DD + occasional towing... 6.2 1500 vs 6.0 2500

Snowcamo · January 17, 2019

My 2 cents.
It's not just the weight of the truck. It's the weight, heavy duty brakes, tires and suspension.
Weight of the truck plays a factor. Ever play football? Ever get tackled by a guy larger then yourself and felt like you hit a brick wall?
Comparing apples and oranges never really works out...

Question for the crowd viewing.

If you shouldn't put 12+ wide wheels on a 1500 due to Accellerated wear/ etc, why think about towing over load rating?

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SS502 · January 17, 2019

On ‎1‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 8:38 PM, JimCost2014 said:

If time is your friend, drive each one if possible. Ask if you can do an overnight demo, this would give you the chance to bring home the truck, hook up the trailer and see which one feels more comfortable. You might have to sacrifice a little comfort for the daily driving in exchange for the safety of you and your family while towing.

This is good advice, but make sure if you're going to hook up ANYTHING to it get permission from your dealer. Test drives/overnights are one thing, test tows are not usually acceptable from the dealers standpoint.

BlackZ71SLT · January 17, 2019

I have a 2015 SLT Z71 crew cab with 5.3 and 3:42's. I tow a colman TT thats 32' long, 5600lb dry, 7600lb gvw, and 702lb tongue weight. I switched to LT tires, put on Monroe load adjusting shocks in the rear, and with proper hitch set up it tows ok. I don't think I'd want to go any bigger just because lets face it the 5.3 just doesn't have the power, 6.2 would be better suited. The 2500 will handle the weight better but the 6.0 is the weak point, your gonna be disappointed going up those hills. Out of those 2 choices i'd go with a loaded SLT, Denali, or LTZ with 6.2. As far as mpg's I get 9-10 when pulling on the highway.

Donstar · January 17, 2019

1 hour ago, BlackZ71SLT said:

I have a 2015 SLT Z71 crew cab with 5.3 and 3:42's. I tow a colman TT thats 32' long, 5600lb dry, 7600lb gvw, and 702lb tongue weight. I switched to LT tires, put on Monroe load adjusting shocks in the rear, and with proper hitch set up it tows ok. I don't think I'd want to go any bigger just because lets face it the 5.3 just doesn't have the power, 6.2 would be better suited. The 2500 will handle the weight better but the 6.0 is the weak point, your gonna be disappointed going up those hills. Out of those 2 choices i'd go with a loaded SLT, Denali, or LTZ with 6.2. As far as mpg's I get 9-10 when pulling on the highway.

Sounds like a good setup you have and I'm considering the Munroe shocks if I keep my truck for another season. Towing with my V6 (smaller trailer) makes it difficult for me to imagine the 5.3 with the 3.42 not "having the power." (I know the 5.3 with the 3.08 is rated to tow less than the 4.3 with the 3.42). What sorts of issues are you experiencing? My trailer is approx. 1k lighter than yours and is a comfortable tow in all highway terrains. I am interested in buying a heavier trailer and was of the belief that a properly equipped 1500 with the 5.3 or the 6.0 in a 2500 would be ample for my future needs. What situations typically find you needing more power?

DHeinze · January 17, 2019

I have a 2015 SLT Z71 crew cab with 5.3 and 3:42's. I tow a colman TT thats 32' long, 5600lb dry, 7600lb gvw, and 702lb tongue weight. I switched to LT tires, put on Monroe load adjusting shocks in the rear, and with proper hitch set up it tows ok. I don't think I'd want to go any bigger just because lets face it the 5.3 just doesn't have the power, 6.2 would be better suited. The 2500 will handle the weight better but the 6.0 is the weak point, your gonna be disappointed going up those hills. Out of those 2 choices i'd go with a loaded SLT, Denali, or LTZ with 6.2. As far as mpg's I get 9-10 when pulling on the highway.

Keep in mind if you go to the Denali with the 6.2 the gearing will be 3.23. I had that issue and changed mine out to 3.73s.

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grizzlyltz · January 17, 2019

I have a 2015 SLT Z71 crew cab with 5.3 and 3:42's. I tow a colman TT thats 32' long, 5600lb dry, 7600lb gvw, and 702lb tongue weight. I switched to LT tires, put on Monroe load adjusting shocks in the rear, and with proper hitch set up it tows ok. I don't think I'd want to go any bigger just because lets face it the 5.3 just doesn't have the power, 6.2 would be better suited. The 2500 will handle the weight better but the 6.0 is the weak point, your gonna be disappointed going up those hills. Out of those 2 choices i'd go with a loaded SLT, Denali, or LTZ with 6.2. As far as mpg's I get 9-10 when pulling on the highway.

