Towing With My New 6.2l

[WilliamsVMAX]

I finally got to test my new 2010 truck with my trailer. I pulled it out today to get it dewinterized. I must say I was a little nervous at first, because the suspension is softer on this 2010 truck versus my 2007 Vmax and my 07 had the 6.0L with 4.10 rear and this new one has the 6.2L but only a 3.42 rear. That being said I was very surprised on how nicer and easier it is to pull than my 07 Vmax. Damn this 6.2L with 6spd auto is a beast. This truck pulls so easy and with that 6 spd tranny it revs so low even pulling a 6000lb trailer. With the trailer in tow I'm also getting about 11-12mpg with this truck versus 7-8mpg with my 07 Vmax. The suspension is a little softer though. As you can see the trailer sits level...even a bit lower than level, where as my 07 sat a little higher. It could be too that my 07 sat about 1/2-3/4 inches higher in the back as well. Either way very impressed this 6.2L with 6spd.

 

[music]

Thanks for posting a follow-up on your first tow. Much appreciated. Looks good! Other than power and the transmission differences (which you described pretty clearly), do you have much opinion between the previous "max tow" suspension and the standard 4x4 setup?

[Matt_]

I finally got to test my new 2010 truck with my trailer. I pulled it out today to get it dewinterized. I must say I was a little nervous at first, because the suspension is softer on this 2010 truck versus my 2007 Vmax and my 07 had the 6.0L with 4.10 rear and this new one has the 6.2L but only a 3.42 rear. That being said I was very surprised on how nicer and easier it is to pull than my 07 Vmax. Damn this 6.2L with 6spd auto is a beast. This truck pulls so easy and with that 6 spd tranny it revs so low even pulling a 6000lb trailer. With the trailer in tow I'm also getting about 11-12mpg with this truck versus 7-8mpg with my 07 Vmax. The suspension is a little softer though. As you can see the trailer sits level...even a bit lower than level, where as my 07 sat a little higher. It could be too that my 07 sat about 1/2-3/4 inches higher in the back as well. Either way very impressed this 6.2L with 6spd.

 

It's not "only" a 3.42 rear... the 6spd+3.42 has a major gearing advantage over the 4spd+4.10s in the lower gears.

 

Great review. It's nice to have some feedback from someone who has actually owned/towed with both trucks

 

I would attribute the smoother towing and higher mpg to the 6spds spread of gears so its more likely that you'll be towing at an optimal RPM as opposed to needing to run higher rpms in 3rd (or even 2nd at times) with the 4spd.

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The 3.42 should perform very similar to the 4.10/4-spd at cruising speed (4th/3.42/6L80 is the same as 3rd/3.90/4L70). This is more important to me than the advantage during launch, since I really notice gearing differences on interstate climbs, but don't worry much about 0 to 60 times with 7k lbs behind me. My biggest concern on the 5.3/6L80/3.42 combo has been that 3rd (the hwy climbing gear) isn't as steep as 2nd on the 4L60... and I'm not sure it can handle my camper on some of the steeper hwy climbs, where the 4-spd/3.73 hums right along with a little power to spare. There's no doubt the 6.2/6-spd would handle it nicely... w/ the extra ~20% torque.

 

Which brings another question to mind: how does the combo feel in 5th w/ the 3.42 when cruising in hilly terrain? That's where the 3.73 would be most noticeable, as it wouldn't find 4th/3rd as often (not that 4th or 3rd are a big deal).

 

One other question: Does the 3.42 (non-NHT) truck come with the same 14 bolt SF rear axle as the NHT model? If so, the axle ratio and the springs would be the only differences?

[Matt_]

Rob i see what you mean.. 2nd on the 4spd is 1.75, so with 3.73s you're at 6.52 effective ratio. With the 6spd 2nd is 2.36 and 3rd is 1.53.. so with 3.42s you're at 8.07 and 5.23 respectively. So if you were comfy in 2nd gear with the 4L60E for those steep climbs, 3rd might not be quite enough and 2nd may be too much.

