First Mountain Towing with 6.0 gas GMC

Nice report Fishbreath. The 6.0 is a workhorse and very durable motor.

Great report and congratulate your candor

Exactly how a small block works...even with the close ratio automatics

Over all a very good combo but as all things designed....they are
engineered for the worst case...and your instance, towing HEAVY up
a mountain

That is the price to pay for over all higher MPG when used as a car

I'm not sold on the 6.2L all alu for heavy towing. I'm not a fan of
cylinder liners on aluminum blocks. Re-affirmed on dads Caddy STS's V8
which is a pure 'car' application. A two piece block didn't help either

My guess is that there will be ever larger displacements from the LS
family. The Vette has a LS7, 7L (427), but it is sleeved. Okay for
a car, but a truck with several tons hooked up is not what I'd buy

LS series will be it for a long while. Big blocks are pretty much
gone from the new product market...unless they figure out a way
to clean them up. Think direct injection 'could' be it, but the
mentality of management is small block, as I think they have very
little towing heavy experience.

Direct injection will be key to all future gassers

Again, GREAT writeup and is the way of it without force feeding a
small block...or go to a higher BTU fuel (diesel)

You haven't bothered to do any research on the "new" 6.2L cast iron, direct injection, that will be available in the coming 2500/3500 models, have you. The 6.0 will be "old technology" starting with the new models and will be history in a couple of years.....

The Texan wrote:
According to the dealers around here, the 6.0L is being replaced by the 6.2L starting with the coming model year and will be phased out over a couple of years.

In light duty trucks like the 1500's being built "in the coming model year" yes, that all aluminum 6.2L will take over that market.

But don't bury the cast iron block 6.0L yet. GM's truck engines don't just go into pickups. There's still all those other commercial duty applications... the RV Cutaway, the school bus cutaway, the UPS/FedEx/DHL step van business by the likes of Utilimaster, MorganOlsen, and HiVCO based on the Workhorse Chassis W62 bare chassis. Workhorse gasoline engines are exclusively GM Vortec cast iron block Vortec V8s... the 4.8L and that ever present 6.0L.

And then there is the Izuzu NPR (that also masqueraded in past years as the GM W-Series) that continues to offer the cast iron block 6.0L.

And don't forget the marine market... the list goes on.

Yes, the 6.2L all aluminum block puts out great numbers with a sophisticated combustion system and an efficient power to weight ratio... but all that costs money. When competing in a market of popularized power/economy ratios in the consumer market with catchy names like Ecoboost, it makes sense to sharpen the edge with "EcoTec".

The increased cost per unit is immaterial when having to comply with Federally mandated CAFE standards.

But in commercial applications over certain GVWRs, the rules are as different as the market served. Cost per unit is key, not HP or high speed. The 3500HD chassis cab has a 6.0L, for example.

All motors get phased out eventually. But there are so many odd and various and interesting applications that rely on the 6.0L cast iron small block, from the original poster's L96 with the factory installed torque "RV" camshaft, down to the lowly LQ4 I'm puttering around with, and all the RPO's inbetween, that this engine and the parts availability for it will not be disappearing anytime soon (IMHO).

BigToe wrote:


And GM built a good little motor in that 6.0. I have a feeling it will be around a long time, like the small block 350 it superseded.

According to the dealers around here, the 6.0L is being replaced by the 6.2L starting with the coming model year and will be phased out over a couple of years.

Hope you have GREAT luck with the GM. Unfortunately Ford sent a LOT of business to other manufacturers with the 6.0 diesel :(

I agree very objective comments. I think your diesel experienced is tainted because you had a 6.0 PSD. I would set the limits of a 6.0 gasser closer to 9K than 10K but that's splitting hairs.
Most other diesel engines are way more reliable than the 6.0 PSD. The reliability and repair cost of the 6.0 PSD is not typical of the modern diesel engine.
Enjoy your new truck.

You have described the Chevy 6.0 quite aptly. I had my 6.0 and 410.1 for several years and purchased it based upon trailer weights of no more that 6000 lbs. In my opinion your overall weight is too much for the 6.0 in mountain driving even with the 6 speed transmission. As you described it does just O K on the level but like you I am in the hills all the time.
I have traded my last trailer for a Northwood Wolf creek truck camper and the 6.0 walks away with this unit regardless of the steepness of the mountain. I can now pull Eisenhower Pass at any speed I desire and the rpms are not 4500. What a nice feeling! You will love it when you get to the truck camper in your plans!

Good report overall, shows how a gas will work in higher elevations. Issue here is, depending upon how High you were. ALL non forced induction rigs, be it gas, diesel, alchohol etc, lose 2-3% of its HP per 1000' of elevation, So if you were slowing down, having a hard time accelerating at say 6-8K ft, you were down a minimum of 12%, to upwards of 24%! i would say no matter HOW much HP you had/have, enough to notice.

Sounds pretty typical for a non forced inducted motor. About how I thought it would pull etc. I also agree, that might as well lower the RA with the DOD trannies of today, one can go from a 3.73 and a typical .71 OD, to a 4.33 with a typical .61 DOD and still have the same final ratio, rpm etc at 60 mph as the other, along with getting a LOT more low end grunt to get you going. I had it figure out at sea level, a recent 6.0 gas with the 6l90e and 4.10's would pull a steeper initial grade in 1st than a dmax! not by much, but still, not bad! A dmax with 4.10s would romp a 6.0 gas, even tho the trans is a 3.1 first vs 4.1 for the gas.....

But I digress at midnight my time, need to go to bed. ALL rigs if geared correctly should pull just fine to a certain level.

Marty

Not all diesels are the Ford PS 6.0. Unfortunately, that motor had it's share of well-documented problems. If you're happy pulling with a gas motor, that's fine, but don't feel that because it's a diesel, you'll need to replace injectors and turbos. I've had good luck with my 2 Duramax's and can't imagine going back to gas for towing again. But, that's me. You appear to have a plan and it works for you, so all the best..