First actual towing 3.08

mlowe6417 · April 6, 2016

I have a 2014 CC standard bed 5.3 w/3.08 gears and actually towed something, I was towing a car on a trailer. Weight of car was right at 4300 +/- 100 pounds plus 2200 lbs for car trailer, full tank of gas,tool box on trailer with another 100 pounds, so I was damn near tipping the max of what the trailering guide says and was on anything but flat ground in WA also into stop and go traffic on the highway. All I did was put it in tow mode and set the cruise, my opinion- it does fine it didn't search for gears, shifted down on hills and did what it was designed to do. All in all I would say it could easily take another 1000 pounds safely, beyond that it would be a little tough for the pickup. Temp outside was between 55-70 degrees,Trans temp never got over 199 stayed right around 194, engine temp stayed right under 210. So for the people that tow in the less than often category it is fine. I would also like to mention I still am running stock tire size and also it is still 100 % stock

Brian S. · April 6, 2016

I have a 2014 CC standard bed 5.3 w/3.08 gears and actually towed something, I was towing a car on a trailer. Weight of car was right at 4300 +/- 100 pounds plus 2200 lbs for car trailer, full tank of gas,tool box on trailer with another 100 pounds, so I was damn near tipping the max of what the trailering guide says and was on anything but flat ground in WA also into stop and go traffic on the highway. All I did was put it in tow mode and set the cruise, my opinion- it does fine it didn't search for gears, shifted down on hills and did what it was designed to do. All in all I would say it could easily take another 1000 pounds safely, beyond that it would be a little tough for the pickup. Temp outside was between 55-70 degrees,Trans temp never got over 199 stayed right around 194, engine temp stayed right under 210. So for the people that tow in the less than often category it is fine. I would also like to mention I still am running stock tire size and also it is still 100 % stock

Towing recommendations on internet forums are more about "a.I want to a. justify what I bought to myself b. I want to brag about what I bought" than actual needs most people have.

When I'm on Wisconsin roads, what I see half ton trucks pulling (fishing boats, campers, ATVs, snowmobiles) is all well below tow capacity.

When you combine that with the fact even the new 6 cylinder has around 6700lbs tow capacity with 280hp/305ft lbs torque the old "I had to go big block because I have a 20' boat" wisdom a lot of us grew up with is outdated.

Edited April 6, 2016 by Brian S.

mlowe6417 · April 6, 2016

I see so often on here that the 3.08 gearing is for nothing more than getting groceries and pulling a 6 foot boat, I was rather nervous at first due to the number of comments I saw, I figured a whole lot more people would chime in on this.

Kerrslight · April 6, 2016

I tow my 26' boat with 3.08 and 33" tires. Boat with trailer, fuel, and gear weighs in around 6300. Some down shifting going up and down hills, but holds 70 on the highway no problem.

muddkatt · April 6, 2016

I see so often on here that the 3.08 gearing is for nothing more than getting groceries and pulling a 6 foot boat, I was rather nervous at first due to the number of comments I saw, I figured a whole lot more people would chime in on this.

Don't take all the towing advice here seriously. According to some people, a 6.2 with 3.42 gears will over the limit towing that 6 ft boat and you will need helper springs and air bags if you want to put groceries in the bed.

15slvrDbl · April 6, 2016

Towing recommendations on internet forums are more about "a.I want to a. justify what I bought to myself b. I want to brag about what I bought" than actual needs most people have.

When I'm on Wisconsin roads, what I see half ton trucks pulling (fishing boats, campers, ATVs, snowmobiles) is all well below tow capacity.

When you combine that with the fact even the new 6 cylinder has around 6700lbs tow capacity with 280hp/305ft lbs torque the old "I had to go big block because I have a 20' boat" wisdom a lot of us grew up with is outdated.

The double cab v6 3.42 is rated at 7200lbs tow capacity I believe. The new motors/trucks sure do put up some impressive figures compared to 10-15 yrs ago.

Brian S. · April 7, 2016

DP

Edited April 7, 2016 by Brian S.

Brian S. · April 7, 2016

I see so often on here that the 3.08 gearing is for nothing more than getting groceries and pulling a 6 foot boat, I was rather nervous at first due to the number of comments I saw, I figured a whole lot more people would chime in on this.

http://www.fourwheeler.com/vehicle-reviews/1401-2014-ram-1500-vs-chevy-silverado-v-6-truck-test/

It wasn’t until after we finished towing and put the rig on a scale that we learned the CJ and 4WOR’s burly red trailer weighed 6,900 pounds, more than both trucks’ tow ratings (6,700 for the Chevy, 5,700 for the Ram).

