03 Silverado 5.3 ( Tow worthy? )

Chrispy · March 6, 2019

Hi all! ( sorry for long post in advanced )

I got myself a 03 Chevy Silverado 1500 in summer of 2018. 5.3, 4x4 ( 3.73 rear ) extended-cab with about 170k miles. So far I've put about 10k miles, I'm really loving the truck. The only issues I've had so far as the brake lines giving up on me. Replaced with copper lines, and no issues since.

The reason for the truck purchase is I wanted something that could haul my Evo IX around to race events without breaking the bank ( I do maybe about 2-3 local events, and 1 long-drive event a year ). This year, I towed the truck from Southern VA to Norwalk Ohio, and another trip from South VA to South FL. No hiccups other then slightly high trans temps when going up steep inclines. I replaced my small factory trans cooler with a much larger Tru-Cool trans cooler. Difference in temps is phenomenal.

So my question is this:

This summer, I will be moving down to South FL. The race event I usually attend in August is at Norwalk, Ohio at Summit Motor Sports. It's about a 1300 mile drive each way give or take. Hills I understand are a struggle with towing a 5.3L, and I've learned to just take them slow. I'm in no hurry to push the truck as I always fear of grenade-ing the 4L60E. My towing consist of a 3200lb car, on a 1450lb Econo open trailer. With gear and everything packed, I should be under 5000lbs ( over-guesstimating, should be less )

This towing trip is only done once a year. Things such as brakes, fluid changes, and all general maintenance are done on the truck. The engine itself a very healthy.

Am I asking too much of this truck for such a long trip? Or am I going to be forced to sell it and upgrade to a diesel?

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TL;DR

Can a Silverado 1500 with a good 5.3L tow my 5000lb trailer load about 2,600 mile round trip without worrying? Or is this a bad idea? ( this is of course assuming the 4L60E decides not to kill itself )

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Any suggestions are welcome!

Thanks

(pic of truck)

diyer2 · March 6, 2019

No problem IMO.

My 93 towed in the mountains of Colorado without issues.

Good maintenance is the key.

Seems you do that.

NHUSA · March 6, 2019

I

Chrispy · March 6, 2019

6 minutes ago, diyer2 said:

No problem IMO.

My 93 towed in the mountains of Colorado without issues.

Good maintenance is the key.

Seems you do that.

Thanks! I figured I'd to ask to see if I got opinions such as "that's too long of a travel distance for that power/drive-train".

I'm possibly considering getting the 4L60E refreshed as preventative maintenance since I don't really have history on it. Also performing the Coverette Servo Mod for longevity.

aseibel · March 6, 2019

You are well under the towing capabilities for that truck. You have the right gears for towing.

And with your open trailer, you probably don't even make the truck work that hard on the freeway. Now if you had an 8' wide enclosed trailer, then you'd be pushing a lot more air and making the truck work much harder to maintain speed.

Your only downside is paying for gas!

DeePa · March 6, 2019

Your gearing will help you and it’s more than capable for that ride.

Chrispy · March 6, 2019

Thanks for the replies!

Here is a pic of the setup:

( I did push the car up a bit for more tongue weight after this pic )

sefiroxx · March 6, 2019

Been running a 01 burb with the same setup since day one. Trips, hauling, pulling cars, trees, stumps . . .no problems

(Son killed engine wirh no oil pressure, wife cratered tranny by using the parking pawl rather than parking brake)

greatmizzou · March 6, 2019

I would suggest a sway control setup that’s about it. As long as everything feels good and temps are all in line and you aren’t burning fluids or losing them, i wouldn’t worry about reliability.

Anything can happen so just be prepared. Like a u-joint you had no clue was bad will leave you stranded in BFE. Just have a plan is all. Having an old truck just means components have lasted their expected length and Stuff will just go bad periodically.

Your truck is, my opinion, absolutely perfect for your scenario. Do you just keep in in 3rd when you tow or do you use the tow/haul feature? I’ve noticed way less gear hunting with 3rd

Chrispy · March 6, 2019

Thanks for the reply guys!!

32 minutes ago, greatmizzou said:

I would suggest a sway control setup that’s about it. As long as everything feels good and temps are all in line and you aren’t burning fluids or losing them, i wouldn’t worry about reliability.

Anything can happen so just be prepared. Like a u-joint you had no clue was bad will leave you stranded in BFE. Just have a plan is all. Having an old truck just means components have lasted their expected length and Stuff will just go bad periodically.

Your truck is, my opinion, absolutely perfect for your scenario. Do you just keep in in 3rd when you tow or do you use the tow/haul feature? I’ve noticed way less gear hunting with 3rd

I've thought of adding a WD-Hitch, but there is absolutely no sway in the 2500 miles I've towed with it so far. I am still considering to add it however for additional safety.

As far as gear selection, it depends where I am at. Through out FL and most of the southern states, I keep it in D since it is all relatively flat ( I've gotten as high as 14MPG Towing! Avg is about 12-13 flat ). Once I start climbing elevation, I will switch between D, to 3rd just before I hit an incline. With the External Trans cooler, my temps average around 160-170F on a hot day with heavy inclines. Before the Trans cooler upgrade, I would see about 187-210.

Tow-Haul Mode is something I just recently got working. Previous owner cut the wire for it in the steering column. I wired it back up, and have the option to use it now. So I will be trying it out the next time I tow.

carnau · March 7, 2019

3 hours ago, Chrispy said:

Hi all! ( sorry for long post in advanced )

I got myself a 03 Chevy Silverado 1500 in summer of 2018. 5.3, 4x4 ( 3.73 rear ) extended-cab with about 170k miles. So far I've put about 10k miles, I'm really loving the truck. The only issues I've had so far as the brake lines giving up on me. Replaced with copper lines, and no issues since.

