2011 Silverado - 5.3L or 6.2L???

I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on 2011 Silverado Crew Cab LTZ, but am torn on what engine to get. I tow a SAN 230 any where from 5-30 miles round trip, 3-5 times a week. I also have 1-3 400 mile trips a summer, towing the boat. My daily work commute is 30 miles round trip on the interstate.

What are your opinions on the 5.3 Liter and the 6.2 Liter. Either way it will be a 2011 with the 3.73 gear ratio.

I do not care to hear about any other trucks, as I've done some test drives and am sold on the Silverado. Thanks!

If you get the 6.2 expect to become very friendly with your local gas station owners! My brother picked up a 09 GMC Sierra (same truck) with the 5.3 and the 6 speed transmission. I have an 07 yukon with the 6.2 and the 6 speed transmission. Both of us have 22 inch wheels. He is averaging 15.5 mpg and I am averaging 12.5 mpg under normal driving conditions. I had an Avalanche with the 5.3 and a 4 speed transmission and it got about 14mpg. The 6.2 tows better but the 5.3 with the 6 speed will tow your boat on those trips just fine. Honestly unless you need the 6.2 for towing a lot I would go 5.3. Sure you will only get 10 or so mpg while towing but you will use so much less gas in your day to day driving that you will save a lot of money in the long run. Not to mention the 6.2 is a more expensive option from the factory.

Edit: Forgot to mention we tow an Axis A22.

Go 5.3 Jay - we don't have any elevation or hills hear that would "require" a 6.2... You'll thank yourself for the commute.

I'm assuming that 2500HD diesel is probably way more than I need for towing 7000 pounds during the summer? I'm currently towing the boat with my 2004 Avalance (5.3L, 3.73, 4 speed), and just don't like how it performs.

The 5.3 with the 3.73s and the 6 speed is going to tow so much better than your avalanche. I know because I literally just got rid of the same vehicle you currently have and have towed quite a bit with my brothers 5.3 and the 6 speed. Like Jeff stated you are going to thank yourself for going 5.3 when you are commuting. I baby the heck out of my 6.2 and can only get it to 12.5-12.7mpg doing mostly city driving.

Have you driven the ecoboost f-150. Will tow much better than the 5.3 and probaly get bettter mileage. Plus Ford did not take any bailout money like GM. The Ford F-150 is years ahead of Chevy and I have owned Chevys for the past 15 years.

Originally Posted by peter19u

Have you driven the ecoboost f-150. Will tow much better than the 5.3 and probaly get bettter mileage. Plus Ford did not take any bailout money like GM. The Ford F-150 is years ahead of Chevy and I have owned Chevys for the past 15 years.

Sadly this is all true.

The Ecoboost isn't cheap though.

I know, that's the one drawback. Gotta plan on keeping it a long time!

I would def do the 6.2 if you want to stay with a half ton. Coming from an 08 Crew cab 6.0l Silverado I can say that towing sucked. It had 33" tires on it but I averaged 7-8mpg with it and the tranny would get hot causing the engine temp to go to 235 or so. I have heard great things about the 6.2 wiht the 6spd tranny though. I ended up selling the half ton and bought an 05 lifted 3/4ton Duramax and towing is a breeze.now Cruise set at 75-80 on the freeway it never shifts out of overdrive and I average 11.5mpg on 35" tires.

Originally Posted by mjb929rr

I would def do the 6.2 if you want to stay with a half ton. Coming from an 08 Crew cab 6.0l Silverado I can say that towing sucked. It had 33" tires on it but I averaged 7-8mpg with it and the tranny would get hot causing the engine temp to go to 235 or so. I have heard great things about the 6.2 wiht the 6spd tranny though. I ended up selling the half ton and bought an 05 lifted 3/4ton Duramax and towing is a breeze.now Cruise set at 75-80 on the freeway it never shifts out of overdrive and I average 11.5mpg on 35" tires.

why on earth would you compare a lifted 5.3 liter with a 5 speed and 33" tires to a stock 11' 5.3 with a 6 speed and stock 31's?

apples to apples much?

Originally Posted by peter19u

Have you driven the ecoboost f-150. Will tow much better than the 5.3 and probaly get bettter mileage. Plus Ford did not take any bailout money like GM. The Ford F-150 is years ahead of Chevy and I have owned Chevys for the past 15 years.

