2wd 8.1/Allison in the winter??

tom96formula · August 12, 2002

I'm curious if anyone has had problems driving a 2wd 8.1/Allison (regular cab) in the winter. It seems like all that torque might create some traction issues with an automatic transmission. I live near Cleveland, and the winters can be pretty bad with some hilly driving too. I'm used to driving a 6spd, ls1 Trans Am in the winter, so the power and rwd don't bother me, but I'm used to being able to push the clutch in anytime the rearend gets loose. Any thoughts or comments? I'm considering buying a leftover (still new, not a demo) 2001 2500HD, but would like to see if I'm just going to be spinning my tires all winter. Thanks. Tom.

JimWilson · August 12, 2002

You should absolutely make certain it has the G80 option, which is an Eaton locker in the rear. At least you'd have some traction in the white stuff. And if you do buy it I'd highly recommend throwing a couple hundred pounds of sand bags or something over the rear wheels in the winter. That will help traction too.

But why does the dealer still have a 2001 on his lot? Hmmm….

tom96formula · August 12, 2002

It did have the limited slip, but i'm not sure what option code it was (is there more than 1 limited slip option?).

I think the reason they still have it is that it is a base model, regular cab, 2wd. The only options are AC, posi, cassette, 8.1L, and Allison 5spd. They got it in a dealer trade. The sticker was about $26,800, but they are asking $21,990. If I could get it for $20k, I would be happy. That would be a lot of truck for the money.

bluenote · August 13, 2002

My truck is a 2wd, with the rear locker. Shortly after I bought the truck, we hauled my 5er up for some late season deer hunting. Parked in a field, with 6-8 inches of snow and lots of weeds under the snow, I was able to take off with almost no spin. With the 5er hooked back up, there was no spin at all. This was with the Duramax/Allison. If you do start running into trouble, put some snows on the back rims. With the locking diff., you should be able to go through quite a bit that way.