Towing Discussion

[bldn10]

I haven't found a thread specifically about towing and towing equipment so maybe this will be it.

I currently have an '02 Tahoe LT w/ a good complement of towing equipment:

Z82 Tow Package
GU6 3.42 rear end
G80 LSD
G69 Level Control
KNP Tranny Cooler
UY7 Trailer Harness
NW7 Traction Control
Z55 Autoride
JL4 Stabilitrak

I tow a 3000# car on an aluminum open trailer that weighs around 1000#s. It tows OK but cannot maintain speed up even modest hills in 3. I also use it as a construction work truck.

I am looking to upgrade to an '07-'14 but have not run across a single truck w/ the equipment I have already. So, the question is - what equipment does one really need to safely and efficiently tow my load?

I have run across an LTZ w/ [rare?] 2nd row bench [that I need for hauling plywood, sheetrock, etc.] but it does not have the factory Tow Package. It does have GU6, G80, G69, JL4, Z55, and the same GVW (7100) as mine. Would it tow as good, better, or not as good as mine?

 

[gpracer1]

With the 6 speed and more power it will tow way better than yours. Throw in a tune and Bobs your uncle.

 

[kbuskill]

That 3.42 rear end isn't helping matters... a 3.73 would be a better choice or if you wanted to get really serious and lose more mileage while on the interstate a 4.11 would get it done.

Also you didn't mention what year the LTZ you are looking at is.

'07-'08 should be 4 speed
'09-'14 should be 6 speed

As long as your talking 5.3l's

The '07-'08 Denali and Esky had the 6 speeds and the bigger 6.2l.

Unless you go 2500 then stuff changes with different engine options... 6.0l etc.

 

[bldn10]

The LTZ is an '07, 4-spd. The problem w/ Denalis (and most LTZs) is that they have 2nd row buckets and I need a bench I can fold down and carry stuff. Is there a 2500 Tahoe? I see a few 3.73s but rarely a 4.11.

 

[kbuskill]

The LTZ is an '07, 4-spd. The problem w/ Denalis (and most LTZs) is that they have 2nd row buckets and I need a bench I can fold down and carry stuff. Is there a 2500 Tahoe? I see a few 3.73s but rarely a 4.11.

I have an '08 Suburban LTZ (w/3.73, G80 locker) with the 2nd row buckets and when I fold the top of the seat forward/flat and fold the 3rd row flat I can stick a full size (4'x8') sheet of plywood in with no problem.

I don't believe a 2500 Tahoe was ever an option and the long bodies longer wheel base tows much better than a Tahoe.

 

[intheburbs]

The 4.10 was never offered in the GMT900 trucks. I guess GM felt the 6-speed offered enough different ratios that the 4.10 was unnecessary. And the 3.73 in a half-ton is VERY rare.

There is no 2500 Tahoe. Never was.

If you're going to upgrade to a GMT900, might as well take full advantage and get one with the six speed.

Thanks to CAFE, most GMT900 half-tons have the 3.42 or, God forbid, the 3.08. The 3.42 isn't too bad, if you have the six-speed. My Sierra Denali tows my 3500-lb enclosed 6x12 trailer easily in fifth.

The codes you want are the heavy-duty cooling packages...

KC4 COOLING SYSTEM,ENGINE OIL ENG OIL CLG(KC4)
KNP COOLING SYSTEM,TRANSMISSION,HEAVY DUTY HVY DUTY TRANS CLG SYS(KNP)

Not sure how many Tahoes have that, but the majority of Suburbans/Yukon XLs will have those.

You will notice a big difference in towing with a Suburban/Yukon XL compared to the Tahoe/Yukon.

And as previously said, the second row buckets fold down flat, and you can easily slide in 10, 20 or maybe even 30 4x8 sheets of drywall/plywood, etc. Second row can be bench or buckets.

 

[bldn10]

Tahoe fits my garage, Suburban does not.
So I need to find an’09+ with 3.42 or earlier with 3.73.
I want a solid cargo surface, not having crap fall down between the seats. I take the 3rd row out.
I don’t know if I’ve ever come across a Tahoe with all those cooling packages. Like I said, mine is the best equipped I’ve ever seen, except for the 3.42.

 

[sarneson91]

My '07 tahoe LTZ 3.73's and has 2nd row bench 3rd row buckets, that like you I take out, I also have the towing package from factory on mine, had to adjust the orientation on my oil cooler when I did my light bar install and moved the tranny cooler to underside of the body

 

[swathdiver]

To tow maximum weights with a GMT900 1/2 ton you need the K5L RPO code. It is called the Enhanced Cooling Package or Heavy Duty Cooling Package. It includes GU6, KC4, KNP and NQH if 4WD. JL1 is nice to have too.

The actual suspension system does not matter nor whether or not is has a leveling option.

They are out there, I found several Tahoes and Yukons so equipped last week in 4WD while searching nationwide using Auto Trader.

The 4.10 gear was available in both the 1500 and 2500 Suburban and Yukon XL in 2007-2008. It increased the 1500s towing capacity 1000 pounds over the 3.73 gear and 2000 pounds for the 2500s with the 3.73 gear in 2007. That year 2500 had the smaller u-joints which may have limited their towing capacity. The information in this paragraph comes from printed material, not from actual vehicles, so it is possible that these were never actually made.

 

[gpracer1]

To tow maximum weights with a GMT900 1/2 ton you need the K5L RPO code. It is called the Enhanced Cooling Package or Heavy Duty Cooling Package. It includes GU6, KC4, KNP and NQH if 4WD. JL1 is nice to have too.

The actual suspension system does not matter nor whether or not is has a leveling option.