LOL!

Ford took one of the largest bailouts ever! Even worse, they did it under your nose. They took their bailout from the Federal Reserve.

In normal circumstances, the Fed only lends money to banks, leaving the decisions about who should get credit to them. But when the financial markets started to collapse in late 2008, the Fed set up several programs to lend money directly to corporations, a highly unusual step.
According to the data, from October 2008 through June 2009 the fed bought $45.1 billion in commercial paper from the credit arms of four automakers – Ford, BMW, Chrysler and Toyota – along with GMAC (the former General Motors credit arm). Of those, Ford sold the most, with $15.9 billion.

The Fed also lent $13 billion to investors who bought bonds backed by loans to new car buyers from automakers and banks. The Fed made clear that while investors got the loans, the move was meant to keep the lenders in business; the credit arms of Ford, Chrysler, Nissan, Volkswagen, Honda and Hyundai all benefited directly.

Ford spokeswoman Christin Baker said the two programs “addressed systemic failure in the credit markets, and that neither program was designed for a particular company, or even a particular industry.” Ford Credit has disclosed through SEC filings and conference calls with media and investors that it was taking part in both programs.

If you look at the current SEC filings they don't carry the loan forward, so what happened to it? It will never be paid back in full...

Originally Posted by jeff_mn

why on earth would you compare a lifted 5.3 liter with a 5 speed and 33" tires to a stock 11' 5.3 with a 6 speed and stock 31's?

apples to apples much?

Truck was not lifted just had slightly bigger tires and ya it had the vortec max 6.0liter which is more powerful than the 5.3. Regardless of the tranny, the new ls series engines need rpms to make power, mine didnt hit til around 4000rpms. My buddys 05 f150 with the 5.4 on 35s out towed my half ton.

Jay asked about one particular truck, two different motors. He clearly said he was sold on the Silverado. He didn't ask for an opinion about the F-150. What does a company taking bailout money have to do with towing ability?

well excuse me

Peter, the EcoBoost is only a $750 upgrade over the 5.0 engine. Jay, if I was going to buy a silverado I would do the 6.2, I know your minds made up but have you test drove the EcoBoost ?

It is but I don't think ford has as many rebates as GM so the ford costs quite a bit more. I wonder if the eco can tow more than the 6.2

Thanks guys, yes, I test drove the EcoBoost...nice truck. I just like the fit, comfort, ride, and look of the Silverado. Not too mention I can get in a brand new 2011 Silverado for a pretty good price. They're having a $10k off deal for all the trucks on they're lot this weekend, plus I get another $4500 off in GM cash.

Originally Posted by wake77

Jay asked about one particular truck, two different motors. He clearly said he was sold on the Silverado. He didn't ask for an opinion about the F-150. What does a company taking bailout money have to do with towing ability?

He asked his question on an internet forum, and you see, on an internet forum, no matter how hard you try, you can not dictate the answers you will receive. Hell, if he asked members of his own family I would bet that he might get the same outcome. His dad might tell him to go look at Fords, and his cousin might tell him about his new clothes dryer that he had a friend deliver in his truck. This stuff happens in normal conversions... In court we are taught that if you don't like the answers you are getting, don't ask the question.

gotta dig a little deeper regarding the borrowed monies, Damn, where's mine

Jay it is basically going to come down to this. Is the extra power you will get for towing with the 6.2 worth the 3-4mpg less you will get the rest of the time you drive?

That's a smokin deal Jay! If you get the 3.73 gear ratio in the EcoBoost its tow rating is 11,300. I will never tow that much so I went with the 3.55's, just under 10k tow. My x2 and trailer only weigh 4k.

same truck I ended up getting after the tranny on mt silerado went out after 190.000 miles. Next week will be my first time towing with it.

