Thoughts on Chevy 6.0 liter 2500 silverado

[adamR]

I'm in the market for a new truck and I love the look of the 07 and newer Chevys.  I will not buy a half ton, and I don't think I can justify a diesel.  I've been leaning towards a 2008 Chevy 2500 with the 6.0 liter. 

I'm just curious if anyone on here has any experience with them.  I've done enough research to know they get bad mileage but that's pretty subjective so what are some of you getting mileage wise and what kind of a driver are you?

I will be using this as my daily driver (about 60 miles a day), my hunting rig, and to tow the boat and camp trailer.  I'm thinking I'll end up spending $20k and am willing to spend up to $25k. 

Just looking for personal experiences, I've read enough rumors already online.  What did you like or dislike about them?

[CAMPMEAT]

A friend of mine had a 2012 if I remember right. He said it was a real, real gas hog, but otherwise liked it. He got rid of it and bought a diesel.

[dscubame]

The 6.0 engine is awesome.  Have it in my Denali and the torque is very noticeable towing my boat in relation to my 5.3.  The 6 is a proven solid engine for sure.

[Jharristealth]

Owned a 2007 gmc crew long bed 6.0 since new. Its been a fantastic rig overall. Gas mileage would be my only complaint. May be tough to justify for a daily driver. I consider myself a conservative driver and yield 13.5-14 mpg on flat highways and 11-12 city. Throw the travel trailer in the mix (7200lb) and it drops to 6-8mpg over the pass, 8-9 flat highway. It tows very well though. 6.0 has proven to be a very dependable motor for gm, my father got 300k out of his. (Mine is about ready to turn 60k)

[CAMPMEAT]

Gas prices are down too....

[Maverick]

I own a 2000 Silverado with a 6.0. It gets just under 11 mpg but its on 38s.   

The motor itself is amazing. For a gas 3/4 ton truck I think its the best motor you could go with!

[Greenhorn]

I have a 01 gmc 2500 HD with the 6.0L with a 4.10 rear end.  It has 200k on it and is still running strong.  I have changed the plugs once trying to get better mileage but it didn't seem to affect it.  I also changed the serpentine belt but that is it besides regular oil and filter changes.  Mileage is around 13 empty and 9 heavy.  We packed our 35' 5th wheel camp trailer clear to Yellowstone and nearby states without any problem.  I just take it slow and easy though without any hurry.  Not a lot of power to go over the pass at 70 loaded.  This pickup has been great!

[Skillet]

We have an 09 2wd one-ton Chevrolet with 6.0/auto at work as a run-around rig.  Power for days, but mileage is rough. Might hit 10 might on avg if we're lucky - but it is all in-town driving and kids at the wheel.  I could probably squeeze low teens out of it if I drove it like a grandpa.  Drive train seems bulletproof, but I have a diesel truck and can't get used to the high shift points on these ls motors.  Even the 6.0 is a screamer when loaded, imho.
 

[Bofire]

I had a 2005 and now have a 2015, crew cab size. I like it real well. Tows real good, I get 14.5 -15.3 average. Nice ride, plenty of power. The 2005  was high geared at 65mph it was 2500rpm, the new one is 1650 rpm same speed. I got the built in trailer tow package. I pull a 24 foot camper and a boat.
Carl

[C-Money]

We run the 6.0 in our 1 ton, type 6 grass trucks at work. Very dependable, good amount of power. I give a 3/4 ton with a 6.0 a green light, sounds like it would be a great choice for you.

[BigGoonTuna]

heard the 6.0 is a great engine, but i speak from experience, having a 3/4 ton for a DD sucks...

[toyman2]

I had a 99 with a 6.0. I traded it in with 207,000 miles. Fuel mileage was ok, I would get about 15 on the Hwy.
I also drive mine 60-70 miles a day. I never had any motor issues, only normal maintenance.

[NRA4LIFE]

I have an '02 GMC 2500 HD with that engine.  It's a real workhorse.  I tow an 8500 lb boat/trailer with it no problem.  Like others, my only rub is gas mileage.  13 HY, 11 or so city.  About 8 towing the boat.  I have had no issues at all with the engine.  I got 160K on it.

