Diesel vs. Gas Trucks

You’ve got two main choices when you buy a Chevy or GMC pickup truck. You can choose between a diesel vs gas truck. Both are internal combustion engines, but they achieve the same results slightly differently in Sicklerville.

What are the pros and cons of choosing a diesel vs. gas truck? The staff at Chevrolet Of Turnersville has you covered with our short guide on the benefits of each, so you can tackle every challenge that arises on your daily drives. Read on to learn more about a diesel truck vs. gas as you explore your options.

Diesel vs. Gas Trucks Pros and Cons

When going over gas vs diesel trucks, you’ve got to look over the strengths and weaknesses of the vehicles themselves. In the end, you’ll need to compare the effectiveness and the cost of owning a diesel truck vs gas varieties.

Reasons to Choose a Diesel Truck

• Torque & Towing: Diesel trucks, in general, produce considerably more torque than their gas-powered counterparts. As a result, they can often tow heavier loads in comparison to gas-powered engines of similar sizes! This makes them well-respected as work trucks and transport vehicles when you need to haul heavier loads.
• Fuel Economy: For a number of reasons, diesel engines tend to be more fuel efficient than gas engines. Even though diesel fuel can sometimes be more expensive, many drivers prefer diesel because it reduces the number of stops they’ll need to make to refuel when they’re traveling out past Sewell.
• Longevity – Anecdotal and scientific evidence suggests that diesel engines can last much, much longer than otherwise-comparable gas engines, partly because they employ a simpler construction and stronger engine blocks. Diesel engines also have fewer parts compared to gasoline engines. A well-maintained diesel engine can power your travels for more than 500,000 miles.

Reasons to Choose a Gas Truck

• Acceleration & Horsepower – True, diesel engines tend to offer more torque. However, if vehicle horsepower and acceleration matter to you, gas-powered trucks are generally better at getting up to speed and passing other cars on the highway.
• More Fueling Stations – Not every gas station offers diesel fuel. Choosing a gasoline-powered truck will mean worrying less about where to find your next fill-up near Williamstown.
• Lower Maintenance Costs – Since diesel engines do not have spark plugs, and generally employ a simpler design, many drivers expect them to be cheaper to maintain. In fact, since diesel engines employ heavy-duty and sometimes hard-to-find parts, service appointments and repairs can often be pricier. You’ll need to know this when comparing the cost of owning a diesel truck vs gas.

Technical Engine Comparison: Gas vs Diesel Trucks

Why are the differences between gas vs diesel trucks so pronounced? Keep these points in mind:

• Both gas and diesel engines are internal combustion engines, which simply means that fuel is turned into energy inside the engine itself. Both types of engines use transmissions to transmit power from the combustion chamber to the wheels.
• Gas trucks tend to compress air and fuel at a ratio of roughly 10:1. Diesel trucks compress their own air/fuel mixture at a rate between 15:1 and 25:1. Since the result is a much hotter cylinder, diesel fuel is self-igniting and often does not require a spark plug. However, some diesel engines do have what’s called a glow plug.
• The efficiency of any engine is determined in part by the relative difference between its maximum hot and cold temperatures. Higher compression ratios allow for a smaller min-max temperature difference, which accounts, in part, for the diesel engine’s greater fuel economy.

Another difference between diesel vs. gas trucks is that diesel fuel may need additives to keep it running in various climates. When it gets very cold, sometimes the paraffin found in diesel fuel can form white specs or even clumps. You’ll need to add a fuel conditioner to keep the paraffin in liquid form. Check with your owner’s manual about what fuel conditioners you may need to use when comparing gas vs. diesel trucks.

Compare a Diesel vs. Gas Truck at Chevrolet Of Turnersville

Ready to take a test drive of a diesel or gas truck in Turnersville? Contact us or call (856) 432-2422 to schedule a test drive with our team. We’re happy to help you in any way we can! Chevrolet Of Turnersville is proud to carry both gas and diesel trucks for drivers. Now that you’ve got a sense of which setup might be right for you, check out our new vehicle inventory to see what we have on hand! If you’re ready to buy, apply for financing to jumpstart the car-buying process.