1500 vs 2500 diesel

[needa]

i am currently shopping for a suburban. i was told that the drivetrain of the 1995 1500 suburban with 6.5 diesel was the same as the 2500. does this mean the suspention is also the same? and if it is... is it only for 1995 models?

i need something capable of pulling an 8k lbs trailer with ease. so needing at least a 3/4 ton.

thanx,
-patrick

[Pete95Sierra]

the drivetrain is probably the same on both the 1500 diesel and 2500 diesel but the frame and suspension on the 2500 is different on the 1500. the 2500 suspension is much stronger to handle the greater loads so you should try to find a 2500.

[needa]

thanx a ton. now im finding out that the 2500 comes with 4.10 rear end. meaning lest gas mileage. how much and how long. do you reckon it would cost for a couple of "jack of all trades" type people to change it to a 3.73?

[Pete95Sierra]

i would say new gears would be around $500 to $600 and it would take a good while to do it. set a whole weekend to do it. it is harder with the IFS but how long it takes depends on your your skills as a mechanic and what tools you have. you may be better off taking it to someone to do it for you. but let me just ask why are you set on a suburban? why not an extended cab truck?

[Robinson76]

Although it is lowered geared, since it is a diesel it would get pretty decent gas mileage, ESPECIALLY while towing.

[GoFastPadre]

Although it is lowered geared, since it is a diesel it would get pretty decent gas mileage, ESPECIALLY while towing.

They put diesel motors in trucks too. You would also see a large power to weight difference giving you that much more fuel mileage. You can also do some simple mods to boost it further. You also need to know that "swaping gears" in a diff is much harder than it sounds and what you in the rear must be done up front if it is a 4wd.

[vncj96]

my question would be with the prices of fuel is it worth it to go to that old of a diesel, the old 6.5 wasnt the greatest to begin with, is the MPG that much greater to offset the premium for diesel fuel over gasoline, here in MN diesel is a solid 50 -70 cents higher then gas.

[phoebeisis]

I agree with vncj96-that GM diesel is no great shakes,and it is expensive to repair diesels.All the BS about how durable diesels are is BS.Yeah the crank and block might be sturdy, but the FI is expensive,and kinda delicate.Folks try to get big $$ for very high mile diesels, but everything else around that diesel is high mile,and the FI is expensive to repair.

On the other hand GMs gasoline motors and drivetrains are sturdy,and relatively cheap to repair.Yeah,you give up maybe 30% FE while towing, but the rest of the time maybe just 15% FE wise.

Since you are concerned with FE,I would avoid the big block-454 and 502 I think,and get one of the smaller blocks.

Like other folks said-replacing a rear end or gears is expensive.Heck it is probably easier to replace the entire rear end-wheels.tires,hubs brakes-everything rather than trying to replace just the actual ring gear etc. Junk yards are filled with wrecked GMs-

Suburbans have dropped dramatically in resale,so you can get a good deal.
Luck,
Charlie

[Pete95Sierra]

yea i agree. those old 6.5 diesel motors were not the best motors. not very reliable at all. my favorite diesel out there is the dodge cummins for sure. they will run forever and have great power and get decent gas mileage (my bro has a 94 cummins and gets about 17-18). however the next in line i would say is the newer 6.6l duramax. they are a huge improvement on the the 6.5 power wise and reliability wise. and dont bother with a ford powerstroke

[95CTburb19]

yea i agree. those old 6.5 diesel motors were not the best motors. not very reliable at all. my favorite diesel out there is the dodge cummins for sure. they will run forever and have great power and get decent gas mileage (my bro has a 94 cummins and gets about 17-18). however the next in line i would say is the newer 6.6l duramax. they are a huge improvement on the the 6.5 power wise and reliability wise. and dont bother with a ford powerstroke

I agree with pete 100% the Cummins gets awesome gas milage (for what it is) and I've seen em run for over 300k miles. My friend has a PowerJoke and he gets 10 mpg no matter how he drives. The Duramax is a strong engine and is awesome especially when coupled with the Allison tranny. I guess it all depends on what you want to spend.