2011 Duramax Questions

I'm thinking of trading trucks and would like to know a few things. The new towing capacities of the 2500 Chevy or GMC look like I wouldn't need a dually to haul my 2010 3580 Bighorn. I'm curious about the following.

1. What are you towing with a 2500
2. How is the power
3. Mileage
4. Anyone using a short box
5. Any other comments (except get a Ford, LOL) would be greatly appreciated

Thanks,
Dan

Dan, I've got a 2011 GMC Sierra 3500 SRW, Long bed, 4WD. The Diesel engine gets me close to 19 MPG on interstates when not towing. Gets about 12 MPG on level terrain when towing our Landmark Rushmore (GVWR of 16,200). Plenty of power; merges easily when towing. Good stability in moderate crosswinds. No problems from passing tractor-trailers.

If I remember correctly, the difference in price between 2500 and 3500 is around $1000, but you get much better TV load capacity.

We tow our 2011 Sundance 2900MK with a 2005 Duramax 2500 4 wheel drive. We did install the Banks 6 gun chip on it, and it has unbelievable power! No problem pulling thru the mountains at all. It gets about 18 mpg, about 13 pulling the fifth wheel. It is a crew cab (short bed) but with the cut outs on the nose of the fifth wheel, we have never needed or used our slide reese hitch! Can't recommend this truck enough and would buy another one without hesitation. Hubby says the air lift kit we installed was beneficial in keeping the suspension level. Good luck!

Great trucks - just don't ever take them anywhere that gets cold!
We have multiple of these 2011's and the majority of them are taking up space in the dealers shop.
I think you may want to wait a year, til they have the bugs worked out of the all new emissions eqt.
Dont walk past one with a popsicle in your hand...it will derate

Hi,
I just purchased a 2011 3500 single tire short bed.... Max Payload stamped on the door is 3920 lbs,,, Max fifth towing for my VIN build is 17000 lbs.

Thanks guys

Dan,
GM has a $3005 rebate on there HDs until January 3rd,,, The best deal and trade in value I found was a GMC dealer in Colordo with a 4005 rebate. I purchaced my in North Carilona through the internet and they are delivering and picking up my trade in Houston.. There are only about 30 new 2011 3500 HD shortbeds in the US at this time..

hillsonwheels said:

Us dummies gotta know...........what's a "urea tank"???? Do you gotta whiz in it before the diesel will work?

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Right on....this is GM's latest hybrid truck

hillsonwheels said:

Us dummies gotta know...........what's a "urea tank"???? :

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The 2011 Federal guidelines for Diesel emissions have pushed US diesel truck manufacturers to inject food-grade urea into the exhaust. This lowers the Nitrous Oxide emission by about 85%. Ford and GM have this installed in their 2011 model diesel trucks, with Dodge following suit in 2011.5. This system is supposed to go into effect for medium and heavy duty trucks in 2014, I believe.

The urea mixture is held in a tank (gm tank is located outside the frame under the passenger side floor board and hols about 5 gal) and injected into the exhaust. Mine appears to use Diesel Exhaust fluid at about 1 gallon per thousand miles. It is available in consumer packaging at auto parts store and truck stops. I've paid anywhere from $9 gallon to $14 for 2.5 gallons. I've heard that it should become available (>2014??) in bulk dispensers at the diesel pumps and the price should drop to $2 -$3/gallon.

hillsonwheels said:

Us dummies gotta know...........what's a "urea tank"???? Do you gotta whiz in it before the diesel will work?

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Yep. its the new way to control exhaust gases that the great EPA has set standards for. The tank has to be filled every 500 to 600 miles with DEF(diesel exhaust fluid) and if you let it get to low it puts your truck into LIMP mode until you fill it again. So this cuts into your fuel mileage a bit, but no one talks about that. About 25.00 dollars to fill it. The standards are only going to get more stringent and costly has our government gets more control of things. They call it Green.

The majority of the problems our company is having is indeed with the urea or DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid).
This product has a freeze point of -7C or 19F, so if the truck is left outside in colder temperatures the urea freezes.
When you start the truck after it is cold, the engine derates as it is unable to get a supply from the frozen tank.
There are coolant lines running to this tank, but in the kind of weather we have, this fluid is no where near a liquid state before the computer calls for it. Our interm solution was to leave these units in a heated shop until required...that works well except once we have them running unattended in the cold environment, the unit will eventually go into "regen" mode and it is unable to complete the regen cycle while idling.
This means that if you happen to catch it at the time it needs to regen, you must drive it for a period at speeds greater than 30mph. If you miss the regen cycle, the unit will once again derate.
We currently have GM techs on site attempting to resolve the issue, but no solutions as yet.
They do make pretty conversation pieces parked in the shop!

Since GM recalled my 2008 GMC heated windshield fluid reservoir because of fire hazard, it'll interesting to see how they will solve the urea tank problem.

