Difference in gas mileage between BBC and SBC?

[team39763]

Yeah, I live in Texas.  I wish I could afford a Duramax, I really like those.  I have a buddy that gets good gas mileage with his, then he tows his race car to the track, then runs mid-low 13's with the tow rig.
   I'd guess the full load weighs close to 5000lbs.  I did see a few trucks with the 6.5 turbo, but I'm not familiar with those engines.  Are they prone to a bunch of problems?  What is a good amount of mileage for them?
   I think I'm gonna have to try driving all of them to see what I think.  I've never driven a BB truck or a diesel truck(not counting the Freightliner). 
  I saw a truck with something coupled to an Allison transmission, but I can't remember what it was.  I know it wasn't a duramax though...maybe an 8.1?

[lowbucktruck]

No one has mentioned torque output yet... big-block engines usually produce more foot-pounds of torque than a small-block chevy engine (stock, no modifications).
The heavier the truck, the more metal you have to move around besides what you are pulling. 
Definitely stick with a long wheelbase truck, 3/4 ton or 1 ton.  You may want to consider a diesel engine instead for your towing rig.

All that being said, I can sure tow plenty with my bone-stock 350 GM Goodwrench motor in my old 73 C10 3/4 ton!

[jc1340]

go diesel all the way for towing, you will be very happy, it is more money at first but you will be very happy when you are blowing by a small block going up a hill in the middle of the night on the way home

[Lt.Del]

I have two trucks I pull a 7k lb 30' camper with:

1) the 79 chevy big 10 with the famous (or infamous) 383 stroker.   She doesn't hesitate to go over the Blue Ridge Mts and I still have plenty of pedal left.  On the interstate, I average about 70mph and pretty much stay in the hammer lane.

2) my 91 3/4 ton 4x4 Suburban with 5.7 TBI.  Once going, she will stay in the hammer lane on the interstate, except when there is gentle incline for more than a 1/2 mile.  I can still maintian over 55mph on inclines, and 70+ on flat land, but of course, i keep it out of overdrive.  The thing with my sub is I honestly can't tell that 30' iron weight is back there when driving.  The sub handles so well pulling.

I never have had a big block. The SBC's take care of my needs. Tack on an auxillary tranny cooler and a 4 core radiator and you good to go.

I can average about 13mpg without pulling with my sub.  My pickup will average about 15 if i keep my foot out of it.  When pulling, well, that is another story.  Cut that mpg in half.

[Blazin]

I have towed with plenty of small blocks over the years. They all worked well but, sometimes I found they lacked that extra umph. I agree with the torque thing. A stock BB, has more torque than a mild SB. The thing about a BB is you don't have to rev them, its hard to explain. The power is just there, not much go pedal required!

[Stewart G Griffin]

i guess it boils down to how much driving will you be doing?  If it's just going to be on the weekends to local tracks, the BB might be more cost-effective than diesel;  You'll have to do some number crunching.

For instance, if the cost of the gas powered trucks is thousands and thousands less than an equivalent diesel truck, and with gas prices the way they are you might find this scenario to be very true, it may be better to go gas---how much driving would it take to equal the higher price difference of the diesel?

In my case, due to my geographical circumstances, i'm going to be doing alot of driving(300 or more miles per week) so gas is out of the question for me.

Is 5000lbs really all the weight?  And is the trailer open or enclosed?  How were you towing with the 4.6 ford?  In OD or drive?

[choptop]

 I think Stewart is on the right track. I have crunched the numbers based off of the driving I do (150-300 per day), and with the cost of deisel versus the cost of gas, the deisel will have to get at least 2-3 mpg more than the gas just to even out the fuel usage. Then once you factor in how much more the deisel engine costs to obtain, and maintenance of the deisel versus the gas, the deisel will have to get alot better gas mileage just to justify the cost difference. If you are pulling a trailer constantly, then that is where the deisel will shine and get better mileage. I have on 01 1 ton crewcab that I just got with the 8.1 and Allison. The guys I got it from said he got 13-14 on the highway, and down to 8-9 with his trailer which is a 35' horse trailer with living quarters. He also has a duramax set up the same as this one, and only get 14-15mpg and 10 with the same trailer. The difference is the deisel doesn't seem to work as hard as the gas, but he stated the gas doesn't have much trouble. I asked him about the cost difference in fuel,maintenance, purchase between the gas and the deisel, and he said that for what he did, if the truck was just personal use, then he couldn't justify the cost.(He figured it out before I did) but since he uses the truck primarily for business, then the majority of the expense is tax deductable. If your just using it to pull occasionally for pulling, it may be hard to justify the cost of the deisel. And take into consideration, I have never seen a deisel go to the shop, and cost less than a $1000 to fix, whereas the gas engines arn't as complicated. Just compare the cost difference between a deisel injector and a gas injector. I bet you can replace all the gas injectors before you can afford the deisel injector. I love my 8.1 and this is the second one I have had. It pulls my trailer with my 6,000+ tracker on it like it isn't there.

