Duramax VS 8.1L

flhpi-ohio · August 22, 2012

I have a early 07 ext. cab longbed with the 8.1. The duramax was an extra 5-6k. That is a lot of fuel. I only get 10-11 mpg with the 4.10 gears. During the week I drive a company car so it is a weekend truck for trailers and firewood hauling. If I needed a truck to drive during the week I would of got the duramax. The 8.1 with the Allison is a great combo though.

SWDoodle · August 22, 2012

I have a early 07 ext. cab longbed with the 8.1. The duramax was an extra 5-6k. That is a lot of fuel. I only get 10-11 mpg with the 4.10 gears. During the week I drive a company car so it is a weekend truck for trailers and firewood hauling. If I needed a truck to drive during the week I would of got the duramax. The 8.1 with the Allison is a great combo though.

Man a 07 Classic with the 8.1 would be very rare. I believe less than 2% of the 2500HD were equipped with the BB that year. I think in 01 when the HD's came out over a 1/3 of them came with the 8.1. I have said many times I think GM mareketed the 8.1 poorly. They wanted to sell duramax's and if you didn't need that then go with the 6.0 because the 8.1's get horrible mileage. Truth be known, the 8.1's and 6.0's get pretty similar mileage if you look at the average mileage and not strictly highway. Another problem was pricing. The 8.1's with the Allison were another 3K MSRP over the 6.0 and the duramax at that time was about a 5K option over the 6.0 IIRC. Now it's something like $8K. If you don't plan on putting a ton of miles on the 8.1 would be fine in my opinion. If you are, it's kind of hard not to lean towards a duramax for mileage, longevity, and resale value.

8.1HD/ALLISON · August 22, 2012

Go for the gray one. I love that color, but loose the wheels. lol. We want pics when you decide!

SSSilverado23 · August 22, 2012

Go for the gray one. I love that color, but loose the wheels. lol. We want pics when you decide!

I put the deposit on the red one, then found out its been in an accident. Might be no big deal. If that falls through the gray one is the next one im looking at! Ill post pics of whatever i decide!

yukon25008.1 · August 22, 2012

I,dont,feel,comfortable,about,the,accident!!

if,the,accident,was,no,big,deal...why,is,the,truck,for,sale??.and,not,still,in,the,prrevious,owners,driveway...

Theres,a,reason,its,for,sale..and,i,can,bet,the,mpg,s..arent,it!

stlavsa · August 22, 2012

I dont see how there is any kind of debate here.. He said about half way thru the thread that maybe its something like a dick swinging contest. well I'll tell u right now, if thats the sole reason you want it, unless you go with the DMAX, you wont be satisfied. It is the End-all GM truck motor, has been since its inception. GO big or dont waste ur time, money, and just stick with what you got.

When you have your 8.1 are you still gonna be satisfied when the neighbor buys a D-max? Doubtful

SWDoodle · August 22, 2012

I dont see how there is any kind of debate here.. He said about half way thru the thread that maybe its something like a dick swinging contest. well I'll tell u right now, if thats the sole reason you want it, unless you go with the DMAX, you wont be satisfied. It is the End-all GM truck motor, has been since its inception. GO big or dont waste ur time, money, and just stick with what you got.

When you have your 8.1 are you still gonna be satisfied when the neighbor buys a D-max? Doubtful

yep that's kind of what I was thinking all along. If it is the biggest nuts deal he won't be happy unless he gets the duramax. If you're talking about gasser HD's then 8.1 hands down, but even a slightly modded duramax will smoke an 8.1. Pretty sure most stock ones will too, but I'm not for sure. But honestly who really cares which HD pickup wins a drag race? Some do I guess. To each his own.

SSSilverado23 · August 22, 2012

I dont see how there is any kind of debate here.. He said about half way thru the thread that maybe its something like a dick swinging contest. well I'll tell u right now, if thats the sole reason you want it, unless you go with the DMAX, you wont be satisfied. It is the End-all GM truck motor, has been since its inception. GO big or dont waste ur time, money, and just stick with what you got.

When you have your 8.1 are you still gonna be satisfied when the neighbor buys a D-max? Doubtful

yep that's kind of what I was thinking all along. If it is the biggest nuts deal he won't be happy unless he gets the duramax. If you're talking about gasser HD's then 8.1 hands down, but even a slightly modded duramax will smoke an 8.1. Pretty sure most stock ones will too, but I'm not for sure. But honestly who really cares which HD pickup wins a drag race? Some do I guess. To each his own.

I'm not looking forbwhich will win a drag race. I was making an example of why I want a hd truck because people were trying to talk me out of it for a 1500

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HEMICAT · August 22, 2012

stlavsa, I am so tired of hearing this on here. The duramax isn't an "upgrade" for everyone just because it costs more. Don't want to be in one of these debates but lots of people actually prefer gas. They are just different, simple as that. To each their own.

yukon25008.1 · August 23, 2012

BBC...

