Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Exp w/ 07/08 GM 3/4 ton with 6.0 gasser and 6 spd auto tranny?

All,
Just read an article in Truck Trends in which they compared a 3/4 ton gasser and 1 ton diesel from each of the big three. The star of the show was the 1 ton Duramax, but the article was very complementary of the GM 3/4 with 6.0 gasser coupled with their new 6 speed auto tranny and 3.73 rear end. They said that in a flat tow, it out ran the Ford 3/4 ton 6.8 V10 gasser with 4.30 rear end (the Ford beat it on 7 and 15 percent grades, however). The truck I buy when I return to the states will see the majority of its duty as a daily driver. It will also tow a 7,500 pound travel tralier 6-10 times a year. Given GM engines generally get the best milage of the gassers, the additional purchase expense of a diesel engine and the extra .30 a gallon diesel costs over gas (where I come from), this could be the truck for me. Does anyone have any experience with this combo? Any thoughts on my logic?

Expat

My humble opinion- I've towed with gas & diesel. No contest. Diesel wins, regardless of fuel efficiency. Even if they used the same amount of fuel, I'd still go diesel. Torque is what moves loads effortlessly, and when towing, the diesel (Cummins in my case)makes pulling a pleasure. I don't pull heavy, no more than 8000 lb, but my mileage still stays at 15-16.5 when pulling, and unless I have to slow down for road conditions, will stay in overdrive uphill and downhill with 8k on the back.

I have averaged 17.8 mpg in my urban commute cycle over the past 3 months (Atlanta area traffic) and can get low 20's on the road. Diesel would have to cost 50% more than gas to make it a wash IMO, and then you still wouldn't have that torque in a gas engine. The initial cost premium for a diesel truck isn't a factor because of the superior resale value down the road.



badger

I went through the same thing, trying to pick a diesel or gas. I bought a 07 Chevy 2500, LBZ Dmax, 4x4, CC, in Feb 07. I looked for a while before making a choice. If had to do it over agian I would get the 3500 DRW, not any difference in price. The diesel will get better milage overall than any gas engine in that size truck. The 6.0 GM gas engine is a good engine but in a 3/4, or 1 ton they suck the gas down weather loaded or unloaded. It maybe better with the 6 spd trans. The major draw back for a diesel now is the 07.5, and the 08 models have more emission crap on them now and it has hurt fuel milage on these trucks but not much. Also diesel fuel is 3.35 here now, it was about .30 cents less than regular when I bought the truck. I have about 14k miles on mine now and so far I am very pleased.The ony problem I have is most of the regular dealers here do not know anything about my truck so I take it to the GMC light/heavy duty dealer in town if needed. Plus I think the diesel sounds cooler than a gas truck.

A neighbor of mine used to run the 6.0 liter 3/4 ton gassers......he would get around 12 mpg all around driving and no more than 8 mpg pulling a 4 horse trailer .

That's what I found in my research also 8-9 towing heavy and 12-14 running around empty. Maybe 16 highway.

diesel wins when it comes to towing and getting good MPG with that load.

Thanks Gents. All above is good and informative info.

Any of the experience above with the new 6 speed auto tranny and the updated 6.0 motor?

Expat

JMT,
Thanks for the info. Is the mileage difference enough to offset a $5000 price differential for the truck and .30 extra cents a gallon in fuel cost in a reasonable amount time in a truck that will see most of its duty as a daily driver? I'm being serious, not sarcastic. I'm willing to accept the added expence of the diesel if it is recooped in a reasonable amount of time. I'm not a high mileage driver.

Expat

No the 6.0 gas GM trucks were 03-05 that I looked at and got info on from owners. I would think that with the 6 spd it would get better milage unloaded. I'll keep a eye out for one around here and get some info.

I think it boils down to what you want for yourself. The problem now is diesel is about .15 cents higher than 93 oct gasoline so it will be more expensive to fill up. Also there are some extra cost with a diesel such as fuel filters, 5-7 extra quarts of oil, and fuel additives for cold climates. The last oil change cost me 78.00 US(DIY) for oil,filter, and fuel filter.Dealer charged 90.00 for just changing the oil and filter. Those extra costs are not a big issue but you need to be aware of them. The price difference is hard to swallow and yes it would take a long time as a daily driver to get that back even with better fuel mileage. I really like my diesel and wanted one for a long time so get what you will be happy with especially if you plan on keeping it for a long time. I was lucky when I bought mine because it was one of 2 classic's left on the lot and the 07.5's were showing up so I got a deal on mine. Well maybe not a deal but much less than sticker. All trucks now are stupid expensive even with rebates and discounts. I hope you find the truck for you.

I did some calculations based on the mileage that my friends with diesel trucks are getting and the extra cost of the diesel.It worked out that I would break even with the diesel in about 250,000 miles.Those calculations are based on driving the truck without towing anything.I should also add,that where I live diesel is cheaper than gasoline by about $.30 per gallon.Since diesel is more expensive where you live,it would take much longer to break even.However,if you towed a lot of heavy loads,the payoff would be quicker.I guess that it all depends on how often you tow.

