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Opinions: 8.1 Chevy

R

robertyoke

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Dec 26, 2007
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colorado

Vern

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Jun 14, 2004
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hyrum utah
kinda depends on what your pullin!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPe8TBUMPg8&feature=related

lets see a 8.1 smoke the tires like this.....this a great burn out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz2Oh_DGo7M&NR=1

gassers were doing that for a long time before diesels were worth a ****.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFwxkJE77wA&feature=related

just like dominating pretty much all other major forms of motorsports. i dont recall seeing many diesels in the nascar or on the weekend NHRA drags doing the quarter in 3 or 4 seconds. now i know racings not what diesels are intended for but now days that seems to be what most people, especially the little backwards hat wearin fruits with daddys money, buy them for.

so if you cant pull anything without a diesel how did people get stuff moved before the mid 90's when they started making diesels worth having?

i've never said a gasser will out pull any and all diesels, but STOCK FOR STOCK, which seems to be hard for alot of the diesel boys to grasp the concept of, the 8.1 is plenty competitive with the diesels of the same time period.
 

jthussey

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Sep 3, 2008
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Minot, ND Big Sky, MT
I'm talking stock for stock. A diesel will pull better than the 8.1. same year apples to apples. while your in drive going against a head wind the diesel would be in overdrive. I wouldn't say thats comparable. I've pulled with both a 2003 8.1 and a 2002 7.3PS. Going 70 mph I was in the 8.1 and another employee was in the 7.3 delivering campers. I had a a 31ft jayco and he was pulling a 37 ft jayco. Up rolling hills and the wind I was in drive and when i hit a good hill(for mn) it wouldn't hold speed. The diesel would hold speed and didn't even drop out of overdrive. It was a stock diesel. If it was 30 mph winds and hitting the same hill the diesel would downshift to drive.

On a good note. the 8.1 was a good truck. Alot nicer driving around town and not as loud.
 

Bubba

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Sep 19, 2008
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turkey ridge sd
8.1

i had an new 03 8.1 put 75000 miles on it and traded for new 08 d-max my d-max has more power than my 8-1 had. but i loved mt 8.1 i would have got another one but could not get one. the 8.1 loaded did 7to10 empty 11to14 my d-max gets 8to12 loaded and empty 13to17 depends on condition.
 
R
Dec 3, 2007
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I have both a 03 8.1 2500 Suburban and a 04 D-Max 3500 Crew. Love both in their own ways. The 8.1 is in the suburban, has tons of power. I get 9-11 empty and 4-7 loaded at 75mph. The K&N air intake helped alot - almost 2mpg.

The D-Max LLY dually gets 17-19 empty and 12-14 loaded at 75 mph and pulls real well.

I am happy with both, but would love to put a D-Max / Allison in the suburban.

Brad
(yeah my carbon footprint needs some work)
 
C
Nov 26, 2007
1,153
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dankorage
Vern- It looks a lot like an alli from underneath but i honestly dont know for sure either. I never mash on it as it does fall on its face, more like you said i treat it like an inline 6 and ease into it and it runs great. Itll hit 80 before you realize.. I hate when it does that. Also, i know the superchips is a joke but i was making my point that i got pretty much smoked (at highway speeds) by the 6 speed cummins. Maybe next time were both driving ill try a light to light with him. I still think i can hang from that point as the Avi launches like a bastard.. MY mach1s faster than both the trucks so why am i even talking bout this? lol
 

Dogmeat

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Here's the bottom line:

I don't ever have any fear at all of my 8.1L not starting after it's been sitting in a parking lot up in the mountains for 12 hours in -20 F temperatures ...

I don't care what additive you put in your diesel, at those temps you're rolling the dice ....
 
C
Nov 26, 2007
1,153
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dankorage
Here's the bottom line:

I don't ever have any fear at all of my 8.1L not starting after it's been sitting in a parking lot up in the mountains for 12 hours in -20 F temperatures ...

I don't care what additive you put in your diesel, at those temps you're rolling the dice ....
Agreed as far as rolling the dice goes but that same Cummins i raced started after sitting over night at the parking long and it was 26 below on the tree next too it. Granted, we werent sure it would start lol but it did.. Didnt sound pretty either! My Cummins also sat for 2 days at the lot at 10 below and fired right up. The avilanche stranded me twice though, once even at petersville and had too get a tow truck the next day and go get it.. These small things that happen with our GMs are MY reason to not want another. The durability from my cummins with 200K and no oil leaks and still runs great! Minus the 4wheel drive switch is being dumb, but i deserve it from the 4wd switch going out twice on the avilanche and myself making fun of it doing it..
 

