Help me purchase the right tow rig.
09-07-2011, 11:59 AM
#21
It is strong in stock form. The main problem with the Allison is the torque converter, with any decent power you start blowing through. An aftermarket converter and transgo Jr will take it a long ways but not reliable at 500rwhp. I made 365/752 through 35s in my Dmax and it will flare on higher rpm downshifts and from a dig. Once built with all the goodies they're probably the best trans in the diesel world for DD duty they just need 4k dropped in em before they're really good. The Ford trans is that good stock but it lacks the extra overdrive gear that the 6 speed Allison has.
09-07-2011, 12:16 PM
#23
If you prioritize a list of what you want we may be able to narrow your choices for you. Do you have to have leather? Is 20k set on stone? What size tires do you want to run? Are you going to do any mods? Any absolute deal breakers? Like for me the old style(pre2010) dodge body style is ugly so I won't consider them. Ever going to tow a fifth wheel or gooseneck?
09-07-2011, 07:28 PM
#24
If you prioritize a list of what you want we may be able to narrow your choices for you. Do you have to have leather? Is 20k set on stone? What size tires do you want to run? Are you going to do any mods? Any absolute deal breakers? Like for me the old style(pre2010) dodge body style is ugly so I won't consider them. Ever going to tow a fifth wheel or gooseneck?
20k is about as high as I wanna go
Tires will either stay stock or I might add a very small lift and some 20's, nothing crazy. Something like this but half the lift
Chevrolet : Silverado 2500 | eBay
Only mod would be a tune
Has to be a turbo diesel
Has to have seating for 6 six, so a bench up front
No 5th wheel or gooseneck in my plans
Less than 150k miles prefered
09-08-2011, 08:48 PM
#25
And an f250s interior is the biggest and best material by far. IFS sucks...Dodge has a crappy problem prone front end.
Whats in your sig? You sure are a GM hater, why dont you go buy a ford or a dodge and tell us how much better they are???
Well Tim as you know I've owned a Dmax and loved it but for his criteria its not the best option. It I was in his shoes I'd find a higher mileage 05 cummins megacab. The problem with a 20k 05-07 Dmax is that in that price range you're going to be well over 100k and even the lbzs are having injector problems when towing decently heqvy in the heat. The cheapest you can find a set of the new Bosch injectors with the protective coating to cure the problem is 2500 and that's a steal and not installed. Not to mention he will have to get a damn near stripped model to get the jumpseat and its got a small cab.Cody, ive NEVER Heard of any LBZ Injector problems , just the older LB7 injector probs.
An 01-02 Ford 7.3 would be a good choice but one that isn't ragged to **** and got a million miles on it are used to find. My dads 02 has 188k on it towing a 20k 5er all over the us with only a crank sensor and starter replaced. I hate the 4 speed trans though and lack of power compared to the newer diesels. They're as reliable as they come but are slow, don't get that great of mileage and generally underpowered til you dump some money into them.
If the dodges weren't so ugly and I didn't need atleast a 6.5' bed I'd be picking up a megacab myself. I love the new dodge crew cabs but they're out of my price range.
When it comes time for me to buy another diesel(hopefully this time next year) it will probably be an 08-09 Ford 6.4. You can fit 35s with just a coil spacer, they tow better(about 1k heavier so more stable), have a lot more interior room, stronger transmission and IMO better looking interior/exterior. The only unknown is the engine which if you get one with lower miles and delete the egr and the dpf they're ectually pretty damn reliable its the emissions bs that hurts them.
Fact of the matter is whether any of the gm guys want to admit it, gm is falling behind. The duramax engine is awesome but the rest of the truck is severely lacking imo and now with a lot of the dmaxs having injector problems with higher miles and towing heavy and hot the injector return rates are putting them into rep mode. Ask stock48 he swaps out a set a week at the dealership.
I Disagree with this, There arent " Lots" of dmax's having injector issues, dont believe everything posted on the interweb.
I believe that ALL the new vehichles fall behind in quality as manufactures tend to try to save money, i wont argue that, But look at the resale value on a GM Diesel, They hold their value for a reason.
Unfortunately IMO it seems none of the manufacturers have it "all", you're going to have to decide what is most important to you. Personally I'd sell your tahoe, play with your goat and have more dough to throw down on a newer diesel. If I had 40k to burn I'd probably buy a new dodge crew cab, the new Ford 6.7 is too new and the lml isn't ever going to have any real tuning options(efi won't support the new computer) besides the fact that its still a small truck.
