Here we go again....6.0 liter a good TV?

[IBcarguy]

I know this has been kicked around a hundred times but I need more input. I have a new TT, 31.5' overall length, about 6000 dry weight. Since I can't afford a Duramax, I've been looking at a 2013 GM 2500 4x4 crew cab with the 6.0 liter V8. Most of my towing will be in Northern CA which isn't exactly flat...a lot of towing into the Sierra mountains on camping trips. My old TV was a 1998 Suburban 2500 with a 454 but it's getting tired and needs to retire from towing.Truth is, I wasn't very happy with the performance of the 454 anyway. The 6.0 with the 6 speed trans seems like the likely choice but I would hate to spend this much money if I would be disappointed with the towing ability of this truck. Wish I could rent one for a test tow. Anyone out there towing with the 6.0 with a TT comparable to mine?

[allen8106]

IBcarguy wrote:
I know this has been kicked around a hundred times but I need more input. I have a new TT, 31.5' overall length, about 6000 dry weight. Since I can't afford a Duramax, I've been looking at a 2013 GM 2500 4x4 crew cab with the 6.0 liter V8. Most of my towing will be in Northern CA which isn't exactly flat...a lot of towing into the Sierra mountains on camping trips. My old TV was a 1998 Suburban 2500 with a 454 but it's getting tired and needs to retire from towing.Truth is, I wasn't very happy with the performance of the 454 anyway. The 6.0 with the 6 speed trans seems like the likely choice but I would hate to spend this much money if I would be disappointed with the towing ability of this truck. Wish I could rent one for a test tow. Anyone out there towing with the 6.0 with a TT comparable to mine?

I had a 2009 GMC 6.0 and it was a dawg towing my 5vr. It got about 6-7 mpg towing to California and back. Bought a new 2013 Durmax and never regretted it once. Get 13-15 mpg towing now.

[APT]

2015 is a new design for HD, K2xx vs. 2007.5-2014 is GMT900. I have not heard of any major design issues with 2015s, but for sure they will hold their value better by a few thousand for the next 10 years.

Diesel is worth about $7-8k more than the gas for the same equipment from new to about 200k miles. It costs more up front, but holds its value. That value difference is about 3 yrs/50k miles.

[Need-A-Vacation]

IBcarguy wrote:
I just found a 2014 2500 crew cab, 6.0 with 4.10 gears. Nice truck and I think it will do the job, but not cheap. For what this truck will cost, I could buy a older Duramax with higher miles. Tough decision.

As mentioned, what is "Older" and what is "Higher miles" for the D-Max?

It is a tough call!!! Is this truck the one for the long haul, or only a few years? Warranty on the '14 still? How many miles on the '14?

Just how close is the '14 priced to a new '15 or '16?

Good luck deciding!!!

[blt2ski]

How long will you keep the truck. WHat is high miles?

A dmax with too many miles will be coming up on possibly needing new injectors, at 400-500 per injector......vs a tuneup at 100K miles......

How many miles a year do you drive? if less than 25-30K, then a gas rig makes more sense. This is from a person who uses these rigs commercially!

There is not at the end a right or wrong answer, only what is right or wrong for you. For me, I will go back to gas, as I have on next truck

Marty

[IBcarguy]

I just found a 2014 2500 crew cab, 6.0 with 4.10 gears. Nice truck and I think it will do the job, but not cheap. For what this truck will cost, I could buy a older Duramax with higher miles. Tough decision.

[jake2250]

In Nor CAl also, I bought a year left over, 2012 Silverado 2500 HD Z85 4x4 extra cab long bed 3.73. We tow about the same weight. Have not had a problem towing over the Sierras, Up to Ice House lake on Hwy 50 and up to Donner on 80, Truck pulled great!! I used tow-haul mode and let 'er do what she is designed to do, and Everything worked great, temps were good, horse power was good, ride was very comfortable.
Down hill was awesome, transmission downshifted properly and didn't have to ride the brakes,,again Tow-Haul works great!!

I don't know if 4.10s will make that much of a difference for my needs,3.73 is what was available when I bought the truck and it performs well for us!

As far as a Dmax,,I could not justify nor afford the difference in price for me.
I am very happy with this truck!!

Now,, MPG's are a different story,, It like's the gas!! I have a flex Fuel engine,, I ran E85 towing once, Up to Collins Lake, One steep long grade,,,Put a hurting on the gas gauge (averaged 7.1),, but pulled at posted speed!!

Last trip to the Coast and I filled with Chevron 91, averaged 8.9 and kept it at or just over posted (Car) speed, 65-70.(your results may vary)!!
Good luck, Enjoy the new truck!!

