I am close to making the purchase of a new 2006 GMC 2500HD 4WD truck with the Duramax LBZ diesel engine with Allison transmission. I have never owned a diesel truck before and don't quite know what to expect. I did notice the Duramax LBZ diesel option is considerably more expensive than the 6.0 gas version.

I understand the diesel has much more power for towing but from what I have read the fuel mileage isn't much, if any, better than the 6.0 gas engine. I am sure that probably depends allot upon who is driving it.

My driving is mixed in town and out with a 1000 mile interstate round trip occurring about once a month. When I travel the interstate I usually hook up with drivers in the fast lane who run in the 80-85 mph range when not towing. I have a 26' offshore boat and and 37' travel trailer to pull occasionally, have been pulling them with a 3/4 ton Suburban 454 for years.

Have there been any problems, failures, serious issues, etc. with the 06 2500HD 4WD truck, the Duramax LBZ engine, or the Allison transmission? Is there anything that I should be aware of or wary of before buying this particular truck? High performance is not a concern to me. I just hope to buy a truck that will provide years of dependable and hopefully troublefree service.


Thanks for any feedback.

Dave
Central Florida

Welcome to the Diesel Place.

I am close to making the purchase of a new 2006 GMC 2500HD 4WD truck with the Duramax LBZ diesel engine with Allison transmission. I have never owned a diesel truck before and don't quite know what to expect. I did notice the Duramax LBZ diesel option is considerably more expensive than the 6.0 gas version.

I never owned one before this truck. I don't think I'll go back to gas anytime soon. This truck is the nicest and most powerful vehicle I've owned.

I understand the diesel has much more power for towing but from what I have read the fuel mileage isn't much, if any, better than the 6.0 gas engine. I am sure that probably depends allot upon who is driving it.

14.5 towing 5K lb. enclosed trailer. Empty all around 17.0. Empty on hwy @ 70-75 mph 20.5- 21.0.

My driving is mixed in town and out with a 1000 mile interstate round trip occurring about once a month. When I travel the interstate I usually hook up with drivers in the fast lane who run in the 80-85 mph range when not towing. I have a 26' offshore boat and and 37' travel trailer to pull occasionally, have been pulling them with a 3/4 ton Suburban 454 for years.

454 is a good motor but the Duramax/Allison is much better. See if the local dealer will let you pull one of your toys, you will probably go home with the Duramax.

Have there been any problems, failures, serious issues, etc. with the 06 2500HD 4WD truck, the Duramax LBZ engine, or the Allison transmission? Is there anything that I should be aware of or wary of before buying this particular truck? High performance is not a concern to me. I just hope to buy a truck that will provide years of dependable and hopefully troublefree service.

This truck is all performance. 42K on mine with just minor problems, most already covered on this site. Crew cab has best resale I've heard. Good luck with your decision.


Thanks for any feedback.

Dave
Central Florida


:exactly:

Well I just went from a 2003 ExCab SB 2500HD 4X4 6.0L, my average mpg empty was 11-12 for my mostly city, some highway driving. My new 06 LBZ CCSB 4X4 which is heavier because of the LBZ/Allison and CC gets 16-18mpg empty with only 1900 miles and winter fuel same type driving. I am hoping to get around 20-21mpg all highway this summer on my annual trip back home to Utah.

The resale of the diesel is much better, instead of 3000mi 6-quart oil changes, I will go with 10-quart 5000 mi oilchanges. Yes you have the expense of the fuel filters, and Allison filters, but they arent too expensive.

What I really enjoy about the new truck besides the awesome power of the LBZ, is the Allison. My 6.0 with the 4.10's and a 4 speed auto was rapped out at speed of 75-80mph, which was part of the bad highway fuel economy. It had to be geared that way for pulling my car hauler since the 6.0L lacks torque. This new 6 speed Allison/ 3.73's is awesome at the same speed turning low rpm's (650ft lbs TQ at 1600rpm) for better economy. Not to mention grade braking, drive both and you will see the difference.

With 87 octane and Diesel about the same price, longevity, resale, power, rpm's, and the difference in transmissions it is a no brainer!!:)

And...biodiesel is a lot closer to common use than Ethanol, but admittedly still a bit away

I understand the diesel has much more power for towing but from what I have read the fuel mileage isn't much, if any, better than the 6.0 gas engine. I am sure that probably depends allot upon who is driving it.


I had an 01 2500HD 6.0 and the best I ever got out of it running empty was 15.xx on the highway at 65-70 mph for the whole tank.


My driving is mixed in town and out with a 1000 mile interstate round trip occurring about once a month. When I travel the interstate I usually hook up with drivers in the fast lane who run in the 80-85 mph range when not towing. I have a 26' offshore boat and and 37' travel trailer to pull occasionally, have been pulling them with a 3/4 ton Suburban 454 for years.


Just returned to Tampa from a trip up to Atlanta... the Dmax got 20.5 going up and 21 returning... and I was running 70-85 the whole way. My average speed was almost 71mph including stops.
Max speed was, well nevermind. I was not in the slow lane, put it to you that way.
On a side note, pulling my 7x14 Haulmark at 75-80 I consistently get 14.5mpg. The 6.slo would get 9-10 pulling the same trailer. I also had a hard time justifing the extra cha-ching for the diesel at first, but now that I've had it I'll never look back to a gas truck again.
Good luck whichever way you decide!!!