Jay, without all the BS, the 5.3L will tow your boat just fine as long as your not climbing any major hills/mountains, and mines an '07 crew 4X and been towing my LSV with it for three years now without any issues in the towing department. My boat is probably right at 5,000 lbs when loaded for the lake, I also fill the bed with gear for camping which adds even more. Like you I contemplated the same thing and am glad I went 5.3L as it gets fairly good mileage when not towing.

i have an 07tahoe 5.3 s 3.73 i tow a cent enzo 23 with 4 adults every weekend up hills in pittsburgh pa, our lake is 100 miles away in cheat lake wv. all hills. its not bad, my tranny temp is around 210 in the heat. we tow 3 to 4 times a week. I do wish i had a 6sp tanny, it only has the 4 speed and i can average 70 on the hwy and 55 up just about any hill at 3k rpm. You just have to pay attention to rpms and keep it around 3k when you are climbing in tow mode. I have never had a single problem. hope this help oh it also has 85k on it and i am in outside sales and drive it everyday. i get a straight up 19mpg all hwy with air on and around 16 averge

Wow... I am so surprised so many are pimping the 5.3 over the 6.2. I have had both ('08 Suburban & '10 Denali XL), and in my mind it's not even close. 6.2L all the way.

The 5.3 is a slug... much like Ford's old 5.4. It's underpowered for towing, unless strictly local. My towing pattern is just like yours, Jay. Lots of local, but 3-4 long distance trips a year. I got rid of my Suburban for one reason and one reason only... lowsy towing performance on the long trips.

Let me explain... If you like going 45mph at 4k rpm up a hill while fully loaded semis pass you, then the 5.3 is for you. Also, I hope you like your tranny temp really hot... like bubbling hot. Mine regularly spiked to 235-240 on my trips down to Shasta or over to Billy Chinook (never really got below 200). And that's with the heavy duty tow package, oem tranny cooler, 3.73, etc. Man, that Suburban was a pig.

Even as a daily driver for the wife... we got around 14 mpg's, mostly city driving. On the highway... getting 20 like the sticker claims was very, very difficult. Typically it was more like 18-19. And towing... 8-9 (not that I care... seriously, stressing about towing mpg's is stupid. bad is bad).

Let me just pause to say... this is so funny because this topic is FRESH on my mind. You see, I just drove down and back from Portland to Lake Shasta today to pick up my new boat... yeah, I was in the Denali XL (6.2L) from 5am to 8pm today so I had a lot of time to contemplate this very issue. This was my first time trying the trip in the Denali XL, a rig I bought in the fall just because of how sad the Suburban was on just this type of trip.

Here are the details of today's trip:

Driving down I was empty. Just me in the car and no boat behind me. I drive fast... 75mph unless it gets curvy. Also, there are lots of hills. I got 17mpg on the 400 mile trip down. If it had been flat and I was willing to drive 65mph, I'm sure I'd have gotten 19mpg (as listed on the sticker). So basically, this is almost the same as what I used to get in the Sub 5.3.

Driivng home with the boat in tow I got 10mpg (I reset the computer when I hooked up the new boat). This is actually better than the 5.3 got towing. I never saw 10 in the Sub.

Here's the best part. I watched the tranny temp the entire time. Guess how hot it got? 189 was the hottest I saw all day. I even took a pic. This was at the peak of the Siskiyou Pass (elevation 4,300). I'm only going 40 mph because a moment earlier a semi going 40 cut over into the left lane to pass another semi going 20 in the right. Most of the day (up and down big hills) the tranny temp was between 150-165 degrees.

Also, the 6.2L has so much torque (417 vs. 335) that I easily romped up the steepest hills. I could go as fast as I wanted.

If you get the 5.3L, you will always wonder if you did the right thing. Get the 6.2L and you won't look back. The gas mileage is so close it really doesn't matter. Either way the mpg's suck, so as long as the mpg's suck, you might as well get some power out of it, right?

Thanks DBC. Do you think that you're improved peformance is due to the 5.3 vs 6.2 liter, or possibly that your 2008 had a 4 speed, whereas the 2010 has the 6 speed tranny?

Again, thanks for your input everyone!

Tranny makes a huge difference.. The 6 speed was a big upgrade for the 5.3

We live in the flattest part of the frickin world. Save some dollars at the pump and put it into your boat. Wait, you don't have a boat. Put it into Colins boat! Congrats on the sale.

5.3, 3.73's - imo

Thanks Jeff, yes it feels good to not have that any more...kinda. No point in having two boats though, so it was for the best.

As Jeff mentioned, we don't really have any hills here at all. I have done one road test towing the boat with a 2011 5.3, but it was kinda rushed by the sales man...only got to go down the interstate @ 70 mph for like a mile and then the rest was in city driving (30 mph max). I think I'm going to go do another one and put in a few more miles on the interstate.

