dustin.dstroya.montoya
1/2 ton status
I got a 2001 suburban with th 8.1, wondering how they pull?
CK5
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How does the 8.1 tow????
- Thread starter dustin.dstroya.montoya
- Start date
I have a 2500 Avalanche and it tows good. I only get 7-8 MPG when towing, but the truck has alot of pulling power.
dustin.dstroya.montoya
1/2 ton status
they put an 8.1 in the Avlanche, thats bad ass, what do you pull? thanks for the info
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The Avy's actually ride on the suburban platform, so a 1500 avy=1500 suburban, and the 2500 avy has the exact frame, suspension, and drive train as a 3/4 ton 'burb (the 8.1L was the only engine for the 3/4 ton Avalanches).
I towed my 69 chevelle from Cheyenne, to Polson, Mt, Trailer & load was 7500 lbs.
Next week, I am pulling my K5 from Cheyenne to SE Arkansas (~9000 lbs)
I'll let you know how that trip goes.
Besides the low MPG, I like the truck.
dustin.dstroya.montoya
1/2 ton status
ya, i am towing a 78 jimmy to moab for blazer bash i bought the burban just for towing my jimmy. So you think i should have plenty of power?
Yep, should be fine. Won't keep up with a Dmax, but will tow respectably....as long as you like stopping for gas.
dustin.dstroya.montoya
1/2 ton status
thanks for the reply, as long as im not holding up traffic i guess i will be o.k.
Any one else got any info or tips?
Any one else got any info or tips?
I tow with my K3500 that has a 7.4L Vortec and besides getting 7-8mpg it does ok. I tow some BIG hills when going to the beach and I can do 35-40mph up cuesta grade which is incredibly steep.
That being said the 8.1L in your sub is leaps and bounds ahead of my 7.4L technology wise so you'll be fine.
That being said the 8.1L in your sub is leaps and bounds ahead of my 7.4L technology wise so you'll be fine.
dustin.dstroya.montoya
1/2 ton status
sounds good, thanks for your input
Be glad your on the southside of Soldier Summit
What day you going down to BB
What day you going down to BB
dustin.dstroya.montoya
1/2 ton status
I think wednesday
blazininthe73
1/2 ton status
8.1's pass everything but the gas station. 
dustin.dstroya.montoya
1/2 ton status
8.1's pass everything but the gas station.
That's no joke, I pulled my Jimmy to Moab, what a pig but damn strong
arkansask5
Registered Member
I pulled my jeep with my 01 2500 with the 8.1 and a manual 6-speed. Even pulling up the Pig Trail, about 10-12 miles with some nasty turns it just kept pulling. Didn't have any sort of problems other than the 8-9 miles per gallon. 
I'm just going to bump this because I stumbled across this thread and I think it's funny (don't even know if anyone pays attention to the tow rig section but oh well). When you purchase a gas motor that has 496 cubic inches....the last thing on your mind should be gas mileage. Nowadays people are so crazy about gas mileage on anything...doesn't matter if you are looking at a Prius or a 3500 dually. For some reason guys want to pick up a fully loaded 1 ton dually and still get 30 mpg. You purchase a vehicle for a purpose. If you want to DD it and maximize your mpg's, then get a small car that meets that. If you want to be able to tow stuff, just know you are getting a rig that can probably tow a house down, but you are not going to get 30 mpg's like a small car. Realize what you are looking at and what you want out of the vehicle.
Now, I know that diesel guys love to chime into this stuff and say how their turbo charged Cummins can pull the space shuttle and still get 25 mpg (which you can't on either end...and most diesel guys are telling false numbers about their mpg's to begin with to make their truck sound better). Do diesels have more power and get a little better mpg's than say a gas 8.1? Absolutely. However, they are more expensive to purchase and maintain (looking at this historically...usually when I say that their is some diesel owner from the back that loves to chime in and say he has never replaced a turbo or injectors on his and it's gone 700,000 miles now...which once again is a lie). Diesel's are freaking awesome. I have towed some stuff with a couple diesels and they truly are amazing and yes they may get a little better gas mileage, but there is something to be said about an LS based gas motor for the simplicity and reliability you get out of them, plus the lower cost that they go for. If you sacrifice a couple mpg's to gain those things, I say it's worth it. But once again...what do you want out of your truck? What are you really going to use it for? I feel like these simple questions go out the window sometimes.
