07 Denali: Large Roadtrip Upcoming. Advice?
- Thread starter Paul Brambilla
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swathdiver
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You're at least 2,000 pounds over weight.
intheburbs
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swathdiver
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My apologies, for some reason I thought you had a 1500. But by your own admission you were overweight at least some, hence those high temperatures. ;-)
Rangel
Full Access Member
2500 series Denali?
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Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
intheburbs
Full Access Member
I was two percent overweight - 16,340 lbs. It's not like there's some magic line, where if I'm underweight I'll see no elevated temperatures, and if I'm one pound overweight, I see a spike up to hot. More weight = more work = more heat. It's a gradual increase, and I know my equipment and I know what it can safely do.
On my previous trip to the Rockies with a 7,000-lb trailer, I saw trans temps as high as 235°. GCW was well below 16,000 lbs. So your statement "hence those high temperatures" is false, because I'd still have gotten that hot even if I was under my GCWR.
swathdiver
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Alright Bill, I reckon you know more than me as I do not have a 2500. However, those that have them and have posted on towing, none showed engine and transmission temperatures that high. But context is key and I do not remember the details.
intheburbs
Full Access Member
Those that have them probably aren't doing the things I do. I took the 7,000-lb trailer up I-70 in Colorado to the Eisenhower Tunnel, elevation 11,158 ft. From Denver, that's a 6,000-ft climb, higher than most of the highest parts of the country east of the Mississippi. Long grades (miles long) of 6, 8, even 10%. I'm running the engine at 4,000 RPM, or higher, for 15, 30 even 45 minutes at a time at full throttle. The transmission pump shaft is attached to the input shaft from the crank/torque converter. Spinning it that fast for that long of a time is going to dump a lot of heat into the transmission.
On this last trip, I took the 8600-lb trailer up Powder River Pass, elevation 9666' feet. Again, long, steep grades at high RPMs for quite a long period of time. And both times were during the summer, so we also were running the A/C, which also adds extra heat under the hood. Find me others "that have them" that have made these kinds of pulls/ascents with their trucks.
Sure, when I'm towing these trailers on relatively flat land, which is most of the time, the transmission runs around 210-220°, which is completely normal and expected.
ken in md
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I have the same question as Rangel posted a few days ago - is it a 2500, or a Denali? The original post described it as an 07 Denali. But then I see the 2500 GCWR pictured. Which is it?
Very interested here as I am about to move FROM a 2010 Yukon XL Denali TO a 2013 Yukon XL 2500 primarily for the purpose of more towing and 2k more GCWR. We take the same type of long trips as described - 7100 miles this summer - our camper is only 5k dry but all loaded up - wife kids dog cooler stuff - we were pretty close to our Denali's 14000 GCWR. We weighed as high as 13,500 once and I wasn't too comfy with that. Our Denali OK...engine temp would rise on long grades though and that worried me. I did have two transmission coolers going and trans temp never went over 200, even in Bryce Canyon. Much different than without the extra cooler. But I did shy away from some routes to be safe and I don't want to do that. Hoping our 2500 will give us more peace of mind. Open to any opinions or comments on this.
Very interested here as I am about to move FROM a 2010 Yukon XL Denali TO a 2013 Yukon XL 2500 primarily for the purpose of more towing and 2k more GCWR. We take the same type of long trips as described - 7100 miles this summer - our camper is only 5k dry but all loaded up - wife kids dog cooler stuff - we were pretty close to our Denali's 14000 GCWR. We weighed as high as 13,500 once and I wasn't too comfy with that. Our Denali OK...engine temp would rise on long grades though and that worried me. I did have two transmission coolers going and trans temp never went over 200, even in Bryce Canyon. Much different than without the extra cooler. But I did shy away from some routes to be safe and I don't want to do that. Hoping our 2500 will give us more peace of mind. Open to any opinions or comments on this.
intheburbs
Full Access Member
OP has a half-ton Denali. I have a 2500.
A 2500 should pull your trailer with no issues whatsoever. And there's no need to get a second transmission cooler. Dex VI fluid can handle much higher temps than older fluids. 200° is normal operating temperature after 30-60 minutes of driving. The "transmission hot idle engine" warning only comes on at 265°. I never got higher than 241°, and that was with a GCW at 16,300 lbs driving up to almost 10,000-foot altitude, with the A/C running.
The 2500 Suburban/Yukon XL are actually "sleepers." Because they share the same body as the half-tons, everybody thinks they're the same, but just beefed-up a little. The truth is that under the shared body is a completely different truck - bigger/thicker frame, bigger axles, bigger brakes, heavier-duty transmission, different/more-durable engine, heavier-duty suspension. They're completely different animals from their wimpier, half-ton cousins. You've made a great choice upgrading to a 2500. It will serve you well for many years and miles. Mine is at 170,000 miles and is still PERFECT. I've spent exactly $23 in repairs over the last three years, all the while beating the snot out of the truck.
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