Thanks for any feedback.

Dave
Central Florida

Depending on how much you drive figure out how long it will take you to pay for the diesel engine option in fuel savings. Also remember that if anything does break after warranty is out, the gas trucks are cheaper to fix (engine and transmission wise). That being said, if you are going to tow or haul a lot, there is no question. I drove a buddys LBZ the other day and the power was INCREDIBLE! Drive them both and see what you like better. You will be paying a lot of money, gas or diesel, so you better be happy.

How can it be cheaper to repair the allision in a gasser .

Allision is available in the gassers .

The Raw Power Of A Diesel------priceless

i no the resale is great on the deisel my buddy beged me for my 2001 lb7 ect cab lt 130000 miles on her he gave me 20000 i think i still sold her to cheap but hes a pal and loves it

The Raw Power Of A Diesel------priceless
:exactly: I bought my first diesel this spring and love it. I don't have the hot rod LBZ under the hood, but the power is still awesome compared to a gasser. Spend the extra coin for the diesel; you won't regret it.:ro)

If you want anywhere near the same power as the diesel, you'll have to get the 8.1L gasser. If the 6.0L gasser does for you what you need to do, you don't need the extra power the diesel offers.

But in my opinion, if you tow at all, get the diesel. I don't think I've ever heard anyone say it was too much truck for them and they wished they got the 6.0L or the 8.1L instead.

When you drive it off the lot and it is yours, you could easily win any "Enzyte Bob" look alike contest, 'cause that is the grin you will have owning one!!!

Just my two cents.

You can't get the Ally in the 6.0, you have to get the 8.1 or the D-max to get the Ally. Get the diesel, and never look back. :D

I've had the opportunity to experience the difference in all 3: I had a 00' 2500 Silverado long bed regular cab with the 6.0/automatic, a 98' and a 99' 2500 Suburban with the 454/automatic, and now the 03' 3500 Sierra with the Dmax/Allison combo. I can tell you that if you are happy with the power of the 454, you had better not go to the 6.0 in your new truck. The 6.0 isn't bad when its empty, however, I would average only 14 mpg until I tried to pull anything with it: Not only was the power lacking, the mpg quickly went down 7-9 mpg depending on load. I was able to muster an average of 12.5-13 mpg with the 454's in the 2 Suburbans & they seemed to have plenty of power (until the D/A that is) for towing up to around 10,000 lbs; however they both dropped to the 7-9 mpg range while towing. I am so pleased with the Dmax/Allison combo that if or when I ever wear the one out that I'm driving now, I'll be back to GM to get another. I now have a 39.5' 5th wheel toy hauler (see garage) that weighs anywhere between 16,000 & 17,000 lbs depending on my cargo. I have pulled it up and down the East coast & depending on where I'm at (mountains or in the flatter Southern states) I get anywhere between 7.5 and 12.5 mpg, the lower being running in the mountains, I never had either of the gassers on the Northern (mountain) routes. Oh, did I mention that I don't (and didn't) cut any of them any slack and don't plan to. I usually tow between 65 & 75 mph unless I go out west where the speed limits are higher. I can tell you from my own experience, that nothing compares to the Torque you will experience with the D/A combo. Oh yea, I forgot to mention I get between 16 & 17 mpg from the diesel when its not towing :cool: .

Yes, beware of the fact that once you drive it you'll never consider a gasser again! Warning! Beware! :D ):h :eek: ;) :muahaha:

The Raw Power Of A Diesel------priceless

:exactly: :grd:

Got my 04 a couple months ago. My teenage sons now think I'm :cool2:

All the cool kids have diesels.

My only regret was waiting so long to get my first diesel. :ro)

My only regret was waiting so long to get my first diesel. :ro)

Bingo, that sums it up for me as well. :ro)

A friend of mine once told me that if I ever got a diesel I'd never go back to gas. Ya' know??? He was right!!!

just firn if you let it holets burn the diesesle

When my wife decided she really wanted an Airstream travel trailer, and that meant I couldn't get the Kodiak/Duramax class C motorhome I was leaning toward.............I told her she would have to have a crew cab diesel pickup as her daily driver....and to my surprise she said yes!

We are on our 2nd diesel pickup, the first was an '05 LLY and it was very good, the 2nd is the '06 LBZ, and it is GREAT!

It pulls our 7000 pound trailer with extreme ease and we are in extreme comfort while we are doing the towing.

:ro)

Just get it. You won't be disappointed.

Would we lie to ya !

Just take one for a test drive. You'll answer your own question.

You can't make your own gasoline.
But if push comes to shove, you can make your own diesel fuel. That factor would heavily influence me for any vehicle I planned on keeping for a long time.

Since many of the world's largest oil fields are in decline (e.g.: Kuwait's Burgan & Mexico's Cantarell; the Saudis aren't being entirely truthful about Ghawar), it may come down to that.

I really don't find you'll find hardly anyone that switches from a diesel to a gasser. Once you have a diesel - you stay with them. You might switch brands, but stay with a diesel.

When my wife decided she really wanted an Airstream travel trailer, and that meant I couldn't get the Kodiak/Duramax class C motorhome I was leaning toward.............I told her she would have to have a crew cab diesel pickup as her daily driver....and to my surprise she said yes!



I can't get my wife out of ours....:(