For a good laugh look

[ih1466]

I have a 2001 D-Max and am mostly satisfied with it. I wish it got better milage. I held out for a while to get a 6spd. but took an allison that the dealer had on order. The one thing that makes me madddddd is the constant downshifting out of O.D. My 6.5 with the 5spd. I left in 5th 95% of the time. But I love the power it has for pulling my 30' gn with my pulling tractor on it. I love tractor pulling so here is where I am going with all this.

Go to www.pullingpoweronline.com then click on the forum section. Look at all the anti D-Max stuff and all the pro powerjoke stuff. There has been more on and off so maybe take a look every once and a while. These people must live a sheltered life or are brainwashed.

[Colorado Kid]

Uh, Buddy, you need to read here more often. That shifting that you're unhappy with is called "Shift Business When Towing" and there a TSB for an update. Go to your dealer, make the complaint, get reflashed and be happy.

[Southard]

The updated shift program helps a little with the downshifting but not much. I pull heavy, 29000 pounds combined total vehicle and trailer, and the update doesn't make much difference. I also pull a tall fifth wheel camping trailer and have continuous downshifts. While pulling smaller, and lighter trailers, the update did make a noticeable difference in the amount of shifting.

[slapshot44]

At the risk of being flamed, I would like to post an opinion here. First off, those of you out there who are considering buying a D-max (or any other brand of 3/4 to 1-ton truck). If you are going to overload the truck or run it right at the edge of max weight ratings... get the manual transmission if you don't want your truck to downshift when the engineers have decided that it needs too!

Let me interject a little engineering perspective. While every one knows that there are considerable safety factors engineered into any mechanical product, they are just that--safety factors-- not intended to be used as "Well they say I can tow a 15,000 lb trailer, but I know they got them safety factors in there, so I'm gonna go ahead and pull a 20,000 lb trailer." The vehicle is engineered to satisfy a wide range of conditions and uses. Your particular condition may or may not be the one that the vehicle is optimized for... I know there are more than a few pilots who frequent this board. I'm sure they can tell you what the consequences can be when you are continually operating at "the edge of the design envelope."

That being said, I'm not flaming on you guys who are really working your trucks. Ley me say; I'm amazed at how strong these trucks are. But, when you are looking at what truck you need to take care of your particular load, be realistic. The RV and towables market is a lot like the computer software scenario. The hardware manufacturers keep stretching the limits of design and speed, and the programmers keep on inflating and bloating their code. Then they point their fingers at the hardware and say "Hey, its not our fault, you need to build faster and stronger systems." The RV and trailer manufacturers are doing the same thing. You can drive into any RV dealership today and buy a slide-in camper or trailer that requires a medium-duty truck to pull (or carry) it. (Of course, the salesman won't tell you that.) They say something like "Put some airbags and a tranny cooler on your truck and you'll be fine..." :eek:

The consensus on the board from the guys who do pull major weight seems to be that the manual trans does a better job of it. The Allison will handle the job, but it is going to be downshifting when IT thinks it needs to, not when YOU think it should. Hopefully there will be a software update to appease the truck owners who are running max weight rating, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

So, the point of this whole inflated post (gee, how did it get so long so fast?) is that if you haven't bought your Dmax yet, and you are really going to work it, consider getting one with the manual trans. Oh, and complain that you would REALLY like to get one with the Allison, but you hear that it downshifts too much when you really pull a heavy load with it. That way maybe they'll work on an update for the guys who are already pulling heavy with the Allison. :rolleyes:

[ 05-01-2002: Message edited by: slapshot44 ]</p>

[AzKevin]

Southard,

No doubt you understand the Dmax/Allison has a 22000# GCWR and you are substantially over that.

There are several folks that "pull heavy" and are quite happy with the Allison's improved shifting. One fella on pickuptruck.com named "broker" owns a CTD, PSD and Dmax. He claims to be ecstatic with his 200,000+ mile Dmax. Maybe the trick is to keep the weight within the ratings. ;)

[SoCalDMAX]

slapshot44,

Alright! You asked for it! Here goes: I agree with you 110%! ;) :D Your post was excellently written and great advice, just the kind of advice a prospective buyer would ask for (and they have.) I can't see why anyone would flame you, you were just stating common sense.

The only thing I'd like to add is that if I were going to pull at, over or near max load with this truck, I'd add parts to make sure it handled well, braked well and ADD MORE POWER. I've mentioned quite a few times (and others have as well) that the tranny shifts less with more power, if it can maintain/increase desired speed without resorting to downshifting, it will.

I don't think I've ever heard Hoot, MAC or PEANUTGRWR complain about too much downshifting. ;)

I don't tow anything (yet) but I've added some power just because it makes the truck that much more of a joy to drive. In the congested commuter logjam we call traffic these days, I can cut thru traffic at will, not even aware that I touched the throttle. At the risk of sounding like a commercial, it truly rides, handles and moves like a dream.

Regards, Steve

[ 05-01-2002: Message edited by: SoCalDMAX ]</p>

[stretch]

Ditto of Slapshot and SoCal's posts smile.gif You cannot expect a mass manufactured vehicle to please everybody all the time. People who use their trucks as cars complain the ride is a bit harsh. Hunters and off roaders say there is not enough ground clearance. Heavy towers have their list of complaints. But for the masses : people who carry some weight periodically, tow a weekender sized trailer(less than 30'), commute to work and wants decent fuel mileage and ride will be very satisfied with the Silverado D/A. As for the rest, heavy towers,off roaders,urban warriors etc., there is the aftermarket that stays in buisness to make our vehicles into what we want. If buyers understand these ramblings of mine, there would be far less whining and more searching for the solutions to satisfy their particular needs. Just my 2 cents. ;)

[JEBar]

Amen!! :cool:

[DieselDennis]

uh, AZKevin,

From what I've read of Broker's own posts and what I've reread here, I believe that Broker is a hotshot car hauler and I think that he (like some of us here) stretches that #22,000 GCVW mark quite regularly. I don't think working these trucks a little here in there is too bad of a thing.
And as for the shift business in the Allison, well let's say I'm a little partial to the ZF6. ;)

[glclary]

For the sake of the conversation, I have an '01 with the latest updates as of about a month ago. I only pull 8,000 lbs and while the "shifty business" thing is some better than it was originally, it still shifts way too often. IMHO. I'm love the truck but still not plum satisfied with the shifting charactistics but I'll learn to live with it.

Regards,
Lee

[ 05-02-2002: Message edited by: glclary ]</p>

[Southard]

Mine still shifts way too much when I am only pulling my camping trailer. It weighs about 12,500 pounds so I am well within the CGVWR of the pickup. I realize that this trailer has a very large frontal area and that has more affect than weight. I also pull the exact same trailers with a 2002 1-ton Ford dually Powerstroke with 4.10 gears and a Superchip. It almost never downshifts and pulls the load with a much more relaxed feeling. I like my pickup but the Ford does have some advantages. I know it is not fair to compare a modified pickup to one that is totally stock but chips are very common on Fords and don't appear to be causing many problems with them. Hopefully, after a few years, we will have the same success with the mods for the Duramax.