8.1 Liter Chevys, who has them and what do you think?

[chicken77]

So I'm thinking about buying a dedicated tow rig in the form of a 3/4 ton Suburban or maybe a 4 door truck with the 8.1 liter. What kind of mileage are you getting and is it enough power to justify ditching my 5.3 Tahoe? I know the 6.0 gets better mileage and should have plenty of power for my needs but the 8.1s are much cheaper for original purchase.

 

[TJDukit]

My friend in New Mexico has one and we used it all the time to tow his Jeep over to Texas. He usually got about 10-11 MPG towing and maybe a couple more driving around, plenty of power to justify it in my opinion. I also love that the 8.1 comes with the Alison behind it. Sure it's never going to have the go juice of a diesel but compared to the 5.3l it's a work horse.

 

[Rogerwh0]

I have a friend that has one that tortures it for daily farm use. He loves it, actually prefers it over the diesels he has. Plenty of power and the fuel mileage is about the same as the diesel trucks, 10 to 12mpg loaded. I have a 2012 cummins and we get nearly the same mileage when loaded and I can't really outrun him except on the long hard pulls.

 

[sixstringsteve]

When I was researching, I found that the 8.1 only got 1-2 mpg less than the 6.0. The t-cases have an issue around 150k. The gears wear through the case. There's an easy fix for it. If I were looking for a tow rig, that'd be at the top of my list.

 

[TurboMinivan]

So I'm thinking about buying a dedicated tow rig in the form of a 3/4 ton Suburban or maybe a 4 door truck with the 8.1 liter.

I just went through this same process; last week I bought a 2001 Suburban 2500 with the 8100. I made a thread about it here in this same forum, and a lot of guys chimed in and shared their experiences.

I know the 6.0 gets better mileage and should have plenty of power for my needs but the 8.1s are much cheaper for original purchase.

Maybe; maybe not. Since Chevy no longer offers anything like it, it seems the 8.1L Suburbans often command a price premium compared to the 6.0L versions.

I also love that the 8.1 comes with the Alison behind it.

The pickups got the Allison, but the Suburbans did not since it won't fit. Instead, they use a strengthened version of the 4L80-E.

When I was researching, I found that the 8.1 only got 1-2 mpg less than the 6.0.

Guys in this forum and others told me that a 5.3, 6.0 and 8.1 will all get essentially the same mileage while you're actually towing. Since my 'Burb won't be a daily driver, I decided to go for the engine that would do the work the easiest.

 

[chicken77]

Thanks for the input. I think I will start the search for a 2500 suburban with the 8.1.

 

[UFAB]

I got a connection on a 8.1 engine complete. $1100. 120k

 

[lhracing]

I have an 8.1 in a 2001 HD with about 55,000 miles on it that I bought new. For the most part it does a good job pulling my 24ft enclosed trailer with my race car and miscellaneous items weighing about 8000lbs. It pulls a flat bed and a jeep great. I drive fairly fast so on the open road unloaded it gets 12-13 mpg, the flat bed & jeep 10-11 mpg and the loaded enclosed trailer 6-7 mpg.

 

[Toad]

They do have an issue with oil consumption. Not a huge deal according to GM. Just dont freak out when you have to add oil. I think for a gas motor they would be hard to beat.

 

[chicken77]

I have noticed that my Tahoe uses a little oil between changes, usually less than a quart. How much consumption are we talking about with the 8.1?