8.1L vs. 454

ebod · May 7, 2003

I'm looking to get a Suburban or pickup truck as a daily driver. Even though I do only light towing, I want to get the "big" engine. I'm currently deciding whether I should sell my "fun/extra" car and get a new truck or whether I should keep the fun/extra car and buy an older truck.

If I get an older truck, I'd probably get something between a 1996 and a 1999 (i.e., the "vortech" versions of the older engines).

How does the old 454 compare with the new 8.1L? My main concerns are (in roughly this order) (i): acceleration/driveability with no load (or only a light load); (ii) reliability/maint.; (iii) ability to get additional power with minor bolt-on modifications (I'm not putting a supercharger on the thing, but I would do an exhaust); and (iv) mileage.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or advice.

Shaners · May 7, 2003

My buddy has a K2500 (1999 old body style) excab short bed 454 and I don't know what rear gears (3.73 or 4.10).

He gets 10 MPG towing and 12 MPG empty. The truck could easily be a daily driver. His MPG's are probably a little better than that because I doubt he figures in the +1 size tires when he calculates his milage.

The truck has more than enough power to do whatever he asks of it, and it has been trouble free for 39K miles.

silverado3500 · May 8, 2003

Our 2000 fleetwood flair motorhome gets between 9-10 mpg on the highway which is very good for a class A motorhome!

The coach has the 454/4l80E combo and runs great.

awdvkd · May 20, 2003

8.1 = 340 hp +455 lbs touque, speaks for itself. I think the 8.1 is smoother and has better low end torque. The one real bite is the torque management system. Its my understanding that you have 90% of the torque available at 1900 rpm, pretty good aye! The one bad thing about the 8.1 is that d**med cold start knock. I have it but I still love the engine.

GMC8.1 · May 21, 2003

This is my first big block, and I like it. I take exception to the cold start knock, but it runs good. I use mine as a daily driver. I get 9.5-10mpg around town and have seen 14 empty on the highway.