1500 Towing Ability

swwifty · November 21, 2007

Hi all,

At the beginning of this year, I purchased a 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500. I bought it to pull my track car (Nissan 240) to track days. At the time, I didn't know much about towing and didn't think too heavily about it relating to what tow vehicle I bought.

Here is my question. I'm beginning to wonder how well my Silverado will be able to tow my car behind it. The 1500 I have has the 4.8L engine, 2WD, and 3.42 gears. I believe it has the tow package, but I'm not entirely sure. It came with the hitch, and the 7pin connector, but I don't think I have a tranmission cooler (anywhere I can see at least).

Anyways, the truck has a GVWR of 6200lbs. Assuming it is fully loaded, I can only tow 4,800lbs (a GCWR of 11,000lbs according to Chevy). My Nissan weighs about 2800lbs, and I guessimate the trailer I will purchase will be around 2,000lbs. This puts me basically at the towing limit. I plan on doing towing with distances sometimes over 200+ miles, and going all over the Southeast. I would like to be able to go up to Virgina as well sometimes too. I'll probably only tow 3-4 times a year, maybe more.

My truck also didn't come with a locking diff, so I'm thinking about installing one. At the same time, I could put in a shorter gear like a 3.73 or a 4.10. A 4.10 will give me the extra cushion of adding 2,000lbs to my GCWR, which I assume will help the truck will easier.

What should I do? Invest a fair amount of money into my 1500 to make it more towing capable, or trade up for a 2500HD?

Anyone who has experience towing with a 1500 similar to mine, I would greatly appreciate some advice.

07Graystone · November 21, 2007

Hi all,

At the beginning of this year, I purchased a 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500. I bought it to pull my track car (Nissan 240) to track days. At the time, I didn't know much about towing and didn't think too heavily about it relating to what tow vehicle I bought.

Here is my question. I'm beginning to wonder how well my Silverado will be able to tow my car behind it. The 1500 I have has the 4.8L engine, 2WD, and 3.42 gears. I believe it has the tow package, but I'm not entirely sure. It came with the hitch, and the 7pin connector, but I don't think I have a tranmission cooler (anywhere I can see at least).

Anyways, the truck has a GVWR of 6200lbs. Assuming it is fully loaded, I can only tow 4,800lbs (a GCWR of 11,000lbs according to Chevy). My Nissan weighs about 2800lbs, and I guessimate the trailer I will purchase will be around 2,000lbs. This puts me basically at the towing limit. I plan on doing towing with distances sometimes over 200+ miles, and going all over the Southeast. I would like to be able to go up to Virgina as well sometimes too. I'll probably only tow 3-4 times a year, maybe more.

My truck also didn't come with a locking diff, so I'm thinking about installing one. At the same time, I could put in a shorter gear like a 3.73 or a 4.10. A 4.10 will give me the extra cushion of adding 2,000lbs to my GCWR, which I assume will help the truck will easier.

What should I do? Invest a fair amount of money into my 1500 to make it more towing capable, or trade up for a 2500HD?

Anyone who has experience towing with a 1500 similar to mine, I would greatly appreciate some advice.

IMO, if you prefer to keep the truck and if you're going to installing a locker, that would be a good time to change the gears to 3.73's. I would think this would work quite well for towing ~5000# 3-4 times per year.

C & A s Dad · November 21, 2007

You will receive varying opinions on this. Your truck is capable of pulling what you have but the 3.42 gears are going to really hinder it. If you like the truck and you want to keep it, I would suggest finding a used rear end with at least 3.73 gears. I have 4.10s and love them but some people who spend a lot of time with Interstate style driving (75+) will see a drop in MPG. If you do not drive a lot at these speeds, the 4.10s are great and will improve the capability of your 4.8. If you keep it and begin towing with it. Tow in Drive instead of Overdrive and use the Tow Haul mode. You will not win any races but that is not your intent.

If you have a trans cooler, it will be just behind the bowtie in the grille. It will be apprx 5" tall and 11" wide x 3/4" thick. If you do not have one, I would strongly suggest you add a good aftermarket Stacked Plate designed cooler, which is what came in these trucks as OE. Do not waste your time with the old tube and fin designed coolers. Depending on the climate you live in, I would recommend the 11" x 11" x 3/4" model. If you live in a really cold climate, this may be too much for winter driving and you would want to step this down to a 11" x 9" or 11" x 7".

Search trans coolers on this forum and you will find many threads on this.

Let us know if you have more questions.

ThoseDarnKids · November 21, 2007

Completely off topic, but, what kind of racing are you doing in the 240?

thecraft · November 21, 2007

IMO, if you prefer to keep the truck and if you're going to installing a locker, that would be a good time to change the gears to 3.73's. I would think this would work quite well for towing ~5000# 3-4 times per year.

I would skip 3.73 and go straight for 4.10, there won't be much of a improvement from 3.42 to 3.73

Starrman · November 21, 2007

Also, what kind of trailer do you plan on using? 2000lbs is a heavy car trailer unless its an enclosed type. My 18' tandem axle solid deck (7500lb max load) only weighs 1200-1300lbs

Zembonez · November 21, 2007

I agree. Go for the 4.10 gears and keep the truck. We've pulled racecars all over Texas using half ton trucks. As long as you set them up right they are great tow rigs.

