb 5th wheel the I have to keep for the time being because it keeps the family (wife and I and our 3 teens) "camping" together and we live in Colorado. Go with the gas and pick up a Banks Pedal Commander. That might help with the feeling of any lack of power between the diesel and gas.

Moldman · September 22, 2023

It's all in what your expectations are. I have had both and currently have a '20 6.6 gas. The last diesel I had was a '15. The damn thing lived in the shop. I couldn't take it anymore and went gas.

I pull a 12k fifth wheel and it actually surprises me how well it does. We made a 1500 mile run this summer to Tn. from Pa. The truck pulled ever hill at 65-70 and averaged 8.9mpg. Does it pull with ease like the Duramax, not even close. But gets the job done fine and at 40k miles has never missed a beat.

I have a 24 on order and figure it can only be better with the 10 speed.

CRApex · September 22, 2023

I just did what you re contemplating. Traded my 2020 Dmax 3500 for a 2024 Gas. It is a bit of a transition. I was so famaliar with the power of the duramax that i was a bit disappointed and questioned my decision after picking up the gas. Now that I have over 10,000 miles on the gas I really like. The 10spd has been great. We have several gas work trucks with the 6spd and the biggest difference I've noticed is the big downshifts the 6spd would do to keep the load moving vs the 10spd. The 10spd seems to transition and build power a little more seamless if that makes sense.

Bottom line, with the load youre pulling, I think you'll be more than happy with the gas motor. It also feels good knowing you're driving the most reliable and trouble free version of the HD.

BuckWallace · September 22, 2023

The gas will be plenty to tow what you're towing, but you will notice a big difference in power. Even going from my 2010 Tundra to my 2024 AT4 L8T, my new AT4 feels like a pig. I don't use it for racing, though, so it's all good!

Pryme · September 22, 2023

40 minutes ago, BuckWallace said:

The gas will be plenty to tow what you're towing, but you will notice a big difference in power. Even going from my 2010 Tundra to my 2024 AT4 L8T, my new AT4 feels like a pig. I don't use it for racing, though, so it's all good!

I had a 16 tundra. The 5,600lbs dohc and 4.30 gears make it pretty quick. But I really like my 2500 more because I went from just a dbl cab to this crew so there is so much more room and a lot more room in the bed and I even had the bigger box in my dbl cab. The tundra crew had that tiny little penalty box no way. The payload also went way up more than double.

BuckWallace · September 22, 2023

1 minute ago, Pryme said:

I had a 16 tundra. The 5,600lbs dohc and 4.30 gears make it pretty quick. But I really like my 2500 more because I went from just a dbl cab to this crew so there is so much more room and a lot more room in the bed and I even had the bigger box in my dbl cab. The tundra crew had that tiny little penalty box no way. The payload also went way up more than double.

Yep, same here. I had a 2018 Cement CrewMax Tundra that the dealer ended up buying back (long story), then I bought a used 2010 double cab that I had for the last 4.5 years until I picked up my 3500. The growing kids and trailer + crap in the bed warranted more payload, so I got the 3500 gasser. I knew what I was getting into, so there was no disappointment in the power.

Dr1ft3r · September 22, 2023

I tow a 13k# bumper pull toy hauler with my gasser in the Rocky Mountains (with a 6-speed). Unless you are towing that much, or more, weekly and over long distances then you don't need a diesel. Even then, a diesel isn't really a need. The gasser tows what it's rated for just fine.

