Yep............plenty of power! Too bad it uses 5w30 oil! GM states that acceptable oil consumption of the 8.1L is up to 1 qt per 1000 miles under heavy use (towing......etc)

How do I know this................I own one.......and it does.....and GM issued a letter to me thru my dealer regarding the oil consumption.

My 03 2500HD currently has 167,000 miles on it. Runs very well.........but uses its share of black gold ! I think its BS. I wish waited for the Duramax ! Since the 8.1 comes with the same Alison tranny and chassis setup.
:gmctruck:

 

Yea but the 8.1 A LOT cheaper...

 

That's Awesome!

I love the 8.1 in my 01 3500HD. Has the 4l80E behind it though, but so far it's been a great truck and tranny combo.

Yes, does consume some oil. I'm at less than half a quart every 1000 miles though.

Another thing that sucks is the lifter chatter at startup. My 4.3 in my s-10 does the same thing. Doesn't take long for it to go away also.

ConstSvcs- You can put 10w30 in the 8.1 down to -15*F if I recall. After that then they say to use the 5w30.

 

Sweet!!!!!

 

Man would I love to have an 8.1l, I might have to trade up.

 

Do you or your buddy have an external source? I just checked out both the Chevy and GMC websites. For 2011, the only engines offered are the 6.0 Vortec gas, and the 6.6 Duramax diesel.

I also googled "GM brings back 8.1" and got no current information to confirm.

 

I think the greatest thing about the 8.1 is it's an industrial/marine motor to begin with.

From all my research and looking around, I haven't found anyone who has blown or trashed an 8.1.

 

just bought a 01...pulls like no other, especially out of a gas station! ha ha

 

10 mpg and it drinks a quart of oil every third fill up??? How is this remotly economical? Don't get me wrong, I love big HP, but I don't like throwing money away. Does the burnt oil leave deposits all over the motor? Where does all the ash go? (Ash is a metal partical in oil, it is not found in 2 cycle oil, which is why 2 cycle can burn oil, not 4 cycle) It seems like a poor design to me.

Please educate.
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If anybody's interested, apparently the Chev/GMC websites are not current. It seems the 8.1 is indeed available on the 2012 trucks, as is an available 6-speed manual transmission:

"The 2012 GMC Sierra 2500 HD Crew Cab offers a transmission complete with a high-capacity six-speed ZF S6-650 manual is standard with Vortec 8100 or DURAMAX 6.6-liter turbo diesel engines...Both the short and long box 2012 GMC Sierra 2500 HD Crew Cabs come with a standard Vortec 6000 V8 (standard) with 300 horsepower engine.

Optional engines on both models: Vortec 8100 V8 (available) with 340 horsepower, DURAMAX™ 6600 Turbo Diesel V8 (available) with 300 horsepower engine."
Truck Resources GMC 2500 info

"The all new 2012 Sierra 3500 Truck is loaded with powerful Vortec engine
( Vortec 6.0L V8, Vortec 8.1L V8, and the DURAMAX 6.6L Turbo Diesel). A maximum towing capacity of up to 15,400 lbs and an available Allison 1000 series five-speed automatic transmission...The transmission in the new 2012 GMC Sierra 3500 is a high-capacity six-speed ZF S6-650 manual is standard with Vortec 8100 or DURAMAX 6.6-liter turbo diesel engines..."
Truck Resources GMC 3500 info

 

This is good news. I have owned dozens of the Suburban 2500's with 8.1's and 2500HD's. They all used oil, but not too bad. The gas mileage was not that much worse than the 6.0 versions, but the power and low end torque were 100x better.....They are great engines that will last along time.

 

This is good news. I have owned dozens of the Suburban 2500's with 8.1's and 2500HD's. They all used oil, but not too bad. The gas mileage was not that much worse than the 6.0 versions, but the power and low end torque were 100x better.....They are great engines that will last along time.

man your not kidding...I'm pretty sure that thing would pull itself in half before it give up...

 

unless you pull 20,000 pounds and dont have a diesel station near you dont get it. I have one and am going to sell it right after i am done with all my installs

 

its an 02 ext cab short bed. Gas blows if you drive 3 hours of backroads everyday from march till june going to and fro nurseries

 

unless you pull 20,000 pounds and dont have a diesel station near you dont get it. I have one and am going to sell it right after i am done with all my installs

How much you looking to sell it for?? And do you have any pics of it?

 

its an 02 ext cab short bed. Gas blows if you drive 3 hours of backroads everyday from march till june going to and fro nurseries

Dont expect much better out of a 6.0 new or old. My parents/I have an 09 2500Hd 6.0 and it averages 12 around town, and thats not with a heavy foot or towing.

 

that is good news. Boys its not about your likes and dislikes of the 8.1 It comes down to FORD and DODGE. What are they offering. How can I up the ante on that. And when the new platform comes out in 1-3 yrs gm needs all there ducks in a row.