The reason for the truck purchase is I wanted something that could haul my Evo IX around to race events without breaking the bank ( I do maybe about 2-3 local events, and 1 long-drive event a year ). This year, I towed the truck from Southern VA to Norwalk Ohio, and another trip from South VA to South FL. No hiccups other then slightly high trans temps when going up steep inclines. I replaced my small factory trans cooler with a much larger Tru-Cool trans cooler. Difference in temps is phenomenal.

So my question is this:

This summer, I will be moving down to South FL. The race event I usually attend in August is at Norwalk, Ohio at Summit Motor Sports. It's about a 1300 mile drive each way give or take. Hills I understand are a struggle with towing a 5.3L, and I've learned to just take them slow. I'm in no hurry to push the truck as I always fear of grenade-ing the 4L60E. My towing consist of a 3200lb car, on a 1450lb Econo open trailer. With gear and everything packed, I should be under 5000lbs ( over-guesstimating, should be less )

This towing trip is only done once a year. Things such as brakes, fluid changes, and all general maintenance are done on the truck. The engine itself a very healthy.

Am I asking too much of this truck for such a long trip? Or am I going to be forced to sell it and upgrade to a diesel?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TL;DR

Can a Silverado 1500 with a good 5.3L tow my 5000lb trailer load about 2,600 mile round trip without worrying? Or is this a bad idea? ( this is of course assuming the 4L60E decides not to kill itself )

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Any suggestions are welcome!

Thanks

(pic of truck)

I have been in this business a long time and I can tell you, you are on the right path.

The things you should upgrade on these when towing.

1.) Transcooler (which I saw you have done.)

2.) Sun gear / shell ( Most common failure and the new parts are hardened )

3.) Torque Converter. (these are the second most common failure when towing)

Other than that... these are great pickups.

NHUSA · March 7, 2019

1 hour ago, Chrispy said:

Thanks for the reply guys!!

I've thought of adding a WD-Hitch, but there is absolutely no sway in the 2500 miles I've towed with it so far. I am still considering to add it however for additional safety.

As far as gear selection, it depends where I am at. Through out FL and most of the southern states, I keep it in D since it is all relatively flat ( I've gotten as high as 14MPG Towing! Avg is about 12-13 flat ). Once I start climbing elevation, I will switch between D, to 3rd just before I hit an incline. With the External Trans cooler, my temps average around 160-170F on a hot day with heavy inclines. Before the Trans cooler upgrade, I would see about 187-210.

Tow-Haul Mode is something I just recently got working. Previous owner cut the wire for it in the steering column. I wired it back up, and have the option to use it now. So I will be trying it out the next time I tow.

It is highly unlikely someone cut the wires in the steering column.

Almost every Chevy truck with the tow package ultimately has the thin wires break.

Most people don’t reattach them because they will break again.

They just add another MC push button switch to the dashboard.

i have done it to 3 trucks and have a switch ready for the current one

Chrispy · March 7, 2019

Thanks for the awesome reply guys! Definitely feel a lot more confident now with making the long haul to the event this year. Will of course make sure all maintenance is kept up with.

13 hours ago, NHUSA said:

It is highly unlikely someone cut the wires in the steering column.

Almost every Chevy truck with the tow package ultimately has the thin wires break.

Most people don’t reattach them because they will break again.

They just add another MC push button switch to the dashboard.

i have done it to 3 trucks and have a switch ready for the current one

This is good to know! The previous owner only had the truck for a few months, and took it mudding quite often ( which was a bear to completely clean up ). He explained that he had his cousin-mechanic cut the wire, because Tow-Mode kept engaging on his own. So he had him "disable it". Aka: cutting the wire.

I went ahead and soldered the cut wire back together, and re-enforced it. Should it break again in the future, will take your advice and make a separate button / switch for it.

14 hours ago, carnau said:

I have been in this business a long time and I can tell you, you are on the right path.

The things you should upgrade on these when towing.

1.) Transcooler (which I saw you have done.)

2.) Sun gear / shell ( Most common failure and the new parts are hardened )

3.) Torque Converter. (these are the second most common failure when towing)

Other than that... these are great pickups.

Thanks!

#2 - This is one of the exact reasons I was thinking of having the trans rebuilt. A lot say going with the Beast Shell is the way to go.
#3- Is there a specific Torque Converter Stall you recommend? Truck will mainly see daily driving duties with occasional towing ( few project cars here and there, and trips ).

Edited March 7, 2019 by Chrispy
I dislike typos

redvett · March 7, 2019

The copper brake lines are ILLEGAL and must be changed for SS or steel lines due to the brake pressure can exceed the burst strength of copper lines. Brake line pressure can exceed 3200 psi.

Brake failure can and will occur and towing certainly accelerate the failure.

Replace immediately your life is worth it.

Chrispy · March 7, 2019

30 minutes ago, redvett said:

The copper brake lines are ILLEGAL and must be changed for SS or steel lines due to the brake pressure can exceed the burst strength of copper lines. Brake line pressure can exceed 3200 psi.

Brake failure can and will occur and towing certainly accelerate the failure.

Replace immediately your life is worth it.

Really? They are illegal? That is news to me. My original plan was to go with Steel Braided lines, but was told that was a bad choice. Was recommended to go with copper lines if I never wanted to touch my brake lines again. So I did.

Guess I have a project on my hands now..