Ridgeline. All Day.

Towing or no towing?

If towing, I would go with a diesel if you can afford it. At the end of the day, best gas mileage avg for towing and not towing is a diesel. I went from a 2016 F150 3.5 ecoboost that i HATED to a Ram 2500 cummins and I LOVE it except that I already want to delete it. Every manufacture is going to the small v6 turbo route. Although seems like a good idea, the second you add any kind of load to it, your gas mileage is like 10-14 at best. So then you look at the Tundra and it gets like 15 at best and towing like 10. So you look at diesel and they are amazing for everything you can imagine except that stupid exhaust and DEF fluid. So there is no winning with trucks right now, you have to pick which evil you want to deal with. My new ram 2500 had to go back to the shop at 9000 mi because one of the sensors in the exhaust system already went bad. Easy enough to fix until I realized it was $1100 to replace. So warranty and a trip to the dealership and lots of waiting around and it was fixed for free.

EPA has gone after a lot of big tuners this last year or so and PPEI was fined 3 million for selling components to delete diesels. So you won't find anything for any 2022's right now to delete these trucks. Kind of stuck with stock for awhile. Eventually I am sure someone, somewhere (probably in Canada) will release deletes for these newer models, but right now no dice and you have to live with the crappy no black smoke cancer that comes with diesel trucks. Supreme court did rule that the EPA is over reaching on companies but it has scared the diesel world and still no 2022 tunes.... yet. Someone will release one eventually but when is the biggest question right now.

I have a 20 min commute daily with my diesel, I am seeing 21-22 mpg empty and 16 mpg towing my 30 ft travel trailer or bass boat (huge weight difference but still see exactly 16 mpg when towing). I would say pick a truck you love and are comfortable in. No truck is perfect, and even though I have had issues already with my diesel, I probably will never be without a diesel truck again. Gas vs Diesel, there is no comparison.

[quote=flashman252]Towing or no towing?

If towing, I would go with a diesel if you can afford it. At the end of the day, best gas mileage avg for towing and not towing is a diesel. I went from a 2016 F150 3.5 ecoboost that i HATED to a Ram 2500 cummins and I LOVE it except that I already want to delete it. Every manufacture is going to the small v6 turbo route. Although seems like a good idea, the second you add any kind of load to it, your gas mileage is like 10-14 at best. So then you look at the Tundra and it gets like 15 at best and towing like 10. So you look at diesel and they are amazing for everything you can imagine except that stupid exhaust and DEF fluid. So there is no winning with trucks right now, you have to pick which evil you want to deal with. My new ram 2500 had to go back to the shop at 9000 mi because one of the sensors in the exhaust system already went bad. Easy enough to fix until I realized it was $1100 to replace. So warranty and a trip to the dealership and lots of waiting around and it was fixed for free.

EPA has gone after a lot of big tuners this last year or so and PPEI was fined 3 million for selling components to delete diesels. So you won't find anything for any 2022's right now to delete these trucks. Kind of stuck with stock for awhile. Eventually I am sure someone, somewhere (probably in Canada) will release deletes for these newer models, but right now no dice and you have to live with the crappy no black smoke cancer that comes with diesel trucks. Supreme court did rule that the EPA is over reaching on companies but it has scared the diesel world and still no 2022 tunes.... yet. Someone will release one eventually but when is the biggest question right now.

I have a 20 min commute daily with my diesel, I am seeing 21-22 mpg empty and 16 mpg towing my 30 ft travel trailer or bass boat (huge weight difference but still see exactly 16 mpg when towing). I would say pick a truck you love and are comfortable in. No truck is perfect, and even though I have had issues already with my diesel, I probably will never be without a diesel truck again. Gas vs Diesel, there is no comparison.

Since you're new to diesel, let me clue you in on something.

People that are pulling heavy several times a month need diesel. Since 2001, I have driven a Cummins in a Dodge, and now Ram. 2001 model, then a 2008 model, now in a 2016 dually. All of them four wheel drive. 21 years of using them, and maintaining them myself. They have always done everything asked of them. The 2001 was sold with 175,000 on it. The 2008 was sold with 150,000 on it. The 2016 now has 135,000 on it. So I am married to Cummins.

BUT!!! The maintenance costs are significant. Diesel fuel costs nore. And non-deleted trucks will eventually have emission problems for the guy that doesn't cook them out frequently. DEF is stupid, and the whole system costs significant fuel mileage. The juice is not worth the squeeze for those that don't work them pretty hard at least monthly.

I have friends that are smart, experienced, and can analyze things. Two of them could not justify the maintenance costs, and increase fuel cost of diesel any longer. Both have owned Cummins, 6.7 Power Stroke, and Duramax. Both have moved to the Ford 7.3L gas engine for these reasons. One hauls horses and cattle monthly. The other hauls mini-ex and skid steers weekly. Both have been happy with the 7.3 gas.

V-8 Tundra checks almost all your boxes. I'm getting about 14.5 MPG but that's with zero city driving.

I get 17-17.5 in the same vehicle day in and day out.

Can you delete the def system like you can on a semi?

Ill keep it as short as I can and not try and get into a debate as much as I can

Tacoma-towing a 10ft trailer and golf cart
Tundra-a little more
Cummins-if needing true weight

I aint gonna argue about it w anybody

Can you delete the def system like you can on a semi?

GMC AT4 with the 6.2. Pulls great and has plenty of power.

Best advice I can give is to narrow it down to three vehicles. Then for three weekends rent one as close to having all the features you want and test it out driving and towing with it like you will be doing for years to come. You are making a large purchase and by doing this you should be able to find the right truck for you. Investing a few hundred on thousands is is good investment.