Doug Suburban

I own a 2004 Suburban 1500. Love, love, love this truck. Have a family with kids so I need the space and although a Silverado pickup would be nice (for me), the needs of the family require an SUV. But I have this boat thing and when it is ME time I feel like the 1500 is just not cutting it. For short hauls - no problem. However, when I want to take a 6 hour trip from NJ to Cape Cod I end up paying way too much for gas for the truck and it really struggles to keep up on the highway - especially up hill - 7 mpg is not very economical. The boat is a 20 ft center console (about 3500 lbs) on a double axle (torsion) load rite trailer with front axle disc brakes.

My question to this forum - If I were to swap out my 1500 Suburban, what truck would fit my needs best? and why?

Thanks.

fishing nut

What about a 2500 Suburban. I traded in an 09 F150(Which was a great truck) for a 2011 2500 with a Chevy small block. The Burban is great and tows like a beast. I needed the space as well that is why I went with the Suburban I am also a GM fan at heart. I could never get over my 04 Silverado that I traded in for the F150.

Doug Suburban

I'll plead a little ignorance here - so what advantages does the 2500 have over the 1500. Like what differences am I going to notice as far as fuel economy and towing ability on a long haul?
I did a little searching for used Suburban 2500 and the things are damn near IMPOSSIBLE to find. I can't afford new and my current truck may get me about 8K as a trade in. Also wondering if the year model makes too much of a difference. (and what do you mean when you say 'small block'?)

Joe In NY

The 2500 is much better better equipped for towing. It has much more cooling capabilities as they come standard with an external transmission and oil cooler, while the 1500's dont have an oil cooler and have the transmission cooler in the radiator. They also come with the 6.0L standard which produces a decent amount more torque and hp to better help with towing.

Now if you want good economy you'd be better off buying a 90's suburban with 6.5L Diesel. Gas job wont ever get good economy when towing, only diesel will.

Now fishingnut, the Chevy small block has not been used since the mid 90's. It was replaced with the Vortec 5.7L, which is a different motor but its does share heads with the 350 small block, then 5.7L Vortec was replaced with the LS line, 5.7L was deemed Vortec Gen II, then Gen III came out with the standard 5.3L and 6.0L LS base motors (ls1, ls2, ls3, etc are special builds for other cars, such as more hp & torque) then in 2005 Gen IV came with an improved design for the LS motor series, and coming soon Gen V will be out.

Doug Suburban

The cost of diesel is about a dollar more per gallon these days than regular gasoline. Economically speaking, it there really an advantage to a diesel? not to mention the smell.

And you mention the 90's. . . does that mean they do not make diesel Suburban 2500's any longer? Why the 90's?

Sounds like there was an improvement in the engine in 2005 from what you described. From what I have read here so far I should be searching for a 2005 or newer 2500 series Suburban. Correct? Is there anything else to be aware of? Like the 5.3L, 6.0L, Gen II, III, dual cooling system, etc...??? or is just knowing it's a 2500 enough.

Lastly - where would you suggest I look for said vehicle? I live in NJ and so far the online Autotrader has come up empty.

Thanks

fishing nut

Joe, Thaks for the correction.
I used Auto trader.com to find a 2500. It took me several months to find one. I went with a 2011. I am averaging 14.1mpg and the 6.0l has 352 HP and 383lb ft of torque.

mulmur1

Doug,

If you are towing a 3500 lb boat, the 1500 would be fine. Unfortunately, Suburban's were never made to have great fuel economy. If you look at 2009 or newer, you can get the 6 speed transmission, which will provide you with better fuel economy. Prior to 2009, they had 4 speed automatics. The trans cooler can be added to the 1500, and is an option on new vehicles.

Suburban's are made to tow. The 1500 can tow up to 8,600lbs and the 2500 up to 9,600lbs.

1500 fuel economy is 15 city 21 highway
2500 fuel economy is 10 city 15 highway

The 1500 comes with a 3.08 rear end and if you get the trailer package on the 1500, it puts a 3.42 rear end in it.

There has been talk about a diesel coming in the new version of the Suburban, but we will have to wait and see. Diesel is much better for towing, even with the price difference. You don't even know the boat is behind you, as far as the truck performs. However, if you want used, you are better to get a gas truck, as Chev has not made a diesel Suburban in a long time.

Hopefully you will get your gas truck fixed soon.

Doug Suburban

Brad - If what you say is true, then I probably won't notice much improvement going from 1500 to 2500 in towing my boat and trailer at a weight of about 4000+lbs.

I am very satisfied with my current truck and I am not looking to make a change if it is not going to offer a SIGNIFICANT improvement. And from you stats, the mileage on the 2500s is not better - but worse.

My truck does struggle on those long trips though. I only do a couple a year.

mulmur1

Doug,

The 2500 is definitely worse on fuel, but is a much stronger truck. It is great for the person that needs a 3/4 ton. If you have a big family and need to tow a heavy load, the 6 litre is much better.

Hopefully GM will bring out a diesel in the new style, as it would be a much better choice for people that are pulling close to 10,000 lbs.

I hope that you get your cooling problem figured out with your current truck, so that you can get it back on the road.

Joe In NY

I strongly suggest you stay AWAY from the 6 speed! I have the 4 speed with 3.73's and i smoke all of the 6 speeds, my brother in law went from an 03 4 speed to a 09 6 speed, it sucks! when he step on it, it just lugs it down in gear and these ls motors are not setup for low end torque, they are setup for mid range torque and hp and really pull good when you get up around 3 grand.

Also, the 6 speed from what i have read has to hunt for the right gear, my 4 speed is fantastic, other than it likes to go to 2nd gear when im doing 75mph on the highway when im towing, it goes from 2 grand in 4th to 5 grand in 2nd and gets loud! but it pulls amazing good when up at the HP range.

And the reason i say 90's is because thats when the Diesel Suburban stopped. And 2500's are already setup for towing, they do have a rougher ride as the suspension is setup more for towing as well.

my suburban averages 14~14.5 mpg, only 12.5 now because the thing is still relearning the throttle body!

If you are towing 5,000lbs or less you wont notice much difference.

If you truly need space and amazing towing, then: Ford Excursion with the 7.3L International (2000-2003). Amazing SUV, its a 2500 made to tow.