# Gm's Diesel Van - Duramax 6.6



## Fanatical1 (Jan 9, 2006)

My brother in law in considering GM's 2500 full size van with a Duramax diesel 6.6 for towing his trialer.

I thought it was an interesting idea for those families that
want an option other than a pick up truck for towing a larger TT. He's thinking of a 2500 full size conversion van with the Duramax. Does anyone have any experience with these vans?

Here's an older article on the van...

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2009/08/first-look-2011-duramax-diesel-v8-engine.html


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## H2oSprayer (Aug 5, 2006)

Humm.....I wonder if they are finally going to jam that monster into a 3/4 Suburban as well?


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## outback loft (Sep 22, 2008)

It takes a bit of work to jam that motor into anything other than the 2500 and 3500. I have a 6.6 and an Allison 6 speed manual that I am considering to drop into my truck now. I was able to squeeze the 6.0 VortecMax and an Allison 5 speed in there, but the Duramax and the 6 speed is just a bit bigger and will take a bit more custom work to fit that into a 1500 series truck.

I do these kind of swaps not for towing, but for sheer power and speed. I sure do get that when I am done with my builds. I have taken a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a 5.9 v8 and all wheel drive and supercharged it, along with some reprogramming and nitrous, I was able to lift the front of that off the ground on a holeshot, that is If I didn't spin all 4 tires when I punched the gas pedal. I have in my truck now along with the 6.0VortecMax, I have reprogrammed it and have a propane injection system on it and it will throw me back in the seat when I punch it.


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## duggy (Mar 17, 2010)

I don't have any experience with the Duramax, but I am towing with a 2010 Chevrolet Express 2500 with the 6.0 liter gas engine. I've only used full size GM vans for work for the last 30 years, so I can't compare to the pick-ups, but it feels quite comfortable hauling our 250RS. My previous van was a 2003 Express 1500, and it felt safe hauling the trailer as well, although the 2500 doesn't seem to get "jerked" by the trailer as much when you go over large bumps and humps. I think the stiffer suspension of the 2500 handles the input from the trailer better. Both vans are rock solid in the sway department. Even if the trailer moves a bit with a truck passing, the van stays steady. The biggest problem with the 1500 was that the 4.3 liter V6 struggled with the bigger trailer. I guess that's why they gave it a 4400 lb towing capacity. I was actually surprised how often the six speed shifts on the new truck, but I guess that's the point of having all those gears. At least now I can accelerate uphill from 60 mph if I want to.

I'm sure the diesel would make a world of difference with the trailer hitched up. I think a 2500 van with a diesel would make a solid tow vehicle.

Doug


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

A DMAX van would make an awesome tow rig!

Carey


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## Beaner242 (Jun 25, 2007)

Check here. Duramax forum. Any info you could want right there.


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## KTMRacer (Jun 28, 2010)

We used a 87 chevy van to tow with years ago, the 3/4ton makes a pretty stable tow vehicle. I now have a silverado with the duramax and the diesel is wonderful. However, unless something changed over the last few years, the duramax in the van is a considerably detuned version of the truck engine. IIRC it is rated at 250 HP (don't recall the torque) and coupled to a GM hydramatic transmission. The main reason for the detune was the inability to stuff the allison in the van chassis, and the limited torque handling capability of the GM transmission. Even with 250 HP it would still make an awsome tow vehicle for someone who wants to seat more than 4 people


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