mrad
Zimmerman, MN
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Joined: 08/23/2007
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I am looking for info on how these vehicles perform. We currently have a 94 Suburban with a 350. It pulls our 6,500lb TT ok but we plan on upgrading TT's in the next couple of years.
Will the 8.1 get over 12 mpg when not towing on the highway? How would this motor handle a 12,000 lb TT going through mountains? I was thining I would have to get an Excursion in order to stay with an SUV, but the 10-12 mpg when not towing has me a little nervous.
I am starting to see a few of them for sale in MN for a pretty fair price.
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Oldtymeflyr
Littleton, CO
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Joined: 04/18/2004
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An 8.1 will get over 14 if driven under 75 with a medium load, ie. 4 people and baggage. We will get 14 pulling a popup under 70.
I have pulled an 11,000# plus boat from Denver to Lake Powell many times with our 8.1 Suburban with 4.10 axles. Going up hill you are going to be in the right lane doing about 45 with some reserve. Going down hill you are going to be in the right lane going about 45.
Towing either the boat or the trailer we get between 8 mpg and 10 at 60 mph.
The 8.1 is a great gas engine.
* This post was
edited 10/05/08 08:26am by Oldtymeflyr *
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Dick_B
Palos Heights, IL USA
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Joined: 07/10/2002
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We must be doing something wrong because we seem to get around 10 mpg whether towing or not (2003); and that's at 56 mph! At 12,000 lbs. I think even the 8.1 will have trouble in the mountains. Ours is rated at a little over 12,000 lbs. as I remember.
No one buys a Suburban for the gas mileage. A camping buddy of mine has a Freightliner to pull his 5er and claims it will cost about the same as a new Suburban, get much better mileage and last `forever'.
* This post was
edited 10/05/08 05:21am by Dick_B *
Dick_B
2003 SunnyBrook 27FKS
2003 3/4 T Chevrolet Suburban
Equal-i-zer Hitch
One wife, two bikes (both Electric Schwinn's with motor assist)
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BurbMan
Long Island, NY
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Joined: 09/20/2001
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Oldtymeflyer must have invested in one of those things that clamps on the fuel line and aligns the fuel molecules....DickB is more accurate. We get about 10 mpg around town, have gotten as much as 13 on the highway cruising about 65-70, and towing at 65-70 yields about 7-8 mpg with our 8800 lb TT.
The 8.1 will handle 12,000 lbs, but not in a Suburban. the max tow rating with the 8.1/4.10 combo is 12,000 lbs, and that's with only (1) 150-lb driver on board. As an example, 4 passengers and some light luggage, combined with the 1200 lb tongue weight on our TT puts us right at the 8600 GVWR of the burb. Subtract that from the 19,000 GCWR and that leaves you with an effective tow capacity of 10,400. Like the Excursion, you will will run out of GVWR with the tongue weight of a heavy TT before you ever reach the max tow rating. A boat is different because it doesn't have the same % of tongue weight, nor the block-style aerodynamic profile of a TT.
If the TT you are looking to buy is truly 12,000 lbs, I would be looking for a dually diesel. Only way your going to have the suspension, brakes, and weight rating to carry that kind of load. If you want a gas motor, you'll need the 4.10 rear with the 8.1 or 4.30 rear with the Ford V-10.
If you are concerned with MPG, a diesel is really the only choice to tow that much weight and also get decent mileage....although diesel costs $.50/gal more than unleaded right now, so the economics are not far apart....
If you really want an 8.1 burb, I would stay under 10,000 GVWR on a TT.
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MadMav
Colorado Springs, CO
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Anything over 8-9Klbs needs diesel power. Go with a 7.3l Excursion and upgrade the rear suspension.
Mav
'08 Dodge 3500 SLT Mega Cab Dually, 6.7l/6 speed. Oh yeah!
'08 Winners Circle 36SRV-H5
Pair of '09 Polaris Sportsman 550 XP's
1 wife, 2 kids, 3 dogs, 2 cats
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8.1 Van
Millstone NJ
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Quote:We must be doing something wrong because we seem to get around 10 mpg whether towing or not (2003); and that's at 56 mph!
I get around 15mpg @56mph with my 8.1 3500 Van fully loaded non-towing. It drops to 14mpg @62mph and 13mpg@70mph.
2002 Chevy Express LS 3500 8.1 155" WB passenger van 3.73 posi (GT4/G80)
2003 Thor Citation 41-ZBSR 41ft TT
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Oldtymeflyr
Littleton, CO
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Burbman, I would suggest that you reread the original question.
Secondly, maybe you should consider your driving technique and maintenance of the vehicle.
I have actually gotten 17mpg with the vehicle traveling on level ground and at 55mph, lightly loaded.