We do not recommend overloading. But this happens in the real world, and it was instructive. On the road we never had even an inkling that we were pushing the trucks beyond their capacities. As we said earlier, the trucks passed traffic on the highway—uphill. Acceleration from a stop was decent, and the integrated trailer brakes did their job

I read that review before I bought 2014 4.3l/3.42 geared Silverado XCab because I read on forums like this that you couldn't haul home a six pack with a 6 cylinder pickup.

Drove that truck a year and it easily pulled my 2500lb boat. I ended up trading it in on a 2015 5.3l Sierra, but because a. dealer offered me a sweet deal on trade in (contacted me) b. I was annoyed the dealer I bought thee 4.3l from told me they'd void my warranty if I had an external transmission added. (and they had none to sell me)

Point being that if even 4.3s are pulling 6900lbs I bet your 5.3 does just fine.

Brian S. · April 7, 2016

The double cab v6 3.42 is rated at 7200lbs tow capacity I believe. The new motors/trucks sure do put up some impressive figures compared to 10-15 yrs ago.

The short box 3.42 4.3l is rated at 7200 I believe.

Agreed, Gen V engines are a big step forward for GM. On E85 that 4.3 truck I had generated 297hp/330ft lbs, compared to 315/335 for the 2010 5.3l I had before it.

SouthpawHD · April 7, 2016

Don't take all the towing advice here seriously. According to some people, a 6.2 with 3.42 gears will over the limit towing that 6 ft boat and you will need helper springs and air bags if you want to put groceries in the bed.

Go over to an RV forum, and they'll tell you that you need to call a buddy with a 3/4 ton to take your groceries home for ya!!!!

OP, always nice to read about a truck being used as a truck, regardless of the gears!

Brian S. · April 7, 2016

Go over to an RV forum, and they'll tell you that you need to call a buddy with a 3/4 ton to take your groceries home for ya!!!!

OP, always nice to read about a truck being used as a truck, regardless of the gears!

I looked it up once and the 3.08 gears are the "standard" gears, so most of the trucks on the road have them.

They're not as good for towing, but every Silverado on the road from the V6 up has over 300ft lbs of torque, which is plenty for towing most things people tow. (at least people who aren't farmers or in construction)

Back in 1995 a 6.5l diesel had 155hp/275ft lbs max torque and a 5.7l gas had 190hp/300ft lbs max torque:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_C/K#Fourth_generation_1988.E2.80.932002_.28GMT400.29

Compare that to 285hp/305ft lbs of the new 4.3l.

I can pretty much guarantee that people in 1995 weren't all saying "OMG. You HAVE to have the 6.5l turbo diesel or 7.4l if you want pull a fishing boat or camper! I heard about a guy who bought the 5.7l, and when he towed up a hill, it actually shifted gears!"

Edited April 7, 2016 by Brian S.

Kerrslight · April 9, 2016

Finally got a picture, but I've got 3.08 and 33's. Pulls my boat just fine.

2004lebanshee · April 9, 2016

Dam nice Cobalt.

Sierra Jon · April 9, 2016

5.3 with 3.42's and trailer brake. Trailer is 7600 lbs loaded.

Power is about the same, maybe a little better than my 2009 2500HD. Braking is not as good but not that bad... I've never been concerned. I get 2 mpg's better (11 vs 9) than my GMT and it doesn't search for gears like my GMT did - which must be do to programming since I think it's the same 6 speed.

Rotors warped last summer so I replaced them with Power Stops rotors and pads. Haven't towed with them yet but around town is MUCH better... especially when you slam on them.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

RobZ71LM7 · April 9, 2016

I looked it up once and the 3.08 gears are the "standard" gears, so most of the trucks on the road have them.

They're not as good for towing, but every Silverado on the road from the V6 up has over 300ft lbs of torque, which is plenty for towing most things people tow. (at least people who aren't farmers or in construction)

Back in 1995 a 6.5l diesel had 155hp/275ft lbs max torque and a 5.7l gas had 190hp/300ft lbs max torque:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_C/K#Fourth_generation_1988.E2.80.932002_.28GMT400.29

Compare that to 285hp/305ft lbs of the new 4.3l.

I can pretty much guarantee that people in 1995 weren't all saying "OMG. You HAVE to have the 6.5l turbo diesel or 7.4l if you want pull a fishing boat or camper! I heard about a guy who bought the 5.7l, and when he towed up a hill, it actually shifted gears!"

5.7's were 200hp in '95 for 1/2 tons (last year for TBI). 190hp was the 4-bolt 5.7 in 3/4 tons. Also most all 6.5's were turbo Diesels and had 360-380+ ft-lbs. Regardless your point is correct these trucks can haul way more than we did in the '90's.