2022 Chevy 2500 pickup- coworker purchased- very "retro" for a pickup

[GON]

A coworker purchased a Chevy 2500 pickup, extended cab, 4wd, gas engine last week. Not overly optioned. Paid about 60k out the door, which I thought was a low price with Washington state sales tax of ten percent.

What I was most surprised about this truck was its old school simplicity. I could see all the plug wires, and looked like I could change the plugs without any struggle. Under the hood was wide open, like a pickup from the early 1970s.

The interior didn't seem much different from my 1991 Chevy 3500. No big high tech screen, HVAC changes made with physical knobs. Only big difference I saw from my 1991 was the integrated trailer brake controller (and the Bluetooth).

Not sure how good the drivetrain is in the 2022. But I sure liked the old school simplicity. If only GM would update their brake lines to copper nickel, like most European manufacturers did 40 years ago, I would consider this truck (if I wasn't so cheap).

 

[JRed]

Now he should see if he can flip it and make a small profit or break even and go buy a slightly older truck that didn't have direct injection.

 

[GON]

Now he should see if he can flip it and make a small profit or break even and go buy a slightly older truck that didn't have direct injection.

He is actually owns a 1999 F250, same color, same "supercab", and the 1999 needs not a thing. The 1999 has the very dependable 5.4 2v (less spark plus popping out). He is going to sell his 1999 F250, he asked me what to sell it for, I said 8k.

He said he got a "deal" on the 2022 Chevy because it was an extended/ super cab. And that everyone wants a crew cab, nobody wants the extended cab. He said if the same truck was a crew cab, the cost increase would have been very significant.

 

[Snagglefoot]

The 2500 has the new L8T 6.6 liter engine. Although it has a cast iron block and aluminum heads, the parts don’t interchange with the old 6.0. Here’s a couple random screen shots.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Another factoid is the block has siamesed cylinders much like the old Chevy 400 Chevy small block. The engine also comes as a crate engine and Scoggin Dickey has its own custom version with some extra machining.

 

[Cujet]

It has a 4.065-inch bore 3.86-inch stroke, 401ci, 6.6L. Iron block. That's just right! And check it out, no "head gasket failure" slots between the cylinders... Also, it does not have Active or Dynamic Fuel Management, nice!

 

[hemioiler]

The problem with the GM 2500's is not the 6.6, but the 6 speed they're mated too. That drivetrain may be quite bulletproof but it's lackluster in terms of performance when you put it up against the Ford 7.3 with a 10 speed, or even the Ram 6.4 with the 8.

For 2024 GM is putting the 10 speed behind the 6.6. About time.

 

[supton]

The problem with the GM 2500's is not the 6.6, but the 6 speed they're mated too. That drivetrain may be quite bulletproof but it's lackluster in terms of performance when you put it up against the Ford 7.3 with a 10 speed, or even the Ram 6.4 with the 8.

For 2024 GM is putting the 10 speed behind the 6.6. About time.

I thought the main issue with the 6AT was the torque convertor being used ”poorly”, being used in a slippage condition, to smooth out the engine while in AFM? Wasn’t sure it had issues other than that.

I’m guessing 10 speeds though would allow it dial in the most-right gear though. I wonder though, with torque management, just how much torque can really be pushed out the engine, in those lower gears. Low gears for taking off without the engine “working hard”, but a big low rev’ing engine under high load on the highway, should make for a pleasant experience I’d think.

Would not have guessed some of these big blocks were coming back. I wondered about it back when diesel emissions were rolling in, but everyone said “nope” back then. Apparently there’s a case to be made in the medium duty, simple engine that makes the torque needed for the job.

 

[Cujet]

I have 2 F150's with the 6 speed and one with the 10 speed.

6 gears is enough to have the right gear.

I like the 10sp, and it sounds like a drag racer, the way it shifts so fast. But a 300RPM drop during a shift just really does not make a big difference. In reality you could use every other gear in the 10sp and be just fine.

 

[hemioiler]

I thought the main issue with the 6AT was the torque convertor being used ”poorly”, being used in a slippage condition, to smooth out the engine while in AFM? Wasn’t sure it had issues other than that.

I’m guessing 10 speeds though would allow it dial in the most-right gear though. I wonder though, with torque management, just how much torque can really be pushed out the engine, in those lower gears. Low gears for taking off without the engine “working hard”, but a big low rev’ing engine under high load on the highway, should make for a pleasant experience I’d think.

Would not have guessed some of these big blocks were coming back. I wondered about it back when diesel emissions were rolling in, but everyone said “nope” back then. Apparently there’s a case to be made in the medium duty, simple engine that makes the torque needed for the job.

Gas engines are becoming super powerful in HD's these days. Many can get by with them now instead of going diesel. Ford just released a new 6.8 based on their "new" 7.3, so that's their base engine these days. GM's 6.6 should hopefully really improve with another 4 gears. Not sure what Ram is doing, the 6.4 is quite old now and they sent a survey to other 2500 owners asking them what they thought about turbos. That's a hard pass in a work truck.

