wandern

87 octane: $2.80 91 octane: $3.00 Price premium: 7%

I thought I'd make a notation on this thread. I record my fuel consumption with every fill up, and have found that my highway gas mileage increases substantially (10-15%) when filling up with premium gas. Wait!, you say- that's impossible. Premium gas doesn't increase fuel economy. Yes- wait. I tend to drive in hilly and mountainous terrain, often heavily loaded (4000+ lbs of payload) and with 87 octane fuel, the truck is constantly shifting out of overdrive to maintain speed on slight grades. I will often compensate (when not using cruise control) by allowing the truck to slowly lose speed going up the grade, and regaining the speed once on a level or downhill grade, which will net me a 15-20% increase in fuel economy at the expense of constantly babying the throttle, the inability to keep up with traffic, and the impossibility of using cruise control. The truck seems to be able to make just enough additional power with 91 octane fuel that it does not need to downshift to maintain speed. I can run several hundred miles on cruise without the truck downshifting once with 91 octane gas in the tank, whereas the truck probably racks up several hundred downshifts with 87 octane. On longer trips (200-400 miles) that involve primarily interstate and highway travel, I've run both with cruise control engaged, and when manually controlling the throttle with the accelerator (but maintaining a constant speed up grades). In both cases, my unloaded gas mileage has gone from the 12.5-13mpg range to 13.5-15mpg. I was stunned the first time I got almost 16mpg with 91 octane. When hauling a high profile truck camper, my mileage goes from about 7.5mpg to almost 9mpg with premium fuel on the same routes. I have never seen 15mpg with 87 octane gas over the 20,000 miles I've logged with this truck. In town, my fuel economy is essentially the same regardless of what octane fuel I use- perhaps 2-3% less (well within the margin of error) with premium gasoline. After seeing the hard data (over thousands of miles on multiple trips on the same terrain in similar conditions), I've started fueling the truck with 91 octane gas when I'm going to be doing long highway trips. For normal around town and mixed usage, I put in 87 and call it good. For comparison purposes, my 2014 Silverado 1500 would handily return 21-22mpg on the same terrain (unloaded) and on long flatland runs, was capable of returning very close to 24mpg.

My 2015 3500HD has no play whatsoever in the steering. The steering/tracking is the best I've had in any truck. (Obviously the IFS helps with the tracking, but there is no play in the steering at all, making required steering corrections very accurate).

Nice post, but keep in mind that there are Huuuge differences between the truck (and the 6.0L engine) in a 2003 2500HD and a 2015 2500HD. The current 6.0 makes as much power (with even a better torque curve) than the current 5.3, and paired with the 4.10 rear end (vs. the 3.43 rear end on a 1500, or a 3.73 on a 1500 with the rare NHT package), the 3/4 ton will outpull the 1/2 ton, even though it's carrying more heft. Regarding trailer brakes- many (if not most) travel trailers/5th wheels these days have brakes so anemic that it's impossible to lock up the trailer brakes even with the brake controller at maximum (the trailer could stop faster if it had better brakes). This means that having a surfeit of braking power on the truck can actually help you stop faster. In an ideal world, trailers would have disc brakes with ABS systems, and the truck wouldn't come into the stopping equation.

Good to hear on the tranny. My 1/2 ton would regularly hit 220-240deg trans fluid temps on grades. My 1 ton will pull grades for miles at 70mph in 100+ degree weather and the transmission fluid will not get over 180. I think the half ton trucks are very good candidates for an auxiliary transmission fluid cooler. I've added them to most of my previous trucks and vans to keep from cooking the fluid while hauling or towing.

Do you know how this grille attaches? The ones I've previously seen use mickey mouse installation methods like double stick tape...

3500HD trucks ARE available with TPMS - but only on models with a 10,000 GVWR or less- specifically single rear wheel models. All DRW trucks have a GVWR exceeding 10,000lbs (and hence no TPMS available), and SWR trucks are available with a 10,800 GVWR option (same truck, different sticker) that also eliminates the TPMS option.