Coming from a guy who pulled a 230 for 3 years, get the big motor. That is a much heavier boat than an A22, which is what I have now. I have a Yukon Denali with the 6.2L and you can barely tell the A22 is back there when I'm towing it. I average a little over 14mpg on daily driving, but I don't drive hard and I keep my speed to 70 on the interstate. A friend of mine has a newer silverado with the 5.3, and, IMO, it does not do as well as my denali towing his LSV.

Thanks Chattwake, I was wondering what you towed all of your 230's with. Yes this 230 is a beast...trailer, boat, gas, lead, and gear I figure I'm towing about 7000 pounds. I assume you do a lot of mountain driving though???

LOL, I see that the smaller sized X25 actually weighs more than the 230, which is one of my concerns...boats seem to keep getting bigger, heavier, and hold more gas each year.

The main problem I see with your comparison DBC is you are comparing a 5.3 with a 4 speed transmission to a 6.2 with a 6 speed transmission. In my 05 avalanche with the 5.3, 3.73 gears and the heavy duty towing package I got 8-9mpg when towing. In my brothers 09 with the 5.3 and the 6 speed transmission we averaged 12.5 mpg towing the exact same boat on the exact same 60 mile trip. Keep in mind we live in Denver so we are always towing at altitude. The 6 speed makes all the difference in the world. It bumps the tow rating from 7200lbs to 8400lbs on the same engine.

Originally Posted by ironj32

Thanks Chattwake, I was wondering what you towed all of your 230's with. Yes this 230 is a beast...trailer, boat, gas, lead, and gear I figure I'm towing about 7000 pounds. I assume you do a lot of mountain driving though???

LOL, I see that the smaller sized X25 actually weighs more than the 230, which is one of my concerns...boats seem to keep getting bigger, heavier, and hold more gas each year.

White 2011 GMC 5.3 and all white 2012 Vandall Edition, imo

I towed by 230's with a z71 tahoe at first. It sucked so bad that I got rid of that tahoe and bought a Dodge 2500 with the 5.9 cummins and a bunch of ad-ons to tow the '10 230 - which it did beautifully. When I switched to an A22, I decided I didn't want to drive a vehicle that rode like a school bus anymore, so I swapped to the Denali. I never towed the 230 with the Denali. I can tell you that there is an absolute world of difference between towing the A22 with my Denali than there was towing my '07 VLX with my old z71 Tahoe. Hope that helps.

Originally Posted by chattwake

I towed by 230's with a z71 tahoe at first. It sucked so bad that I got rid of that tahoe and bought a Dodge 2500 with the 5.9 cummins and a bunch of ad-ons to tow the '10 230 - which it did beautifully. When I switched to an A22, I decided I didn't want to drive a vehicle that rode like a school bus anymore, so I swapped to the Denali. I never towed the 230 with the Denali. I can tell you that there is an absolute world of difference between towing the A22 with my Denali than there was towing my '07 VLX with my old z71 Tahoe. Hope that helps.

tahoe with 6 speed or another apples/oranges Tahoe with 4 speed?

Chattwake I am assuming your Z71 tahoe had the 4 speed transmission?

How about this Jay we are towing 130 miles this weekend. We are towing a 23 LSV with my Denali XL that has the 6.2L and 6 speed transmission and we are towing the Axis A22 with my brothers 09 GMC Sierra with the 5.3L and the 6 speed. Let me know anything you want to know about how they tow etc... and I can post it up. I will do a mpg comparison obviously but anything else you really are interested in tranny temps etc... just let me know and I will get you the numbers.

Thanks Bruizza. I'm definitely interested in a mpg and tranny temp comparison. I know that overall feeling on performance is basically personal opinions, but if you get a chance to drive both for a certain period of time, I'd be interested in your thoughts on that too.

From reading on other forums, it just doesn't seem that people are all that impressed with the mpg's on their 5.3 liters either...they don't seem to be getting anywhere near the advertised 21 mpg. Which is why I question whether or not to just get the bigger motor.

Who know's, the dealer might not even have a 6.2L in stock (different sales men have given different answers on whether or not they have one there...odd I know). I might be getting stuck going with a 5.3L.

No problem Jay.

Originally Posted by ironj32

Thanks Bruizza. I'm definitely interested in a mpg and tranny temp comparison. I know that overall feeling on performance is basically personal opinions, but if you get a chance to drive both for a certain period of time, I'd be interested in your thoughts on that too.