The 10 speed is all about towing, and keeping you in the power band. TFL Truck tests all these trucks up an 8 mile grade towing heavy loads, and the old 6.6 with a 6 speed clearly struggled, at one point it was lugging at 2500 RPMs or thereabouts, refusing to downshift. That may have been a heating issue, but more gears means you're always in the right RPM for the load, without either lugging or revving needlessly high.

More gears means more room to spread gear ratios; so they can increase the first gear ratio, and lower the final one; meaning more power off the line while still giving lower RPMs cruising empty down the freeway.

 

[64bawagon]

Mine pulls just fine with the 6 speed, my fifth wheel weighs almost 12K, If you offered me the 6 spd or a 10 spd I would stick with the 6 speed.
As for the Ford, well .7 liter size advantage may make some of the difference, and the Ram 6.4 I would run against every day of the week.
The lack of AFM on this engine made a huge difference in its drivability. Lets just say I am not a fan of cylinder deactivation.

 

[hemioiler]

The GM 6.6 did worst up that grade, the Ram doing much better and much closer to the Ford 7.3. The GM makes more power than Rams 6.4 hemi, it's actually closer to the Ford 7.3 in terms of HP/Torque so there is no reason why it should do that much worse than it did. Only reason we can find is the use of the old 6 speed.

 

[Snagglefoot]

I recall that test. If they would have put the tranny into manual control and got the engine back to peak torque it would have done much better. If Chev believes the 10 speed can take 400 lb ft of torque, then let it happen. I have 240,000 miles on my 6L90 and dependability is much more important than the number of gears IMHO.

 

[hemioiler]

I recall that test. If they would have put the tranny into manual control and got the engine back to peak torque it would have done much better. If Chev believes the 10 speed can take 400 lb ft of torque, then let it happen. I have 240,000 miles on my 6L90 and dependability is much more important than the number of gears IMHO.

That is one theory yes, "bad programming" causing the lack of downshift. But another theory is that the computer didn't allow the downshift due to heat issues.

That 10 speed is the same transmission behind the GM 6.6 diesel, it can definitely handle whatever the gasser can throw at it.

Dependability is important yes, but so is performance.

 

[supton]

The 10 speed is all about towing, and keeping you in the power band.

With today's long and flat torque band I find it hard to believe that the ratios in the 6AT are that far apart... but I'd have to do math and stuff to look. But yes, tighter ratios, less rpm drop between gears, dial in engine rpm so as to meet required hp (tq) for the job at hand.

 

[Snagglefoot]

That is one theory yes, "bad programming" causing the lack of downshift. But another theory is that the computer didn't allow the downshift due to heat issues.

That 10 speed is the same transmission behind the GM 6.6 diesel, it can definitely handle whatever the gasser can throw at it.

Dependability is important yes, but so is performance.

Just checked it out. It’s going to be the Allison 10 speed. It gets my seal of approval, LOL.

 

[ls1mike]

Sounds like a W/T or maybe an LT. Good Chevrolet near us has them on the lot often near that price. He has what GM calls a double cab. 4 doors but the rear two or smaller than a normal Crew Cab.

I have lived out here for 26 years, brakes lines are just not an issue in Washington.

 

[hemioiler]

With today's long and flat torque band I find it hard to believe that the ratios in the 6AT are that far apart... but I'd have to do math and stuff to look. But yes, tighter ratios, less rpm drop between gears, dial in engine rpm so as to meet required hp (tq) for the job at hand.

N/A gassers are far from "long and flat". They are still quite peaky. Surprisingly it's the new turbos/super charged gassers that have a flatter torque curve these days, the GM 2.7 turbo has like 90% torque somewhere around 1800 rpms. Ford's ecoboosts are similar idea, torque comes on hard and fast and just stays there. The use of twin turbos or "dual volante" in the case of the GM 2.7 means that they can get both fast and hard torque off the line with very little turbo lag. The GM 2.7 feels stronger than my hemi does, unless you go WOT in both in which case the hemi pulls away due it's pretty significant HP advantage. But city driving or towing off the line, that 2.7 feels good.

Can't speak 100% for the GM 6.6, but I know the hemis still need to rev high to make usable power for towing.

 

[wpod]

Retro / heavy duty is what makes the HD pickups wonderful. I like the wife's 2018 F 350 much better that my 2015 F150 in a pick up truck way.

 

[supton]

Can't speak 100% for the GM 6.6, but I know the hemis still need to rev high to make usable power for towing.

End of the day, horsepower typically climbs with rpm. Hit a hill at speed, have high power requirement, a gasser gotta spin. Diesels pack all that torque down low, which makes the horsepower down low also (and then they promptly run out of rpm, torque and hp).