They are out there, I found several Tahoes and Yukons so equipped last week in 4WD while searching nationwide using Auto Trader.

The 4.10 gear was available in both the 1500 and 2500 Suburban and Yukon XL in 2007-2008. It increased the 1500s towing capacity 1000 pounds over the 3.73 gear and 2000 pounds for the 2500s with the 3.73 gear in 2007. That year 2500 had the smaller u-joints which may have limited their towing capacity. The information in this paragraph comes from printed material, not from actual vehicles, so it is possible that these were never actually made.

That’s why it took me so long to find my 13 LTZ 4x4...... it has the K5L and JL1 and I (no kids) like the second row buckets so my long guns will fit in the middle without having to fold all the seats.

The K5L fans roar pretty loud here in the Phoenix heat. You can feel the suction when you walk by the front grill.
Tow rating is 8200 lbs!!

 

[swathdiver]

I have run across an LTZ w/ [rare?] 2nd row bench [that I need for hauling plywood, sheetrock, etc.] but it does not have the factory Tow Package. It does have GU6, G80, G69, JL4, Z55, and the same GVW (7100) as mine. Would it tow as good, better, or not as good as mine?

If your GVWR is 7100 pounds I reckon that is a 2WD truck right? Then the 2WD 2009+ Tahoe's tow rating would be 8,500 pounds with K5L. People swap out and trade the benches for captain's chairs and visa versa all the time so do not let that deter you. I like the captain's chairs, the bench seat hurts our backs and does not recline. To each his own of course.

 

[the blur]

I towed for years with the 6.0L Denali. 7000lb load no problem. Up hills... no problem.

 

[MidwestMike]

I pulled this smaller sled trailer with my 02 and 14, both with full tow packages. (02 had auto-level and everything you have). It would pull 85 if I wanted, but the mileage even at legal speeds was 7 mpg, so it was working hard. And with the 4 speed there if you wanted to go 3 mph faster the thing would downshift and kick up 700 rpm. I started driving by keeping the tach steady, not the speedo.

I love pulling the same trailer with the 14 so much more. Better power and the 6 speed trans. (Don't get hung up comparing the rear gear ratio on these two. The tow package on the 02 had 3.73, the tow package on the 14 has 3.42 due to the trans ratio being different. )

Now went with a trailer weighing all most twice as much but narrower, and better mileage yet. Wind resistance, not weight, was my issue.

 

[calsdad]

If carrying stuff in the back is one of your concerns - and you don't want to go up to the Suburban / Yukon XL body size , then you should probably factor in that even with a bench seat in the second row position - the GMT900 trucks don't give you the flat cargo area that you get in the GMT800 trucks.

I had a 2003 Suburban 2500 - and sold it and got a 2010 Yukon XL 2500 a couple of years ago. I like the 2010 truck better than the 2003 truck - but the lack of being able to have a flat cargo area is a bit annoying. I don't know why GM did that - since the two trucks are actually built on the same chassis (at least 2500 series SUV's are). Seems like a big feature loss to lose that flat cargo area.

 

[bldn10]

I did not know that about 900s, that may rule them out altogether.

Re the speed vis rpms, I wish there was a cruise option that would do that - maintain rpms up hills at the expense of speed. I hate it when it kicks down like that!

However, mine gets about the same mpg towing as it does around town, 11-12.

 

[calsdad]

I did not know that about 900s, that may rule them out altogether.

Re the speed vis rpms, I wish there was a cruise option that would do that - maintain rpms up hills at the expense of speed. I hate it when it kicks down like that!

However, mine gets about the same mpg towing as it does around town, 11-12.

Especially in a Tahoe - where if you want to carry a 4x8 sheet of plywood or something like that - you're gonna have to leave the gate open. The lack of a flat fold down 2nd row seat is going to tilt the plywood down - and it's going to be more likely to slide out of the back of the truck. My 2003 Suburban was great for sheet goods like plywood - just slide it in flat and shut the gate. The 2010 is a little bit more of a pain in the ass because that 2nd row doesn't go flat.

As far as the towing stuff goes: My suggest would be to investigate the specs on the older vs newer stuff - and just upgrade components where you think you need better capacity. It's a pain - but the gear ratio is swappable, radiators can be upgraded - coolers can be added - etc.

 

[swathdiver]

Re the speed vis rpms, I wish there was a cruise option that would do that - maintain rpms up hills at the expense of speed. I hate it when it kicks down like that!

That's what 5th gear and Tow/Haul mode is for while using the cruise control. The shop manual says towing should be done in 4th gear.

 

[bldn10]

My '02 manual says that you can tow in D but "You might want to shift to THIRD (3) or, if necessary, a lower gear selection if the transmission shifts too often (e.g. under heavy loads and/or hilly conditions)." If I tow in D even in tow/haul mode it will kick down even on slight rises like overpasses. I have the 4L600E transmission and don't have 5th gear.

 

[thompsoj22]

just my 02c, The tahoe is really short and "twitchy" and towing anything with poor aerodynamics ie' travel trailer/cargo trailer will not be easy and involve alot of white knuckeling while towing. we had the 03 tahoe with 4.8/342 and it could not pull it's own weight up a grade without downshifting. I struggled to pull our 4400 lb travel trailer up hills and if there was a head wind you might as well pull over and set up camp. put the 373 diff in and made a difference but did not change the fact that it was under powered and to short to tow safely. Look for a longer wheelbase and more power. We chose the 08 yukon xl1500 6.2 125k miles and paid $15k.

 

[bldn10]

FWIW I've only towed w/ Tahoes ('95 and '02) and only open car haulers so I guess I'm used to whatever deficiencies the short wheelbase Tahoe has. I will say that I put 2 trannies in the '95.