3/4 ton gasser gas mileage?

[TundraTower]

Monday we are going to try out a 3/4 ton gas Silverado 3/4 ton, 4.1 axle ratio, 4WD. Going from a Tundra because we've run out of GVWR on the truck (because we take too much stuff).

We get 8-9 MPG in the Tundra towing 8K lbs. What kind of gas mileage is anyone getting in the 3/4 ton gas Chevy's or GMC's with similar gear ratio --- solo and towing ???

Thanks.

[TundraTower]

OP here. I know you are breathless with anticipation about what happened.

We tried out the GM 2500 gasser and, coming from the Tundra with 400 HP and 4.3 gears, we were disappointed. I'm sure it is a fine towing vehicle but not enough, well, fun factor.

Then we tried out the Duramax diesel 2500. Wow. Plenty of power and zip and growl, amazingly quiet, and excellent ride. Picked it up today (2019), and after leaving it in the drive long enough for the neighbors to be impressed it is now safely in the garage and I'm studying the manual. They had a sale on below invoice but it still cost well more than our first house.

Now to respond the several questions:
WHY NOT JUST RUN THE TUNDRA OVERLOADED - did this for awhile and the Tundra does just fine 500# over. But, became increasingly concerned that insurance might deny a big claim because we are breaking the law in this state, and ins policy specifically calls out exclusion for claims during criminal acts. I don't know about the probability of this happening, but without question they have legal right to deny the claim. Getting more cautious in my old age.

HOW ABOUT FORD/DODGE GASSER WITH MORE HP/LOWER RATIOS? Have 2 friends that have owned ford and chevy 2500's in past 5 years and they both talk about how bad the Ford rides and how much better the chevy rides. Even Consumer Reports recent review of the 3 pointed out how much better the Chevy rides compared to ford/Dodge. Plus, my dad and his brothers would climb out of their graves and give me a good kick if I bought a Dodge --- family honor and all.

This has been a really good discussion and I appreciate your comments. Your input truly had some impact on me and our decision.

Happy Turkey Day!

[Curly2001]

You will probably get 7-9 mpg towing and around 13 empty. I have run over 8,800 gallons of fuel through mine in 118,000 miles. For what it is, it has very good pulling power for trailers under 10K.
Curly--

[ksss]

goducks10 wrote:
It's my understanding that you can't get anything but 4.10's with the 6.0 GM

That is true, they changed to 4.10 only in 2015 I believe. I ordered a new 2015 and the only option was 4.10. A 2011 I ordered gave me a 3.73 option.

[Fordlover]

TundraTower wrote:
Before there's any more insults, the Tundra is the nicest, best performing, best handling, most reliable truck I've ever had. I bought 7 new chevy's over 33 years and finally gave up on their quality and went to Toyota. Never had a problem and it's done everything we've asked it to do, including pulling that trailer over the continental divide 4 times.

This is the most un-excited I've ever been about trading vehicles. But we need more capacity and Toyota doesn't make a 3/4 ton. If they did, I'd already have it.

I was concerned about gas mileage because the 3/4 ton itself weighs 1200 lbs more than the tundra, has less HP (360 vs my 381), and has a taller gear ratio (4.1 vs 4.3 in the Tundra). All of those numbers are going in the wrong direction for power and gas mileage.

No question, Toyota makes some reliable vehicles. When they make a truck in the US with a 3K payload someone let me know.

My fuel economy is high 6's when the wind is horrible at 75 MPH, as good as low 9's when I slow down to 58 MPH with no head wind, towing somewhere around 8,500 lbs in a 11,200 GVWR trailer.

[TTCrewmax]

TundraTower wrote:
Monday we are going to try out a 3/4 ton gas Silverado 3/4 ton, 4.1 axle ratio, 4WD. Going from a Tundra because we've run out of GVWR on the truck (because we take too much stuff).

We get 8-9 MPG in the Tundra towing 8K lbs. What kind of gas mileage is anyone getting in the 3/4 ton gas Chevy's or GMC's with similar gear ratio --- solo and towing ???

Thanks.

How much are you overloading the Tundra?

If I were you I'd skip the 6.0. I think you're going to be less happy with the trucks performance, empty and loaded. Might be better off finding a newer F250 gasser. Or find a Chevy with the 6.2. Otherwise I'd just jump into a diesel.

I overload my truck (Tundra) and it doesn't complain. It's just a great towing platform. Add airbags and E rated tires and the Tundra won't break a sweat being overloaded. (let the weight police b*tching commence).

