GMT800 or Burban 2500 do I need/want awd?

Starting to think about getting a tow rig/daily that is a truck again. The 00-04 chevy seems to be the go to recommendation for long term reliability (2500 HD or 2500 burban as I want to have the higher tow capacity) would likely be towing a couple times a month a toy hauler or travel trailer in the 25-30 ft range.

I live in NC now and don't think I need awd but I am also unsure as to how much of a economy or maintenance difference 2wd vs 4wd makes. Especially if you get free wheeling hubs?

I was not planning on a duramax but if I find one in my price range I might bite just because of fuel economy

If you never intend to take it offroad, just get a 2WD model. If you might ever want to drive on one of NC's beaches, spring for 4WD. The 4x4 will command a higher price on purchase but keep a bit more value if you ever sell it. A fairly rust free, driving 4x4 seems to be worth at least $3k, no matter what kind of miles or what kind of supplementary issues (peeling paint, no radio, etc) it has.

My 2005 Yukon Denali XL 6.0 AWD gets 13-19mpg and will tow close to 8,000 lbs. I paid about $3,500 for it a year ago with 180,000kmi on it.

I haven't done anything to the powertrain and very little other maintenance aside from fluids.

I've always been a part-time 4x4 guy but AWD sure is nice up in New England when you're not one of those "non-essential personnel" that gets days off for snow storms.

I'm looking forward to seeing what it can do on any trails I can actually fit down.

If you do go for a Duramax, make note of the injector issues with the LB7s, it's not a cheap repair.

My '02 2500HD Duramax is RWD, and I've never missed the lack of the 4WD. I have essentially zero interest is going off road, I don't tow boats, I don't tow race cars anywhere that it's likely to be snowing, and if I took leave of my senses and decided to go skiing, well, I've got an Audi for that. :)

Ive got a 2002 2500hd 4x4. I probably engage 4wd twice a year. And i live in ohio. I dont know what the market is like where you are, but around here 4x4 means around a 30% price increase. If i were shopping i would probably get 2wd and get a 30% nicer truck. They also drive nicer and are easier to work on. Now that these are getting to be 15 years old ease of service and simplicity are definitely something to keep in mind. Another thing to note is there are a lot less 2wd trucks, especially heavy duty trucks, so that will hurt selection.

How can you put on a 12 " lift kit if it's a 2WD truck?

We are not active skiers, I would probably use it to go to the snow if I had it but otherwise not going to see use very often.

Yeah the mileage I am seeing on some of these duramax at this point should already have had injectors replaced but its definitely something I would look for.

I would rather have reliability/mpg/comfort/cheaper than the occasional awd but I also don't want to be looking for a unicorn if they are not out there without awd readily

The Yukons/Burbs tend to be cheaper than the corresponding silverado? are all XL's 2500s/3/4 ton or just the larger longer back end/wheelbase

Jaynen wrote: Yeah the mileage I am seeing on some of these duramax at this point should already have had injectors replaced but its definitely something I would look for.

There are several revisions of the injectors out there because the problem kept happening. Supposedly the latest ones (the ones that my truck now has) are a permanent fix -- we'll see.

I just bought an 04 8.1L 2wd. Ease of service compared to 4wd was a big consideration. Like you, I'm in an area with some winter but not so much as to make awd a must-have. I used it to pull a U-haul car trailer and parked the truck and trailer on an uphill gravel drive the first night of ownership. Sure was thankful for the limited-slip rear. Without it, it might have taken 4wd to pull the trailer up the slope. Probably, the posi and traction control will handle any situation the truck is likely to see.

The 8.1 has a thirst for unleaded like that of Hemingway for rum or a Kardashian for publicity, but damn will it pull. Reason told me the 6.0 with 3.73 was a better choice for any grocery-getting but a car trailer and weekend's worth of gear gets pretty near the top of the trailer rating. A 6.0 with 4.10, from experience, gets worse mileage towing than the 8.1 with 3.73. If I decide in the future it is too much truck, I can sell it for break-even or better (got a good deal). In the meantime, gonna be a bear might as well be a grizzly and so forth.

Love my 02 2500 Burban, it's got the 8.1, 4.10 gears and 4wd. Took me almost 2 years to find a decent one that was in my price range that wasn't a 6.0. I was only interested in the 8.1 after driving a buddy's 2500HD truck with the 6.0 and 4.10's, just not impressed with the pulling power it had. The 2500 Burbans/Yukon XL's never got the Allison transmission, all of them have the 4L85E. And if you get an 8.1, be aware that they do have oil consumption issues so keep a check on the oil level.

Where in NC are you located? If you're close to me you're welcome to come check mine out and see if you like it.

~90 more ft/lbs of torque going from a 6.0 to an 8.1 with roughly the same hp numbers 330-ish for both.

I'm sure that extra torque can be felt.

Datsun310Guy wrote: How can you put on a 12 " lift kit if it's a 2WD truck?

On a GMT800 2500HD I think it might literally be the same kit.

I haven't gotten a chance to tow with my 1500 yet but love the truck it's a 2000 with 4wd. I like the option for going on the beaches and to know that if I park on soft ground when I do tow I am less likely to get stuck. That being said I have only used the 4wd a couple times in the 7 or so months I have owned the truck.

The brake lines are known for rusting and are a bear to replace (you need to release the body mounts and Jack the body off the frame a couple inches for clearance).