I daily drive my truck and definitely prefer the fuel savings.

kylant · September 23, 2023

thanks for the insights.

i was disappointed in the ford 7.3 performance, mainly for the gearing and the transmission busyness. that thing couldn't hold higher gears on the freeway with a small payload in the bed.

i love the dmax power. however, i think i will like the gas reliability more

now if i can only find one spec'd the way i want relatively close. that is the problem. seems like higher trim gas trucks are unicorns

UWSkier · September 24, 2023

The 6.6L gas and 10 speed is nice. Will be a great truck for your use case! I love my 2024 for everything except pulling my travel trailer, which has the aerodynamics of an aircraft carrier. For that, it's OK, not great, but does the job well. For towing a boat, dump trailer occasionally, it's excellent. Smooth, linear power that gets stronger the more miles it gets on it. When I first picked it up, it felt like a pooch. I was coming from a 5.3L with 8 speed which isn't known as a burner. But after 6000 miles, this feels every bit as snappy. I'm happy with my truck. Just wish it wasn't so big.

Edited September 24, 2023 by UWSkier

Dunn · September 28, 2023

On 9/23/2023 at 7:06 AM, kylant said:

thanks for the insights.

i was disappointed in the ford 7.3 performance, mainly for the gearing and the transmission busyness. that thing couldn't hold higher gears on the freeway with a small payload in the bed.

i love the dmax power. however, i think i will like the gas reliability more

now if i can only find one spec'd the way i want relatively close. that is the problem. seems like higher trim gas trucks are unicorns

Hopefully it's just tranny....know alot diesel dudes who just have to have it cuz......like others said for your tow weight not an issue, for

your ego maybe a lil bit...... you would also save 10k in process......

I have a High trim gas and think there were only like 20 in the US for sale at time I purchased it....am sure it wasn't accurate to a T but just rough idea

Dr1ft3r · September 28, 2023

On 9/23/2023 at 7:06 AM, kylant said:

thanks for the insights.

i was disappointed in the ford 7.3 performance, mainly for the gearing and the transmission busyness. that thing couldn't hold higher gears on the freeway with a small payload in the bed.

i love the dmax power. however, i think i will like the gas reliability more

now if i can only find one spec'd the way i want relatively close. that is the problem. seems like higher trim gas trucks are unicorns

If you want a higher trim then you may have to order one. I ordered mine because I refuse to settle for anything less than exactly what I want. But that's your decision.

I just made a 9 hour haul over to Seattle, WA. It was all interstate until the last 90 minutes of my trip (I-84, I-82 and I-90). My average MPG varied along the way depending on how rugged the terrain was. But the lowest mpg was 5.7 and the best was around 8. Keep in mind this trip has very little flat ground.

I weighed before I left and as you can see I weighed in at 21,120. My truck weighed 9,020 and that's almost empty. So the trailer weighed 12,100. The tongue weight calculates to 1,540.

I don't use a WDH and with 1,540 on my tongue my front axle weight only drops down to 4,400. I use bags to keep my rear end from squatting. I would like to see the stock front end weight as I have added a few hundred pounds to my front end. I'm betting that it's close to 4,500 without a 2nd battery.

The best part of the trip is near the end (The area outside of Seattle is beautiful), but it was raining pretty hard at that point so I didn't get any good pics.

There were a couple of times when I couldn't accelerate any faster due to the grade and the fact that I was towing at very close to the limit of my truck. But at no point did my speed drop below 55 mph (unless I chose to go slower than that). At no time did my transmission temperature get higher than 198 degrees. Those couple of times are when the diesel would have done better. Is that worth the $10k price tag and increased fuel costs with possible reduced reliability? Only you can answer that. For me? No.

Edited September 28, 2023 by Dr1ft3r

bshort · September 29, 2023

Did they get the oil consumption figured out for 24?

64BAwagon · September 29, 2023

6 hours ago, bshort said:

Did they get the oil consumption figured out for 24?

I had a 2021 and now have a 2024 L8T and neither have used a single drop of oil. The 21 had most of its miles with a 12k fifth wheel behind it.

the8rotor · September 29, 2023

24 minutes ago, 64BAwagon said:

I had a 2021 and now have a 2024 L8T and neither have used a single drop of oil. The 21 had most of its miles with a 12k fifth wheel behind it.

Identical experience with me between a 2021 and my 2024 L8T. Zero oil consumption