Drivability of 6.6L gas 2500 vs 6.2L 1500

[Teach]

3/4 ton over 1/2 ton everyday of the week hands down.  Bigger brakes, heavy duty transmission, beefier gas engine, heavy duty differential, better cooling system, able to tow more weight, etc.   Go BIG or go home !!  

[RE1]

Anyone else with real world experience driving both trucks?

 

6 pages and two people actually addressed the original question. 

[KARNUT]

Anyone else with real world experience driving both trucks?
 
6 pages and two people actually addressed the original question. 

Ok, I can’t speak for these models. But generally when I drove 3/4- one tons they had at least 1000s lbs in the back. Fuel tanks, toolbox supplies for my work. With adjusting tire air pressure they road good. When I move to sales I put the stuff in a half ton. Didn’t feel secure, bouncing, skippy, didn’t stop well. Took it all out. A car with a big trunk.


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[jjackkrash]

3 hours ago, RE1 said:

Anyone else with real world experience driving both trucks?

 

6 pages and two people actually addressed the original question. 

The 6.6 has been on the street for maybe a month.  Then you need to find someone with real world 6.2 experience as well.  There is a chance everyone in the country with experience in both trucks has already responded to you.  

Edited September 14, 2019 by jjackkrash

[RE1]

Yeah, I suppose it’s early for the gas 6.6L. 

[NWI Denali]

On 9/7/2019 at 11:24 AM, Cowpie said:

But of course it would be more "nimble" to drive. A 1500 is basically a car on steroids.  

Lmao. This is so outlandish. You are talking about a full body on frame vehicle that can carry 1500-2000lbs or payload and can tow anywhere from 9-11k lbs. What would you call 3/4 tons of the 90's then? Since those are basically the same towing and hauling ratings.

 

On 9/7/2019 at 8:30 AM, jjackkrash said:

I got more than $10k off sticker on my last 4 GM HD trucks, 3 of them 3/4 tons.  You have to time the incentives and they don't usually advertise the incentives.  If you have a relationship with a good dealer they call when the incentives hit.  

 

Here's a nicely equipped 3/4 ton SLT for $49k (this dealer posts the real price, but I can always get similar deals locally with a phone call).

 

https://www.laurabuickgmc.com/VehicleDetails/new-2019-GMC-Sierra_2500HD-Crew_Cab_Standard_Box_4_Wheel_Drive_SLT-Collinsville-IL/3502656533

It says right in the ad that truck was a loaner truck. Lol

[Cowpie]

On 9/14/2019 at 7:51 AM, RE1 said:

Anyone else with real world experience driving both trucks?

 

6 pages and two people actually addressed the original question. 

Well, I have generally been in the 3/4 camp for most of my life. Early on had a Chevy C10.  I ventured into 1500 territory in 2013 and found I was inventing new swear words. I got rid of it and went back to the 2500.     They have complicated things even more so in the 1500 line that there is nothing being made in that line that appeals to me.     It has a lot more to do with just drivability.  Reliability is more of a concern of mine.  And even with the new 6.6L L8T in the HD line, it does not have AFM and is still a cast iron block.  

 

While there is some argument that the 6.2 in the 1500 works on regular fuel instead of the recommended premium fuel, there is more behind the scenes one needs to consider.    LSPI (Low Speed Pre Ignition) can be an issue with a high compression GDI engine like the 6.2 if one does not use premium fuel.   It is a micro version of knock or ping that many times cannot be sensed by the operator.   The ECM will try to compensate and reduce the occurrence of LSPI when using regular, but there are many, many anecdotal examples and case studies of internal engine damage due to LSPI.  Not just GM, but the Ecoboost line is plagued with it also.  It is one of the reasons that GM updated dexos1 to the Gen 2 version along with API updating to SN+ as a possible help to reduce LSPI.  There is no substantive evidence that the oil spec change has delivered the desired results.  The only safe way to mitigate the problem  is to use high octane fuel.

 

The 6.6, while it is GDI, it also has a lower compression ratio than that 6.2, so it actually can meet full power output with regular fuel with no LSPI issues,  producing power that is almost on par with the 6.2 using premium.    So while the 2500 6.6 will have lower MPG, the lower cost of using regular will make up for the MPG difference.  And the 6.6 is designed to be a commercial capable working engine with corresponding reliability while working daily in less than ideal conditions.  Not a street rod motor crammed into a 1500.  

 

And being an Old Ex-Cavalry Sergeant in the Army, I just have issues with the AFM thing.  I paid for 8 cylinders and I expect them all to work all the time the motor is running.  They all need to pack the gear with none of them taking OEM or Union inspired smoke breaks while the others are doing the work.    On another level, it introduces a unnecessary complexity to engines and there yet to be any substantive delivery of fuel economy results that is the focus of this nonsense.  Maybe in a controlled testing scenario, but not in the real world.  And a general wandering thru the forum and AFM and associated problems, lifter failures, etc is not hard to find.  I choose to avoid that nonsense since the HD engines don't have that goofy stuff.

 

Given the direction that GM and the other OEM's have gone with their 1/2 ton lines, I will never consider a 1/2 ton pickup again unless it is a restored classic.

 

One can make a 2500 ride almost as good as a 1500, and it doesn't take a lot of effort and money. Some better shocks and running the proper tire pressures based on the actual loading on the axles and not on the door jam is a good start.

 

 

Edited September 17, 2019 by Cowpie

[brendon444]

Watching   couple of these threads pretty close...

 

Purchased a 19 6.2 10 speed max tow.  1500 has my vote for moderate towing 10K. 

[Cowpie]

Oh, it can accomplish that fine.  It is the down line reliability and issues that could materialize. And it is is a question of how cost effective it is in accomplishing that.  It isn't just about whether a vehicle will do something, it is a matter of whether it will do something well.  While a 1500 6.2 does have decent towing capability, it doesn't have the payload capability to make that truly effective.   10,000 lb of trailer hooked up means roughly 1200-1300 lb on the hitch if one does things properly (or it is a dead tongue draw bar).    With the average 2500, that still leaves enough payload to put a ATV in the bed of the pickup, 4 people, the dog, and some extra gear for a great vacation and still some payload capability left over.  

 

It is similar to what can pull my 53' Stoughton cargo trailer I use in my business.  My class 8 semi tractor does it and does it well.   I could hook the trailer up to a Class 6 truck with a 5th wheel, but it would not have nearly the capability to haul all the trailer is built for.  Even if they both have the same 13L engine and 10 speed transmission in them, which is a reality when it comes to spec'ing heavy trucks.  Same power, but not same capability or effectiveness.  

 

And yes, it is an apples to apples comparison.  We are talking about different classes of pickup trucks just like the analogy is different classes of heavy truck.  Just because the engines are virtually identical in output in both scenarios, doesn't make things nearly as equal.     And when one factors in cost effectiveness, a 6.2 1500 has no edge whatsoever.  A 6.2 1500 costs as much or more than a 6.6L 2500 to drive off the lot and the fuel to power it costs substantially more also, making the cost per mile for fuel a wash even though the 1500 6.2 gets better fuel economy than a 6.6L 2500.    I can understand one buying a 5.3 1500 to meet their needs. But not a 6.2L 1500 unless one is just wanting to use their pickup as a street racer.   And in that case, towing and payload is irrelevant.  It is just a car on steroids.

Edited September 21, 2019 by Cowpie