Chevrolet Suburban 3500 Questions

[Bigburb3500]

Off on a tangent... curious from those of you who have gone from a 08-13 2500 (6 Speed) to a 3500, is your towing mileage any different? The 3500 has 4.10s vs 3.73s on the 2500, but with the 2500 towing close to 10K it doesn't spend much time in 6th except going down hills.

So I will not be able to comment much on this in terms of comparison but based on GeoTrash’s experience it’s not mileage you gain but stability and confidence. These trucks are pretty stout, but generally similar/identical frame wise to the GMT900 2500 Subs.
I think you are mainly getting newer tech, bigger brakes, and a fleet designed truck vs a consumer biased vehicle.

 

[TripleFJeff]

So I will not be able to comment much on this in terms of comparison but based on GeoTrash’s experience it’s not mileage you gain but stability and confidence. These trucks are pretty stout, but generally similar/identical frame wise to the GMT900 2500 Subs.
I think you are mainly getting newer tech, bigger brakes, and a fleet designed truck vs a consumer biased vehicle.

I was curious because I've seen lots of different numbers out there for them and they seemed higher than I'd expect, like 16/23 which can't be right. Since it's a 3500 and the EPA doesn't require fuel economy testing on the 3500s you can't look it up on fueleconomy.gov. I wouldn't expect it to be any better than my current one, as the only real difference is 4.10 vs 3.73.

Chassis-wise, I'd expect it to be very similar to my 2500 which is already great. The only reason I'm considering switching is it's getting old (210K) and while it's been great, it's starting to get some small leaks and rust and I'd like to get out of it before anything big happens.

 

[Bigburb3500]

I was curious because I've seen lots of different numbers out there for them and they seemed higher than I'd expect, like 16/23 which can't be right. Since it's a 3500 and the EPA doesn't require fuel economy testing on the 3500s you can't look it up on fueleconomy.gov. I wouldn't expect it to be any better than my current one, as the only real difference is 4.10 vs 3.73.

Chassis-wise, I'd expect it to be very similar to my 2500 which is already great. The only reason I'm considering switching is it's getting old (210K) and while it's been great, it's starting to get some small leaks and rust and I'd like to get out of it before anything big happens.

Around town driving I can attest that my mpg is about 13.5-14.5. Highway cruising at 65MPH you can get into the 16MPG but it will hover around 14.5-15.5 if going above 70MPH.
Towing I have little I can offer as I don’t do much at this point. This is a HD family hauler for me.

 

[Geotrash]

I was curious because I've seen lots of different numbers out there for them and they seemed higher than I'd expect, like 16/23 which can't be right. Since it's a 3500 and the EPA doesn't require fuel economy testing on the 3500s you can't look it up on fueleconomy.gov. I wouldn't expect it to be any better than my current one, as the only real difference is 4.10 vs 3.73.

Chassis-wise, I'd expect it to be very similar to my 2500 which is already great. The only reason I'm considering switching is it's getting old (210K) and while it's been great, it's starting to get some small leaks and rust and I'd like to get out of it before anything big happens.

Like you, I think 16/23 is fantasy. I've seen 20 on a 150 mile highway trip with just me on board.