Is it just me, or is something wrong with my truck?

[jungleexplorer]

So I had a 2007 Silverado 1500 with the 5.3L engine and a little 19ft TT rig. I was a good combo, but when I decided to get a bigger TT I wanted to get something a little beefier, so I traded my 1500 in on a 2011 Silverado 2500HD with the 6.0L engine. I also sold off my TT, but ended up not being able to find the TT I wanted locally, so I got a small 16 foot Jayco to use until I find what I want.

So today, I towed this little trailer with my new (to me) 2500HD. Is it just me, or this truck really lacking power? I thought it would be towing this tiny TT without problem, but I swear that my 1500 could have run circles around this 2500HD towing my old 19ft TT which was bigger and weighed 1500lb more this this Jayco.

Is something wrong with my truck, or are these 2011 models of the Silverado 2500, really lacking power?

[FishOnOne]

I would suggest just drive it and perhaps you'll learn what makes it tick. I think you'll find that loading it down with a heavier trailer may not affect the trucks performance that much.

Having said that my parents had a 2001 Chevy 6.0 and my dad wasn't really too impressed with it's towing performance. He purchased a Duramax and never looked back.

[dave17352]

Interesting I have towed my 3500 pound boat trailer with my 4k wet tc for a couple thousand miles. In some pretty good hills in South Dakota and have been quite pleased and that's coming from my 2011 duramax. I think you will like it once you get used to it.

[keymastr]

How many miles are on the truck? When was the air cleaner and fuel filter last changed? Have you tried premium fuel? The owners manuals state that if you are towing or it is hot out that premium is recommended.

[GordonThree]

Are pickups supposed to perform like dragsters?

[kerrlakeRoo]

short of replacing, you could either dyno test it to see if there was a problem or maybe try tuning the system.

[gopherslayer]

At work we have a 2017 3500 Quigley van with the 6.0 and 6 speed. I stood on it last night and it seemed slow compared to my 2006 Yukon XL 6.0 and 4speed. Like the OP stated it fell on its face at the top end. Maybe it needs a reflash? I was disappointed in a combo with 1240 miles compared to the other at 160,000 miles.

[jungleexplorer]

kerrlakeRoo wrote:
Didn't yer mama teach you never to trust anybody in a bow tie?
Had to get one snarky chevy shot in there
:B
Sorry your not getting what you expected.
How far did you pull the Jayco, and was it a stretch you had pulled with the other truck?

I have only pulled it about 400 miles so far, but I am on a 4000 mile trip, so I will get to know it a lot better.

What I expected to get when I bought a Work Truck, was a truck designed to do work, which has higher demands for power then you normal soccer mom who buys a truck because she wants to fell beggER on the road. I have driven almost 1.5 million miles in my life in all types of vehicles. My body is pretty good at feeling what a truck is doing. For whatever reason this 2500HD is not what it could be or should be and it seems it was designed this way to me.

[kerrlakeRoo]

Didn't yer mama teach you never to trust anybody in a bow tie?
Had to get one snarky chevy shot in there
:B
Sorry your not getting what you expected.
How far did you pull the Jayco, and was it a stretch you had pulled with the other truck?

[jungleexplorer]

Well, been on the road some more today on back country roads doing a lot of stop and go. It seems my truck has more power below 3000 rpms. I get decent acceleration as long as I keep it below 3000, but if I step on it, the engine just whines and the speed needle barley moves until it up shifts into the next gear and and drops below 3000 rpms, then the needle starts moving. Wierd!

It's still not great acceleration, but now I understand why I was getting g nothing yesterday when I was standing on it on that access road and had the rPMS up over 5000.

[APT]

Are you using tow/haul mode? I don't get it. The 6.0L offers a bit more power even thought the HD weights more than your old half ton. The 6-spd with 3.73 has better gearing than your old 4-spd with 4.56 axle. Tow/Haul, and M5 is what I use with same engine/trans and 6500 pounds loaded. It cruising in 5th gear at 65-75mph. Keep that engine over 2500rpm and you'll really like it.

[jerem0621]

Have you made sure the trailers brakes are not dragging?

I pulled a 31.5 ft TT with a 97 F150. Probably 7,000 lbs loaded for camping. Pulled the same trailer with a 99 F350 Dually with a V10 and found that the trucks pulled the trailer about the same from a power perspective.

One other thing to consider is the aerodynamic drag on the front of the trailer. If the front profile of the short trailer is the same as a longer trailer it takes the same amount of power to overcome the aerodynamic drag, this is a substantial amount of force that our vehicles have to overcome.

Two 8x11 ft trailers have to punch the same hole in the air regardless of if they are 35 ft or 16 ft long.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[DBH_MI]

I have a 2016 1 ton dually with the 6 liter that weighs 7500 lbs pulling a trailer that weighs 8000 lbs and I have no problem getting to at least 65 mph by the time I hit the end of the entrance ramp.

[kw_00]

Like I have said before and will say again..... black bear EFI Live tune...... did this to my truck and it is way different animal now. Believe me even a stock 6.0 will pull that camper up a hill with no issues...

[jungleexplorer]

KD4UPL wrote:
There's a lot of torque management in the software. It doesn't feel powerful by the seat of your pants but it's there. Keep in mind your new truck is likely hundreds or even 1,000 pounds heavier than the old one. My 2015 6.0 feels like it doesn't have much power but it will tow 14,000 ppunds up a mountain. Stand on it when towing.

I sure hope you are right. I am gonna trade this piece of paper Jayco in on a real TT; and Outdoor RV 27BHS that starts at 7000lbs empty. That is three times what this tiny Jayco weighes. I hope I can get back home to Texas after that. Guess I'll just have to wait and see.

[blt2ski]

If 2500 is a long box crew cab, figure base at of truck is a minimum 1000 to 1500 lbs heavier. So it may very well have a lower HP per ton ratio. So it could be slower.
My navigator dump truck is was slow vs my pickups. It was lower in HP. But the gearing and torque multiplication allowed it to go up steeper grades without stalling vs pickups.
The new truck is probably overall a better truck. Acceleration, may be lower, the rest of its abilities are better.

Marty