Nationwide diesel price $2.92 vs regular unleaded $2.27/gal

[goduc]

Here in Oregon where I live the cheapest gas is $2.39 and diesel is $2.89.

[D W]

Originally Posted by 67L48

I don't understand commodities, fuel taxes, oil grades, and distillation well enough to understand why gas prices bounce all over the place while diesel stays constant.

Easy enough to understand. Since 1973 the oil companies have put the squeeze on the gasoline consumer. We were ripe for the pickings. Now the trend is diesel cars and light trucks. Take a guess who is ripe for the pickings now? What used to be "supply and demand" is now "demand and supply". I went diesel in 1984, and the wife went diesel in 1989. Around the year 2000 we both saw "it" coming, and we both went back to gas.

[clarkrl]

From what I’ve read 3 things cause the difference in prices: 1) work wide demand especially India, China, Europe for diesel has grown dramatically for vehicle and heating fuel; 2) refining costs for environmentally friendly ultra low sulfur diesel is significantly higher than for previous versions of diesel; and 3)federal taxes higher than for gasoline.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by SailorSam20500

I read an article a while back that talked about this. As I recall, the article claimed that the ratio of regular gas to diesel from fracked oil is significantly different than oil from the "pooled" oil. With fracked, you get more regular. With fracked oil making an increasing percentage of fuel in the US, the article led me to believe that the premium charge for diesel will probably increase.

Actually, it's my understanding from my reading that most of our refineries can't handle the new fracked oil; they were built to handle the oil we were importing. So we are continuing to import oil that our refineries can handle and we're exporting the oil that they can't handle. We are using "most" of the natural gas we're getting from fracking; they're flaring a lot of it, though.

Modifying the refineries to handle the new oil is too expensive, and I'm guessing we'll probably never build any new ones (NIMBY).

[elchilero53]

I am with a previous poster in that "national average price for diesel" is utterly meaningless. State-to-State variation in fuel taxes and transportation costs skews the average to the higher end. Around me here there is a $0.60 to $0.70 per gallon price differential between regular and diesel. The difference between regular and premium so premium is cheaper than diesel here. Regular is $1.88 to $1.99 per gallon around here, so Premium runs $2.38 to $2.49 per gallon and diesel is $0.10 to $0.20 higher than that. My truck runs on Premium and we tow with all the HP and torque we could want and still get decent mileage. On our last trip out of state, I noticed that the price difference between Regular and Premium was only $0.30. Go figure.

[Mr Towed]

As many people are reporting, diesel appears to be in the range of about 60 cents or so more per gallon than regular gas. I was initially looking at diesel trucks when we just got our new pickup but with the purchase price difference and the per gallon difference there was just no way the increased mileage would ever come close to paying for itself. If we were on the high end of the weight scale and we needed the torque of a big diesel then we'd be of a different mind set because we'd be in a position of needing the power instead of it being a "cool" or being an economical choice.

[Chazman]

Here in Rhode Island (The Crookedest Little State In The Union) regular gas is around $2.25 - $2.50, and diesel is about $2.55 - $3.40 Most of the stations around me sell diesel for $2.95 - $2.99

[tootall1]

When trying to understand price of fuel remember for example local, county,
and state taxes can be added to price of fuel without a vote by the citizenry.
Happy Valentines Day

[jkoenig24]

Wait a few years until the trucking industry morphs OUT of needing DEF. I expect the "new diesel" fuel prices will head even higher.

[JerryR]

Several years ago, before I began full timing, I was hauling a 34 ft travel trailer with my Tundra V-8, gas powered pickup. I usually got 10 mpg hauling that load.

When we went full time I traded for an F-250 with diesel power. It hauled the same load with an average of 15 mpg, even though the truck itself was much larger and heavier.


That is a 50% increase in mileage, which makes up for a LOT of difference in fuel price, much more than there was then or is now.

[Lazurus]

Thankfully the area where i live, diesel fuel is running around $2.79 a gallon. But i offset that price by getting a dollar a gallon off two times a month. which makes it at $1.79 a gallon more or less. Guess it pays to buy all of our grocery's at this store and racking up those fuel points.

Also in the summer time I can use bio-diesel which helps also.
I usually get around 16 MPG towing.

[Chazman]

Originally Posted by Lazurus

Thankfully the area where i live, diesel fuel is running around $2.79 a gallon. But i offset that price by getting a dollar a gallon off two times a month. which makes it at $1.79 a gallon more or less. Guess it pays to buy all of our grocery's at this store and racking up those fuel points.

