Hello, I am looking at a 05 Chevy Duramax Deisel Crew Cab Short Bed 4x4 with a 4" suspension lift Not sure as to size of the tires since the tires were not on it at the time. Trying to get a better idea of what kind of mpg I would get. This truck would do nothing but pull so would love to get some more testomonies of pulling mpg. Also, is the Allison tranny warrantied for 100K also like the engine. I took it for a test drive and pulled it on a straight stretch and at 58 mph it was registering 12 mpg pulling my trailer. Seems pretty low, but i did take the OD off, when I put it back on it registered 14-15 mpg at 58 mph. Are these #s fairly accurate. I presnty have a 02 Dodge with the 5.9 and only getting 8.9 pulling a trailer plus the transmission sucks........Dodge Sucks. Thanks

I like the Cummins...but hate the tranny...Yes the D-max Allisson combo is a 100,000 mile drivetrain warranty. Fuel milage will depend upon many variables. The best r.p.m. I have found was 2000 or below..Tuners will make a difference as well as CIA and exhaust mods..

My dealer informed me that the Allison is NOT warrantied to 100k!! Just to 36K. Sorry no info on the MPG pulling. Empty, I've averaged right at 16.5MPG

This is why I ask.....lol... 2 replies on the warranty and 2 differnt answers. The dealer told me that after 04 The allisson trannys were changed to 100k. Another dealer told me 36k. I wonder how much the off road tires will affect the mpg? I am guessing it will have anything from a 35-38 inch tire.Thanks for the replies. Keep em' comin. Hoping to possibly buy tomorrow. Truck has all the bells and whistles for 35K. I believe retail is 39K. Seems like a pretty good price. Just wanting to make sure of the mpg and warranty.

Give us an idea about what you plan on pulling. The lift kit and tires may hurt a little. My wife got 13.9 mpg last week pulling a living quarters 3 horse slant at 65 mph with her slightly modified o5 2500hd 4x4. Also tranny is 36,000 according to my dealer.

I consistantly get 21mpg @ 72mph hand calculated

The Allison is warranteed for up to 36000 miles. Mileage comes with a wide variety of different ideas. Rick has lots of these trucks and tows a lot, I would believe what he has to say.

Allison is only a 3 yr/36k warranty. Duramax is 5yr/100K. w/o more info on the trailer hard to tell about your mileage, but 12-14 is what to expect with a smaller trailer or low wind resistance, towing at 60 or so, lower with a 5th wheel. I can say my van pulling my enclosed trailer (6500 lbs) was getting 8mpg @ 55, my duramax gets 14 at 62.

I have seen a lot worse than what I posted, but I pull very hard and heavy. I have been over 30,000 pounds gross and 13.5 feet tall at the same time. I DO NOT recommend towing like that!

There are a ton of variables, and of coarse driving style, headwinds, and speed are big things. There is also a lot of variation from truck to truck. The 05's seem to be a little more consistent than the 04's are.

By the way, my wife does get better fuel mileage than I do. Same truck, same load, same trip! Imagine that.:mad:

Ok, so its probably 36K on the tranny. Has anyone had many if any problems with the tranny. I have always thought that Allisson had the best one. As for the trailer. It is a 5x13 vinyl siding dual axel trailer with racks and ladders and boards etc. maybe 4000 lbs.???

The Reason i am thinking about going to a hd deisel is because I have already had to put a tranny in my dodge at 38k miles lucky for the extended warranty. But the warranty is about to run dry in 4k miles and tired of getting 8.9 mpg in city/highway average over last 8k miles. Is the Chevy the best way to go. Some people have told me to go with the powerstoke. Havent seen any comments here about fords...Thanks again for all the replies..

I have not had any trouble out of any of my Allison's, but they are a little quirky! Is that an open trailer?

yes its an open trailer but it does have some resistance to wind due to a toolbox mounted high. also keep the ladders and 20ft aluminum walkboards on top of racks above trailer. I had an enclosed 6x12 before this one but didnt notice too much of a difference in towing. About the Allisson. The Tranny seems real tight and runs through the gears fairly fast. much different than mine. The dodge 1500 gas truck runs much higher rpms before switching gears. My guess is due to the type of truck. Totally different class...Dodge sucks. Good lookin truck but hate it. Just wiatin for tranny to blow again. Seems fine right now, but seems just right to sell or trade in for a deisel. Thinking I want to geford or chevy mainly because of the problems I always here about Dodge (even the 3500 deisel dually). Friend of mine just got stuck in Alabama with a 04 3500 dually for 2 weeks waiting for tranny to get fixed. Totally blew up. ....Dodge sucks..Brother in-law on his 3rd tranny in his 01 dodge pulling small landscape open trailer....Dodge sucks...