Just all depends on how much you really want to spend and what aspects are really important to you. For me its interior space(got a kid and will have two more), reliability(imo all fairly close once emissions bs is deleted), ability to fit 35s, and looks. I don't care about speed so much anymore so the Ford being a bit slower than its counterparts doesn't bother me, but it can put down 500+ to the wheels all day long on the stock trans. An Allison will like its guts on the first pull at that level.
I've been researching diesel options all over the net and talking to locals so I'm pretty well versed in all of em if you've got any questions.
An 01-02 Ford 7.3 would be a good choice but one that isn't ragged to **** and got a million miles on it are used to find. My dads 02 has 188k on it towing a 20k 5er all over the us with only a crank sensor and starter replaced. I hate the 4 speed trans though and lack of power compared to the newer diesels. They're as reliable as they come but are slow, don't get that great of mileage and generally underpowered til you dump some money into them.
If the dodges weren't so ugly and I didn't need atleast a 6.5' bed I'd be picking up a megacab myself. I love the new dodge crew cabs but they're out of my price range.
When it comes time for me to buy another diesel(hopefully this time next year) it will probably be an 08-09 Ford 6.4. You can fit 35s with just a coil spacer, they tow better(about 1k heavier so more stable), have a lot more interior room, stronger transmission and IMO better looking interior/exterior. The only unknown is the engine which if you get one with lower miles and delete the egr and the dpf they're ectually pretty damn reliable its the emissions bs that hurts them.
Fact of the matter is whether any of the gm guys want to admit it, gm is falling behind. The duramax engine is awesome but the rest of the truck is severely lacking imo and now with a lot of the dmaxs having injector problems with higher miles and towing heavy and hot the injector return rates are putting them into rep mode. Ask stock48 he swaps out a set a week at the dealership.
I Disagree with this, There arent " Lots" of dmax's having injector issues, dont believe everything posted on the interweb.
I believe that ALL the new vehichles fall behind in quality as manufactures tend to try to save money, i wont argue that, But look at the resale value on a GM Diesel, They hold their value for a reason.
Unfortunately IMO it seems none of the manufacturers have it "all", you're going to have to decide what is most important to you. Personally I'd sell your tahoe, play with your goat and have more dough to throw down on a newer diesel. If I had 40k to burn I'd probably buy a new dodge crew cab, the new Ford 6.7 is too new and the lml isn't ever going to have any real tuning options(efi won't support the new computer) besides the fact that its still a small truck.
Just all depends on how much you really want to spend and what aspects are really important to you. For me its interior space(got a kid and will have two more), reliability(imo all fairly close once emissions bs is deleted), ability to fit 35s, and looks. I don't care about speed so much anymore so the Ford being a bit slower than its counterparts doesn't bother me, but it can put down 500+ to the wheels all day long on the stock trans. An Allison will like its guts on the first pull at that level.
I've been researching diesel options all over the net and talking to locals so I'm pretty well versed in all of em if you've got any questions.
Plain and simple, if you find a nice used 04.5 up Dmax and add a nice 80-100 horse tune you will be pleased, especially when your towing.
Test drive them All and find which truck you like best!
I know which one does te trick for me.
09-08-2011, 11:20 PM
#26
Check out Pirate4x4.com - I've seen a few Dmax's for sale on there for under $20G's on the classified's forum.
I believe if you take care of it and perform regular maintenance and try not to turn it into a hotrod or be a total jackass while towing heavy stuff you won't have many problems. My injector issues we attributed to towing crazy loads in the 105+ heat over a couple hundred miles. Most people (like me) that have IFS problems crank the torsion bars like crazy and tuck the biggest tires that the fenders won't slice to pieces. I have had 0 trouble with my 08' suspension for the 50k miles I've had it and the suspension on mine is the same as those from 2001 to present, I think.
I believe if you take care of it and perform regular maintenance and try not to turn it into a hotrod or be a total jackass while towing heavy stuff you won't have many problems. My injector issues we attributed to towing crazy loads in the 105+ heat over a couple hundred miles. Most people (like me) that have IFS problems crank the torsion bars like crazy and tuck the biggest tires that the fenders won't slice to pieces. I have had 0 trouble with my 08' suspension for the 50k miles I've had it and the suspension on mine is the same as those from 2001 to present, I think.
09-09-2011, 02:56 AM
#27
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Why does everyone assume that gas equals 6.0. In an HD. The 8.1l will do circles around a 6.0 when towing plus they also get the ally trans. The bad is the mileage. But its very capable. The lly and up dmax will out perform it but it doesn't make the 8.1 a slouch either.