From reading on other forums, it just doesn't seem that people are all that impressed with the mpg's on their 5.3 liters either...they don't seem to be getting anywhere near the advertised 21 mpg. Which is why I question whether or not to just get the bigger motor.

Who know's, the dealer might not even have a 6.2L in stock (different sales men have given different answers on whether or not they have one there...odd I know). I might be getting stuck going with a 5.3L.

You're not going to get the advertised MPG on either truck. They both suck ass on gas. But the 6.2 will get worse mileage as a whole than the 5.3...

The real test will be spending time driving both with a boat behind. Or if there is no 6.2, the decision is made for you.

Jay- Do you know what dealer you're buying it through??

Are you thinking about 3/4 tons with the gas motor at all? Or just the 1/2 tons? One big advantage to the 3/4 tons is the brakes- always a plus having good brakes if you're towing a heavy trailer!! Even with trailer brakes, the hydro-boost brakes on the 3/4 ton are a lot better.

Have you taken a look at the Silverado hybrid? Seems like a great compromise between the 5.3 and the 6.2 engines. More power than the 5.3 engine, 23mpg, and extra torque from those electric motors. Put the gas you save driving this everyday in your boat and have fun! If your shopping for a crew cab 6.2, then its in your price range. It will easily tow your boat as well.

I have. The max towing capacity on the Hybrid is only 6100 pounds though.

Jay,

I just bought a new 2011 5.3 1500 GMC. It tows the LSV up the grade at 60 in 4th, no problems at all. Lead, gear, and all. The 6 speed makes a world of difference. I'm very happy.

I drove the Ford Ecoboost. It was going to cost me an extra 10-12K. GMC came down 9K off MSRP, Ford told me that their are not negotiating more than a few grand off the ecoboost truck.

Originally Posted by bruizza

The main problem I see with your comparison DBC is you are comparing a 5.3 with a 4 speed transmission to a 6.2 with a 6 speed transmission. In my 05 avalanche with the 5.3, 3.73 gears and the heavy duty towing package I got 8-9mpg when towing. In my brothers 09 with the 5.3 and the 6 speed transmission we averaged 12.5 mpg towing the exact same boat on the exact same 60 mile trip. Keep in mind we live in Denver so we are always towing at altitude. The 6 speed makes all the difference in the world. It bumps the tow rating from 7200lbs to 8400lbs on the same engine.

Yes, it is true. My '08 Sub was a 4-speed. Unfortunately, that is the only comparison I can make.

But let me reinforce my message. Regardless of transmission, why would you shortchange yourself 83 hp and 82 ft. lbs. of torque? So you can save 2-3 mpg's in real world driving?? I think that's a silly trade off.

If you want a GM product, get the 6.2L and pay the toll. If you want mpg's and towing, get Ecoboost. That's the two products I'd be comparing.

My 2 cents.

I know this probably is just another person throwing an opinion in the ring but here it goes.
I have an 05 Silverado 1500 with the 4sp auto. It doesnt have a lift, doesn't have bigger tires. I use it to be a truck and haul me to the ramp and back. We have 52,000 miles on it, so you can see its not used much. In town I get around 16-18mpg. Highway I get 21-24mpg. I don't remember what it was rated for but I feel its pretty good for a bigger truck. We have the towing package and tranny cooler and I have towed the Axis a good 150 miles on 2 seperate trips. Pulling the boat I get about 9-10mpg. But thats expected. I am upgrading my brakes very soon as its about time. The 5.3 is a tow pig but it pulls it fine. I call it a tow pig because it drinks gas towing. What truck wont tho.
I bought mine in 2005. I didnt know I was going to be towing the Axis of course. If I had to do it again...yeah, id prolly buy a diesel lol, but if it came down to those two engines, I'd get the 5.3 again. I have no issues with it. I havent driven the new ones so I don't know how much different they are and I didnt know about the 6sp.
Good luck in your search!

Just tested out the 5.3 and the 6.2, towing the boat. The 6.2 liter's torque is definitely wayyyy better. I really felt the 5.3 was very sluggish from 55-75...I had it floored and it crawled in accelerating. Even from 0-30 you could definitely feel a difference in how it pulled (I wasn't flooring it, just gradually getting up to speed), I could definitely feel the boat more with the 5.3 liter. Drove the 6.2 also without towing and it average between 14-16 mpg. It only has 600 miles on it, and I believe I've heard that mpg will start to get better after about 10,000 miles or so.