YaShouldaGotaDiesel said:

.... The tank has to be filled every 500 to 600 miles with DEF(diesel exhaust fluid) and if you let it get to low it puts your truck into LIMP mode until you fill it again. So this cuts into your fuel mileage a bit, but no one talks about that. About 25.00 dollars to fill it.

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Not to be terse, but your info is skewed.

Speaking only for the GMC / Chevy - In rough terms, the 5 gallon DEF tank is supposed to be good for about 5000 miles. There is no guage or dipstick to know how much is in there. With approximately 1000 miles remaining till empty , the truck (DIC) prompts you to refill the tank soon, which should cost less than $45. At 200 or 300 miles remaining, your speed is limited to 55 mph and the nagging gets more persistent. When the tank runs completely empty, your vehicle will be limited to only 4 mph. There is a sensor in the tank that monitors the "quality" of the DEF so that is can't be diluted or filled with anything other than the "real Stuff."

Your fuel mileage is totally unaffected by the DEF system. The DEF only reacts with the Nitrous oxides in the exhaust to break them down into ammonia.

The 2011 Duramax gets about 15% better mileage than its predecessors, as during the "Regen" cycle there is another fuel injector that injects diesel fuel into the exhaust to clean the particulate filter, whereas in older trucks the engines fuel/air mixture was richened to raise the EGT to clean the particulate filter. The regen now occurs about every 700 miles as needed to clean the exhaust filter, rather than every 400 to 500 miles as previous models did. The regen cycle is less frequent, shorter, and doesn't have to run the engine in a richer condition, so performance is not affected and there is no risk of engine oil dilution, as in the earlier models.

GM and Ford both are going to have problems with the DEF tank (Urea Tank). Dodge also as soon as they jump on board. My understanding on that Dodge woont put it on the consumer trucks, only commercial trucks as long as the government lets them slide by with it. The freezing problem was well known and unavoidable. DEF is a mixture of 32.5% Urea and 67.5% Deionized Water. It starts freezing or "Gelling" as its being called at 11 degrees F. One other problem that isnt getting much attention is the fact that somewhere around 112 degrees F, Urea breaks down into an ammonia gas. Guees we will have to see how that works out for owners living in very hot envoirnments. Hopefully the manufacturers will be able to work this out or find another way to satisfy the EPA. Something has to happen before the medium and class 8 trucks can go to the system in 2014.

Riverman I hope they get the problems they are having with the fleet trucks straight up there. I have read the trucks arent supposed to call for the DEf until it thaws. Im wondering if the lines are staying frozen even after the tanks thaw out?

Either way I am sure if I was looking to buy a new truck I would wait at least a yeear and see what comes of all this new-fangled-government-mandated technology.

I was an inch from signing for a new 3500. Sure glad you guys provided this information it sure did make up my mind. No way in heck do I want to own one of these DEF systems in Vermont. i will wait untill this problem is resolved. Thanks again for all the information.

Your right I got the mileage wrong. I left out a few 0's. What I mean by limp mode is what you said Limited to 55mph is limp mode and 4mph is real Limp mode. Maybe I use the wrong word(limp), but limited to anything other than what you desire is like having a V-8 but you can only use 4 cylinders. And mpg? If your adding def every 5000miles that cuts into your fuel costs.

Dick,

After my purchase of the 2011 GMC a friend of mine asked me about the urea tank and I had the same response you had. I did some investigating and guess what . . . I had just bought one. More commonly known as Diesel Exhaust Fluid or DEF. The refill point is mounted under the hood of the engine with the tank mounted on the side of the driver-side frame rail. Supposedly, DEF refill intervals will vary depending on duty cycle with some of us only have to refill during routine maintenance, while others if they're towing frequently, will have to top off the tank sooner. In talking with my salesman the Duramax-equipped trucks will warn the driver when the fluid is down to a 1,000-mile range, after that a series of start-up warnings -- including lights, chimes and messages -- will become more frequent until the tank is empty. Before this the truck will only travel a top speed of 55 mph. If the driver continues to operate the truck with a dry tank, after a final warning and restart the truck will only operate in a "limp-home" mode that limits speed to just 5 mph until the tank is refilled. I guess if this is right than if a person does run out then it is more on them than anything else. Then again we always see some dumbass along the road with a gas tank stuck in their fill valve.

I sure did not mean to walk all over the above posts with my comments to Hillsonwheels. When I signed in all I saw was the post which said "Us dummies gotta know" and saw no other posts. After posting my comments I then saw all others. Rick, thanks for your additional information and what you had said is pretty much what was explained to me. Riverman thank you too. While your input was not as positive it is good information to know. Living in the temps I do this is very concerning. I plan to visit me dealership again this week and find more facts out about it using your comments. Wow, just when you thing you were heading in the right direction along comes a sign that turns you around. If I had known any of this I would have given second thought to the trade . . . maybe still will.