“but the 6.0 is the weak point, your gonna be disappointed going up those hills”

This statement absolutely drives me nuts

I and many 100s of other folks pull a fifth wheel 12000lbs all over the Rocky’s with out issues, this little 6.0 under powered, low tech,unreliable blah blah deserves more respect

Grizzly

Snowcamo · January 17, 2019

6.0s aren't weak they just aren't the fast and that's where most complaints about them being dogs come from. Everyone wants to race lol.

Bet gm left out the 6.2 in the hd due to it's lifter issues. They'd flip once major commercial companies lawyered up.

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KozzyJr · January 17, 2019

30 minutes ago, grizzlyltz said:

“but the 6.0 is the weak point, your gonna be disappointed going up those hills”

This statement absolutely drives me nuts

I and many 100s of other folks pull a fifth wheel 12000lbs all over the Rocky’s with out issues, this little 6.0 under powered, low tech,unreliable blah blah deserves more respect

Grizzly

Before I retired we had a 2004 2500 6.0 the thing was a tank and took all the abuse we sent at it. The old 6.0s are terrific engines and never skip a beat.

Edited January 17, 2019 by KozzyJr

BlackZ71SLT · January 17, 2019

1 hour ago, grizzlyltz said:

“but the 6.0 is the weak point, your gonna be disappointed going up those hills”

This statement absolutely drives me nuts

I and many 100s of other folks pull a fifth wheel 12000lbs all over the Rocky’s with out issues, this little 6.0 under powered, low tech,unreliable blah blah deserves more respect

Grizzly

My apologies if I hit a nerve, I never said it was a bad motor and if your happy with it fine. My point is when your pulling that much weight up 5% grade at 5000+feet having that extra power with the 6.2 is going to come in handy.

2 hours ago, Donstar said:

Sounds like a good setup you have and I'm considering the Munroe shocks if I keep my truck for another season. Towing with my V6 (smaller trailer) makes it difficult for me to imagine the 5.3 with the 3.42 not "having the power." (I know the 5.3 with the 3.08 is rated to tow less than the 4.3 with the 3.42). What sorts of issues are you experiencing? My trailer is approx. 1k lighter than yours and is a comfortable tow in all highway terrains. I am interested in buying a heavier trailer and was of the belief that a properly equipped 1500 with the 5.3 or the 6.0 in a 2500 would be ample for my future needs. What situations typically find you needing more power?

Its not that it cant pull it its more that there are times when you know its working pretty hard and would be nice to have more power. Either way I like the monroes they are cheap and really help the truck handle the weight of the hitch. It doesn't bounce as much and feels more stable. The truck will ride a little stiffer and they did raise the back end up a good 1/2".

The trailer I pull now is about as big as I'd want to go with a 1/2 ton and still feel comfortable. When you start modifying your truck to pull a trailer then its time to move on to a bigger truck.

swathdiver · January 17, 2019

2 hours ago, Snowcamo said:

6.0s aren't weak they just aren't the fast and that's where most complaints about them being dogs come from. Everyone wants to race lol.

Bet gm left out the 6.2 in the hd due to it's lifter issues. They'd flip once major commercial companies lawyered up.

Don't forget the iron block in the L96 is more robust than the L86s aluminum motor.

Snowcamo · January 17, 2019

Don't forget the iron block in the L96 is more robust than the L86s aluminum motor.

Agreed.

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SS502 · January 17, 2019

I think I'd go with the 6.0 HD and I own the 6.2 LOL...my idea of DD and occasionally towing differs from the OP, he is gonna be doing a little more than what I consider occasionally but it's all subjective. Based on what I read, I'd go with the 6.0 HD and never look back. Both good engines and really can't go wrong but if it were me putting the money down...6.0 without a doubt.

SierraHD17 · January 17, 2019

I run a tuned L96 with 4.56 gears in the axles... I pulled with my previous 2015 6.2 half ton and no way would I go back to that saggy 1/2 ton stuff lol. This HD holds the hills just as well if not better than the 6.2 truck did and the truck itself is much more stable. Personal preference I guess.

BoilerUP · January 17, 2019

I'd guess the 6.0L with 4.10s does juuuuuuuuuuust fine towing, despite the HP/torque deficit compared to the 6.2L.

...you can always throw a blower on the 6.0L if you just NEED a Binford 2500HD...