09-09-2011, 04:38 AM
#28
Check out Pirate4x4.com - I've seen a few Dmax's for sale on there for under $20G's on the classified's forum.
I believe if you take care of it and perform regular maintenance and try not to turn it into a hotrod or be a total jackass while towing heavy stuff you won't have many problems. My injector issues we attributed to towing crazy loads in the 105+ heat over a couple hundred miles. Most people (like me) that have IFS problems crank the torsion bars like crazy and tuck the biggest tires that the fenders won't slice to pieces. I have had 0 trouble with my 08' suspension for the 50k miles I've had it and the suspension on mine is the same as those from 2001 to present, I think.
I believe if you take care of it and perform regular maintenance and try not to turn it into a hotrod or be a total jackass while towing heavy stuff you won't have many problems. My injector issues we attributed to towing crazy loads in the 105+ heat over a couple hundred miles. Most people (like me) that have IFS problems crank the torsion bars like crazy and tuck the biggest tires that the fenders won't slice to pieces. I have had 0 trouble with my 08' suspension for the 50k miles I've had it and the suspension on mine is the same as those from 2001 to present, I think.
I say keep the truck stock except for a nice tow tune and it will last a long time. Dont go trying to pull 10 k with huge tires or cranked up torsion bars, thats what kills the front ends.
Why does everyone assume that gas equals 6.0. In an HD. The 8.1l will do circles around a 6.0 when towing plus they also get the ally trans. The bad is the mileage. But its very capable. The lly and up dmax will out perform it but it doesn't make the 8.1 a slouch either.
09-09-2011, 07:16 AM
#29
Tim, it is the lbz and even lmms who are having problems too. I'll look up the specific code but its attributed to injector return rates that are too high. Basically this ultra low sulfer diesel doesn't lube the injectors well enough and over time wears the actually body of the injector. It's a big enough problem that Bosch has actually updated the design to include a protective coating for the injector body. The main people that have problems are when you're towing in 90+* heat and decent sized load(10kish). Stock48 works at a dealership part time and almost every time I talk to him he is replacing injectors and I'm not talking about in an lb7.
Even if there wasn't a chance of injector problems, you're still left with a small cab, and needing to spend atleast a grand on the front end of a high mileage truck for wheel bearings, Pitman/idler arms, ball joints, and tie rods.
A dodge with high mileage is going to need the whole front end replaced and a Ford will most likely need balljoints.
With a high mileage vehicle there's going to be a lot of maintenance needed to be done.
Even if there wasn't a chance of injector problems, you're still left with a small cab, and needing to spend atleast a grand on the front end of a high mileage truck for wheel bearings, Pitman/idler arms, ball joints, and tie rods.
A dodge with high mileage is going to need the whole front end replaced and a Ford will most likely need balljoints.
With a high mileage vehicle there's going to be a lot of maintenance needed to be done.
09-09-2011, 07:31 PM
#30
Cody, Thankyou for the Injector info, I was unaware of this.
I honestly have 3 great friends at my local chevrolet dealership, they work /service a lot of Duramax trucks and havent had any injector problems come in, OFCourse that doesnt mean there isnt a problem, but i wasnt aware of it.
Thankyou for the heads up. I guess the heat isnt as bad in my area as it is out west and down south to show these issues.
NOW This angers me, CHEAP FUGGIN Ultra Low sulfur Diesel!!! damn government!!
This is why i run powerservice Lubricity additive in every tank of diesel, I Knew in my heart this new fuel was bad!!
Now seriously The only way to tow IMO is with a diesel, so SlowHoe Drive them all and hopefully you find a great deal on the truck thats right for you.
But i know you would be happy with a Dmax since you are already familiar with GM trucks.
Long Post!! *** Me !!!!!!
I honestly have 3 great friends at my local chevrolet dealership, they work /service a lot of Duramax trucks and havent had any injector problems come in, OFCourse that doesnt mean there isnt a problem, but i wasnt aware of it.
Thankyou for the heads up. I guess the heat isnt as bad in my area as it is out west and down south to show these issues.
NOW This angers me, CHEAP FUGGIN Ultra Low sulfur Diesel!!! damn government!!
This is why i run powerservice Lubricity additive in every tank of diesel, I Knew in my heart this new fuel was bad!!
Now seriously The only way to tow IMO is with a diesel, so SlowHoe Drive them all and hopefully you find a great deal on the truck thats right for you.
But i know you would be happy with a Dmax since you are already familiar with GM trucks.
Long Post!! *** Me !!!!!!