Good luck in your search

conesare2seconds wrote: I just bought an 04 8.1L 2wd. Ease of service compared to 4wd was a big consideration. Like you, I'm in an area with some winter but not so much as to make awd a must-have. I used it to pull a U-haul car trailer and parked the truck and trailer on an uphill gravel drive the first night of ownership. Sure was thankful for the limited-slip rear. Without it, it might have taken 4wd to pull the trailer up the slope. Probably, the posi and traction control will handle any situation the truck is likely to see. The 8.1 has a thirst for unleaded like that of Hemingway for rum or a Kardashian for publicity, but damn will it pull. Reason told me the 6.0 with 3.73 was a better choice for any grocery-getting but a car trailer and weekend's worth of gear gets pretty near the top of the trailer rating. A 6.0 with 4.10, from experience, gets worse mileage towing than the 8.1 with 3.73. If I decide in the future it is too much truck, I can sell it for break-even or better (got a good deal). In the meantime, gonna be a bear might as well be a grizzly and so forth.

Apex/Raleigh

If I could get something that I can show my wife would hold value/be able to resell it would definitely be a bonus. She gets mad that I think our situation has changed enough every few years a different vehicle setup is warranted :P

I'd go 1/2ton if I thought I would get better general mileage and still be ok towing. I want something like a small toy hauler with a garage or travel trailer that has a bunks area and a separate bed

Toy Hauler might be appealing because they can have those double bunkbed/sofa things over the garage area. Only would need the garage for when traveling to like R/C races for now and needing workspace.

But with 2 kids + mom and dad + maybe bringing friends having room for more to sleep without having to tear down the sofa/table everynight would be a plus for me on what I want to tow.

It looks like the features I want come in around a 26-27 foot trailer some of these say they are their "1/2 ton" towable models (just under 10k gvwr) but I am not sure how actual towable that is. Then again I don't have the rockies to climb

Is it worth the premium for a truck vs burban? I don't really need the 7 passenger carrying but also don't haul a lot of truck stuff

You don't want awd in a GM800. You will have to rebuild the front diff at some point. They are notorious for noise due to worn out bearings in the diff.

Additionally I think you loose 4lo if you get awd

I had an -05 Tahoe and loved it (4x4)

My 8.1 Burban gets 10mpg going to the grocery store or pulling a loaded trailer. The 99 1500 Burban I had before this one had the 5.7/4x4/3.73 got 13mpg empty and 8mpg towing.

For that size of camper/toy hauler I'd definitely go 3/4 ton over 1/2 ton. The suspension, axles, brakes, etc are much better on the 3/4 ton.

For years I've had 2500 Suburbans at work. Even in the worst blizzards we had I rarely used 4wd even when plowing. The only time it was really helpful was one winter when they made the mistake of giving me a tow strap to pull buses out of deep snow. It worked but I imagine it didn't do the tranny any favors.

So 2wd burban with the 8.1 is fine because the mpg isnt much better anyway. What about finding one with the quadrasteer?

Thre are times when the 4wd option is nice even on flat ground, if it's not paved. Iv'e used it to get the travel trailer out of wet grass and back it up slight hills on dirt. But I'm towing nearly 9500 lbs with mine.

Jaynen wrote: So 2wd burban with the 8.1 is fine because the mpg isnt much better anyway. What about finding one with the quadrasteer?

Supposedly the 8.1L didn't come with quadrasteer, so that may be hard to find. Quadrasteer reduces towing capacity a bit so probably not worth it anyways. Parts for the system are getting harder to find too.

FYI, towing capacities for the Burb 8.1L range from 10,100 lbs for a 4wd with 3.73 gears (10,400 lbs for 2wd 3.73), to 12,000 lbs for 4:10 geared models.

Quadrasteer is effing fantastic but they are thin on the ground. QS seems to work reliably for a long time, unless it doesn't. When it breaks, seldom though it may be, finding parts seems to be a challenge. I looked at a 1500HD pickup and a 6.0 Suburban with quadrasteer, but the truck wasn't the right one and the Suburban's QS was broken. 81cpcamaro is correct, no QS for the 8.1.

I am a huge fan of the Quadrasteer on my Suburban. The only issue I have had in 5 years has been the maintenance replacement of the rear outer tie rod ends.

I also have a 2500 8.1 Suburban. It is a great family hauler. The Suburban replaced the wife's Forester and my Silverado, and was a compromise between my her and I. She wanted an SUV with 3 rows of seating (don't need the third row now, but she wanted to protect for the future), and I wanted a truck that could haul heavier trailers (I don't need more than 1500 towing capacity now, but wanted to protect for the future, especially coming from a 3500 Duramax). There aren't any other vehicles that would fit both our requirements (I didn't consider an Excursion because she drives it most of the time, and would not tolerate the more "truck like" ride, and I like the GM trucks better anyway, and am very familiar with the GMT800 platform).

Once the kids are out of daycare it will be getting a Duramax (accumulating parts and knowledge now), and then IMHO it will be the perfect vehicle for us.

untchabl wrote: My 8.1 Burban gets 10mpg going to the grocery store or pulling a loaded trailer. The 99 1500 Burban I had before this one had the 5.7/4x4/3.73 got 13mpg empty and 8mpg towing. For that size of camper/toy hauler I'd definitely go 3/4 ton over 1/2 ton. The suspension, axles, brakes, etc are much better on the 3/4 ton.

this.

also my vote is for suburban and if you dont plan on towing for rally/rallyX/ice racing 2wd should be fine, especially the snow that NC gets... or should I say "snow"

just invest in good tires.