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willald
NC
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Joined: 07/15/2002
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mrad wrote:I am looking for info on how these vehicles perform. We currently have a 94 Suburban with a 350. It pulls our 6,500lb TT ok but we plan on upgrading TT's in the next couple of years.
Will the 8.1 get over 12 mpg when not towing on the highway?
Oh, yeah, I would think so. But, obviously that depends on a lot of factors, not the least of which is how its driven. 14-15 solo on the highway is about what you can expect for an 8.1 'Burb. HOWEVER, I think one thing needs to be clarified here, lest you make a mis-informed decision:
Quote:I was thinking I would have to get an Excursion in order to stay with an SUV, but the 10-12 mpg when not towing has me a little nervous.
..When you truly compare apples to apples (as in, compare a V10 Excursion to 8.1 Burb), the Excursion actually gets slightly BETTER mileage than a comparable 'Burb. Ford's V10 is very efficient for the amount of power it produces, more so than GM's big block V8. Sooo, if fuel mileage is your concern, you actually should be looking more at Excursions, exact opposite of what you're implying here.
Also, if you're willing to consider a diesel Excursion, then the fuel mileage advantage of the Ex over an 8.1 Burb would be VERY significant. Either way, though, the fuel mileage advantage actually goes to the Excursion (although mileage is horrible with either one regardless, haha).
I can regularly get 16 mpg with our V10 Excursion, on highway trips (not towing). Close to 17, if I can hold it down to 55-60 mph. You will never get that kind of mileage out of an 8.1 V8 'Burb. Best you can hope for from it would be more like 14 or 15 in that situation. City driving (solo), it ranges between 10 and 12, which is fairly close to same as an 8.1 Burb would get.
Anyway, both are great vehicles, each has their good points and bad. My only point would be, don't let fuel mileage lean you toward the 'Burb, 'cause reality is the 8.1 Burb actually gets slightly less mileage.
Quote:How would this motor handle a 12,000 lb TT going through mountains?
Well, 12000 is the absolute max for the 'Burb, and thats only if the Burb is completely unloaded except a 150 lb driver, and a strip-down model with few options. Not very realistic for most of us, haha. Not only that, but if a trailer truly is 12,000 lbs, it probably will have so much tongue weight it'd go way over the Burb's GVWR limits, and overload the OEM receiver or possibly the chassis with all that tongue weight sitting on it.
Having said that, the 'Burb's drivetrain would probably handle that much trailer OK, I don't believe power would be the problem. Rest of the truck under that much weight, though (suspension, brakes, axles, etc) may not like it. If you are seriously looking at trailers that will weigh that much (loaded)....I don't believe an Ex or 'Burb would be a good choice. It may be time to start looking at 1 ton trucks if you are going to pull that much trailer.
Good luck, whatever you decide on. 
Will & Angela
2 children that love camping, Stephen & Allison
2003 Ford Excursion V10 4x4 ("No Taxpayers were harmed by the makers of this truck")
2003 Thor Citation 33M, Hensley Arrow hitch, Brakesmart Brake Control
Our Rig
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chadsalt
sc
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Oldtymeflyr wrote:Burbman, I would suggest that you reread the original question.
Secondly, maybe you should consider your driving technique and maintenance of the vehicle.
I have actually gotten 17mpg with the vehicle traveling on level ground and at 55mph, lightly loaded.
I always throw out the high and the low numbers when dealing with mpg........but man, Ive never seen 17 (14 is rare) and 8.1L in the same sentence before.
Oldtymeflyr, all I can say is you better NEVER give up your 'burb.......because you have the only one.
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JustLabs
Washington State
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Joined: 05/13/2002
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chadsalt wrote:Oldtymeflyr wrote:Burbman, I would suggest that you reread the original question.
Secondly, maybe you should consider your driving technique and maintenance of the vehicle.
I have actually gotten 17mpg with the vehicle traveling on level ground and at 55mph, lightly loaded.
I always throw out the high and the low numbers when dealing with mpg........but man, Ive never seen 17 (14 is rare) and 8.1L in the same sentence before.
Oldtymeflyr, all I can say is you better NEVER give up your 'burb.......because you have the only one.
Maybe he should give it up. Send it back to GM to see what they did right with his 8.1,maybe they could bring the 8.1 back into production.
The absolute best I ever got with my 8.1 was on a 200+ mile trip where I ran with the cruise set on 60mph for the entire trip. Everything lined up just right and I literally didn't touch the gas or brakes the entire 200+ miles.
I got just over 14 on that SINGLE trip.
The average over 65k miles was 11-12 on the freeway with 13 on a good day. In town it was 9-10.
Towing 6500 was always right at about 9.
2007 Dodge Ram 3500 SRW,4x4,Cummins 5.9, 6spd.
2007 Keystone Cougar 289BHS Fifth Wheel.
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