I just felt like I had to say something in this cause all I see is multiple posts talking about the 8.1 liters gas mileage.....just remember....496 CUBIC INCHES. Anything that big will need some gas, haha
Now, I know that diesel guys love to chime into this stuff and say how their turbo charged Cummins can pull the space shuttle and still get 25 mpg (which you can't on either end...and most diesel guys are telling false numbers about their mpg's to begin with to make their truck sound better). Do diesels have more power and get a little better mpg's than say a gas 8.1? Absolutely. However, they are more expensive to purchase and maintain (looking at this historically...usually when I say that their is some diesel owner from the back that loves to chime in and say he has never replaced a turbo or injectors on his and it's gone 700,000 miles now...which once again is a lie). Diesel's are freaking awesome. I have towed some stuff with a couple diesels and they truly are amazing and yes they may get a little better gas mileage, but there is something to be said about an LS based gas motor for the simplicity and reliability you get out of them, plus the lower cost that they go for. If you sacrifice a couple mpg's to gain those things, I say it's worth it. But once again...what do you want out of your truck? What are you really going to use it for? I feel like these simple questions go out the window sometimes.
I just felt like I had to say something in this cause all I see is multiple posts talking about the 8.1 liters gas mileage.....just remember....496 CUBIC INCHES. Anything that big will need some gas, haha
bring out your dead.Zombie thread.
Dustin hasn't been on here for a while either cool guy. It's too bad
Zombie thread.
Dustin hasn't been on here for a while either cool guy. It's too bad
Yeah, I know. Just you never know who will find these old threads and start reading them (I know I have when doing research). That's the only reason why I posted
the 09 chevy 5500 20ft steel deck rollback tow truck we have at work has a 8.1 with allison in it .
great to see it climb a good hill with 3 mile long grade up to the top with a 1/2 ton 4x4 dodge on the deck and a 2 car trailer on the back with 2 dodge caravans on it .
she is a power house but as said likes crank sensor every now and then and loves her gas station visits .
great to see it climb a good hill with 3 mile long grade up to the top with a 1/2 ton 4x4 dodge on the deck and a 2 car trailer on the back with 2 dodge caravans on it .
she is a power house but as said likes crank sensor every now and then and loves her gas station visits .
my 6.0 didn't get anything better than 9mpg towing 
8.1 FTW
8.1 FTW
If we're gonna revive this thread, might as well do it right. Here are my 8.1 observations.
I have towed a bit with my Avy 2500, from Wyoming to Arkansas, in Montana, and a few trips in between Colorado and Wyoming. The heaviest I towed was 18800 lbs which is right at the GCWR for an Avalanche 2500 (with 4.10 gears; ones with 3.73 gears only have a GCWR of 17000 lbs). With that load, I towed from Arkansas to Wyoming, climbing up to 8100 ft at the highest, with several climbs and descents in elevation in-between. My fuel economy for that haul was around 6 MPG. It held 55-60 on the steepest part, pedal to the floor. If I had the lower gears, I think it would have done even better.
GCWR: 16,270 lbs
GCWR 16,200 lbs
I now have a K2 2500HD with the 6.0, but have not hauled with it yet. Empty the 8.1L does similar in the mountains in between Laramie and Denver. I have made the trip numerous times in each, under similar conditions and the gas mileage (hand calculated over several similar trips) is slightly better with the 8.1 vs the 6.0 (14 mpg average vs 13.5 mpg average). I do have 285 70 r17 tires on the 2500HD, so that does hurt the comparison, but overall, the 8.1 has plenty of torque that it just climbs up without the need to shift and up the revs.
Around town, I get around 9.5 in each. So for me and my driving style, there is no significant difference in fuel mileage between the two. And in the mountains and/or towing I enjoy the torque of the 8.1.
I have towed a bit with my Avy 2500, from Wyoming to Arkansas, in Montana, and a few trips in between Colorado and Wyoming. The heaviest I towed was 18800 lbs which is right at the GCWR for an Avalanche 2500 (with 4.10 gears; ones with 3.73 gears only have a GCWR of 17000 lbs). With that load, I towed from Arkansas to Wyoming, climbing up to 8100 ft at the highest, with several climbs and descents in elevation in-between. My fuel economy for that haul was around 6 MPG. It held 55-60 on the steepest part, pedal to the floor. If I had the lower gears, I think it would have done even better.
GCWR: 16,270 lbs
GCWR 16,200 lbs
I now have a K2 2500HD with the 6.0, but have not hauled with it yet. Empty the 8.1L does similar in the mountains in between Laramie and Denver. I have made the trip numerous times in each, under similar conditions and the gas mileage (hand calculated over several similar trips) is slightly better with the 8.1 vs the 6.0 (14 mpg average vs 13.5 mpg average). I do have 285 70 r17 tires on the 2500HD, so that does hurt the comparison, but overall, the 8.1 has plenty of torque that it just climbs up without the need to shift and up the revs.
Around town, I get around 9.5 in each. So for me and my driving style, there is no significant difference in fuel mileage between the two. And in the mountains and/or towing I enjoy the torque of the 8.1.
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