
Others have said they have reached 14 mpg when empty and driving on the highway Some people reported a low of 5 mpg when towing and 8-9 when empty. These will all play a factor as will driving in the city or the highway.Īnother factor will be the type of vehicle the engine was placed in. The usual factors will apply, driving habits, road conditions, weather conditions, weight in the vehicle, and how much you are towing.
#Hartmann coma x v8.5.1 manual
The manual should also give you the cargo weight capacity as well. Check the manual to see how much the engine or truck is rated to tow. It has been said that the upper limit is 10,400 pounds. The towing capacity will depend on the type of model the engine comes in. Although you may get 14 mpg on the highway when empty. 8 mpg unloaded and only 5 when towing up to 7500 to 10,000pounds. This motor was paired with an Allison transmission, which even FORD agrees is probably the best in the world. The maximum speed on the trucks, SUVs, and vans only reached 5000 RPM. Other specs include a firing order of 1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3, a 6 1/2 quart engine oil capacity, naturally aspirated with a fuel system of Sequential multi-port fuel injection, and used regular unleaded 87 octane gas. Valvetrain: Cam-in-block with pushrod, 2v/cylinder Cylinder Block: 90-degree, cast-iron construction Here are just a few of them to start this section off right: This motor does come with some impressive specs.
#Hartmann coma x v8.5.1 upgrade
The 8.1 Vortec was offered as an upgrade to the GM 6.0 Liter LQ motor. GM wanted a gas-powered motor to meet the needs of those customers in those areas. There are parts of the country where buying diesel fuel is non-existent and when available, very expensive. Originally, GM built this motor as a diesel alternative. This construction material also boosted the strength of the engine. To cut costs when building this motor, GM went to an all-iron construction. GM phased out all of its big-block lineups a decade or so ago and the 8.1 Vortec was the last one to leave their lineup. Governments want emissions cut and they put regulations in place to meet that objective. It is getting harder and harder for carmakers to make big block motors these days. The reason that the production of this motor was stopped was due to government environmental regulations. The two brands are being used interchangeably when people talk about this engine. It could be Chevy or it could be GM but since the latter owns the former, you can be safe by saying that GMN made this motor.

This is too bad as it was a very reliable motor and gave you lots of towing options most other motors and trucks do not have. The vehicles that had this motor installed are the following ones:Īlso, the desire for smaller more gas-efficient motors paved the way for this engine’s demise.

That was probably its downfall, along with some key problems that GM seemed to be unable to fix. It was not found in all GM or Chevy trucks. The motor did indeed have a limited production run. Its limited production and those other points stopped it from becoming more popular and cut its existence down.

The fact that we and others are still talking about this engine roughly 20 years later tells you that it was a very good engine. Limited production makes them more challenging to find than an LS. Chevy LS parts don’t fit on the 8.1 Vortec. Older big block parts don’t fit on the 8.1 Vortec. Iron block and heads, total engine weight is over 750 lbs. There were flaws to this motor but those flaws were not so much performance-based as they were personal preference-based or part-based. So according to those who have experience with this motor, it is a very good and very reliable engine to have under the hood. This increase in the stroke also increased the displacement turning the motor into a very top model 8.1 liters. The only difference Chevy or GM put into the 8.1 was a larger stroke. The major feature that many old car buffs liked about this motor is that it is based on their favorite motor, the 454 ci big block. It is said to be the last of a breed engine as it is the last of the Chevy big-block motors that powered many of their vehicles. It was designed to last roughly 250,000 miles or more. According to one reviewer, this engine is very reliable and bulletproof.
