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Old 01-25-2019, 04:26 PM   #1
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Diesel Truck Battle (Non-HD): F-150 Diesel Vs. Nissan Titan XD

https://www.popularmechanics.com/car...diesel-trucks/
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Old 01-25-2019, 05:52 PM   #2
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🤔 I’ve done a bit of research on the new diesels and their emissions requirements. I just can’t figure out why someone would pay a whole lot of money for the extra agrivation that you have to deal with just to drive a truck capable of towing 2 Escape trailers. I have yet to tow my 5.0TA anywhere that I couldn’t be in the passing lane, and that’s with a little 2.7 Ecoboost.🤨
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Old 01-25-2019, 06:12 PM   #3
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I'm not finding any aggravation with my diesel Canyon. Filling the DEF tank is no different than filling up the fuel tank. I stop at my truck stop fill the Diesel tank, then when needed drive over and the young man fills my DEF tank from the truck stop bulk DEF tank. Other than the DEF tank nothing else different.

No Diesel smell, lots of torque at lower RPM and fantastic mileage.

Had a gas F150 towing a trailer and would never tow another trailer with a gas engine, but that's just me.

Loving the new Diesels in Regular or mid-size trucks.
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Old 01-25-2019, 09:24 PM   #4
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I agree that refilling the DEF tank is no big deal (in reasonable vehicles... some cars are another matter). The real issues are with excessive fuel consumption due to DPF regeneration cycles (which are not a problem for all owners, depending on how they use their trucks), and operability and repair issues when the various emission control systems fail... which they very frequently do. Perhaps GM's small truck diesel engine is working better than most.
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Old 01-26-2019, 07:49 AM   #5
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I'm not finding any aggravation with my diesel Canyon. Filling the DEF tank is no different than filling up the fuel tank. I stop at my truck stop fill the Diesel tank, then when needed drive over and the young man fills my DEF tank from the truck stop bulk DEF tank. Other than the DEF tank nothing else different.

No Diesel smell, lots of torque at lower RPM and fantastic mileage.

Had a gas F150 towing a trailer and would never tow another trailer with a gas engine, but that's just me.

Loving the new Diesels in Regular or mid-size trucks.
Hi: Kent... So far so good with my Ram EcoDiesel. Towing mileage in Canada around 25-26 mpg's and so far only used 5 gals. of DEF. Best highway mileage was 31.5 mpg not towing. I'm a happy camper so far. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie "Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt".
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Old 01-26-2019, 09:25 AM   #6
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I'm not finding any aggravation with my diesel Canyon. Filling the DEF tank is no different than filling up the fuel tank. I stop at my truck stop fill the Diesel tank, then when needed drive over and the young man fills my DEF tank from the truck stop bulk DEF tank. Other than the DEF tank nothing else different.

No Diesel smell, lots of torque at lower RPM and fantastic mileage.

Had a gas F150 towing a trailer and would never tow another trailer with a gas engine, but that's just me.

Loving the new Diesels in Regular or mid-size trucks.
The Canyon is not what I was referring to, it’s the trucks with towing capacities over twice the weight of any Escape. Does the Canyon require the regular regen cycles necessary to keep the exhaust from plugging? That process is what turns me off to the new diesels. From what I’ve read as long as you Are doing a lot of highway driving it takes care of itself. But if you racked up too many miles at lower speeds your required to do the regeneration cycle which requires 1/2 hour or more high idle. And while doing this make sure you’re not parked over anything combustible. Now if if I had 15000 lb + trailer the aggravation would be worth the benefit but then I wouldn’t be in an Escape. When it comes power it’s always better to have more, than not enough, but 800 to a 1000 lbs of torque for a 5000 lb trailer? I don’t get it, but that’s just me. What would peak my interest would a Ranger with a 2.7 Ecoboost
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Old 01-26-2019, 09:37 AM   #7
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Regen cycle, issue or not?

