Why Diesel Costs More Than Gas

[Josh]

For over 10 years Diesel has been more at the pump than gasoline, often significantly more, frustrating RV and truck owners and driving up prices of all sorts of consumer items. There is always chatter and speculation about why but I really haven't had a clear picture of why. This is a good article, the NACS breaks it down for us.

http://www.nacsonline.com/YourBusine...-Gasoline.aspx

[Grey Ghost]

I am slightly pessimistic on fuel cost issues, so my belief is they charge more for diesel since it provides better gas mileage. Purchasing a diesel vehicle is justified by the better mileage, but since the higher fuel cost results in similar per-mile operating costs, it is not worth the additional vehicle cost. It is another example of being "held down by the man"......LOL

Seriously, I was excited to see fuel costs drop this winter, especially with the thought of a near empty 150 gallon diesel fuel tank in my motorhome. Recently, the gasoline costs are dropping again after a slight bump up, but I notice the diesel costs going up again?!? I am quite confident it will be $5.00/gallon when I take the motorhome to the gas station ;-(

[Josh]

Main thing that gives the real value is that diesels just sound soooooo good!

[Josh]

Seriously, the forecast from the US Department of Energy is good. They're saying less than $3.00/gallon thru 2015 and an average of $3.24 in 2016 so that bodes well for us to get a couple of good years of RVing in. Hopefully they don't forecast with a game of spin the bottle!

[Josh]

James and Stef at The Fit RV just published an article with a cost calculator on their site. This is an informative look into the cost difference between owning a Diesel vs Gas motorhome. Of course the reason I chose diesel was the sound...errr...and more importantly the power and capability of the chassis to tow my Bronco and trailer.

[Josh]

Another thing to add to this is the ride quality of a typical large diesel motorhome. Most diesel RVs are pushers, meaning the engine is in the back while most gas RVs are front engine. Another factor is the air ride suspension that is common on diesels and rare on gas powered models.

The front engine design works great and has some benefits like lower cost and more floor plan options. The issue is noise and vibration from the engine under your feet.

The pusher design offers peace and quiet while driving, often you can't even tell the engine is running while cruising down the road. This reduces fatigue and makes conversation easier. The air suspension keeps the coach level and helps with handling and smoothing out the bumps.