test drove two 8.1L, 2005 was faster than 2006 why???

[ron7000]

i came across a thread on here about torque management,
was wondering if that might be the case and if anyone can go into detail on it.
I test drove a 2005 and a 2006 Sierra 2500HD with the 8.1L.
the 2005 had a lot of pep and impressed me for having over 90k miles.
the 2006 seemed a lot slower to accelerate, had less miles on it, and bummed me out.
thanks.

[DmaxMaverick]

Welcome aboard!

There could be several reasons. The first, possibly a performance tune on the 2005. Other reasons may include maintenance needed (like a fuel or air filter), or it was detuned. Two gear ratios were available (4.10, 3.73), which would affect acceleration and engine load. Previous driving habits can also affect the way the computers manage drive input and power output (adaptive learn).

....Or, it was a 6.0L.

[Mark Rinker]

oH OH...ITS A 6.0 ! :p

Had one of those in a flatbed K3500 shortie. Put dualled out after-cat Flowmasters and turned out pipes on it, and man did sound mean.

With anything on the flatbed, or on a trailer behind, you got to listen to that rattle for a long loooooong LOOOOOOOOOONG time before you were out of the accelerator, and cruising at 65mph.

Then it was always downshifting in search of torque for the hills...

A pathetic followup to the 350.

[argo]

oH OH...ITS A 6.0 ! :p

Had one of those in a flatbed K3500 shortie. Put dualled out after-cat Flowmasters and turned out pipes on it, and man did sound mean.

With anything on the flatbed, or on a trailer behind, you got to listen to that rattle for a long loooooong LOOOOOOOOOONG time before you were out of the accelerator, and cruising at 65mph.

Then it was always downshifting in search of torque for the hills...

A pathetic followup to the 350.

It was a pathetic follow up to the 350 for one reason. Horsepower sells trucks. People these days seem to believe that they need 400 HP to tow a 5,000 lb bass boat/trailer combo, or a 6,000 lb camper. That measly old 250 HP from the Vortec 350 can't handle it. Now you and I know that's not the case. The old 200 HP TBI equipped 350 would pull anything asked of it and was plenty peppy. The Vortec engine was more powerful, but lost a little grunt. The 6.0 is a powerhouse... at 5,500 RPM! Where is the low end torque? Sacrificed on the altar of Horsepower! This is an industry wide problem IMHO. Ford's 5.4L Triton can't touch a 351 for real world use. The "Hemi" can't hold a candle to the 360 when pulling a load. The 5.3 and 6.0 can't touch the venerable 350 either. But all three of those modern engines listed can all lay down Horsepower numbers that make their older brethren look like lame ducks. If Chevy re-introduced the TBI or Vortec 350 (assuming it could pass modern emissions standards) nobody would buy it because even though it would be functionally superior to the high horsepower mills of today, people will pick the bigger horsepower number any day of the week.

[vsandme]

Ill have to agree with Argo here, I have a TBI 350 3500 that wouldnt win a drag race against a kid on a skateboard but tows anything. And with the 6.0 and 8.1, the 8.1 has a bit more pep but the 6.0 makes a bit better mileage, But the 5.3 makes even better mileage :) this may be irrelevant to you but its the first thought that crosses my mind with the 8.1 and its insane thirst for fuel.