SWDoodle · August 23, 2012

stlavsa, I am so tired of hearing this on here. The duramax isn't an "upgrade" for everyone just because it costs more. Don't want to be in one of these debates but lots of people actually prefer gas. They are just different, simple as that. To each their own.

Thats fine to prefer a gas pickup over a diesel, everyone has their own reasons for choosing a gas engine including simplicity of engine, noise, maintainance costs, price, specific use, etc. I went from gas to diesel and the diesel is an upgrade over the gas. No comparison on capibility between the two if you use it the way HD's pickups were designed. Are there applications where a gasser may be better sutied? No doubt. But if you are comparing longevity, towing/payload capibility, and resale the diesel wins hands down. Could I go back to a gas HD in the future? Yes, if I didn't tow heavy or put many miles on per year. Right now I'm doing 20K a year and towing very heavy maybe 1/3 of those miles. If I ever have to put injectors in my 6.6, overhaul the Allison, etc. I may really cuss the diesel. So far with 100K on it I've had literally zero problems other than a fuel filter issue once. All I have ever done is change the oil and fluids. Still on the orginal brakes and batteries. It's the best pickup I have ever owned. As I have said many times before if you just want an HD then go with the 6.0 or 8.1 because they are both very good. If you need an HD for heavy towing or you put many miles on, it's pretty hard not too go with the 6.6. Just my $0.02. The gas vs diesel argument will never go away.

HEMICAT · August 23, 2012

Doodle, you sound very reasonable compared to the usual stuborness I found on the internet while I was searching for a new truck. That is why I signed up here, people seem more respectful and hve more common sense than to say anything without a diesel is garbage. I too, was set on getting a diesel , price wasn't a factor , don't believe in the resale or longevity opinion, but everyone in the real world talked me out of it including diesel mechanics and owners. I do understand it's use and no, I do not tow heavy or drive very many miles.I drove them back-to-back before ordering and I don't see how anyone with an open mind couldn't be impressed with the new VVT6.0/6sp. The duramax, of course is impressive, you expect that, but the performance of the 6.0 is so close, and the corvette sound when you redline it, hmm, makes me wonder what the new 6.2 will be like in the HD's! To the OP sorry to get off topic but any of those 8.1's are sweet but my vote is for the red 06, just check it out carefully.

SSSilverado23 · August 23, 2012

I,dont,feel,comfortable,about,the,accident!!
if,the,accident,was,no,big,deal...why,is,the,truck,for,sale??.and,not,still,in,the,prrevious,owners,driveway...

Theres,a,reason,its,for,sale..and,i,can,bet,the,mpg,s..arent,it!

I hear you on that but that can be said about any truck or car That's on the lot. Why did they get rid of it? I'm not just gonna jump into it by any means. My buddy and I are gonna look over every crevice of that thing. Gray one is next on my list!

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SSSilverado23 · August 23, 2012

Doodle, you sound very reasonable compared to the usual stuborness I found on the internet while I was searching for a new truck. That is why I signed up here, people seem more respectful and hve more common sense than to say anything without a diesel is garbage. I too, was set on getting a diesel , price wasn't a factor , don't believe in the resale or longevity opinion, but everyone in the real world talked me out of it including diesel mechanics and owners. I do understand it's use and no, I do not tow heavy or drive very many miles.I drove them back-to-back before ordering and I don't see how anyone with an open mind couldn't be impressed with the new VVT6.0/6sp. The duramax, of course is impressive, you expect that, but the performance of the 6.0 is so close, and the corvette sound when you redline it, hmm, makes me wonder what the new 6.2 will be like in the HD's! To the OP sorry to get off topic but any of those 8.1's are sweet but my vote is for the red 06, just check it out carefully.

No worries. It's good debate and I like hearing the pros and cons of everything. I'm going down tomorrow to look at the red one. Just hope it's in good shape after the accident I found. A body guy I know said If it wqs fixed correctly and wasn't a huge accident it's not at all a big deal. We will see. Hope I don't get screwed out of my 1k deposit on it If I do find it to be out of wack!

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KMGZ400 · August 23, 2012

i personally wouldnt buy anything that has been in an accident. i own a truck that has been in an accident, (my 01) and its never been the same. the passenger door has always been harder to close even after the body shop replaced the hinges and every part on would cause it to be stubborn. the hood and front right body panel are not lined up correctly, (only i would notice). it leaked water because the new seal around the door was shitty. and i have has issues with the paint.

now i do undestand that not all body shops are shitty, but you dont know anything about this truck or where or how it was repaired, or how bad the accident actually was.i personally would never ever consider buying a vehicle that has been in an accident especially when you dont have to. your spending a lot of money for a new truck, i would hold off until you find one thats never been in an accident