Anybody out there that actually is driving 1 of the new diesels that needs the regen cycle care to share your experience? Maybe all I’ve been reading about it is the 💩 you have get past to get to the truth😎
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Old 01-26-2019, 09:55 AM   #8
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Anybody out there that actually is driving 1 of the new diesels that needs the regen cycle care to share your experience? Maybe all I’ve been reading about it is the 💩 you have get past to get to the truth😎
Hi: Chotch... I've never been notified I needed one in over 10,000 miles. At 31 mpg's I do a lot of highway miles. My wife's Focus gets better mpg's but not so comfortably!!! Alf
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Old 01-26-2019, 10:03 AM   #9
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We have a 2017 GMC Canyon diesel. It is a fantastic tow vehicle for our E21 and is also our daily driver. The regen cycle is entirely behind the scenes and requires no driver interaction. We live in a rural area so we may do more highway driving than you city-dwellers. I have never been inconvenienced by or even noticed a regen cycle in 40,000 miles of driving. There was an emissions recall some months ago which seemed to increase the consumption of DEF but I have not noticed any other change in engine operation resulting from it.
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Old 01-26-2019, 10:24 AM   #10
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Hi: Chotch... I've never been notified I needed one in over 10,000 miles. At 31 mpg's I do a lot of highway miles. My wife's Focus gets better mpg's but not so comfortably!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie "Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt".
🤔just curious, how do you hitch the Focus to your 5.0? 😂
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Old 01-26-2019, 12:24 PM   #11
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🤔just curious, how do you hitch the Focus to your 5.0? 😂
Hi: Chotch... It's a struggle but would you believe a "Turnover ball"!!! LoL Alf
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Old 01-26-2019, 12:44 PM   #12
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Hitching up

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��just curious, how do you hitch the Focus to your 5.0? ��
Just drives the Focus up to the back of the Escape trailer and drops the tow bar onto the rear Escape reciever and stinger. Of course Alf is a professional. If the hill gets too steep, Mary Anne gets out, fires up the Focus and gives the Ram a push. Canadian Ingenuity, better than Artificial intelligence
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Old 01-26-2019, 03:41 PM   #13
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Anybody out there that actually is driving 1 of the new diesels that needs the regen cycle care to share your experience? Maybe all I’ve been reading about it is the 💩 you have get past to get to the truth😎
In 12 months and 13,400 miles of driving my 2017 Chevy Colorado, I have noticed the regen cycle exactly 0 times. I have no idea if/when it has ever done one, but I understand it occurs about every tank of diesel. I am well aware of issues others have had with this system but fingers crossed, mine has been trouble-free since the day I brought it home. Nearly all my miles are highway though, and I have to climb up and down at least one long, steep grade just about anytime I go anywhere. Very few short trips around town and almost no idling at stoplights.
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Old 01-26-2019, 04:47 PM   #14
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In 12 months and 13,400 miles of driving my 2017 Chevy Colorado, I have noticed the regen cycle exactly 0 times. I have no idea if/when it has ever done one, but I understand it occurs about every tank of diesel. I am well aware of issues others have had with this system but fingers crossed, mine has been trouble-free since the day I brought it home. Nearly all my miles are highway though, and I have to climb up and down at least one long, steep grade just about anytime I go anywhere. Very few short trips around town and almost no idling at stoplights.
This is the secret with these diesels, mainly towing or highway driving is fine. But as mom's taxi for taking kids to school or just driving around town can cause issues. If it is a dedicated tow vehicle then you should be fine, if it driven where it does not heat up often, you can have issues.
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Old 01-26-2019, 05:08 PM   #15
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Anybody out there that actually is driving 1 of the new diesels that needs the regen cycle care to share your experience? Maybe all I’ve been reading about it is the �� you have get past to get to the truth��
No, but there are lots of reliable and authoritative reports of required operations, and I do have friends who have experienced these issues. A co-worker removed his DPF after having problems (I don't endorse that). A friend operates a small fleet of Ford and International medium-duty vehicles in urban service and none can be kept operating as intended; they all end up with bypassed systems.

If even one percent of trucks have these problems, that's many thousands of problem vehicles. There can still be many happy customers.
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Old 01-26-2019, 05:21 PM   #16
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Prior to purchasing my Diesel Canyon I researched the topic of DEF fluid. What I found is you need to make sure your DEF tank always has enough fluid to complete a Regen cycle and the age of the fluid going in the tank is important.

I believe those that have had trouble with their system is likely due to ignoring any messages to complete a Regen cycle, which on the Canyon /Colorado requires to drive above 30 mph for at least 30 minutes, but only when you get the message to perform a Regen cycle. Normal use that includes highway miles and keeping enough fluid in the tank you would never get any messages related to Regen's as they happen in the background.

I never buy DEF fluid in the bottle as DEF fluid has a two year shelf life and the manufactures have developed a date system that makes if difficult to determine the age of the fluid. Most fluid in the bottles sitting in auto parts stores, Walmart etc. are close to or past the two year shelf life. Those in the know recommend buying DEF fluid where it is pumped from bulk tanks into your tank as this fluid is constantly rotated typically at truck stops.
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