Vern

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catillak- i'm quite positive that the avi's and the suv's dont have the alli but heres an easy way to tell. if it says "Allison" in big letters across the bottom of the pan its an allison. why talk about racing trucks when you have a fast car? cuz its fun, i had an old 86 5.0 that was pretty quick for a bit but i still liked rodding the old 71 chev i had more. its good times.

and i will re-state this again, i never said that the gassers would out pull all the diesels. just that some of them would do just as good or better than some of the diesels, at least this is the experience i have seen thus I do not have the desire to own a diesel nor do i have the attitude that diesels are leaps and bounds above all else. and i have been around many diesels and have friends that have or have had many different breeds of diesels from the early 90's to as new as 2006 and none of them have impressed me enough to make me wanna go out and drop the big moneys to have one.
 
C
Nov 26, 2007
1,153
84
48
dankorage
catillak- i'm quite positive that the avi's and the suv's dont have the alli but heres an easy way to tell. if it says "Allison" in big letters across the bottom of the pan its an allison. why talk about racing trucks when you have a fast car? cuz its fun, i had an old 86 5.0 that was pretty quick for a bit but i still liked rodding the old 71 chev i had more. its good times.

and i will re-state this again, i never said that the gassers would out pull all the diesels. just that some of them would do just as good or better than some of the diesels, at least this is the experience i have seen thus I do not have the desire to own a diesel nor do i have the attitude that diesels are leaps and bounds above all else. and i have been around many diesels and have friends that have or have had many different breeds of diesels from the early 90's to as new as 2006 and none of them have impressed me enough to make me wanna go out and drop the big moneys to have one.
Rodding my 7500lb diesel lol sounds like a good chance to total somebodies car. The mach is old though so its the same feeling as mobbin that 71 chev. People stare
 
T

theultrarider

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Nov 26, 2007
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Soldotna Alaska
I also love these deisel guys running hot chips and big boost making all kinds of claims about their hp and torque numbers. Bottom line though, go ahead and leave that chip cranked up while making a ten mile pull up a steep grade with a REAL load on it and watch that motor and turbo melt out onto the asphalt. then they say that is why they have the guages and have to monitor them and back out of throttle or turn the chip down. Well, the question then is, what are your REAL USEABLE hp numbers? it is useless if you can only run it between stoplights. My truck is for pulling the toy, not for playing with.
 
R

robertyoke

Well-known member
Dec 26, 2007
409
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colorado
I also love these deisel guys running hot chips and big boost making all kinds of claims about their hp and torque numbers. Bottom line though, go ahead and leave that chip cranked up while making a ten mile pull up a steep grade with a REAL load on it and watch that motor and turbo melt out onto the asphalt. then they say that is why they have the guages and have to monitor them and back out of throttle or turn the chip down. Well, the question then is, what are your REAL USEABLE hp numbers? it is useless if you can only run it between stoplights. My truck is for pulling the toy, not for playing with.

aha grasshopper much to learn......twin turbo's!! then egts arent the problem....the drivetrain is... about 1000ft lbs then some really strange noises start to arise....pull a 18000lbs tripple axel toy hauler with a 7500lb truck up the 7 ~8 % grade like vail pass and it will maintain 70 mph. even has a bit left ...sorry but even a supercharged 8.1 cant even dream about it


as far as usuable hp goes about 425~450 with egt's around 1200~1300 at high altitude 10,000 ft+ .....thats rwhp not some inflated crank shaft hp #'s
 
R

robertyoke

Well-known member
Dec 26, 2007
409
71
28
colorado
Here's the bottom line:

I don't ever have any fear at all of my 8.1L not starting after it's been sitting in a parking lot up in the mountains for 12 hours in -20 F temperatures ...

I don't care what additive you put in your diesel, at those temps you're rolling the dice ....

as far as cold starts goes...i didnt drive but how about a 06 dmax not plugged in -27 when we got there and -38 deg in the morning at gunnison.....fired right up! took about a week for it to have heat in the cab ...lol
the 6.0 ford had to be jumped from the d-max...then the dmax had to jump a toyota pick up..lol
 
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