What year is your current truck? A 2014-2015 5.3L CC SB has well over 1800lbs payload capacity, which should be plenty for your tongue weight, cargo, and occupants. If you need more than 2,000lbs payload capacity, you'll be better off with a 2500HD or 3500HD. A half ton with a 5.3L will pull as well as an HD truck with the 6.0L gas engine due to the much lighter weight of the truck- it just doesn't pull as smoothly or stop as fast. For a trailer as light as yours must be (somewhere between 5000 and 8500 lbs), you have a lot of options open to you as far as the tow vehicle you can choose. You will find that the HD trucks will pull a lot better (and get a lot worse gas mileage) than the 1500s- my trailers pull better with a 3500HD SRW and no WDH than they do on a half ton with weight distribution, due to the heavier truck and much stiffer frame and suspension.

I accidentally posted this on the wrong thread. Reposting it here where it belongs: Mind boggling to me. I get 21-22mpg in my 5.3L/3.42 2014 1500 4x4, but I'm seriously lucky to get 12mpg in exactly the same conditions with a similar driving style in the 3500. It's starting to worry me. I did 60 miles over the weekend, at 60mph, on flat roads, with only about 3 stops the whole time, and the DIC told me I averaged 10.2mpg. It's generally right when I hand calculate. This would easily be 21mpg in the 1500. Towing? 11mpg in the 1500 (averaged over thousands of miles). 7.5mpg in the 3500 -- with the same trailers. My gas mileage is 20% lower (or worse) than even the worst estimates I see from most people with the Vortec engine...

What speed were you traveling?

I have exactly the same issue.

So yours is missing this? Passenger Compartment Air Filter The passenger compartment air filter removes dust, pollen, and other airborne irritants from outside air that is pulled into the vehicle. The filter should be replaced as part of routine scheduled maintenance. Inspect the passenger compartment air filter every 36 000 km/ 22,500 miles or two years, whichever comes first. Replace if necessary. More frequent replacement may be needed if the vehicle is driven in areas with heavy traffic, areas with poor air quality, or areas with high dust levels. Replacement may also be needed if there is a reduction in air flow, excessive window fogging, or odors.

The forum has erased two lengthy replies. Long story short: 2,000 mile+ trip last week, pulling 6,500lb travel trailer (large frontal area). Excellent acceleration up 6%-7% grades from 40mph-70mph, no problem keeping up with diesel pickups on acceleration. Altitude from sea level to 5,000 ft. Twice during the trip the truck went into some idiot mode and would sit at 3,800-4,000RPMs and refuse to downshift, leaving me dead on the grade. The rest of the time, it performed admirably. Also very satisfied with grade braking performance on the long downhill grades.

A 5,000 lb trailer with almost no wind load? You'll barely know it's back there.

I have this exact configuration and it pulls very well. Reconsider your proposed tongue weight - with a 6,000 GVWR trailer you might have a tongue weight of up to 900 lbs when the travel trailer is loaded with water, propane, batteries, and gear. Hopefully you have the integrated brake controller. It's in a convenient location and proportions perfectly as you apply the vehicle brakes. The truck automatically detects it when you plug in the 7 pin trailer connector but it doesn't automatically engage the tow/haul mode. I always use tow/haul because it gives crisper, faster shifts. The truck will easily pull that load up any normal paved road grade. You'll definitely want a weight distributing (WD) hitch or the front of the truck will be pointing at the sky. I use a Reese Dual Cam setup and the trailer tracks beautifully. You'll probably want 1200lb trunnion bars with that hitch setup. I allow the rear of the truck to settle a bit (the truck is already raked front to rear with no load) and it drives, steers, and brakes very well. The only minor issue you'll likely encounter is a slight "porpoising" effect on bumpy roads due to the relatively soft springs and shocks on the 1500 (vs a 2500 HD). Watch your tranny temps on long, steep grades if it's hot- I think the truck could afford a better transmission cooler.