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09 2500hd Vs 1500

chevy19533

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chevy19533 Enthusiast

chevy19533

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Other than the increase towing and hauling capacity what are the differences between a 2500 and a 1500? I have an 07 1500 4.8 4x2 silverado long bed wt and the ride is awful. Can a 2500 get much worse? I am considering upgrading to a new 2500 ext cab long bed 4x4 6.0 and wanted to get some feedback from people that have them.

pwall Senior Enthusiast

pwall

Posted
Posted

The 2500 is going to have 'truck' tires, while your 1500 may have P-rated tires. Hence in most cases, a softer ride.

If you feel the ride in your 1500 is rough, I don't see you liking the ride in a 2500.

Najo New Member

Najo

Posted
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I agree I went from an 07 1500 CC 5.3 to an 09 2500HD CC 6.0. It rides like a truck but if you need a 2500 with the increased load capacity and towing stability then that is what your gonna get. Surprisingly I have found at 65-70 unloaded it is a pretty smooth ride, I air my tires down a bit when not towing.

chevy19533 Enthusiast

chevy19533

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Has the ride on the new body style gmt900 trucks been improved at all with the redesign? I'm glad you brought up tires, I did notice all the 2500 trucks look like they have tires on them that are too small for the size of the truck. I see that as one of the first things to upgrade to something larger.

96chevy7.4L Enthusiast

96chevy7.4L

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A 1500 is for somebody that DOESN"T do alot of heavy towing or hauling. If you do it only once in a great while then stick to the 1500. On the other hand if you do even a moderate amount of towing then go with the 2500HD. Either way neither truck will not ride like a passenger car it will ride like a truck. If you want to improve the ride of the 1500 you might look at a set of airbags or a better set of shocks but that won't improve it to much. Just my opinion.

GPGuy Senior Enthusiast

GPGuy

Posted
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...or go drive a pickup from the 70s and then drive one of the new ones and you'll really appreciate what they've done with them. :lol:

 

But like it's been said if you don't like the ride of a 1500 I wouldn't suggest you getting a 2500.

WilliamBos Senior Enthusiast

WilliamBos

Posted
Posted
...or go drive a pickup from the 70s and then drive one of the new ones and you'll really appreciate what they've done with them. :D

 

But like it's been said if you don't like the ride of a 1500 I wouldn't suggest you getting a 2500.

 

I agree on all counts!!

Stevens03 Senior Enthusiast

Stevens03

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Holy crud :eek:... The ride from the GMT-800s to the GMT-900s are vastly improved in the 1500's. The 2500's still have torsion bars :D

 

Night and day from my 03 (gmt-800) to the 07 (gmt-900).

WilliamBos Senior Enthusiast

WilliamBos

Posted
Posted
Holy crud :eek: ... The ride from the GMT-800s to the GMT-900s are vastly improved in the 1500's. The 2500's still have torsion bars :D

 

Night and day from my 03 (gmt-800) to the 07 (gmt-900).

 

And when I do finally upgrade to a GMT900, it will be a 2500HD. I prefer the torson bars over the coil spring. Seems a heavier set up to me.

Shatterz Enthusiast

Shatterz

Posted
Posted

I've got a 09 2500HD 4x4 Z71 and the ride is rather stiff. But everything is really beefy underneath if that's what you are looking for. You can't beat a 3,000 lbs.+ hauling capacity :D . But if you can't stand the 4x2 1/2 ton ride, you'll never get used to a 2500HD

 

There are a lot of differences between the 1500 and 2500HD. The HD has a larger/heavier frame, torsion bar front suspension, heavy duty transfer case, 14 bolt full floater rear axle (10.5" with the gas 6.0 and 11.5" with the Duramax). You also get recirculating ball steering (more heavy duty) as opposed to the rack and pinion setup in the 1500 ( a glorified passenger car setup) . Also the HD has more greasable fittings where the 1500 as a lot of that sealed for life crap on the suspension/steering.

 

The 6.0 V8 has none of the AFM BS like the 1500 5.3 and 6.0, and you get the 6l90 HD trans as well with the gas motor.

 

The brake system is a hydroboost setup (uses the power steering pump instead of engine vacuum to power the master cylinder) which is the same kind of setup on many larger commercial type trucks, and provides greater brake line pressure than a vacuum system could ever hope to achieve. And on top of that you get BIG disc brakes all around with 2 piston calipers at each corner.

chechem1984 Enthusiast

chechem1984

Posted
Posted
I've got a 09 2500HD 4x4 Z71 and the ride is rather stiff. But everything is really beefy underneath if that's what you are looking for. You can't beat a 3,000 lbs.+ hauling capacity :D . But if you can't stand the 4x2 1/2 ton ride, you'll never get used to a 2500HD

 

There are a lot of differences between the 1500 and 2500HD. The HD has a larger/heavier frame, torsion bar front suspension, heavy duty transfer case, 14 bolt full floater rear axle (10.5" with the gas 6.0 and 11.5" with the Duramax). You also get recirculating ball steering (more heavy duty) as opposed to the rack and pinion setup in the 1500 ( a glorified passenger car setup) . Also the HD has more greasable fittings where the 1500 as a lot of that sealed for life crap on the suspension/steering.

 

The 6.0 V8 has none of the AFM BS like the 1500 5.3 and 6.0, and you get the 6l90 HD trans as well with the gas motor.

 

The brake system is a hydroboost setup (uses the power steering pump instead of engine vacuum to power the master cylinder) which is the same kind of setup on many larger commercial type trucks, and provides greater brake line pressure than a vacuum system could ever hope to achieve. And on top of that you get BIG disc brakes all around with 2 piston calipers at each corner.

 

 

I went from a 94 f-150 to an 04 2500hd seirra and it rides like a escalade compared to the 94. I also have 3/4 springs front and rear in the 94. Once you go GM 2500HD you'll never go back.

chevy19533 Enthusiast

chevy19533

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This is all very helpful information guys! I appreciate it. I test drove an 09 2500HD ext cab long bed 6.0 4x4. The ride was much better than I thought, feels very powerful, tranny is MUCH better than the 4l60 on mine. Now if I could only sell the 07...

chevy19533 Enthusiast

chevy19533

Posted
  • Author
Posted
This is all very helpful information guys! I appreciate it. I test drove an 09 2500HD ext cab long bed 6.0 4x4. The ride was much better than I thought, feels very powerful, tranny is MUCH better than the 4l60 on mine. Now if I could only sell the 07...

 

I also discovered my poor ride quality was being caused mostly by worn out front tires and it needed to be aligned.

asylum575 Enthusiast

asylum575

Posted
Posted

I went from a '03 1500ext 4.8 4x4 to a '04 Avalanche and didn't really notice the difference.

When I went from the Avalanche to my current 06 1500HD crew. I definitely noticed the difference.

The 1500Hd is pretty much a 2500. It rides very stiff. I'm used to it now and love it on the highway. I'm not hauling much now and would like a 6 spd, so I checked out a 09 1500 crew 4x4 with the 6 spd. It is a much softer ride. If they raise the GMpoint redemption limits again, I may have to pull the plug.

 

For the OP, the HDs ride like trucks. JMHO, for a few bucks more, go for the 3500. Hundreds of dollars for more hauling capacity. And the duallys have tons of capacity. just watch those rear fenders.

GPGuy Senior Enthusiast

GPGuy

Posted
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just watch those rear fenders.

 

:thumbs: Ya that's something I've often thought about when I see guys driving these. It must be quite a different experience.

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