Is 2006 the last year GM put the 8.1L into the YukonXL/Suburban?

[Tank]

Thinking of buying a Suburban or Yukon XL but I need the 8.1L. Is 06 the last year they made it. I'd really like an 07 or newer.

And on that topic. Anyone want an 05 3500 GMC crewcab 4x4 Dually?

[BBB725]

Are you planning on towing with it? I went from a one ton dually to a Suburban with an 8.1, I wish I would have kept the dually

[Tank]

Are you planning on towing with it? I went from a one ton dually to a Suburban with an 8.1, I wish I would have kept the dually

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?

[Sydwayz]

Tank, talk to Luke. We went through this together. Go with an '05 Excursion with the coil spring front suspension that has a great turning radius. You will love it.

[BBB725]

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?

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]

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!

[BDiggity]

& i thought the tow capacity of the Excursion was even less than the 2500 Sub by couple hundred pounds.

[Davidmnc]

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!

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]

& i thought the tow capacity of the Excursion was even less than the 2500 Sub by couple hundred pounds.

I thought they were both 12,000 lbs when properly equipped

[Griff]

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]

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

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.

[OldSchool]

PS - All of this info is irrelevant if you only tow a short distance and you are really careful!

[BGIII]

I ran my Yukon XL 4x4 w/ 8.1L over the CAT scale today, it was 6,840# w/ full tank of fuel and me minus the third row seat.

[fstboatlvr]

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........

[Dave]

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.