[team39763]

I didn't even think about the tax deductions.  I would be promoting/expanding my business when I take the truck to the track and sell my nitrous/race gas, so I could use it as a tax deduction...right?  We are working on getting the business tax ID and we already have the DBA(Main Squeeze).  I think what I really need is something that's roomy, gonna be reliable while pulling and still get decent gas mileage, and at the same time be easy/cheap to work on and maintain.  I think a BB suburban is gonna be the final choice.  I think the only things standing in the way are - 1. We need to sell this ford 2.My wife found a convertible BMW and she wants me to BUILD myself a tow vehicle(she said  it's still up to me though).   

[choptop]

IF you use it for business, keep in mind that you have appearance issues. The public is somewhat shallow and judge the business based off of the appearance of the equipment. I personally would be happy for you to just show up in your black truck, but if it doesn't look professional, then people don't take you seriously. Take that into consideration onyour final choice. The fuel and the truck should be a write off in most cases that is why in my case I could care less about mileage, but I charge mileage to the jobs. Purchasing the right vehicle now to take care of the business will determine how many BMW garbage cans your wife can afford later. Consider this advice, make the sacrifices now to build the company, and the rewards will come later. It is worth sacrificing. I started in our family suburban, went to an 04 K1500, and now can buy whatever I want. It is worth it, and don't finance it if you can get away from it.

[team39763]

Good thinkin' Choptop, I'll keep appearance in mind.  I appreciate all the advice guys.

[Cowboy_Customs]

Im going to throw my 2cents in here. I have owned big block, small block and a REAL diesel (Cummins) IF all you do is towing, get a DUALLY, with at least a big block. Stay away from chevy diesels unless its a 3rd year duramax (2003+) A 3/4 ton single rear wheel is ok for towing, but if thats all it does or primarily what it does you want the duals for handleing.
Second, yea a BUILT small block will tow, but you have to know how to build a torqie small block with the power band where you REALLY need it. The big block in stock form has a serious advantage over a small block. A Cummins on the other hand, well there is no debate here. Find a 91.5-98.5 Dodge Cummins 12 valve and get good fuel mileage towing and hows 20 MPG for a daily driven 8000lb TRUCK???

Yeah GM never had a good diesel untill the Duramax, and even then a took 2 years to get it really good. Im just speaking from an all around performance standpoint, the 6.2's wernt bad, but not enough power to do anything, the 6.5's were good, but had their own issues to deal with.

Im sorry to say it, but the wifey will have to get over the duals (and duals do too look good!!  ) And you want at least a bigblock, I know fuel mileage is a big concern, but thats a business write off (fuel) As a tower small block and big will average about the same, but as a driver, small block will be better. (and diesel is a whole nother story. lol)

[choptop]

I'm with Cowboy_Customs

[team39763]

Well, we're just waiting for this Ford to sell.  After that, I can tow my truck to San Antonio for a dyno tune.  I'm hoping to find someone who can help me tune it when I get there.  I think my wife would be cool with a dually if it looks good - nice wheels, nice grille, decent paint, and good sounding exhaust.

[choptop]

just for one reference, my 01 crewcab dually with the 8.1 and allison got 8.5 pg with my 16 ft 7,000 pound cargo trailer, and my 04 k1500 with the 5.3 got 7 with the same trailer. Unloaded the k1500 definately does better, but loaded the crews got it,

[DnStClr]

I won't comment on Cowboy's thoughts about the early Duramax, because I have one and love it. But the Cummins is also a great choice for towing heavier loads:certainly the choice of over-the road truckers. If you're only towing 5000lbs tho, a 3/4 ton gas engine single axle will work fine with a 3.73 tranny and other towing set ups mentioned . Fuel prices today almost prohibit the expense of buying a diesel truck for non-business uses. I pay $3.90 a gallon now and it's $100 every fill up.