Just not sure what to do.

I believe you just did answer your question :P

Originally Posted by ironj32

Just tested out the 5.3 and the 6.2, towing the boat. The 6.2 liter's torque is definitely wayyyy better. I really felt the 5.3 was very sluggish from 55-75...I had it floored and it crawled in accelerating. Even from 0-30 you could definitely feel a difference in how it pulled (I wasn't flooring it, just gradually getting up to speed), I could definitely feel the boat more with the 5.3 liter. Drove the 6.2 also without towing and it average between 14-16 mpg. It only has 600 miles on it, and I believe I've heard that mpg will start to get better after about 10,000 miles or so.

Just not sure what to do.

After a series of test drives like that, I'm not sure how you are still confused.

Let me ask this way... since you are obviously concerned about 5.3's tow ability (rightfully so), what are you concerned with on the 6.2L?

That's a good question. Daily gas mileage is the only concern I guess. Although, the daily gas mileage seems to be the same in a 2011 6.2, and my 04 Avalanche with the 5.3. If I can afford the gas now, I suppose I can afford next week too.

The hybrid does have a max towing of 6100# which is obviously less than the 10k of the 5.3 and 6.2 v8s. However if you look into the fine print, the 5.3 and 6.2 trucks are only good for towing around 6000 # as well unless you get a load distributing hitch, which is not standard equipment.

I currently have a 2008 gmc sierra with the 5.3, its a great engine and if I baby it the mpg can range from 18.5-22mpg. It has a hard tonneau cover to help with aerodynamics and low rolling resistance tires (like the XFE model).

I generally tow all kinds of boats from zodiacs, to ocean fishing boats, to the wakeboard boats and they have all been below the 6000# mark. The truck drives fine and you hardly notice anything is back there other than the engine has to work harder (I have the 4 speed). I've only had to tow near the 10k mark a few times and pulling a toy hauler loaded with vehicles starts to get sketchy. I wouldn't do it for any long trek, the truck just isnt big enough and you end up using up all of the lane and more.

Personally I'm looking at upgrading to the hybrid version to save on gas and it will do everything I need it to do, but in the mean time the 5.3 works great for everything I've thrown at it. And on a side note, unless you live in a cold climate where you really need 4wd for plowing through snow for months at a time, the 2wd works great. It has an automatic locking rear diff and I've yet to ever get stuck. If I drive in the snow it takes another 15 minutes to throw chains on. All in all it saves a few grand up front from the 4wd plus all wasted gas throughout the course of owning the vehicle.

Originally Posted by silvermustang35

I have an 05 Silverado 1500 with the 4sp auto... In town I get around 16-18mpg. Highway I get 21-24mpg.

That's amazing... you get better MPG's than the new Silverado Hybrid!!

Originally Posted by HighVoltage

Personally I'm looking at upgrading to the hybrid version to save on gas...

Don't waste your money on a Hybrid. Just make silvermustang and offer on his '05 Silverado. It get's 24 mpg!!

Four wheel drive is a must...I live in Minnesnowta.

I wonder if I would have shifted into Manual, and brought it down to 3rd gear if I would have saw better acceleration outta the 5.3 between the 55-75 mph range?

Wow! A lot of comments on this thread...too many for me to read.

If your towing 7000lbs, the 5.3L is NOT your rig! I've had 4 rigs with the 5.3 and they will not tow your boat that well. You will pay for the 6.2L, but it's a much better rig to tow with. My wife's Tahoe has the 5.3L with a 4:10 rear end and it still sucks pulling my V237.

DBC I am just going by what the on screen computer says, ill take a pic next time to confirm. Good to see my comments are going to waste. Sorry to have contributed...

and I have 52,000 miles on it and the rack and pinion has to be replaced. They replaced the Knuckle joint twice under warranty and the rack is leaking. In retrospec, the mustang has a better track record. BTW mine is 2wd, not 4wd.

Greg... it's cool. I'm just playing with ya. The mpg's do seem really high. 2wd explains some of that. Maybe gearing too.

