2000 silverado 2500hd vs. 1500

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  • danjandanjan Member Posts: 15
    If you are going to tow, You will want an Automatic Transmission. You get too much slippage with a Clutch. You get a much prefered shifting pattern with an Automatic no matter what I have stated in previous posts. I am only attempting to get the most informative answers from the experts here at Edmonds and by golly today I think I've finally done it. I've towed with both and I prefer an Automatic. I've been towing various trailers for 40 years and we've come a long way from what I started out with. Example: 1957 Ford pulling a 24 foot Travel Trailer. It worked, but how safe was it really?
    Not very,I can tell you from experience, but it was the best that was out there then. Good Luck!
  • moudry1moudry1 Member Posts: 61
    I have no experience with the manual, but the new 6.0 with the 4.10 rear and the tow haul feature makes towing a pleasure.
  • RichinKsRichinKs Member Posts: 412
    I guess I'm lazy as they get cause I use cruise anytime I'm going over 40 mph for any distance. I use it for towing my fifth wheel at 65 mph and my 97 Z71 has no problem with it. If I hit a hill cruise does not floor it as I loose speed but gradually increases the throttle (I tow in 3rd cause I have a high rearend ratio ). Interestingly it does not give it enough gas to down shift and if I get down to about 52 I give it gas manually to get it to down shift. But then I have to turn cruise off to get it to up shift or it will stay in second past my 65 setting. But this happens infrequently, maybe only once every several days of towing. Are you saying the new trucks will actually floor it in cruise to try to keep the speed up? ..... Rich
  • leathal02leathal02 Member Posts: 114
    probably wont floor it, but it will give it enough gas to get up to speed
  • buschenabuschena Member Posts: 5
    DanJan and Mgdvhman,

    Appreciate the advice. I guess the dealer
    wasn't just feeding me a line about the
    auto in the new Chevys. Now to decide
    on the color!
  • vince4vince4 Member Posts: 1,268
    Danjan, it sounds like the discussion is coming to a consensus: leave it in drive and use t/h for hills and around town. If it can maintain speed on flat land with t/h off then that is fine. Chevy says you can tow in overdrive. One advantage with t/h that hasn't been mentioned is increased lifetime for the transmission. The shifts are more firm which reduces slipping. Over a long time with heavy loads this could make a difference.
  • danjandanjan Member Posts: 15
    and Drive it is....no more Cruise control while towing. After a 337 mile trip this past weekend, I'm convinced that my Chevy with the 3.73 rear end will tow my 7,946 pound travel trailer with ease. Finally, I've got it figured out. Cruise control is a bad choice while towing. I put my transmission in drive and used tow/haul only when needed. I averaged 60 M.P.H. and got 10.4 mpg for the entire trip. I bucked a 25 mph head wind part of the way. While driving against the wind I turned on Cruise momentarily and realized my truck was doing to much shifting, then turned off cruise and went into tow/haul and increased my speed by 10 mph and took it out of tow/haul. At 65 mph and on a level roadway, it held the road just as if it was in cruise. While approaching a hill and just starting to climb, I pushed the button and let the transmission do the work. What a difference. I'm convinced now that this transmission will do the job. I'm really quite pleased knowing that I have all of this awesome torque to do the job. I talked to a Dodge Diesel owner pulling a 28 foot fiver...he asked why I didn't buy a diesel. I told him I could purchase and awful lot of gas for the $4500.00 difference in price not to mention the high maintenance costs. He told me I was nuts...maybe....doubt it though...just smart I'd say! I guess he's never driven a Chevy!
  • vince4vince4 Member Posts: 1,268
    I'm glad it's working out. I haven't had a chance to try mine yet with a load (camper) but I'm sure it will be great.

    I would think cruise control would be fine on levelish ground if t/h was on. With it on the trans wouldn't be going in and out of overdrive every time the cruise tried to compensate for a wind gust or small grade. I guess you prefer to run with t/h off whenever possible so cruise is not a good choice. Am I understanding you correctly?

    By the way, Trailer Life had a really good article a few months back comparing the total cost of diesel vs. gas ownership. It was a well thought out comparison, you may want to look it up. Maybe they have a web site. Anyway as I remember the gas had the edge, it took something like 150k miles for the diesel to break even due to gas mileage because of the initial cost and higher maintenance costs. And all that time you get to hear it, smell it, and look around for fuel. No thanks.
  • danjandanjan Member Posts: 15
    Vince4, when your truck is in cruise and you're towing, your engine has to work harder to keep or maintain an even speed. If you lightly put your foot on the accelerator and feel how far it goes down when you pick up a little speed to maintain your setting, you will then notice that your engine is constantly struggling to maintain that setting. Cruise is only meant for normal driving as on the interstate or on a highway where you can safely use it. I also don't think that one has full control while towing with the cruise control on. Also when the transmission has to shift, I think it shifts a little harder when it's in cruise. I noticed this on a couple of trips. It seems to be much easier to drive while in the drive configuration and then use tow-haul when needed. I think the gas mileage is better and you have positive control at all times. It's a pretty simple matter to push that little button to change shifting patterns. You also have full control of you vehicle. I think we sometimes over-tax our trucks and the purpose for which they were built. With cruise off I have excellent control of my tow vehicle. I can compensate for the differences of the hills before I need to engage tow-haul. I am also able to give it the extra gas needed to make it up the next slight grade without making my engine struggle. If you watch your R.P.M.'s while in cruise and then without cruise on, you will see the difference. When I tow my 5500 pound boat however, I do use cruise. I don't have the wind resistance like I do with the Travel Trailer. I guess it all boils down to what you are towing. I have seen Dodge Dakota's towing 35 foot fivers.....I don't think I'd care to pull that big of a load with a small truck. What the heck would you do if you had to stop in a hurry! I'm really satisfied with my truck now and I feel very safe. It takes awhile to understand this tow-haul mode, but if you work with it a little you'll begin to understand exactly what it does for you.
  • gwmooregwmoore Member Posts: 230
    Why does everyone think the only way to compare gas and diesel is at what point does the diesel's efficiency pay off? You must have never used a new high-end diesel like the Cummins or Powerstroke. I have had the pleasure of using both diesels and gas pickups. They both have advantages, but my opinion is that the diesel is the BEST engine, period (of course for my lifestyle). Some people just want the best, whether it makes financial sense in the first 100,000 miles or not. It's peace-of-mind, appreciation of high-quality, the added range, or just wanting the beastly torque.

