I might be inclined to agree on that too!

 

AHH....the VP-44 is a know weakness of the 2nd Gen 24V (I know first hand).....BUT Look at the injectors of the Common Rail. IF they go out.....you are looking at about 275.00 - 300.00 a piece for an almost non-rebuildable injector, plus labor which is far more involved than the VP-44. You have to almost to the hokey-pokey to get them installed correctly if you do it right by the book. Granted most of these trucks have wnty still....but lets wait a few years when wnty starts to run out and these jobs become customer pay.....then the boo birds will come out.....

I don’t think the injectors are as bad of a deal as the VP's. But i dont think VP are as bad as some make them out to be as well. I have known a few personal friends that have had to come out of pocket already for some new sticks so honestly time will tell.....Which poison tastes better?

ALL in all....both engines are great! You can make a 400-450 Daily driver pretty easy out of both. BUT 3rd gens drive a lot tighter! By far....

I personally am going to drive the wheels off my 2001.0 24V.....Nothing sounds sweeter in my opinion......unless its a wrapped out 8V71 Detroit....

 

True, I agree. Which would I consider is the lesser of two evils. I can't say that a Vp44 or a injector would make me choose either way. I find that for the most part, I could handle doing the replacement myself, as I consider myself mechanically inclined (after 2 years of automotive school).

I am currently looking for a guenia pig to test drive. Of course I won't buy it, because I am still saving. I seem to find that I like the interior of the 2004 models, (the steering wheel of 03 is pretty ugly in my opinion), the average price is $18-23k, so I need to save around $10k to get my payments a month where I want them to be. So I have time. Maybe I'll be close to a expert by that point.

 

The Common Rail motor is sitting in a heavier truck with lowers gears so it is bound to get somewhat worse fuel economy. I get about 17.5-19 mpg per tank depending on how I drive, I leave my edge on level 1 and I don't really accelerate that hard. If you are going for a truck to consistently get 20+mpg, go with a 24V or if you got some cash and free time get a NV5600 behind a 12V.

 

'cept the '03 SO CR trucks seem to do pretty well on mileage.

 

Yeah, not knowing ANYTHING and falling into this '03 seems like one of the luckiest things that ever happened to me! Todays fillup was a combined 37.xx gallons for 797.9 miles for 21.xxx avg.

Overall avg for a bit over 90K stands at 19.247

 

That's about where I was before I added my BFG 285s

 

So what do you get now?

 

On the highway with my '99 I could do as well as 21 MPG, the '06 is only giving about 16 MPG

That is a significant drop in mileage and an obvious major increase in operating costs!

 

19-20 hwy, 16-17 average when not towing.

 

I was seriously thinking of going 285 when I get new tires.

But if enough people think it's an awful idea I'll stay with 265s....

 

My highway mileage went up when I put the 285's on but local mileage dropped I'm on the highway a lot so it's a plus for me...besides anything smaller in the wheel well would look like toy tires

 

I live where generally speaking stop sign/lights are miles apart.

I do one long tow 5,400lbs about 270 miles a month and several shorter ones.

Once in a while I have to stooge around in Houston with a lowboy behind me half the time loaded with wind catchers.

So what do y'all think about my 285 idea???

 

Looking at the truck in your sig, I'd stick with the stock Michelin 265s. You obviously don't go off-road, probably stay away from snow, don't have that huge 4x4 wheel-well to fill, they are cheap and easy to get as take-offs, and I used to get great mpgs out of them at 75-80 PSI.

The only way I can see 285s helping mpgs on the highway is if you have a 410 rear end. Oh, and one other thing: I believe that there are very few (if any) 285s with an E-rating like the Michelins.

 

Did you recalibrate your speedo after the change? That could make a difference. Though I think the difference between the 265's and 285's is fairly small right?

And I'll have to agree with this as well.........