S10 Xtreme

MavFlyBy · January 6, 2003

Hello,

I'm thinking of purchasing a brand new S10 Extreme truck. I used the Chevrolet website to price out one and I picked the 4.3L V6 with a 5speed manual 3.08axle. My question here is even with the lowered truck, can I still tow roughly 4000lbs? This would be a boat. Also, what 0-60MPH and 1/4 mile times will the truck run stock?

Thanks,

Lance

oldskls10 · January 8, 2003

According the Chevy, the Xtreme is not equipped or recommended for towing. You could probably tow a jet-ski or two but I wouldn't tow a 4,000LB boat with one.

kshuart · January 8, 2003

I don't think you are supposed to put more than 400 lbs or so in the bed either. For a truck, it's not very practical. You can't tow anything, and the only thing you can put in the bed is a box of feathers. :thumb:

Shadowfax · January 10, 2003

I know several people who tow with the X even though GM does not reccomend it. As far as I go, I have an 03 Xtreme but I don't have anything real major besides my 4 wheelers to tow on small tandem trailer. However the 4x4 S-10 is touted quite well on chevy's site as a truck that can handle such tasks as heavy towning and etc.

As for quarter times I think its in the 17 second 16 second range, Im not a type that does dragging anyway but I think thats what it is. The key thing to remember about the X is that it is has a sportier suspension than the common s-10 but shares the same 4.3 v6 at 180bhp as the all the other 4.3 S-10 (with the exception of the 4x4 thats 190bhp). However the 4.3 is one #### of a lil motor and you can crank out some serious hp from it if you take the time.

My look at it. The x is a type of sport truck that is great for stuff like roadcourses but not straight line speeds.

As far as what you can put in the bed, just about anything you can in the normal s-10. I put a spray on liner in mine and I haul firewood, bbq pits, cinder blocks, computers, monitors, printers, the dog, people, my ice chest, tent, chairs etc, etc etc all the time.

If you want a truck to tow trailers with, a low riding truck is not the way to go. If you want a sporty truck to have fun with and just cruise, then the X is up your alley.

CTRDRV55 · January 30, 2003

I have a 99 XTreme 2.2,auto with 410 gears and Ive hauled well over 1000lbs in the bed.A buddy of mine has a Sonoma with the ZQ8 suspension and he tows his snowmobile and waverunner all the time.One time another buddies 95 Cutlass quit on the hwy and we pulled it behind his truck and went 55 down the road.And his is a 2.2 5speed.GM has a sticker on the back bumper of all ZQ8 equipped S-Series trucks thats says DO NOT PULL WITH THIS TRUCK.I took it off because I dont beleive it.

Ozrein · February 4, 2003

Well, I have encountered this question many times before and all you big boys drivin the big toys like to think that our little trucks cant do much but they can:

1- It's only the Xtremes that GM doesnt recommend towing with (as far as I can disern, it's only because of the body cladding, go figure) the standard ZQ8 is actually one of the better S10's to tow with. With the V6, auto and 2wd, you'll get the best towing #'s (oh ya, reg cab would be better than Ext. cab, weight issues)

2- The S10 is a truck, haul whatever you want in it (note: if your bumper is touching the ground, take some stuff out) To whoever said that an S10 cant haul more than 400#, you're probably thinking of a Syclone, that's about all they were allowed without voiding they're warranty)

3- The Xtremes are definatly no screamer down the 1/4 mile, but they hold their own with mid 15 to mid 16 times (depending on configuration) that's for the V6, 2.2L dont even bother.

ChevyXtremeFX · February 7, 2003

If you want to tow anything with an Xtreme, it has to be a Blazer Xtreme. I don't know how much weight it can handle (I don't tow anything with mine) but the Blazer X's do come with a factory installed trailer hitch.

As for the S-10 X's, I do know that Chevy does not recommend it.

Shadowfax · February 20, 2003

The cladding is why GM does not reccomend towing with it. But I do tow some stuff with it, just not like I used to in my old 91 S-10. Doest matter though what kinda S-10 ya get, they are very dependable trucks, well from my experience anyways. I love my S-dimes

kshuart · February 21, 2003

2- The S10 is a truck, haul whatever you want in it (note: if your bumper is touching the ground, take some stuff out) To whoever said that an S10 cant haul more than 400#, you're probably thinking of a Syclone, that's about all they were allowed without voiding they're warranty)

I've owned 3 S-10 trucks & 1 S-10 Blazer, so I'm not trying to put them down. I think they are a great truck. The original question was in regards to an Xtreme S-10, not a regular one. I had my regular ones loaded down with cement blocks, sod, dirt, etc. no problems. I didn't get the Xtreme because GM doesn't recommend towing with it. Sure, some people have probably done it in the past, but if something bad goes wrong, your insurance probably doesn't have to cover you since you didn't follow the manufacturers recommendations. I'm not willing to take that chance personally. I also heard bed weight was limited (400 pounds). That may or may not be true. I didn't look into it any further because of the trailer issue and just decided to get a regular S-10 instead.

Beaux Duke · February 21, 2003

Here's the trailering specs for the S-10 from Chevrolet's web site. Trailering Specs

At the bottom you'll see that the Xtreme Sport Appearance Package is not recommended for towing/trailering.

It doesn't say you can't, just says it isn't recomended. Of course, if you have problems while under warranty you'd better not tell the dealer you've been towing. And you better not have a ball mount on the bumper or receiver hitch mounted on it when you take it in for service.

Based on the specs with the 4.3 engine you could easily tow 4,000 lbs but again, it's not recomended with the Xtreme.

Good luck!

MarkD · February 21, 2003

I regularly pulled a 3900# fish/ski boat with my 1994 S10 ext cab, 5-speed with no problems.

Around the same time(90-91), there was a S-10 out with three times the hp/tq that was not reccommended for towing more than 500 lbs, the Syclone.

The rear suspension was/is the limiting factor with towing.

With the Xtreme, if I was going to tow regularly, I would maybe get helper springs or aux air bags.

BTW, the S10 has the same 10-bolt rear end as the Camaro (porcelin durability).

3FAN4EVR · June 10, 2010

Hi there , I own a 1999 S10 extreme and I wanted to tow with it. I added a heavy duty tranny cooler and air bags for the back. I put a set of Airlift bag kit in my truck. I tow a 16ft boat no problem now and I don't have worry about hurting my suspension.

mfennema · June 10, 2010

Holy 7+ year old thread!

VT700rider · October 12, 2010

Hello,

I'm thinking of purchasing a brand new S10 Extreme truck. I used the Chevrolet website to price out one and I picked the 4.3L V6 with a 5speed manual 3.08axle. My question here is even with the lowered truck, can I still tow roughly 4000lbs? This would be a boat. Also, what 0-60MPH and 1/4 mile times will the truck run stock?

Thanks,

Lance

It may not be recommended to pull that kind of weight but it will. The big problem is stopping with that load.You will wear brake pads down and you will find this out the first time you pull a big boat.