    Diesels are simply the ultimate for pickups if there is any serious towing or camper use (they are great off-road, too). The best thing to me is the feeling of total dependability, especially when towing. Gas engines may have good power, but the confidence of going up a big hill with a good diesel is so much higher than with a good gas engine. I don't know if it's the sound of the diesel like it is hardly working. That the temp guage barely flickers. Ripping by the gas engines. I don't know.

    If the new Duramax was available in the Sierra 2500, and if I could afford it, I would get it in a heart beat, even though the 6.0 is a great engine, and even if it would take 300,000 miles to make up the price difference. The best engine in the best truck. If you are a Chevy guy, it would be like wanting a new Silverado over an F-150 or Ram, even if you could get the others for less. If you think the Silverado is the best, you'll get it. I hope that hypothetical makes sense.

    So, if you go to a trailor park campground or somewhere else where a lot of diesel pickup owners are, and ask those who do a lot of towing or hauling why they have diesels, you will rarely hear "'cause after 100,000 miles, the cost savings made sense". You will hear, however, "'cause it was the best for what I do". "'Cause it gives me way more range". "'Cause it has more torque, and it's more dependable on long trips".

    So if you want a gas engine, that's fine. But I wouldn't spend a lot of time trying to figure out the break-even point between gas and diesel. It's kind of a mute point. Those who can afford and want the BEST truck for their needs should get whatever they think that is.

    Now my problem is that I love the Cummins and the new Sierra 2500, and don't want to wait for the Duramax. What to do???????????
  • vince4vince4 Member Posts: 1,268
    My only experience with a diesel was in a Peugot (spelling?) 504 which is very different than a truck application. I wasn't impressed. It may have had torque but bottom line, it was gutless. I can understand what you mean about the feeling of having a solid engine. I think the cost issue comes up because it is the most obvious approach to help answer the "which is for me" question in an analytical way. The effectiveness as a tow vehicle is another, and more important, part of that decision. A good analysis presents all factors, cost is an easy one to relate to.

    Solution to your problem: lease the Ram for the engine and buy the GMC when the Duramax has been out for at least 1 year. Think of how much more you'll love the Sierra after living with a Dodge!!
  • vince4vince4 Member Posts: 1,268
    I'll see how it works out for me. With a camper I don't have as much weight but I have more frontal area so it may be similar.
  • quadrunner500quadrunner500 Member Posts: 2,721
    Well one issue used to be that even if you weren't towing, you might get a diesel for its fuel economy/range. It was the only way you were going to have a full size truck and get 17 mpg.
  • gwmooregwmoore Member Posts: 230
    I have been using Ram/Cummins/Automatic combinations since '89. Lots of towing boats with a big slide-in campers. Never had a transmition problem, NEVER, NOT EVEN A LITTLE. Nearly 200,000 miles on the '89. Never talked to anyone with Ram/Cummins who tows that has had a problem. I hear about it, but have no experience with any problems. Never had a bad fuel problem (the new fuel filters do a great job). There are guys in the Cabover Camper discussion from Alaska with diesels - no problems, just have to plug in heater/gas tank heaters (yeah, a little hassle, luckily I'm not in a cold enough area to worry). I go inside to order food & use the restroom. Change my own oil (yeah, costs a lot more, but oh well).

    The only real hassle is that you ABSOLUTELY MUST NEVER RUN OUT OF GAS (done it, and it sucks to get that thing started). Oh yeah, the lack of engine breaking going downhill is a weakness.

    I'm not trying to sell anyone on diesels. Just trying to correct some misconceptions and understand some of the thinking out there. I also really like the 6.0 and 5.3 liter GM engines, and the 350s in the recent past. I don't consider the 6.0 a huge step down from the Cummins/Powerstroke, but it is somewhat of a step-down for my use.

    I'm sure the Duramax is going to be great, and it's exciting to see the advances in Pickups. All the evidence I'm seeing is that Ford and Dodge are ready to make the leap-frog after the Duramax is released, though. We're living in a wonderful era if you love power. The awesome new GM gas engines pushing Dodge to the next generation Hemi's (sounds like around 2001-2003), Cummins/Powerstroke pushing GM to the Duramax, then . . . .
  • gwmooregwmoore Member Posts: 230
    the '97 Ram/Cummins I now frequently use has over 50,000 miles. Although that is just a pup for a diesel, it has had no Tranny problems either. It's my dad's truck, but we go fishing/hunting together all the time, and I play guide and do all the driving.

    I don't mean to sound like a Dodge guy, just sharing my experience. I love the engine and like the truck. But, as I've said, I like the new GMC 2500 pickup better.
  • meredithmeredith Member Posts: 575
    As a result of 30 or more days of inactivity....

    this topic is being "frozen." It will be archived or deleted in the next 10 days or so.

    Front Porch Philosopher
    SUV, Pickups, & Aftermarket and Accessories Host
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