 

If anybody's interested, apparently the Chev/GMC websites are not current. It seems the 8.1 is indeed available on the 2012 trucks, as is an available 6-speed manual transmission:

"The 2012 GMC Sierra 2500 HD Crew Cab offers a transmission complete with a high-capacity six-speed ZF S6-650 manual is standard with Vortec 8100 or DURAMAX 6.6-liter turbo diesel engines...Both the short and long box 2012 GMC Sierra 2500 HD Crew Cabs come with a standard Vortec 6000 V8 (standard) with 300 horsepower engine.

Optional engines on both models: Vortec 8100 V8 (available) with 340 horsepower, DURAMAX™ 6600 Turbo Diesel V8 (available) with 300 horsepower engine."
Truck Resources GMC 2500 info

"The all new 2012 Sierra 3500 Truck is loaded with powerful Vortec engine
( Vortec 6.0L V8, Vortec 8.1L V8, and the DURAMAX 6.6L Turbo Diesel). A maximum towing capacity of up to 15,400 lbs and an available Allison 1000 series five-speed automatic transmission...The transmission in the new 2012 GMC Sierra 3500 is a high-capacity six-speed ZF S6-650 manual is standard with Vortec 8100 or DURAMAX 6.6-liter turbo diesel engines..."
Truck Resources GMC 3500 info

I don't know how much I would trust that site you quoted. All of the spec's that are listed are completely incorrect. The Vortec 6.0L is 360hp and the Duramax is 397hp with a maximum towing capacity of 17,800lbs on single rear wheel models and 21,700lbs on dual rear wheel models. The Allison 1000 5-speed transmissions were in previous generations (2006 and older), since 2006 and the classic 2007 models GM has switched to the 6-speed transmission.

Dont expect much better out of a 6.0 new or old. My parents/I have an 09 2500Hd 6.0 and it averages 12 around town, and thats not with a heavy foot or towing.

I have to agree and disagree with this statement. I have an '07 2500HD Silverado NBS and I can get 14-15mpg around town with a light foot, but I do have to be careful about accelerating and making sure to coast to stop lights/signs. With a little heavier foot, I can still get 13mpg. All non-towing miles too.

 

"The 2012 GMC Sierra 2500 HD Crew Cab offers a transmission complete with a high-capacity six-speed ZF S6-650 manual is standard with Vortec 8100 or DURAMAX 6.6-liter turbo diesel engines...Both the short and long box 2012 GMC Sierra 2500 HD Crew Cabs come with a standard Vortec 6000 V8 (standard) with 300 horsepower engine.

That's a BS website. Look at the truck in the picture, it's the old style front end, pre-2004. The HP specs they give are for the pre-07 Classic style. The new 6.0 and Duramax HP specs are much higher. If someone could actually show me a brand new 2011 or 2012 Silverado with an 8.1 engine in it I would gladly pull off the wiper blade inserts and eat them like black licorice.

 

That's a BS website. Look at the truck in the picture, it's the old style front end, pre-2004. The HP specs they give are for the pre-07 Classic style. The new 6.0 and Duramax HP specs are much higher. If someone could actually show me a brand new 2011 or 2012 Silverado with an 8.1 engine in it I would gladly pull off the wiper blade inserts and eat them like black licorice.

I suppose in hindsight I should have added a disclaimer to my post indicating it's best to use your own judgement. I would have preferred confirmation directly from GM, but it was the best I could find. I'm admittedly unfamiliar with that site, and I suppose it could be just blowing smoke. It did seem odd to me that I could find no announcement from GM regarding the possible return of the 8.1 Vortec.

 

unless you pull 20,000 pounds and dont have a diesel station near you dont get it. I have one and am going to sell it right after i am done with all my installs

Best advice yet...................

 

Best advice yet...................

If I didn't have an equipment payment........I would have a truck payment on a 2500 HD / Duramax.........

The best milage my '03 2500HD, 4wd, extended cab, long bed Sierra ever reached was empty........highway = 15mpg @ 65 mph

Loaded with a 1100 lb Reading "Plus 8" steel utility cap, tools and fuel tank, the best I can get is 8

My Isuzu FRR cabover loaded higher mpg.

I love the ride...........but would never buy another gas powered HD work truck. I feel that a vehicle purchased for work needs to run 200K plus miles with low operating cost. Keep it clean, run it 8+ years and sell it off....roll the proceeds from the sale into a new vehicle and start over.

let me remind you that the North American continent is the largest market for gasoline work trucks.

 

I love the ride...........but would never buy another gas powered HD work truck. I feel that a vehicle purchased for work needs to run 200K plus miles with low operating cost. Keep it clean, run it 8+ years and sell it off....roll the proceeds from the sale into a new vehicle and start over.

That's why everyone needs to analyze their own situation and buy what works for them. I bought a new gas truck in '05 and am glad I didn't buy diesel. The diesel was $9K more, and with as few miles as I run I would still be years away from making that $9K back in fuel savings. But if I towed heavy 25K miles per year diesel would have been the way to go. Even then, you couldn't give me a new diesel what with all the emission garbage on them, but that's a different topic altogether.

 

Agreed Hosejockey !

 

Have you physically seen/driven this truck? Pics would be the proof it exists. If your routinely towing 20k, you need a deisel. Remember when guys thought V10's were worth the extra expense.
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