Also in the summer time I can use bio-diesel which helps also.
I usually get around 16 MPH towing.

I hope at 16 MPH you're staying on the back roads!

[Trawlerphil]

If you build a spreadsheet taking weight of the diesel, acquisition cost, and the gas to diesel cost delta, I can make you a pretty good case for staying with gas. Had Ford not discontinued the 7.3 diesel in 2002, I probably would have bought one, but the problems having to "bullet-proof" later iterations scared the crap out of me so I stuck with the 381HP Tundra and haven't regretted it.

[Hersbird]

Originally Posted by elchilero53

I am with a previous poster in that "national average price for diesel" is utterly meaningless. State-to-State variation in fuel taxes and transportation costs skews the average to the higher end. Around me here there is a $0.60 to $0.70 per gallon price differential between regular and diesel. The difference between regular and premium so premium is cheaper than diesel here. Regular is $1.88 to $1.99 per gallon around here, so Premium runs $2.38 to $2.49 per gallon and diesel is $0.10 to $0.20 higher than that. My truck runs on Premium and we tow with all the HP and torque we could want and still get decent mileage. On our last trip out of state, I noticed that the price difference between Regular and Premium was only $0.30. Go figure.

Not to bust your chops, but you just claimed the national average to be meaningless then quoted numbers that are similar in the $.65/gal difference in raw price but is actually worse as a percentage which is what you need to use when doing a cost benefit analysis. You may run your truck on premium but very few trucks require premium and used in most trucks will actually decrease MPG.

[ronheater70]

Originally Posted by Trawlerphil

If you build a spreadsheet taking weight of the diesel, acquisition cost, and the gas to diesel cost delta, I can make you a pretty good case for staying with gas. Had Ford not discontinued the 7.3 diesel in 2002, I probably would have bought one, but the problems having to "bullet-proof" later iterations scared the crap out of me so I stuck with the 381HP Tundra and haven't regretted it.

That would work if you were applying Identical HP / TQ numbers and towing ability between gas and diesel engines. Theres a reason you dont tow Heavy with Gas trucks, But if you dont, then it's a moot point. So what You can do with your spreadsheet is make a good case for yourself, but not necessarily the population as a whole. You pay a slight premium for diesel trucks, but that pays off in a number of ways vs a Gas comparable version. Thats like saying a Honda Civic is cheaper to own than a Corvette, but the Vette offers personal satisfaction and performance standards to the buyer that negate the price difference. But to someone else they look at a Civic and think it will do everything they need or want it to do and be perfectly content in it and save the money.
I went from an ecoboost f-150, to a 6.4 Hemi ram 2500 to a 6.7 CTD Ram 3500. TO me personally, the towing experience in hilly terrain more than makes up for the 2 quarters extra in fuel.. All other maintenance is about even with the 6.4 Hemi i had. It's all personal preference.

[Ejs4029]

Originally Posted by ronheater70

That would work if you were applying Identical HP / TQ numbers and towing ability between gas and diesel engines. Theres a reason you dont tow Heavy with Gas trucks, But if you dont, then it's a moot point. So what You can do with your spreadsheet is make a good case for yourself, but not necessarily the population as a whole. You pay a slight premium for diesel trucks, but that pays off in a number of ways vs a Gas comparable version. Thats like saying a Honda Civic is cheaper to own than a Corvette, but the Vette offers personal satisfaction and performance standards to the buyer that negate the price difference. But to someone else they look at a Civic and think it will do everything they need or want it to do and be perfectly content in it and save the money.
I went from an ecoboost f-150, to a 6.4 Hemi ram 2500 to a 6.7 CTD Ram 3500. TO me personally, the towing experience in hilly terrain more than makes up for the 2 quarters extra in fuel.. All other maintenance is about even with the 6.4 Hemi i had. It's all personal preference.

X2...Some people just don't get that there are those of us that want a diesel regardless of any added expense

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by Ejs4029

X2...Some people just don't get that there are those of us that want a diesel regardless of any added expense

You're right!

BUT by the same token - Some of you people think that everyone has to have a diesel.

[ben31]

Why does diesel cost more?

https://www.cenex.com/about/cenex-in...asoline-prices

[Ejs4029]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

You're right!

BUT by the same token - Some of you people think that everyone has to have a diesel.

I hear you I guess if you have a diesel and either a Hensley or a ProPride hitch towing a TT can't get any better

[TheWolfPaq82]

Eastern Nebraska: Thursday the 14th...$2.52/gal. Friday the 15th...$2.62/gal. Saturday the 16th...$2.74/gal.