After experiencing just how nicely the 6.2 towed yesterday, and the two un-impressive towing runs with the 5.3, I think I'm going to probably go with the 6.2 L. I think the extra capability of that engine, to me, is worth the 3 mpg difference. I'm already currently getting 12/18 with my 04 Avalanche, so there really shouldn't be any gas pump shock on my end. Hopefully I won't regret it, but I think if I went with the 5.3 I'd probably always be wondering why.

I recently was considering a similar purchase. I will buy GM because I qualify for the employee discount through a family member. I too disliked the gas mileage of the 6.2 but loved the power. The other problem I haven't seen mentioned is that the 6.2 requires premium gasoline! Not only do you get terrible mileage, your have to pay more for your gas. I am wondering if some of the guys on the forum with the 6.2 would comment. Are you running premium? The owners manual states that running a lesser grade of fuel will cause knocking in the motor. Would love some real world insite into this. The ecoboost seems like the perfect alternative but alas I get no discount.

Byron, I hadn't thought of the premium fuel issue. Anyone have any info on this?

Yes, 6.2L likes Premium. I have experimented with 87 and 89 octane and can't tell the difference. But I generally put in the 92 cuz I'm a sucker.

I talked with the dealers yesterday and each of them said that regular is fine, you don't need to run premium. Unfortunately, the trade in value of my Avalanche was much lower than I had planned (used NADA to do my preliminary figures), and then there was some miscommunication about GM Cash vs GM Rewards. So there was about a $7000 higher price tag than I had expected, so I needed to hold off and think for a while.

There are two LTZ Crew Cab 6.2 Liters in the area, however, one is kind of out of my price range (has the stupid touch screen navigation which adds about $2500, 20" wheels, and a few other things I don't need). Plus it doesn't have the Max Trailering Package (3.73 gears, heavy duty rear axle). The other one is closer to my price tag and it does have the Max Tow Package...figure if you're going to have all that power and torque, you might as well have the gears and axle to maximize it's towing capability.

Right now my 6.2 of choice is $4000 more than a 5.3 that I have my eye on. I think if I can get them to come down an additional $2000 on the 6.2, I'll go for that. Otherwise, I'm probably going to go with the 5.3L with 3.42 gears, LTZ, Z71, Crew Cab.

Unfortunately time is not on my side, so I can't just wait it out for a better deal. My front hub/axle is going bad on my Avy (was just humming, not it's clinkin and clankin). I have a 400 mile trip coming up on Thursday, towing the boat. I don't really feel like rolling the dice and possibly ruining the trip with broken truck.

6.2L w/ 3.73 will be great. 5.3 w/ 3.42 not so great. But you already know that.

Can't you at least find a 5.3 with 3.73??

I've never driven the new 6.2 but have put thousands of miles on the 5.3 and don't care for that engine when it comes to towing. If I were looking at a GM truck the only gas engine I would be looking at would be the 6.2. It has some great HP and torque numbers and probably won't get much worse mileage then the 5.3.

My 5.7 Tundra has similar numbers (383 HP and 400ft/lbs.) to the 6.2 but actually gets better MPG's while towing then my dads Tahoe with the 5.3 and only 285hp...and it tows soooo much better There is no comparison between my truck and his Tahoe when it comes to towing. I assume the 6.2 vs. 5.3 is the same difference. Get the 6.2 and never look back!

Turns out that my aunt and uncle have a 2011 Sierra Denali (has 6.2). She said they are averaging about 15/16 mpg doing a combo of city and hwy miles. They've been told that after they get to about 10k miles they should see an improvement and start getting closer to 18 mpg.

Sierra Denali... now that's a sweet truck!

Its nice that the dealer says using regular unleaded is fine but here is what the manual of the silverado says...

If the vehicle has the 6.2L V8 engine
(VIN Code 2), use premium
unleaded gasoline with a posted
octane rating of 91 or higher. You
can also use regular unleaded
gasoline rated at 87 octane or
higher, but the vehicle's acceleration
could be slightly reduced, and a
slight audible knocking noise,
commonly referred to as spark
knock, might be heard. If the octane
is less than 87, you might notice a
heavy knocking noise when you
drive. If this occurs, use a gasoline
rated at 87 octane or higher as soon
as possible. Otherwise, you could
damage the engine. If heavy
knocking is heard when using
gasoline rated at 87 octane or
higher, the engine needs service

I have an 09 5.3 Silvy with a tow package "Texas Edition" is what its called here. The tow package at the time added the hitch and electric adapter along with a small tranny cooler. My tranny on the hottest Texas days runs 188-195 degrees. If I get in traffic it will bump to 205-210 from the tranny down shifting at lights etc....
I pull a Supra 22 with no issues about 70 miles 2-3 times a month June through September. I wanted the 6 speed also and it defiantly makes a difference. I get about 12 mpg pulling it on the highway and 18 around town if I keep my foot out of it.