[intheburbs]

goducks10 wrote:
It's my understanding that you can't get anything but 4.10's with the 6.0 GM

According to the owner's manual for my '09 Denali, all of the HD trucks with the 6.0, both 2500 and 3500, can have either the 3.73 or the 4.10. The 4.10 trucks have a 2500-lb higher rating for both max trailer weight and GCWR.

The 3/4-ton Suburbans with the 6.0 all get the 3.73. 4.10 isn't even an option.

[goducks10]

It's my understanding that you can't get anything but 4.10's with the 6.0 GM

[NWnative]

F250 in Sig has 3130# of payload. 9 MPG Towing 8000lbs. 13-14 Empty. A 4.30 gear ratio will yield better mileage in stop and go and towing than a 3.73 which will have better unloaded highway mileage. Difference between the two is negligible...all depends on how you plan to use it. The GM 6.0 in the 3/4 tons has the lowest HP / Torque of the Big 3. Also.....a 3/4 ton will cost less to register in some states than the 1 ton will. 1 Ton's will often have an added weight fee attached to them. All things to consider. If you end up with the GM product...4.10 gears would be a good choice.

[ksss]

I had a '15 3500 standard bed 4X4 with 6.0 and the standard 4:10 ratio. I got 13-15 on the highway. Pulling varied but I was often at 30K combined at that weight I was around 6 mpg. I pulled smaller loads and never did better than 10 mpg. I really liked the pickup. Never an issue with it. I had a 2011 2500 with 3:73 and it did not do as well pulling but about 1 mpg better empty. It made sense that they removed the 3.73 as an option.

[Copperhead]

Well, all this has been fun, but I still am quite comfortable with my 2015 Chevy 2500 6.0. I even lowered the back a couple of inches with a set of McGaughy's drop shackles so it didn't look so much like a cat in heat, and actually made it easier to get in and out of the bed as I need to. I did put some SumoSprings on in place of the factory bump stops. That added 1500 lb of support. Even with two people on board, a full tank of fuel, and several hundred lb of tools and such in the back, I still have about 2300 lb of payload left to play with to bump up against gross, and still even more to go to reach axle rating.. With a little over a ton in the back end, it just starts approaching level front to rear.

It actually doesn't get too bad of mpg on E85 fuel. worse than gas but not that terrible. Especially since I filled up Friday at $1.53 a gallon for E85. A diesel in the same pickup would have to average 24+ mpg just to break even on a per mile fuel cost. I have had the pickup on E85 continuously for well over a year because fo the far lower fuel cost. While mpg numbers alone do feel good if they are high, the true test is how much per mile one is spending on fuel.

It pushes snow great. It does what I need on my property including the one time I used it to pull felled trees to another area to be piled and burned. It hauls what I need hauled. No diesel in the same spec'd pickup would haul any more. Actually, by having the gasser, I have more payload available. Any towing is on the lighter side... mostly under 7000 lb. I don't try to move a 5th wheel RV that is the size of my commercial semi truck trailer. If I was doing that, I would bypass the pickup stuff and get a larger class of truck. Something like a Freightliner business class or similar.

[Grit_dog]

Ralph Cramden I'm a little perplexed with your sig line. Is there some innuendo there or were you just tippin jug of shine while typing your sig line?

[maddog348]

OP himself says he drives 2013 Tundra TRD "Toyota Racing Division"----so???

[intheburbs]

7 MPG pulling the rig below, ~16,000 lbs GCW.

I drive it like I stole it, and usually get 13-14 when not towing.

If I try really hard, and set the cruise control at 65-70, she might get me 15-16.

I'm sure the GY Wrangler Duratrac tires don't help my mileage, either.

[Ralph_Cramden]

Dave H M wrote:

ppine wrote:
If you want a rig to pull something, why not get a real 3/4 ton or better yet a one ton? Why not join the winning team and get a diesel?

I get 23 mpg empty, 18 towing a 19 foot boat and about 13-14 towing a TT. The engine is not even working hard.

This has been a pretty decent thread.

I learned some new terminology (turd)

And it did take a while before a typical diesel owner reply appeared without a hint what so ever concerning the OP. :S

LOL,,,,,, Why would you even begin to think it wouldn't happen?:S

[JimHouchin]

... ahhh yea... anyway, here's a chart of the Chevy for 2018... enjoy!

"https://www.chevrolet.com/content/dam/chevrolet/na/us/english/index/shopping-tools/download-catalog/02-pdf/2018-chevrolet-silverado-2500hd-3500hd-catalog.pdf"