Avalanche/Suburban 2500 with 8.1 towing mpg
Anyone who has one or had one, please chime in as to what kind of mpg you got while towing. I hate the idea of having 496 CI, but I'm planning to sell my 03 Suburban 1500 Z71 and am looking for an Ex...
Forum Discussion
Reviving an old thread and answering my own question from a few posts back. It may benefit someone who searches for this later. I really appreciate the responses I got when I posed my question in this thread last year.
I bought a 2003 K2500 8.1L Suburban LT early this year. When I took it to the scale it was ~6,800 lb with full fuel but no occupants. It is an LT 4x4 with sunroof, movable pedals, dual heat/AC, etc. so it is probably about as heavy as they get.
Over the last couple of years, I towed the same tall trailer over similar terrain with my 1996 C2500 Suburban with the 5.7 and the new(er) K2500. I got about 7.5mpg with the 2WD 1996 (about a 62mph average), and about 6.5mpg with the 4x4 8.1L (about a 68mph average). Both trucks had the same rear end gears and basically the same 4 speed transmission. I'm very happy with the towing performance of the larger engine--much more capable and relaxing. BTW, I know all about tire weight and speed ratings, so please don't bother to comment on the average speeds listed above. :-)
I bought a 2003 K2500 8.1L Suburban LT early this year. When I took it to the scale it was ~6,800 lb with full fuel but no occupants. It is an LT 4x4 with sunroof, movable pedals, dual heat/AC, etc. so it is probably about as heavy as they get.
Over the last couple of years, I towed the same tall trailer over similar terrain with my 1996 C2500 Suburban with the 5.7 and the new(er) K2500. I got about 7.5mpg with the 2WD 1996 (about a 62mph average), and about 6.5mpg with the 4x4 8.1L (about a 68mph average). Both trucks had the same rear end gears and basically the same 4 speed transmission. I'm very happy with the towing performance of the larger engine--much more capable and relaxing. BTW, I know all about tire weight and speed ratings, so please don't bother to comment on the average speeds listed above. :-)
