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Is 2006 the last year GM put the 8.1L into the YukonXL/Suburban?
- Thread starter Tank
- Start date
Tank
Charter Member
Really? Yea, I was planning on towing the Cig with it. our crew cab Dually gets to be a pain in the azz to drive around town every day.
What don't you like about the Suburban? And how big of a boat you towing?
BBB725
Benefactor
I towed a 37 Outerlimits and the boat pushed the Yukon all over the road and it drank oil when towing, as in 5 quarts of oil going to Florida and back. It was a good daily driver but couldn't tow. I traded it in on an Excursion which I still have. Just my 2 cents
BGIII
Charter Member
Tank, I have a 2003 Yukon XL 2500 w/ 8.1L and I think it tows my 34 Saber just fine. That being said, I've never towed with a dually, so it might tow like chit and I don't know it. If you are concerned with towing 100% legally, I question if it is possible to do it with a Top Gun and a 2500 Yukon. The truck is rated at 12,000# towing w/ 4.10's, but make sure you take into account that the GCWR is only 19,000# and GVWR is only 8,600#. I think a 4x4 Yukon 8.1 is approx. 7,000# with a couple passengers. You can see that the 12,000# towing number can be tricky once you subtract the weight of additional people and gear from the GCWR. Even GVWR can be tough if you have a fully packed truck and tongue weight is on the heavy side.
After all that mumbo jumbo, my suggestion would be to absolutely go to a CAT scale with the truck, your boat & trailer prior to purchase.
PS - All of this info is irrelevant if you only tow a short distance and you are really careful!:26:
After all that mumbo jumbo, my suggestion would be to absolutely go to a CAT scale with the truck, your boat & trailer prior to purchase.
PS - All of this info is irrelevant if you only tow a short distance and you are really careful!:26:
Davidmnc
Contributor
All vehicle tow ratings are based on the vehicle being empty of cargo passengers and only having 1/4 tank of fuel and one driver (150lbs). Every pound you add to the tow vehicle is one less pound it can tow. I am not as familiar with towing big boats, but when towing RVs the tong weight is a factor when not using weight distribution. If you read towing capacities information they indicate the highest towing capacities listed is with weight distribution installed, and the tow rating is MUCH less with out weight distribution. But I am not sure how this works with boats. I am a true believer in to much is almost enough when picking a tow vehicle. IMHO
BBB725
Benefactor
I thought they were both 12,000 lbs when properly equipped
Griff
Charter Member
The last year for the 8.1 in 2500/3500 trucks was in 2007 in the Classic series. I have one in my 2001 2500hd CC and would love to be able to find a newer one. I searched nationwide and only found about 10 from 2005-2007. I'm not sure if they put 8.1 into any SUV's in 2007 though. Even if they did, they would be impossible to find.
Tank
Charter Member
Thanks for all the info guys.
I"ve considered the Excursion but I'm just not a Ford guy. I think they look good lifted and tricked out and all I just can't bring myself to buy a Ford:sifone::sifone:
From what I've heard, It's not a good idea to tow the Top Gun with the 8.1L Suburban or Tahoe XL. We tow to havasu a few times a year (6 hour tow) and regular 2-3 hours tows every so often so I guess I'll keep our Dually...Which isn't all that bad
Just itchin' for something different.
I"ve considered the Excursion but I'm just not a Ford guy. I think they look good lifted and tricked out and all I just can't bring myself to buy a Ford:sifone::sifone:
From what I've heard, It's not a good idea to tow the Top Gun with the 8.1L Suburban or Tahoe XL. We tow to havasu a few times a year (6 hour tow) and regular 2-3 hours tows every so often so I guess I'll keep our Dually...Which isn't all that bad
Just itchin' for something different.Attachments
:sifone::sifone::26::rofl:
fstboatlvr
New member
I have had 'em all. The dually obviously is the best. I also had an 04 8.1 suburban 2500 and an 03 excursion with a v10. Both suv's had 4 in lifts on 35in tires with all the right towing stuff added. I am a gm guy thru and thru, but the excursion would tow circles around my suburban. The suburban looked better, more comfortable and drove better empty, but was not close to the ex in the towing department. I was towing approximately 11k pounds........
The 2007 thru 2009 Suburban 2500's will not safely handle your Cig. The weak point is the hitch reciever which is rated at only 5,000# towing capacity. It is integral with the rear frame which means that there are no after market class IV or V hitch receivers made for the 07 and later Burbs. Everyone is afraid of the liability of modifying the frame. Also the height of the receiver is 23" which requires a 9" drop hitch, at least for the MYCO that I have for by Baja 272. In my opinion GM really screwed the pooch with the new 07 and later Burb 2500's. They built it for "style", not towing performance. And last, but not least, the 6.0 engine sucks when towing even 6K. With the 3:73 dif I would only get 8mpg. I gave it to my daughter with 20K on it. She loves it because of the look. Looking for a gen II Duramax dually.
