for those who upgraded from 5.3 to 6.2

mtnrunner · January 18, 2016

Hey guys - I have a '15 Z71 with the 3.42 rear and have about 7500 miles on her. No problems at all so far but I feel like the power just isn't there on this truck.

I posted a couple weeks ago about potentially putting a supercharger on this motor. I shopped around and can get it done by a well-regarded shop in my area for about $7200 (magnasson or whipple).

The problem with the blower is voiding the powertrain warranty and unknown longterm reliability on these motors.

Another option is trade this one in for a '16 6.2 with the max trailering package to get the 3.42.

Is the power increase that noticeable with the 6.2 vs. the 5.3 with 3.42 rear? I drove a '15 6.2 with the 3.23 rear when I bought mine and it actually felt like it had less punch from the line.

Thanks in advance for the replies.

quail hound · January 18, 2016

You're looking at a jump of 65hp and trq, with all other things being equal I would say yes, it will be a very noticeable increase.

Jay P · January 18, 2016

When I looked at trucks, I tested the 5.3 max tow and bought the 6.2 with 3.23 gears (and 8 speed trans). The 6.2 with the 3.23 has a lot more power than the 5.3 with the 3.42. All 1500s with the 6.2 have the same rear diff as the max tow does.The 6.2 with 3.42 should be even better.

Jay

GMC-AT · January 18, 2016

For that cost.... trade in for a 2016 with a 6.2. Don't do all the supercharger junk and void everything. I went from a 2014 5.3 to a 2016 6.2. Much better in every sense... and gets as good or better gas mileage for me.

Note - with the 6.2 you need to press hard on the gas.. it has an extra "click" at the bottom of the pedal that most people don't know about. I was one of them, until someone on here told me about it.. Think of it as turbo mode!

bboyce536 · January 18, 2016

Check out my short video I just took last night. I have a lot of people ask me about the 6.2.

GMC-AT · January 18, 2016

good video, pretty much sums it up.

CptMcSaug · January 18, 2016

My father in law just got a 14 Sierra with a 5.3/3.42 and I test drove it and I can tell a big difference in driving and power from my 6.2/3.23.

Tek74 · January 18, 2016

I really "wanted" a 6.2L when I was truck shopping, but decided to be honest with myself and admit that I really didn't "need" one at this time. I knew that.....for a long while....I would not need to haul more than 1k pounds, and/or tow more than a few thousand pounds, so the extra expense for the 6.2L truck and the 91 octane fuel was not financially smart. Down the road, when I'm ready to buy a travel trailer, I will definitely go with the bigger engine, as I want to be able to maintain the speed limit when hauling up into hills and mountains. I've repeatedly heard from 5.3L truck owners that mountain climbing lag sucks when pulling a medium-to-heavy load.

But don't get me wrong. Aside from "need", I definitely understand the whole idea of "wanting" more power. It's hard to have too much power...!!!

foo.c · January 18, 2016

My problem is that I would end paying for the 6.2 and a supercharger. Plus I've already done some upgrades that would just be wasted money if I traded it in.

GMC-AT · January 18, 2016

Pro's and con's - on the flip side you would be getting a brand new truck. And I can tell you.. the 2016 is a nice improvement over the 2014-2015. Many little things have been fixed and improved.

Jlm02a3094 · January 19, 2016

This is almost exactly what I did haha.

I had a 2015 DC 5.3 with 3.42 and I ended up selling it and buying a 2015 CC 6.2 with 3.42.

I do not regret my decision at all. The difference for me is night and day.

Josh

Vic15 · January 19, 2016

In the recent Motor Trend where they did Truck of the year they included the Chevy with a 5.3 and a GMC with a 6.2. Interesting to note the difference in performance.

Vic15 · January 19, 2016

http://www.motortrend.com/awards/best-truck-of-the-year/

Here's the link.

Apparently the Chevy Silverado wasn't a finalist so it isn't showing on the attached link.

Tek74 · January 19, 2016

the 2016 is a nice improvement over the 2014-2015. Many little things have been fixed and improved.

Like what? I'm curious.....

99-ls1-ss · January 19, 2016

http://www.motortrend.com/awards/best-truck-of-the-year/

Here's the link.

Apparently the Chevy Silverado wasn't a finalist so it isn't showing on the attached link.

Here's the GMC link.

http://www.motortrend.com/news/gmc-sierra-1500-2016-motor-trend-truck-of-the-year-finalist/

Here is the Chevy link.

http://www.motortrend.com/news/chevrolet-silverado-1500-2016-motor-trend-truck-of-the-year-finalist/