I really love my Chevy's. I have spent a lot of time behind the wheel of a 01 dodge and a 99 ford, both diesels. I see no comparison for comfort. They seem to pull pretty close to the same, and seem to be close on the mileage. I have also made a couple of trips with a 05ford diesel. That really sucked!

Based on my experience with the 05's I honestly think you will get about 13-15 on the highway towing that trailer at 65-70. Pick up the speed and say good buy to the gallons. A combination of city and highway would most likely put you in the mid 10-12 range. I hope this helps. There are a few mods that have helped me also. We love the Predator on the lowest setting, have done the stack seal, cat less, and air box mods.

You can also buy a factory extended warranty for the truck that will take everything to 100,000 miles. I bought one for my wifes truck. 0 deductible, 100,000 miles, everything but the trim, with a rental car, and it was around $2000 I think.

I don't know how much the lift and tires will affect mileage. My 04 CC SB 4x4 is stock.

I have a 7x14 enclosed trailer, 6.5 height, dual axle (pace cargo sport) about 6000 lbs loaded with my bikes etc. It also has the front airdome. I get 13-15 depending on speed and terrain. two lane roads at 55-60 will be over 15, interstate at 65 and hills will be 13 or so. Worst to date was just under 13 going over the cascades between portland and central oregon. for small trailers it is wind drag that gets you followed by the axle drag. if yours is a single axle, not to tall, you should be able to beat my mileage some, but figure 15ish is about tops unless your willing to drive @55. If your trailer is 6' tall your frontal area is 65% of mine, and you probably have one less axle. I can tell you, you won't know the trailer is behind you, and will probably NEVER need to drop out of overdrive with that small of a trailer.

You will also love the crew cab back seat room and storage compared to the dodge. Just enough more to make it a real back seat.

Hey rick, you say airbox mod. Is that like the K&N fipk. I noticed when I looked under the hood that it appeared to have some type of special airfilter. I am unsure if it is aftermarket or not. dont remember the name but it had a sticker next to it that said something like ?????buddy or buddy????.com. cant remember exactly.

No, we run the S&B air box kit on 2 of them. Really good results. We have also modified the stock ones with good results. The key seems to be get cool air to the box. Any way you can do that helps. The LLY trucks run very hot under the hood so cool air to the air box is critical. The k&n has a bad reputation around here and has no real cool air supply designed into it.

Thanks alot Rick for the input. Will make final decision tomorrow. I may just wait for a different truck to come up but if i get it I will post some pics. How much does the predator costand is it pretty easy to do. Thanks again and will check back tomorrow.

It is normaly under $350 and many of the vendors here sell them. It is fairly easy to do. Some people like the Edge EZ also. Do a little research on the 2. I think the EZ I had did a little better on fuel, but the Predator has the diagnostics and will fix the speedometer when you change tires. It also ran a little cooler EGT's than the EZ.

I finally decided on the 05 duramax with the lift kit on 35s. Will be working it tomorrow so I will be able to post what the mpg ended up being. I will try to get some pics up soon. Truck looks sweet. Thanks again

Hand calculate, don't let your DIC do the talking!

Lets see that bad boy:D I hope you dont expect real good mileage. If you have any questions just ask.

Eric

This is it. A 2005 Chevy 2500HD 6.6 Turbo Duramax/Allisson Tranny 4x4 with all the bells and whistles on the cloth interior(Ihate Leather anyway) Too damn sticky. The lift kit is a Pro-Comp 4" Suspension with 35"BFG Mud Terrains. Cant tell exactly what the mileage is gonna be. The DIC says 15mpg without trailer hwy/city combo and 12mpg highway/city combo but I do know that it should be a bit higher since the tires are throwing off the Speedometer/Odometer. I am going to have to get one of those Predators that you guys talk about to help me out. I will eventually get a update on the hand calculated mpg. Thanks for the input everyone. I am sure I will stick around for a while . This is an excellent site for deisel owners. Glad I found it

This is why I ask.....lol... 2 replies on the warranty and 2 differnt answers. The dealer told me that after 04 The allisson trannys were changed to 100k. Another dealer told me 36k. I wonder how much the off road tires will affect the mpg? I am guessing it will have anything from a 35-38 inch tire.Thanks for the replies. Keep em' comin. Hoping to possibly buy tomorrow. Truck has all the bells and whistles for 35K. I believe retail is 39K. Seems like a pretty good price. Just wanting to make sure of the mpg and warranty.

Is this new?? My local dealer has '05 2500HD's for $10,00+ OFF LIST. Esepcially with the Employee discount good through 9/6. If it's not new, you can probably find a new one for t he same or better price. Look a little further.