First tow with the 2020 6.6 liter GM engine (Silverado 2500 HD)

[Flip94ta]

I just looked at the trailering guide. No more 4.10 gears, I’m kind of surprised. The base tire size is 31.7”, I’m surprised you can’t option 4.10’s with the 33.2” tires.

Can you feel the torque converter lockup up in your truck after it shifts in to 3rd? It’s something I don’t like in my current rig, too much rpm drop.

Those mpgs are great, we average 8.0 at 68mph towing a smaller trailer.

[FreddieMac]

I just looked at the trailering guide. No more 4.10 gears, I’m kind of surprised. The base tire size is 31.7”, I’m surprised you can’t option 4.10’s with the 33.2” tires.

Can you feel the torque converter lockup up in your truck after it shifts in to 3rd? It’s something I don’t like in my current rig, too much rpm drop.

Those mpgs are great, we average 8.0 at 68mph towing a smaller trailer.

If my memory serves between 2nd and 3rd there was about a 1k rpm drop off. From 3000 down to 2000, but I never felt the truck not continue to accelerate. When I was researching this truck I was also looking at the Ford with the 4 gear ratio. I found that both ford and chevy are not equipping those gear ratios without special order. I could not find an f250 with that gear ratio on it for hundreds of miles around my house. When I asked, I was told they were focusing more on the 7.3 Godzilla and 6.6 for chevy with the standard ratios on the gasers (not sure about that was told by a salesman, take it with a grain of salt). I chose to go with the 6.6 chevy over the 6.0 ford because I felt it was a better deal at the price for more towing and payload capacity. I am brand agnostic.

We have been tracking the gas mileage on this truck versus our 2013 Ford Expedition. The 2020 gets better gas mileage unhitched (15) and hitched (9.5 - 10).

[That 1 Ron]

Thanks, that rear view camera is one of my future purchases. I am going to look into the payload camera. I have the LT, I am not sure what is prepped and what is not. The new 2020 HDs when you get to the high country has cameras all over the system. I will do some research.


One another note, downside we experienced yesterday. Went to the local big retailer to get a dog bed for the rv. When I came out one of my back tires was down 40 lbs air. Inspected the tire and saw it looked brand new, nothing in the tread. Started to pump up the tire and the inner sidewall split. Found a dirt diver nest on the caliper. So that truck sat a long time on the lot somewhere. Wife is at the dealership right now trying to get them to inspect and replace the tires. I thanked the good lord above that did not happen with the camper and my family in the truck.

Factory Michelins? I know a few people that have had issues/blowouts with those on GM trucks.

[FreddieMac]

Nope, Firestone tires.

[Malco1]

Yes, I got the gaser. I avoided the duramax because of the cost and worried about that def stuff. I heard it gums up the diesel engine over time. I really am not sure if that is true. The only thing I was worried about with the gaser was the torque and getting up to speed. That truck worked perfectly. I know a diesel can pull better, I just did not think it worth the extra money. I watch a bunch of comparisons of the gaser versus the diesel and specifically chose 3/4 ton truck with a "1/2 ton towable" fiver. I specifically selected that 150 series over a solitude or normal Reflection because its dry and tongue weight was so low. The only thing we really gave up was a little bathroom space from the non-150 series but the bathroom is twice the size we had in our travel trailer.

I don't know where you heard that nonsense DEF means diesel exhaust fluid it only works on the exhaust and has nothing to do with the engine. I once had a gas motor home pulling a car 4 wheels down. Every time I had to get gas I would have to scope out the gas station to see if I can get out. I can't tell you how many times I had to disconnect the car, so I could back out.
No more gassers for me now I just pull in where the truckers go, easy in easy out.

[GaryHerig]

The DEF is injected into the exhaust stream just before the catalytic convertor. The only (indirect) effect upon the engine is when you ignore the computer sending a message on the heads-up display that you are running out of DEF in so many miles and the vehicle speed will be involuntarily reduced until you refill. The EPA does not trust you to refill the DEF. Here is a diagram of a typical installation and location of the injector https://th.bing.com/th/id/OIP.ltSDLt...W?pid=Api&rs=1
Happy trails!

[Tgunter5]

I recently upgraded our TV to a 2020 GMC 2500 gas. I am curious about these mpg's as I did not get the same. I am fairly new so please do not hesitate to correct me or give me honest advice. My TT is a 2400BH, am I foolish by assuming it is safe to tow this trailer at highway speeds? (cruise set at 75) the TT tires are rated for this speed and the truck pulls like a dream. I live in south Texas so driving back from San Antonio down to Corpus on I-37, I was getting 5-6 mpg. I was getting alot of back and forth shifting so I manually kept it in 4th gear. Stayed right at 3000 rpms and was still very quiet in the cab. I did put BFG All terrains as soon as I bought it. I would be surprised if this is the reason for the difference in mpg's

[Txfivver]

I recently upgraded our TV to a 2020 GMC 2500 gas. I am curious about these mpg's as I did not get the same. I am fairly new so please do not hesitate to correct me or give me honest advice. My TT is a 2400BH, am I foolish by assuming it is safe to tow this trailer at highway speeds? (cruise set at 75) the TT tires are rated for this speed and the truck pulls like a dream. I live in south Texas so driving back from San Antonio down to Corpus on I-37, I was getting 5-6 mpg. I was getting alot of back and forth shifting so I manually kept it in 4th gear. Stayed right at 3000 rpms and was still very quiet in the cab. I did put BFG All terrains as soon as I bought it. I would be surprised if this is the reason for the difference in mpg's

I would not tow any trailer 75 mph, that's just asking for a blowout on the trailer even on a lighter one. I-37 down to Corpus is a nice smooth highway but I'd slow it down to 65 max and you'll probably see a big jump in mileage and less down shifting. 3000 rpm's is definitely sucking gas.

[OurNewEra]

I was getting 5-6 mpg. I was getting alot of back and forth shifting so I manually kept it in 4th gear. Stayed right at 3000 rpms and was still very quiet in the cab. I did put BFG All terrains as soon as I bought it. I would be surprised if this is the reason for the difference in mpg's

We have a 2970RL (34ft) and our TV is a 1996 Chevy K3500 7.4L Gas SRW. We get 7 mpg when we use 93 octane gasoline. I would like to go 65 mph but the sweet spot for our truck is 67-68 mph. In the sweet spot my TV runs at 2,200 to 2,300 RPMs. We have 300-400 RPMs less at 68 than at 65. At 65 mph I see 2,500 RPMs.

For me, 75 mph is too fast. Just because something is rated for something doesn't mean it is recommended or safe. A tire is rated for a top speed, it doesn't mean the equipment they are put on should be traveling at that speed. A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link. IMO continuously and regularly going 75 mph will reveal the weak links in the rig.

If you are looking for better mpg lower RPMs will help (in my case slower speed does not help) and if you aren't already doing so you may try using higher octane gasoline. Our TV on 87 octane gets just over 5 mpg.

[Tgunter5]

I never considered using higher octane gas. Great info with the speeds. I am new to towing so I assumed speed limit is what people drove at! I definitely do not want to experience a blow-out. Just not high on my bucket list lol. I will slow her down to 65ish and see what kinda difference it makes. Thanks again for the sound advice! :-)