A factor that is seldom considered is that when you eventually sell the diesel truck, especially a Duramax, the rig is worth considerably more than an identical truck with either the 6.0 or 8.1-liter engine. Locally, this is a $3,000 to $4,000 bonus.

And if a truck has 250,000 miles on the odometer, the diesel is still wonderfully saleable, while a gasser is not.

A further factor is the "Six-Speed Transmission" is an off-the shelf GM tranny while the Duramax rates the Allison 1000 Six-Speed. The Allison is totally incredible.

That is why I drive a 2006 Chevy Crew Cab/Short Bed LT-3 Duramax/Allison LBZ. Absolutely NO issues, fabulous mileage and unbelieveable power.

Steve

JMT,
Thanks for your reply and all the thought you put into it.

Expat

I considered depreciation before buying my current truck.It just made it even easier to choose the 2007 Tundra over another GMC.Here in Canada Toyota trucks hold their value much better than any of the big three.Of course if I did a lot of heavy towing,I would have had no choice but to buy a diesel from one of the big three.

Your welcome, hope the info helps.

The 6.0 is a good gas motor, one of my hunting buddies has one and we have taken it on extended (2000 mile) trips. The knock about fuel economy is true in my experience. On interstate travel, we rarely exceeded 14 mpg, loaded but not towing anything, and 11-12 is about right in town. On the other hand, most of the 4wd, crew cab 1/2 ton GM trucks with the 5.3 liter motor that I have had will routinely exceed 20 mpg on the highway but will drop to 14-15 while towing.

I have a '05 Chevy 2500HD crewcab with the 6.0L in it and 4:10 gears...it is a pig on gas but it is a good work horse. Milage sucks but I don't do alot of driving with it until hunting season...my Honda Civic is my daily driver and gets better milage than any diesel truck

It fluctuates here on whether gas is more than diesel...right now gas is less. While out hunting a few times with friends who have diesels, it has been a pain to find fuel. Just a week ago while hunting in northern Sask I could find gas a tiny store 10 miles from our cabin while the other guy who had the diesel had to drive 30 miles to get diesel.

I have gone and put the K&N cold air intake on and a flowmaster muffler...as well as had it tuned...that helped out with power and milage...just going by number of km's I am getting to a tank.

Here's how I look at such things: If it costs 5 to 6 thousand more to buy a new diesel and it's worth 5 to 6 thousand more than a gasser at resale time, that's a wash. They're only worth more at resale, because you paid more for 'em in the first place.

I paid about $28K for my then-new '06 GMC ext. cab 1500 Z71 w/5.3L gas engine, which was several thou below the window sticker. There are similar GMCs and Chevys on dealer's lots right now, priced at $22K and up, with mileage comparable to my truck (19,000).

Depreciation is what it is, so if you pay more to get a new diesel domestic, or Toyota Tundra and they're worth that much more at resale, it evens itself out compared to the purchase of a less expensive domestic half ton gasser.

My GMC 1500 will do an honest 20MPG highway loaded with hunting equipment, me and the dog. Even loaded/towing, it will do about 14 to 16 highway, depending on the load. I once trailered a 184 IH tractor and extra equipment about 180 miles (16' tandem axle flatbed). IIRC, the overall mileage was about 14 MPG. Figure the load itself weighed about two tons + trailer weight and I flogged her pretty good on the highway too. The truck has more than enough moxy for that load. Also haul a few loads of firewood home on the same trailer, about two cords per load. Worst mileage I've ever gotten with a loaded trailer, was between 12 and 14.

I could never justify the purchase of a diesel truck, factoring in the initial cost and cost of upkeep, for the amount of hauling I do per year. Doubt most people could either, since the majority of the diesel pickups I see on the highway, are empty save the driver and maybe one passenger. For a truck that will primarily be a daily driver with a few heavy totes per year, the 1500 gasser works fine.

If you ever go on a trip with a loaded trailer in a gasser and your partner in front of you has a loaded trailer and a diesel, I can amost guarantee, you'll be lookin diesel for your next truck. BTDT.

You missed my point: MOST people that drive pickups will never really need the additonal torque of a diesel pickup truck. If you really need it and need it frequently, then by all means buy it.

I don't need one, because my 1500 will pull several tons with no problem and when it's not pulling anything (which is about 95% of the time), does 16 to 20MPG all day, without having to have spent an extra $5000 or more, to own it.

The vast majority of the people I know who have diesels, never haul anything stouter than a trailer load of ATVs or a 28' camper. They bought them because they thought diesels were "cool" and manly.

My best friend's widder uses his 2001 K2500 Chevy w/6L engine to pull her 3 horse trailer several times a year. When he died within several months of having bought that truck new, I suggested she keep it for 3 reasons: It was paid for; she might need it someday to fetch the nag trailer when her daddy's 3/4 ton pickup croaked (it did shortly thereafter); and it will do about 17MPG empty, highway. She is still happy to have it.

Her son has a 2002 Dodge Cummins 3/4 ton, pulls his fifth wheel camper about 800 miles per year. He stopped by to visit while we were deer hunting a few weeks back, was grumbling about the cost of diesel up there in rural northern PA ($3.65) and what crappy mileage his Dodge gets. Told him he could've always borrowed his daddy's old Chevy gasser....gas was only $3.21 at the time. ;O)