Towing question/driving in general

[Dmattingly13]

First off, Im glad to found a sight with so many knowledgable people and look forward to enlightening myself on my 2008 Tahoe that I just purchased. my first general question is in regards to towing. Im only hauling a 10ft trailer with an ATV on board and was wondering what the general consenus is for using the tow/haul feature as well as do you drive around in D or in 3rd. My paranoia arises after dealing with my 07 Avalanche and the lemon tranny that blew twice with only 60,000 miles on it. I wish it had the reliability of the
700r4, but I guess theres no resolution on GM's behalf

 

[Gzes]

I would run d then if you feel its bogging down drop gears

 

[Dmattingly13]

Thanks. I know to follow the owner's manual, just extemely skeptical on the transmission. I dont have much faith in them

 

[02tahoeindiana]

I have the 4l60e in my 2002 identical to yours in your tahoe, i have 204,000 miles on the stock original transmission. I tow items from 1000lbs to 7000lbs often and always have. When towing i always have it in either 3rd or tow haul on. Tow haul is nice as it firms up the shifts and on my denali so this may work on your tahoe it will downshift to brake when in to haul. Also running in 3rd all the time with or without trailer will do bo harm only help with the transmission, may reduce gas mileage. But when in 3rd instead of D the transmission fluid goes straight into the valve body and this results in a lower temperature and more firm shifts which prolongs longevity. I learned this through trailblazer ss transmissions getting fried when launched often in D vs 3rd. The lugging in D in hills and the extra downshifts consantly will increase transmission heat decreasing life. Avalanche must have been a lemon and dont be worried about the new truck. They are bullet proof. Enjoy!

 

[Gzes]

I wouldnt say bulletproof lol

 

[02tahoeindiana]

Well damn close lol, the truck atleast. My 2002 was bought new by us and my god its been through hell and back. Its taken a ridiculous amount of abuse even down to being sank in a deeper than it appeared river. I love the GMT 800 cant getmyself to sell it even with having our denali

 

[InTruckDesign]

You got a good one then, the 4L60's are widely known to be unreliable. Towing just a 10ft trailer with ATV on it you might be able to tow with tow/haul on and in D depending on your gear ratio. I always drove in 3 unless I was on the highway with my '07 tahoe. Do you have a trans. oil cooler? it is an option, if you do not have one...get one, even when not towing it will reduce operating temp of the trans which will help prolong the life of the trans.

 

[Dmattingly13]

Thanks for the advice. It's a shame to be gun shy because of the lingering tranny problems on otherwise fantastic vehicles

---------- Post added at 12:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:22 PM ----------

Thanks for the advice. It's a shame to be gun shy because of the lingering tranny problems on otherwise fantastic vehicles

 

[bluntnose]

Any advice as to which trans cooler to get, e.g. size or brand?

 

[InTruckDesign]

I ran a Long Tru-Cool 30k on my tahoe and it was more than enough even with a higher stall converter, towing 6k with it and temps never broke 140-ish. Alot of people opt for the larger 40k model, but to me it is way overkill on an otherwise stock truck/suv.

 

[Zed 71]

I ran a Long Tru-Cool 30k on my tahoe and it was more than enough even with a higher stall converter, towing 6k with it and temps never broke 140-ish. Alot of people opt for the larger 40k model, but to me it is way overkill on an otherwise stock truck/suv.

InTruck, do you know what the acceptable tranny temps are? I have the OE tranny cooler and while towing seen temps up to 210.

 

[Zed 71]

Just found this on the interwebs...

"I was also concerned at one pointhowever and contacted GM with the question. There answer was: Good Morning! Thank you for giving me the time to do some research on your concern with the transmission temperature. I have consulted one of our dealers and am happy to inform you that I have the information you’ve requested. The normal operating temperature is between 160°F to 200°F (71°C to 93°C). For towing, the normal operating temperature is between 235°F (113°C) to 260°F (127°C). "

Towing temp seems high to me. I will try to confirm.

 

[TowGMC]

I was told by a GM engineer that one of the features of the Tow/haul mode is opening the trans cooler at an earlier temp. I never tow in D, I use Manual and leave the trans in 5th so it doesn't hunt all the time. It's the constant shifting that builds up the heat. This past weekend pulling my 6500 lb trailer home from MidOhio raceway into a 25mph headwind at 70mph my Denali never upshifted out of 4th. But in spite of the 65 degree air temps I never say more than 200 for trans temp. But I have seen 225 on hot summer days towing. If I don't trade for a Duramax I may install a second trans cooler from TransCool.

 

[Big Buttons]

Installing this= no more heat issues...

Tru-Cool 40K