 

The 14bolts are the same between the two trucks.. just different gears.

[absurveyor]

Thanks for the update, and nice ride. I am in Calgary also and was worried about towing 7000lbs with the 3.42's. I also was a 4.10 guy and was not going to get another 5.3l with the 3.42. I won't know till the long weekend in 2 weeks, hopefully I can get my new ride "broken in" by then

 

Maybe we can get a fleet gas card together

[Rodecker]

Good review man - your truck/trailer look great together. I agree that the 6.2L/6spd even with the 3.42 tows like a monster....for a gas engine anyhow. Just this weekend I towed my 6k boat along some hilly interstate and it handled the load with ease....no searching for gears and plenty of power to pass anybody without having to downshift 2+ gears.

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So if you were comfy in 2nd gear with the 4L60E for those steep climbs, 3rd might not be quite enough and 2nd may be too much.

 

That's pretty much my take on it. I'm sure the 5.3/6-spd/3.42 would handle most situations better when towing, but there are times when the 4-spd/3.73 is going to be better matched to the load/grade.

 

Speaking of which, you 6.2 towing guys are missing all the fun. You never get to hear a 5.3 revving at 4k rpm up a long grade:) The 6.2/6-spd combo looks to be a very nice towing setup. I'm guessing you could pull ~9k lbs about as easily as I pull 7k w/ my 5.3/4-spd/3.73... which means I could pull this camper about the same as our previous 5k lb unit. Actually, that's an interesting point now that I'm writing it. Our 7k lb camper doesn't really feel much different to me than the 5k lb one did, except when accelerating or climbing. Most of the time, they feel about the same to me (i.e., when cruising in moderate terrain). I definitely feel the difference when pulling a steep hill at low speed though.

[Matt_]

im not missing out on anything =)

 

i used to have the 5.3L/4spd/4.10s and can remember it dropping down to 2nd and revving well above 4000 rpm on some steep grades in PA. It was either "accelerate uphill in 2nd" or "bog down in 3rd"

[music]

im not missing out on anything =)

 

i used to have the 5.3L/4spd/4.10s and can remember it dropping down to 2nd and revving well above 4000 rpm on some steep grades in PA. It was either "accelerate uphill in 2nd" or "bog down in 3rd"

 

Just rub it in...

[Matt_]

its all about salt in the wounds my friend =)

[Black02Silverado]

I really want to get a new truck, you guys are not helping with all this talk about how well the 6.2 does. Maybe some day when I win the PowerBall.

[WilliamsVMAX]

Thanks for posting a follow-up on your first tow. Much appreciated. Looks good! Other than power and the transmission differences (which you described pretty clearly), do you have much opinion between the previous "max tow" suspension and the standard 4x4 setup?

 

From what I noticed driving, this 2010 truck feels as though the suspension is softer. It sags more with my trailer but the rear block is a different setup than before. I think am gonna remove the 3" block I have now and replace it with a 4" block...Then the rear should sit almost 2" higher than the front which I like it than it should not sag at all. Over all I feel this truck is more comfortable to sit in and drive. With this suspension it feels like it can handle turns a lot better than my Vmax could. Also lower profile tires could being playing apart in this as well. I am pretty sure my payload is lower than my 07 Vmax. My wife says it feels like a completely different truck. Very smooth and comfortable. Even with low profile tires you don't feel the bumps as much.

[daylower]

my biggest regret with my 09 is not getting the 6.2

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I think am gonna remove the 3" block I have now and replace it with a 4" block...Then the rear should sit almost 2" higher than the front which I like it than it should not sag at all.

 

Makes sense. I have a slight amount of sag with our camper (maybe 0.5" below level), but I don't want to take weight off of the bars since the sway control is integral and requires the friction (Reese dual cam). I hadn't considered bumping the rear up a little, but it's a thought. Your 07 Max-Tow truck came with 4" blocks originally but different springs? Are the shocks about the same?