If I had it all to do over again, I would buy a nauty which you already have, and get a diesel to pull with. The Silvy works just fine but I like to travel and the diesel's would pull it with more comfort IMO. As for the difference when you not pulling I would say is not much since the 1/2 tons are so big now they are all a pain to park which is a daily nightmare.

Well we have a gas station here that sells 89 octain for the same price as 87...could just plan on running that all the time.

Jay here are the final numbers from our weekend trip. The 5.3 with the 6 speed averaged 10.7 mpg for the entire trip and the highest the tranny got was 210 degrees. The 6.2L got 11.7 mpg and the highest the tranny temp got was 208 degrees. The tranny temps peaked going over monument hill which is around 7500ft in elevation. The 5.3 was towing an Axis A22 with 3 people and gear in the truck. The 6.2 was towing a 23 LSV with one person and gear in the vehicle. Neither vehicle really struggled at any point during the trip. Average temperature outside was 85 degrees for the tows there and home.

Thanks Bruizza!

Originally Posted by silvermustang35 View Post
I have an 05 Silverado 1500 with the 4sp auto... In town I get around 16-18mpg. Highway I get 21-24mpg.

this guy is joking, right? because this is one of the funniest posts i have ever seen on this board.

I get 6 mpg with my tow rig but it's comfortable and you don't even know your towing anything.

Originally Posted by bruizza

Jay here are the final numbers from our weekend trip. The 5.3 with the 6 speed averaged 10.7 mpg for the entire trip and the highest the tranny got was 210 degrees. The 6.2L got 11.7 mpg and the highest the tranny temp got was 208 degrees. The tranny temps peaked going over monument hill which is around 7500ft in elevation. The 5.3 was towing an Axis A22 with 3 people and gear in the truck. The 6.2 was towing a 23 LSV with one person and gear in the vehicle. Neither vehicle really struggled at any point during the trip. Average temperature outside was 85 degrees for the tows there and home.

The 5.3 actually got about 11.8 mpg for the trip, and outside temps were as high as 93 on the drive back.

Originally Posted by pepitojones

The 5.3 actually got about 11.8 mpg for the trip, and outside temps were as high as 93 on the drive back.

The 6.2 got around 11 on the way down, but just over 10 on the way back up, also the trans heat got into the mid 220's on the way back.

Little caveat, the LSV had the 8.1 motor in it

Okay new numbers Jay. I should have talked to my bro and Chris before posting the other numbers. I just checked the avg mpg when we got home and they had both reset them before the return trip so what I posted wasn't accurate. Sorry about that. Here are the new updated numbers. Kind of shocking IMHO.

The 5.3L with the Axis A22 with the 6.3L engine it behind it got 13mpg on the way down and 10.7 on the way back. That averages to 11.85mpg for the trip. Trans temp only got to 210 over monument. We had 3 people plus gear in the truck.

The 6.2 towing the 23 LSV with the 8.1L engine in it got 11.2 on the way down, and just over 10 on the way back, trans temp on the way down got around 218 over the pass and in the 220's on the way back. It had one person with gear in it.

Both did really well towing, the 6.2 drove like a dream both ways with plenty of power. Kept up with a overhauled 5.9 cummings pulling a 5th wheel both ways.

So it sounds like the 6.2 is a luxury more than anything? You'll get up the hill faster, and more comfortably, but it will cost you more initially, and on-going for fuel. Surprised to see the trans temp so close. I thought 5.3 would shifting more and generating more heat.

Originally Posted by cjh1669

Both did really well towing, the 6.2 drove like a dream both ways with plenty of power. Kept up with a overhauled 5.9 cummings pulling a 5th wheel both ways.

Really?!?! I have a tough time imagining a 6.2 keeping up with a Cummins...unless the 5th wheel was 40' long. I had a '05 Suburban with the 8.1L and it was a towing BEAST, but was no comparison to a diesel. That's why I now have a Cummins.