Preferred Fuel type

[LR Max]

Gasoline.

Diesel only for a small vehicle that spends all of its time on the highway or a tow rig. Otherwise, just driving around in a diesel makes no sense. Older diesels aren't comfortable, and the newer ones can be a nightmare if they aren't run hot. Stop and go driving is the absolute worst thing for a diesel. So is idling. Idling and babying the engine are the biggest killers of the newer engines. Since I do a lot of that, no dice.

Lulz. No CNG. Many of my friends ran propane in their rigs years ago. What a pain in the rear. When you run out of fuel at 5:01pm on a Saturday evening, you are screwed. Everywhere that carries fuel is closed. CNG is the same way, limited availability and at shops that maintain only normal business hours. I guess for a commuter-only car, maybe. But then you are talking about a dedicated vehicle only for commuting. At that point, might as well go electrical.

So Gasoline. I can idle and not worry about fouling exhaust after treatment. The engine and repairs are cheap. Maintenance is cheap. Fuel is available everywhere. Off road, having the ability to rev up to 5k can be crucial. Better to hit higher RPMs for a shorter time, than try and shift and lose everything. Also I tend to keep my payloads light, so no need for extra power of a diesel, nor a heavier vehicle. Longevity doesn't really matter as I'll get rid of the vehicle before that becomes an issue.

 

[Hillbilly Heaven]

I picked gas simply because I don't need the extra torque of a diesel not all the conversion headaches. Since I am doing a restomod to a 79 Bronco complete with EFI, I have chosen to add Flex Fuel capabilities. Just about everything around here contains at least 10% Ethanol. I hear some holler "pure gas only". Little do they know that it can contain up to 10% Ethanol and still claim to be 'Pure Gas". I have upgraded the whole fuel system to be compatible with Ethanol with poly tank, stainless or hard anodized lines and fittings, Ethanol rated fuel pump, regulator, and injectors.

 

[freedomrider]

I have customers doing neat stuff with deuterium.

As a fuel source? Chemistry and bond energy should be the same as ordinary hydrogen. Or are you generating it for other uses (e.g. studies on heavy isotope enzyme kinetics)?

 

[CSG]

As I mostly travel in the American West in my van or LC, I find gas easier. I sort of wish my big pickup was diesel from my days towing our fifth wheel as I understand diesels tow better.

 

[Buliwyf]

Gas.

Consumer grade diesels aren't reliable enough. I don't tow enough to need a diesel. Buying a diesel for two piddly cross country trips per year is silly IMO. The modern gas engines can do that just fine.

Would I rather have a diesel? Sure. If it was hardly any more expensive than a gas engine. If it was reliable. If it was similar in weight (diesels are boat anchors offroad).

 

[Dan Grec]

To add an international note to this:

I drove Alaska to Argentina and never once got to a station that had diesel and not gas.

I'm now in West Africa, same story.

People coming up the West Coast of Africa said that in the two Congos and Gabon it was actually very hard to find Diesel, gas is much more common.


So as much as people rave about how for international overlanding Diesel by far trumps gas, my experience has actually not been that at all, so far.

-Dan

 

[Hillbilly Heaven]

Dan did you find the quality of gas varies? What about alternative fuels?

 

[pappawheely]

I prefer gas for convenience but a diesel set up for multi fuels would be better for the zombie apocalypse.

 

[Dan Grec]

Dan did you find the quality of gas varies? What about alternative fuels?

I remember one tank in South America where the Jeep got terrible mileage, which I assume was bad quality.

Other than that, I've never noted "varying quality" gas.
So far in West Africa the Jeep has been running great and getting excellent mileage.

What alternative fuels are you thinking of? LPG? bio diesel?
I have not looked very hard, but I've never really seen them for sale.
There was one city - maybe it was Buenos Aires - that had a massive taxi fleet running on some kind of LPG, so there were stations for that. From memory it was cheap.

-Dan

 

[doug720]

Diesels, even mechanical engines, are as susceptible to bad fuel as a gasoline fueled engine.Debris/dirty diesel fuel will plug filters, and water can and will damage injectors. But it's even worse for common rail engines.

Good fuel is always important, no mater the fuel type.

 

[Hillbilly Heaven]

I remember one tank in South America where the Jeep got terrible mileage, which I assume was bad quality.

Other than that, I've never noted "varying quality" gas.
So far in West Africa the Jeep has been running great and getting excellent mileage.

What alternative fuels are you thinking of? LPG? bio diesel?
I have not looked very hard, but I've never really seen them for sale.
There was one city - maybe it was Buenos Aires - that had a massive taxi fleet running on some kind of LPG, so there were stations for that. From memory it was cheap.

-Dan

That tank you got in South America probably contained a high amount of blended Ethanol the reason for the bad milage. I should have said blended fuels rather than alternative fuels.

 

[Coachgeo]

Water would be my choice, free, abundant, and if your thristy you can sneak some! ha ha. I would vote gas in N/A and deisel in the rest of the world. From what I understand Diesel is cheaper and easier to get abroad.

Short devils advocate point. Been there... thought that..... then realized NEVERRRRRRRR ever EVER. There is no such thing as free. Making fuel from a primary staple of all life is the worst thing mankind could do to itself and all living things.

 

[sg1]

After overlanding for a few years in Africa, Europe and Latin America I can only confirm Dan's comment. Both diesel and gas are easy to get anywhere I have been with a small advantage for gas. Low Sulphur Diesel is rare in the 3rd world. Modern diesels are therefore not suitable for travel in the 3rd world and are finicky even in the first world. Owning 2 overland vehicles one with an older diesel and one with a modern gas engine I prefer gas.
Stefan

 

[nicholastanguma]

Really? Diesel is getting sort of hard to find? Old oilburners are definitely my favorite engines, but with all the political backlash against diesel having so suddenly become violent because of VW's Dieselgate I'm genuinely concerned that diesel might be progressively regulated away as a passenger vehicle fuel.

Add in the fact that petrol is so much more widely available and I'm not sure I see a great future for passenger vehicle diesel in 15 or 20 years. Diesel used to be the fuel that put Africa on wheels, and now in some places it's difficult to find? Scary.

 

[Dan Grec]

Diesel used to be the fuel that put Africa on wheels, and now in some places it's difficult to find? Scary.

When you see the kind of black smoke belching out of >90% of the diesels in West Africa, you might not be so sad!

Of course, diesel will always get better mileage, and it's usually cheaper (not always)
To see the price difference, checkout each country in http://wikioverland.org
The data is good for Central and South America, and I'm entering it for every country as I go around Africa now.

-Dan