Towing new silverado

JohnMr19 · May 29, 2022

I have a 7X14 cargo trailer I use to move annually for my job. I haul my apartment furiture and clothes, etc. so probably around 5,000 - 7,000 lbs total. When I first bought the trailer, I had a 2015 LT with the 5.3/6-speed and it did very well, but mileage was probably 9.5 MPG and you definitely felt the trailer back there. In 2019 I traded for a Trail Boss (5.3/8-speed) and towed a couple of years with that. I have to say it was quite an improvement - probably due mostly to the 8-speed vs. 6-speed, but there were times going down the highway that I almost forgot there was a trailer back there. Mileage was not as good as my previous truck though, coming in around 8.5 MPG. I did have 33" BFG KO2's on it, so that probably didn't help.

Due to the 95% highway driving I do , I decided the Trail Boss wasn't really what I needed and sold it back to the dealer last year when they were offering cash for used vehicles and did pretty well. I bought a 2021 LTZ with the 6.2/10-speed standard bed, but had to wait 6 months for it to arrive waiting on chips. It was worth the wait though because it has everything except the technology package. It even came with the rear heated seats. I haven't had a chance to tow with it yet, but I imagine it will tow that trailer like a dream. Bottom line the Trail Boss was a very capable towing vehicle and I would probably still be driving it if I was able to spend more time off the highway with it.

kodiakdenali · June 1, 2022

On 3/15/2022 at 5:19 PM, Jrodpic said:

most people don’t recommend going much over about 80% of the max combined. I would say a 7,000 pound trailer is the max you would want to pull with a Trail Boss.

I guess its a bit different since you are talking about combined weight, including the truck. but the manual doesn't even recommend using the truck's towing mode until you're at 75% of the capacity or greater.

I always wonder about these rules of thumb. But then I don't do a ton of towing. But why stay limited to 80% of the rating? It should be perfectly safe to tow what its rated for shouldn't it? When engineers rate how much something can tow they probably do extensive testing to find out what the absolute maximum amount a vehicle can pull safely, then publish the max capacity as 75-80% of that number. (just a guess, I don't know what the industry standard for the factor of safety is on tow ratings)

I found this which was really interesting although it's discussing heavy duty trucks

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a29339668/how-truck-tow-rating-is-calculated/

Basically there is an SAE standard for several different performance characteristics. Acceleration tests, braking tests, handling tests etc. in order for a truck to be rated to tow 9200lbs, it must be able to meet or exceed the limits on each of those tests when loaded at 100% of the published rating.

I sure wouldn't want to tow that much because I'm not very experienced at it, but I don't see why anyone should be afraid to tow what the vehicle is rated to tow. Imagine the fall out for a car company if a truck was found (after say an accident) to be unsafe and unable to accelerate, brake, or corner safely at or under its published tow rating...that could be the end of them in the truck market.

Jrodpic · June 2, 2022

6 hours ago, kodiakdenali said:

I guess its a bit different since you are talking about combined weight, including the truck. but the manual doesn't even recommend using the truck's towing mode until you're at 75% of the capacity or greater.

I always wonder about these rules of thumb. But then I don't do a ton of towing. But why stay limited to 80% of the rating? It should be perfectly safe to tow what its rated for shouldn't it? When engineers rate how much something can tow they probably do extensive testing to find out what the absolute maximum amount a vehicle can pull safely, then publish the max capacity as 75-80% of that number. (just a guess, I don't know what the industry standard for the factor of safety is on tow ratings)

I found this which was really interesting although it's discussing heavy duty trucks

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a29339668/how-truck-tow-rating-is-calculated/

Basically there is an SAE standard for several different performance characteristics. Acceleration tests, braking tests, handling tests etc. in order for a truck to be rated to tow 9200lbs, it must be able to meet or exceed the limits on each of those tests when loaded at 100% of the published rating.

I sure wouldn't want to tow that much because I'm not very experienced at it, but I don't see why anyone should be afraid to tow what the vehicle is rated to tow. Imagine the fall out for a car company if a truck was found (after say an accident) to be unsafe and unable to accelerate, brake, or corner safely at or under its published tow rating...that could be the end of them in the truck market.

Probably a few factors in play. My guess is while what you’re saying might be true, pushing a truck to the limits might be safe and feasible short term doesn’t mean it is in the long term.

kodiakdenali · June 2, 2022

Just now, Jrodpic said:

Probably a few factors in play. My guess is while what you’re saying might be true, pushing a truck to the limits might be safe and feasible short term doesn’t mean it is in the long term.

also a valid point. I always wonder with the kinds of tests they do to validate tow ratings...what happens when that vehicle is 15 years old with 200k on it. will it still meet the same specs? Especially tests like braking while fully loaded, that's a safety issue regardless of how old the truck is. I hope the tow rating standards isn't 'we promise it will do this...at least until the warranty runs out'

swathdiver · June 2, 2022

The car manufacturers aren't our nannies. We have to use some horse sense here fellas. If you maintain your vehicle and don't cheap out on parts it will be perfectly capable of handling those capacities 15-20 years later or more.

As KodiakDenali stated, Tow/Haul isn't even recommended until we hit 75% or more of our GCWR.

diyer2 · June 2, 2022

My boat wasn't 75% of capacity but I tow in the mountains so I used Tow/Haul every time. Shift point change was a better fit.

kmeleon · June 2, 2022

I'm towing a 24' enclosed car hauler with a combined weight of 8k when my Camaro is loaded. I run a 21 Elevation with a 5.3 and 10spd and a 9300 rated tow capacity. I run a Blue Ox WDH on link 9. It tows it pretty well. I got 10.3mpg the other day on a 220 mile round trip to New Jersey Motorsports Park. I pretty much stay in the right lane as much as possible and keep it around 65-70mph. Do I feel it? Yes. Is it unsafe? No. You have to be careful pulling something that's pretty much a box on wheels, but if you take your time and don't put yourself in dumb situations it's perfectly adequate. These new T1 trucks are plenty capable.

Edited June 2, 2022 by kmeleon