Newer Chevy 2500 Duramax?

[Kennyd4110]

So I'm guessing that MPGs are very dependent on how you drive it and the conditions in which you drive it in.

That's true whether it's a car, truck, gas, diesel, or even hybrid.

 

[Daren Todd]

Also depends on tires and tire pressure as well. Had an upper control arm go out on my Sierra. Truck had some cheap tires on it from when I bought the truck. Had to put the truck in for the upper control arm, and alignment, and had them put some good 10 ply tires on it.

Truck went from an average of 14.5 mpg in the city to 16mpg city. And almost 20 mpg on the highway, instead of 16 mpg highway.

 

[Kubota_Man]

had them put some good 10 ply tires on it.

Truck went from an average of 14.5 mpg in the city to 16mpg city. And almost 20 mpg on the highway, instead of 16 mpg highway.

I noticed the same thing with my 1500 when I put good 10 ply tires on it. It is amazing how that works.

 

[lugbolt]

If you plan on keeping it after the warranty expires, you better plan on a few thousand for repairs. Or maybe closer to 10k. Nothing is cheap to fix on the diesels. After owning one for a while, I am REALLY tempted to go back to gas for that reason. The MPG difference is not huge unless you drive a LOT, like every day towing. I'd venture to guess that 80% of diesel pickup truck owners buy the oil burners for the purpose of "little man syndrome". And I were one of them, and wished I'd stuck with a gas burner. Think about it. 16 quarts of oil for the diesel. 6 or 7 for the gasser (half as much basically). You save money right there. Diesel fuel costs more. You have to get better MPG just to pay for the price difference in fuel. If warranty's up, then you have to figure in repairs....you replace an injector on a gasser, a couple hundred bucks worst case. One injector in a durmax, figure closer to $1,000. Then removal and cleaning of the DPF once every so often. Gassers don't have DPF's. DEF tanks, and the problems (or potential problems) with DEF and that system. If you're a business and can write off the repair costs, it might be worthwhile but for an individual, I just can't see it paying off unless you just have the money laying around with nothing better to waste it on.

 

[skeets]

I was looking really hard at the Duramx, when my old Chevy died. The cost blew me away right from the get go 6 grand for motor ahhhhh no ! The new one is 5.3 same as the last one, it pulls like a freight train and gets 20 or better on a trip. Trip to the GWN this year it did 22.3 mpg. Places I use to stop to FILL UP the old truck, I just topped of the tank,, that was so nice I had money left over when I got home. Oh thats about 2500 miles round trip and not counting the running around

 

[Daren Todd]

I was looking really hard at the Duramx, when my old Chevy died. The cost blew me away right from the get go 6 grand for motor ahhhhh no ! The new one is 5.3 same as the last one, it pulls like a freight train and gets 20 or better on a trip. Trip to the GWN this year it did 22.3 mpg. Places I use to stop to FILL UP the old truck, I just topped of the tank,, that was so nice I had money left over when I got home. Oh thats about 2500 miles round trip and not counting the running around

Skeets, what size is your truck? 1500?

 

[D2Cat]

I don't know if I bought my diesel because of "little man syndrome", but I had a '76 chev 3/4 ton 4x4 that was pretty well done. Diesel was less expensive then gas, and I needed something to pull a trailer with a 6000# trencher on it.

I looked and looked and looked. Finally found what I wanted in Atlanta, Ga. Flew down there and drove it back. It was 5 years old in 2006, so now it's right at 16. I have no complaints, but it's a straight line 6 cyl. Pretty plain and easy to get to work horse.

 

[skeets]

Its a 16, 5.3, 1500 LT extended cab 6 1/2 foot bed 4wd, 6 speed tranny and 17 inch wheels,, made the damn thing about 2 inches higher than the old one, makes it hard loading fire wood

 

[Daren Todd]

Its a 16, 5.3, 1500 LT extended cab 6 1/2 foot bed 4wd, 6 speed tranny and 17 inch wheels,, made the damn thing about 2 inches higher than the old one, makes it hard loading fire wood

I got the 09' set up the same way. Mine has the lower profile suspension option for the 4wd. Sits the same height as my son's 2013, crew cab, 2wd. Mine has the 4 speed auto in it. From what I have seen, the 6 speed auto makes a huge difference on the fuel economy.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I too do not suffer from "little man syndrome", I just bought a 2009 GMC 2500HD, yes I wanted the 3500 crew cab dually, but Mrs. NIW can drive this, and the 2500HD is just slightly less in the towing ability.
I had a 2005 Chevy 3500 LT3 dually with the 8.1l gas and Allison transmission, and I can tell you this, yes it had a ton of get up and go, and would pull the horn off a rhino, 18-20 mpg empty, and 14mpg lightly loaded, but it also got 4MPG when you worked it hard, so fueling it required a loan every time I stopped at a gas station.
Like any "new" design there is flaws and issues that come up, Duramax and Allison have both had to learn how to do it right.
Everyone raves about the Cummins, well I can tell you that the old ones were no picnic to run or work on, they had there flaws and issues too that they needed to work out.

 

[Daren Todd]

I had a 2005 Chevy 3500 LT3 dually with the 8.1l gas and Allison transmission, and I can tell you this, yes it had a ton of get up and go, and would pull the horn off a rhino, 18-20 mpg empty, and 14mpg lightly loaded, but it also got 4MPG when you worked it hard, so fueling it required a loan every time I stopped at a gas station

That's a touch the gas going down hill to get it to 90 mph, coast up the next hill and hope you don't have to touch the gas pedal till you crest over the other side Sounds like the old 1 ton dump truck I learned to drive in. Had a 460 with California emissions, and a 4 speed manual transmission. Had to fill up 3 times from Boston where dad bought it, to the house in vermont. That was a 4 hour drive normally.Truck got between 4 and 6 mpg till the mad scientist (dad's buddy) got a hold of it and pulled 3 out of the 4 smog pumps off and tweaked the carburetor. Engine looked like it had an octopus stuck to the motor where all the vacuum lines were plugged