When I bought my 1988 Suburban, I had my heart set on putting a duramax in it, power(POWER), fuel economy, NVH, would almost all surely be improved. since then, I'm started thinking more and more about going a different route with the truck, the way I see it, I have 5 options
1. Duramax. Pros, it's stupid powerful, very reliable(LBZ at least...) and should get good economy. cons, with stupid power, comes stupid expensive, and it's also a very large engine, making it harder to package into the truck.
2. 6.5 turbo diesel. pros, it's inexpensive (at least compared to a duramax), should get excellent fuel economy, and make enough power for my needs. cons, some variants have a history of snapping crankshafts, and IIRC, all have a very high compression ratio which isn't as good on performance. and for me, there are also many unknowns with regards to tuning the engine for max economy or power. I plan to stay away from 6.2's all together, they get great economy, but that's it. I need to be able to tow occasionally with the truck.
3. 5.2L Izuzu NPR diesel. pros(kinda) I've heard these get stellar fuel economy, even in the box trucks they came in, they're an inline 4, so they might not be that hard to package, and if they have the beans to move a loaded box truck, a puny Suburban should be a cake walk. cons, I know almost nothing about these engines, and what I do is mostly hearsay. Performance numbers I've seen online all look promising though.
4.. Cummins 4bt or 6bt, pros, everyone knows the name Cummins, they make great power, and are downright bulletproof, I'm told the 4bt gets great fuel economy too. cons, I prefer not to mix and match engine and transmission manufacturers, I don't trust any Chrysler transmission at all, and I would prefer to keep my Suburban an automatic.
5. don't burn diesel. this option is the easiest for sure, but I would like to improve my range without carrying jerry cans. the truck has a 40 gallon fuel tank, and I imagine a diesel could net at least a 50% increase in my current ~400 mile range.
I would love to hear your thoughts, opinions, and experience.
1. Duramax. Pros, it's stupid powerful, very reliable(LBZ at least...) and should get good economy. cons, with stupid power, comes stupid expensive, and it's also a very large engine, making it harder to package into the truck.
2. 6.5 turbo diesel. pros, it's inexpensive (at least compared to a duramax), should get excellent fuel economy, and make enough power for my needs. cons, some variants have a history of snapping crankshafts, and IIRC, all have a very high compression ratio which isn't as good on performance. and for me, there are also many unknowns with regards to tuning the engine for max economy or power. I plan to stay away from 6.2's all together, they get great economy, but that's it. I need to be able to tow occasionally with the truck.
3. 5.2L Izuzu NPR diesel. pros(kinda) I've heard these get stellar fuel economy, even in the box trucks they came in, they're an inline 4, so they might not be that hard to package, and if they have the beans to move a loaded box truck, a puny Suburban should be a cake walk. cons, I know almost nothing about these engines, and what I do is mostly hearsay. Performance numbers I've seen online all look promising though.
4.. Cummins 4bt or 6bt, pros, everyone knows the name Cummins, they make great power, and are downright bulletproof, I'm told the 4bt gets great fuel economy too. cons, I prefer not to mix and match engine and transmission manufacturers, I don't trust any Chrysler transmission at all, and I would prefer to keep my Suburban an automatic.
5. don't burn diesel. this option is the easiest for sure, but I would like to improve my range without carrying jerry cans. the truck has a 40 gallon fuel tank, and I imagine a diesel could net at least a 50% increase in my current ~400 mile range.
I would love to hear your thoughts, opinions, and experience.