[LVJJJ]

Fantastic engine. I towed with a 454 for years, thought there was no substitute for cubic inches, not so anymore. 454 couldn't match the 6.0 (366 cu)

Had an '05 Roadtrek based on Chevy Express van w/6.0, 3.42 gears. Roadtrek weighed 8,000 lbs. No problem, even got 17mph. Then started towing a 5500 lbs Rainer travel trailer, no problem still, got 11 mpg and go as fast as I wanted. Ran in cruise all the time except the steeper passes. Oh yeah, always ran in tow/haul mode when towing. Also towed my Chevy car on a U-Haul car hauler trailer, so that was probably even heavier than the TT. I was absolutely amazed at how much power that 366 had.

[travelnman]

We have a 04 Burbon with the 5.3 motor/3.73 axel and tow 6,200 dry weight TT.
Loaded it must be 7500lbs with dry tanks. It pulls the hills in Branson, Mo.
pretty well not going to win any races with a Camaro but I'm satisfied. Best
to turn off the air conditioning at times and pretend its the old days again.
This SUV has 167,000 on it and only major problem was engine warning light
came on a 110000 miles and after getting beat around by a dealer who shot gunned the problem and had no clue I found a independent mechanic who fixed it.
Lost $1,400 to the multimillion dollar dealership with mechanics who were
clueless but had lots of free Pepsi and popcorn. They also burned out my
instrument panel but replaced it free. Can you say Bozo the clown.

[IBcarguy]

The truck I was interested sold so I'm on the hunt again. I appreciate all the advice, I am sure that the 6.0 will do fine for me, even with the 3.73 gears. I realize now that letting it rev up is what it was designed for in order to utilize it's power potential....even though buzzing the motor for long pulls can be a little unnerving.
I'll let you know what I end up with.

[kw_00]

I watched a few other gas jobs they tested up the Ike. Funny thing is that most of them did not beat the 6.0, even the dodge 6.4....and that 6.4 is a great engine by all means. So to the OP get the 6.0, don't worry about running it... Trust me it won't complain... And to give credit where it's due... Both the Ford 6.2 and Hemi 6.4 are terrific gas engines...

[drittal]

I'd rather listen to my truck at 5 grand for 2 minutes every now and then than my dad's tuned cummins with 5" exhaust drone along at its 2000 rpm dull roar. Lol.

To each their own. One thing is for certain, his trailer is not outside the capability of that truck. The question is whether it tows it within the expectations of OP. Only the OP can answer that.

[transamz9]

mkirsch wrote:
Okay, right off the bat, get over this notion that if the engine is running faster than 2000RPM for more than a split second, that it is "struggling," or going to explode.

If you can't get past running the engine faster than 2000RPM, save your money for a diesel. You will never be happy with a gas engine, ever.

That's the problem with 99.9 percent of people. They're used to the engine loping along at 1800-1900 RPMs at highway speeds and any more than that is immediate cause for alarm.

Gas engines need RPMs to make power. Even my big 8.1L doesn't make the real power until 3200RPM. You have to be willing to stomp on the skinny pedal and letting the beast breathe. It doesn't take much power to run around empty. That's why you can lope along at 1800RPM. It takes big power to tow big. That's why you have to run the engine faster.

You're not hurting the engine. It's not going to blow up. Everything is fine. The computers will not allow you to blow the engine up. Everything is still fine. When you get to the top of the hill it will upshift and the RPMs will go back down. Everything is definitely fine. I promise.

Did you watch the video? There towards the end when everyone was rubbing on the dash and talking nice to the truck is the part I don't miss. Yes, deep in your mind you know it will pull it and you know it's not going to blow up but I still get that feeling. When you are riding along talking to the DW or anyone else is in the truck and all of a sudden it goes to 5 grand, the conversation usually changes subject real quick.2 minutes of listening to the screaming of 5 grand would soon get old let alone 10 minutes. My engine fan on my Cummins gets under my skin sometimes. LOL!

[Bigfoot_affair]

I had a 2001 Silverado 2500HD from new with the 6L and 4.10's. It was a great truck and pulled just fine. Once I could afford it I stepped up to the diesel world, could I go back? Idk.

[drittal]

SouthpawHD wrote:

IBcarguy wrote:
Thanks for the input. The Youtube video wasn't too encouraging but I would never be pulling that much weight. I think I better check which gear ratio this truck has before I pull the trigger. I probably should keep looking if it doesn't have 4.10 gears.

Keep in mind that the vid is at Eisenhower tunnel outside of Denver, one of the steepest mountain grades in the US. And they were pulling near max load.

If it can tow that much up that steep, it'll handle more "normalized" towing no problem.

Ike isn't all that steep. The interstate system has a maximum grade and the Ike doesn't exceed it.

The Ike is a long pull, up a significant grade at very high altitude. Something like 11,000 ft at the top. Air is thin up there and naturally aspirated motors are down on power. Something like 30% down. If towing at high elevation up mountain grades all NA motors will struggle towing at or near max ratings.