[Buzz2401]

Unless you got money to throw away I would stay away from having a truck as a daily driver.  The cost per mile is two to three times higher then driving a commuter.  Get a cheap commuter and get your 6.0L Chevy.  The difference in fuel costs alone will be $1500 plus per year add in the cost of more expensive maintenance and you are looking at well over a $2500 extra expense before you even add in the depreciation difference between a commuter and a truck.   But the 6.0L is a great motor I own the 8.1L and it gets about 9 empty so it stays parked unless I am towing/hauling.

[lewy]

Had one, great truck. I was young and dumb so I put dual straight pipes on it, I could set car alarms off from a quarter mile away lol oh the good ol days

[fishngamereaper]

6.0 is a good motor, low end torque. Wasn't built for high end power. I run an 8.1 in an 05 HD. Will tow the house but averages 8mpg. My buddy has the 6.0 in his 04 HD and averages 10-12 mpg. Watch for which tranny is in the truck. An Allison is doing all the work for me and its bullet proof.

Also for your budget you could roll into a DMax is you look hard enough. Ive seen a few 07's with the LBZ motor for around 22-23k. They average 120-140k miles but that's just broken in for that motor.

[dscubame]

Unless you got money to throw away I would stay away from having a truck as a daily driver.  The cost per mile is two to three times higher then driving a commuter.  Get a cheap commuter and get your 6.0L Chevy.  The difference in fuel costs alone will be $1500 plus per year add in the cost of more expensive maintenance and you are looking at well over a $2500 extra expense before you even add in the depreciation difference between a commuter and a truck.   But the 6.0L is a great motor I own the 8.1L and it gets about 9 empty so it stays parked unless I am towing/hauling.

You do not need throw away money to drive a truck daily.  That's ridiculous.  Look at what is being driven daily right next to you every morning.  With your thinking in mind I would suggest you ditch the commuter car and commute on a moped or scooter....

[adamR]

Unless you got money to throw away I would stay away from having a truck as a daily driver.  The cost per mile is two to three times higher then driving a commuter.  Get a cheap commuter and get your 6.0L Chevy.  The difference in fuel costs alone will be $1500 plus per year add in the cost of more expensive maintenance and you are looking at well over a $2500 extra expense before you even add in the depreciation difference between a commuter and a truck.   But the 6.0L is a great motor I own the 8.1L and it gets about 9 empty so it stays parked unless I am towing/hauling.

I can't afford two cars right now.  Not to mention I've had a nice truck sitting in the driveway and driven a commuter car before. I don't like it, I ended up parking the commuter more often then not. I'm a truck guy, cars suck.

Currently I'm only getting about 15 mpg so it's not much worse I just wanted to make sure people weren't averaging 10 mpg.  I'm fine with 14 ish. 

I'll probably end up buying another motorcycle in another year or so and then switch between that and the truck.

[Buzz2401]

Unless you got money to throw away I would stay away from having a truck as a daily driver.  The cost per mile is two to three times higher then driving a commuter.  Get a cheap commuter and get your 6.0L Chevy.  The difference in fuel costs alone will be $1500 plus per year add in the cost of more expensive maintenance and you are looking at well over a $2500 extra expense before you even add in the depreciation difference between a commuter and a truck.   But the 6.0L is a great motor I own the 8.1L and it gets about 9 empty so it stays parked unless I am towing/hauling.

You do not need throw away money to drive a truck daily.  That's ridiculous.  Look at what is being driven daily right next to you every morning.  With your thinking in mind I would suggest you ditch the commuter car and commute on a moped or scooter....

Some people need to drive a truck to work but most don't.  If you have money to spend on driving a truck everyday and thats what you want to do then thats great but it is still a waste of money.  I would rather save my money for a new firearm or for a vacation.  Its all stuff that we don't need, just depends on what you want to spend your extra money on. 

[rasbo]

I have a 2000 and it has 261,000 miles,I get 15 mph and better a few times,11 mph with my boat behind it and 9 mph with a 23ft camp trailor...

[fish vacuum]

A truck with a big V-8 for commuting 60 miles a day? Sounds logical to me!

[Duffer]

I did it with my 02 3/4 HD Silverado 2wd. Thinking I was saving on insurance and such. Wasn't so much the gas $ as it was a brand new truck and would have had 100k on it 2 years before I had it paid off! After a year I bought a crappy old Honda commuter.