Also.. off the topic. If you need any 240 SR20DET stuff, I happen to have a lot of it. My son is parting out his 240SX track car to make room for another project. Turbos, Intercoolers, Diffs, Wheels, lots and lots of nice pieces... We are going to concentrate or efforts on his E36 M3 instead of the Nissans in the coming year. Let me know and I will hook the two of you up.

xsports33 · November 22, 2007

Definitely go with 4.10s and an extra large transmission cooler. You might also want to look into rear air bags to prevent sagging in the rear which will help driveability.

I used to auto-x and take my '95 M3 to the track all the time. It was my very first project car that i plan on keeping forever. Now it's my dd, but always track ready.

ChrisNJ · November 22, 2007

I tow a lot and heavy with two trailers at about 8K ea a chipper, tractor at 6K, etc.... I also tow in the NE which requires a lot of power to go up NY-NJ-PA interstate hills. I have always been of the opinion that you should get the biggest engine you can. I very much dislike going below the speed limit around here as you get passed by tons of semi's which is dangerous. Even the speed limit is not enough, but it's safer getting passed by 4 semi's per hill, than 10 at 50mph. And the cars are all doing 80, so they all just whiz by, and 80 just won't happen with trailers on. Granted the SE doesn't have the hills, nor the amount of traffic as up here. However, I would get a new truck with at least the 5.3, and prefferably the 6.0. 4-5K lbs is nothing to sneeze at. My buddy bought his first pickup to tow 5K, he got, against my wishes, the dodge 4.7/3.23's. He hated it, and eventually got the 5.7 dodge and now loves it. The 4.8 is just not enough to be safe. Is your safety worth thoasands of dollars to upgrade?

FYI, I currently use the 6.2/6sp which gets the job done for me, and came from 8.1's which also did, and 6.0's which did not get the job done (for me). Best of luck.

cmoore74 · November 22, 2007

I have a 5.3L with the 3.42 gears and I tow a 4000 lb boat around the northeast (hills and mountains especially when going up to Lake George or Lake Winnipesaukee). If I had to do it over again I would have went with the 3.73 gears, but it does OK with the 3.42's. I just put in 3rd (never OD), hit the tow/haul button and go. If I hit a long very steep hill it will down-shift into 2nd to maintain 65, but with the 3.42 gears it revs up to the sweet spot in RPM for these motors and will easily accelerate up to 70-75 if you're not watching it.

I suggest making sure you've got a tranny cooler (if not install one) and give it a try with the current truck. GVWR is a for fully loaded truck, so as long as your not also filling up the bed with stuff to capacity you've got a bit more towing capacity than 4800 lbs.

If after you try it and it's not enough with the 4.8L I'm not sure I would waist time and $ on just a rear diff upgrade. I would look for a used 1500 HD with the 6.0L or even a 3/4 ton. There should be lots of used trucks around at good prices considering the redesign and gas prices.

Good luck.

xsports33 · November 22, 2007

If you're main purpose for the truck is towing, then get a diesel. Nothing can compare the power and towing ability of a diesel.

tigerbait · November 22, 2007

the 4.8 has plenty of power to get the job done, just upgrade the rear end w/ a detroit tru-trac w/ 4.10 gears and a large stacked plate tranny cooler and you will be golden. I've towed more weight w/ a 350 which had less power and 3.73s and never had a problem. I would recommend putting at least a class IV hitch (if not already equipped). Good luck w/ all of the racing.

c4cruiser · November 22, 2007

Some of the other things you have to consider is the additional cargo that will go in the truck. Tires, tools, spare parts, friends, wife and/or girlfriend, the dog and whatever all add up in terms of weight.

The hitch is a Class III hitch and the trailer weight should not be an issue, but for long hauls, consider using a weight distribution hitch; it will help to keep the truck level and spread the weight out over the wheelbase.

What tires are on the truck? If you have P-metric tires, they should work for short trips but if you are going to load the truck up, I would suggest going to an LT tire with a Load Range C or D rating. I would also recommend some overload springs or a set of airbags. Firestone air bags are relatively cheap and easily installed; that will give you some additional load capacity and will help to level the truck.

You will need a trailer brake controller for the trailer brakes (when you shop for a trailer, get 3500 lb axles and brakes on BOTH axles!). I recommend a Tekonsha "Prodigy" controller. They are plug and play and you can get a wire harness that connects to the box under the dash and to the controller without having to splice wires from the GM connector. You can find them online for around $100.

Look at the Service Parts Identifier sticker in the glovebox to see if "Z82" is listed. That will be the trailer package. Check the center pin of the connector to see if 12v is present. If not, you wil need to add a 40A fuse in the underhood fuse box at "Stud 1" which is located at the top of the box closest to the engine and at the left end. This pin supplies power to the charger for the "breakaway" battery on the trailer.

swwifty · November 23, 2007

Thanks for all the tips everyone.

To answer some questions..

My 96' 240 I don't technically "race". It's just at track day car (I'm not into drifting). I have suspension upgrades, brakes, new seats, roll bar, and a lot of weight reduction. Right now the engine is completely stock. I also have some Kumho MX tires on it, which are great for track days btw. I'm still learning to drive the car at the limit 100% of the time on the track, so till then I'm waiting for r-compounds and power upgrades.

The trailer(s) I'm looking at are tandem axle 18ft-20ft. I thought they weighed more in the neighborhood of 2,000lbs. I didn't realize they were that light weight.

I have Kumho Road Venture AT in 255/70/16. I don't think they are the maximum weight rating, but they are somewhere in the 2200lb rating for each tire.

I also am planning on doing a ECU upgrade (probably Wait4Me), and a cat-back exhaust, which should all help me tow more easily.

Anyone know where I can find a source for a locking diff, and some new gears?

Thanks everyone!