Got 15mpg, 16 after I added the canopy. Love the 6.0, but: (and I've listed this before)

New shocks at 20k. Popped the gov-loc at 40k. Leaky axle seal at 60k that required seals, bearings & brake pads. 80k new carrier bearing so rebuilt entire 2 piece driveline. Would not tow over I90 without overheating the auto tranny by 40k. By 80k also would not tow without engine getting hot. Finally stranded me returning from elk camp out of St. Maries. By 100k had to replace water pump, thermo,  and $700 radiator.

That was the final straw. Traded in for a used cummins.

[toyman2]

Never had any issues with my 6.0, but I did eventually trade mine also for a Cummins.

[Dhoey07]

Buy the Duramax

[scotsman]

X2 for Duramax. I test drove the 6.0 and Duramax- after driving the diesel the 6.0 seemed weird, shifting too high and not enough power to match the sound. I bought the Duramax LBZ crew cab and absolutely love it. The truck now has 140k on it and still drives like new. Along with a zillion trips over the pass towing a 4000 pound boat we have towed a 5th wheel to Arizona, taken a 4000 mile trip with pickup camper on it and it's my dd too. I get 22.5 running empty at 65 mph, 14.5 towing a 10000 pound 5th wheel and 16.5 with a 3000 pound Lance camper.

[Magnum_Willys]

I get 22.5 running empty at 65 mph.

  you got a chip in it ?

[HntnFsh]

That's 3-4 mpg better across the board than my 06 LBZ! And I'm fairly stock and hand calculated a lot of tanks of fuel. I do love my Chevy Duramax.

[Revwrangler]

I have a 2004 2500 with a 6.0 and love it. Yes a gas hog, but hauls my camper, and boat great! I also drive it daily to work.


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[scotsman]

I'm running a chip that made a big difference. I don't recall the brand but can look it up later. It's not a tune on the fly chip like bully dog- you plug it in, then change the program and unplug it. It has several options , increasing power by 20 hp increments between 20 to 80 hp and also changes shift points. My truck runs best with 40 hp boost. Cranking it beyond that decreases my mileage.

[Gamehunter034]

I have a 2013 Sierra 2500HD with the 6 liter. I love it, i have owned diesels in the past, loved them but maintenance gets spendy. I get 10mpg unloaded and when towing my 25ft trailer. Its a workhorse, yes diesels have more torque but i couldn't justify owning a diesel again with a 3 mile commute to work.


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[Lucky1]

 
Just bought a 2015 2500HD with the 6 Liter today. I've got 15 miles on it. So far it's good!   
I have run the 6 liter in a couple 3500 express vans. One of them went 275,000 before I got a new one. It's a good engine.

[Revwrangler]

I'm running a chip that made a big difference. I don't recall the brand but can look it up later. It's not a tune on the fly chip like bully dog- you plug it in, then change the program and unplug it. It has several options , increasing power by 20 hp increments between 20 to 80 hp and also changes shift points. My truck runs best with 40 hp boost. Cranking it beyond that decreases my mileage.

I'd be really interested in that.


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[scotsman]

The Ecu modification program I use is called EZ tune. Here is their website: https://www.powerupdiesel.biz.

Btw they have really good tech follow up. I had a couple of questions about setting it up and got a message to leave a number. This was one Sunday afternoon - they called back in just a few minutes with clear quick answers. And oh yeah, be sure to set your Ecu back to stock before going through emissions check. I got a 'fail' then went around the block and reset it back to stock. Drove a few miles to clear it and it passed no problem. Then back around the block to reset the 40 hp boost.

[HntnFsh]

Looks a lot like EFI live. Wondering if you have hand calculated your mileage? Do you have an egt probe to monitor temps? If so have you noticed much difference when towing with factory settings compared to tuned settings?

[scotsman]

When I hand calculate I get about 5% less. So when the computer is showing 22.5, my hand calculation is getting around 21.3. But that is partially offset by my bigger tires (285s instead of 265s) going a bit farther per revolution. I think it's pretty close to real world mileage.

[jstone]

What kind of truck did you get? I will be in the market next year once the daughter is finished with Pullman. I am leaning tords the GMC Denali.

[yakimarcher]

I have an '02 silverado 2500 with the 6.0 and it's bad to the bone, probably the strongest SBC ever made.