Towing

Joe28443 · December 1, 2007

I have a 03 5.3 Z71 with the 3.42 gears. I bought a 26TT dry weight 5180, loaded about 6-6500#. I just got back from the NC mountains and the towing onthis thing sucks. I was actually getting ready to test drive a Toyota Tundra or F150. I wil tow about 3-4 times a year. I have no power whatsoever. My first mod is 4.10's I think along with a tune which before coming to this site I had no clue other than a hypertech. I hear alot about wait4me. Does anybody have this same or simular setup that tows about the same weight and if this was your truck what would you do?

jrrod2004 · December 1, 2007

the real question is how much you willing to spend? spend a couple of thousand, and you will probably tow better than the NBS style trucks....if it was me, replace the intake, rip out the entire exhaust system (yes manifolds, cats everything) and replace em with performance high flowing systems. after that, get an agressive tuner that will allow you to switch from power (octane 93) to economy (octane 87)when needed and lastly, regear that sucker to 4.10s

pm26 · December 1, 2007

I was contemplating getting a similar size travel trailer but I feel my truck would be overwhelmed with the 6500 lbs tow weight. I consider 5000 lbs a practical limit for my truck over long distances, maybe 6500 lbs for a few miles at most. I have 3.73 gears.

Advice: always use premium gas when towing substantial trailers. It will increase your power because the ECU will be able to advance ignition timing much more without knocking, producing more power. This has been discussed at some length before and people who use premium fuel while towing reported better power and fuel economy as well.

Joe28443 · December 1, 2007

I made the mistake of buying the trailer prior to giving it a test run. Now I am left with either trading or upgrading trucks. I cannot justify buying a HD because of what little I will be towing. Does anyone know the cost of 4.10's front and rear?

2500ak · December 1, 2007

Billet 4th servo, if the 4L60e/4L65e has one weakness it's slippage. Also vette servos for the other three shifts. Its a cheap, easy mod that should do a lot of good. It'll give the trans a greater ability to hold gears. A shift kit would also help.

Joe28443 · December 1, 2007

Billet 4th servo, if the 4L60e/4L65e has one weakness it's slippage. Also vette servos for the other three shifts. Its a cheap, easy mod that should do a lot of good. It'll give the trans a greater ability to hold gears. A shift kit would also help.

Billet 4th servo, that sounds like going in thr tranny ? is that a cheap mod??

2500ak · December 1, 2007

Yeah, from what I hear. My truck has the 4L80e which they don't make them for so I'll be getting a full on shift kit, but the 60e has a couple of fairly easily replaceable servos, I didn't believe it at first but it's something that you can do yourself in your driveway, or in a shop. Either way it shouldn't be that expensive, I think the billet servos are about 65 dollars a piece.

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.a...mp;autoview=sku

Something like this, the corvette ones are quite a bit cheaper even then that. Some of these and some tuning should make a big difference.

edit

Other things I can think of are

1. Exhaust - Doesn't have to be a really expensive setup, a catback exhaust'll do a lot of good, just be ready for a bit more noise, hopefully not a cab drone, a lot of my friends have different set ups on different trucks, I've seen strait pipes which are silent in the cab and then really high end setups that are unbearable. I like magnaflow myself, its quite when idling, roars when I get on it, just a bit on the expensive side.

2. CIA - there are a lot of better mods for the price IMHO

3. Transmission mods - 1-2 shift vette and 3-4 billet servos, I've only ever heard good things about them. Transgo as well as a few other co.'s makes a good shift kit.

4. Tuning - Can get more HP, shift timing, even take off the top speed limiter, lots of other stuff just stay away from handhelds, not worth it for the money. I've heard good things about mail order tunes, but nothing tops a dyno tune .

5. If you're really serious, and want to put the money into it, a supercharger, like a radix magnacharger will make that trailer seem like it's weightless. Just make sure you have a shift kit and other support mods that can handle the brute force the engine will supply.

6. If you can do it yourself, a cam swap is hands down the best bang for you're buck, but install is not for the weak hearted

or inexperienced. install from a shop is going to cost a fair amount

Joe28443 · December 1, 2007

Yeah, from what I hear. My truck has the 4L80e which they don't make them for so I'll be getting a full on shift kit, but the 60e has a couple of fairly easily replaceable servos, I didn't believe it at first but it's something that you can do yourself in your driveway, or in a shop. Either way it shouldn't be that expensive, I think the billet servos are about 65 dollars a piece.

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.a...mp;autoview=sku

Something like this, the corvette ones are quite a bit cheaper even then that. Some of these and some tuning should make a big difference.

edit

Other things I can think of are

1. Exhaust - Doesn't have to be a really expensive setup, a catback exhaust'll do a lot of good, just be ready for a bit more noise, hopefully not a cab drone, a lot of my friends have different set ups on different trucks, I've seen strait pipes which are silent in the cab and then really high end setups that are unbearable. I like magnaflow myself, its quite when idling, roars when I get on it, just a bit on the expensive side.

2. CIA - there are a lot of better mods for the price IMHO

3. Transmission mods - 1-2 shift vette and 3-4 billet servos, I've only ever heard good things about them. Transgo as well as a few other co.'s makes a good shift kit.

4. Tuning - Can get more HP, shift timing, even take off the top speed limiter, lots of other stuff just stay away from handhelds, not worth it for the money. I've heard good things about mail order tunes, but nothing tops a dyno tune .

5. If you're really serious, and want to put the money into it, a supercharger, like a radix magnacharger will make that trailer seem like it's weightless. Just make sure you have a shift kit and other support mods that can handle the brute force the engine will supply.

6. If you can do it yourself, a cam swap is hands down the best bang for you're buck, but install is not for the weak hearted

or inexperienced. install from a shop is going to cost a fair amount

I also thought about an sts turbo, go to www.youtube.com and search sts silverado, its pretty amazing,although my truck cant handle that power. What is a dyno tune?? I am going to look in the servo thing soon i dont think my truck wants that camper behind and I do not want to sell my truck seeing as its paid for and I have checked the prices on other trucks.

I also checked summit for those servos, Could I jest get a whole kit 1-4, All I saw was 2nd and 4th servos?

brainpause · December 1, 2007

We have an '06 with 5.3L and 3.42, crew cab 4x4. Experienced the same when we towed our 5-6000# hybrid TT home.

Best thing I've done is the wait4meperformance tune. Shifts are quicker so that it doesn't lay down. I have also become happier towing at 65mph or so.

In addition, at first the truck would run at 4000 rpm on the interstate, when it needed to downshift. That bothered us, since the truck was new. I have since learned that these engines are OK to wind a bit, and get in their sweet spot.

Another GREAT mod (but won't provide power) is the Aeroforce Pillar guage. LOVE it! I mainly monitor trans temps and engine temps when towing.

Larry

2500ak · December 1, 2007

Yeah, you can swap out all of the servos. I think you're truck could handle FI, turbos and superchargers these days are designed to bolt right up and run on stock or stock-ish engines. It's the trans that needs the support, the gen three engines are a good platform, but the transmissions excluding the 4L80e and 4L70e were made to cope with only the amount of power a sock engine provides. You go to a supercharger, turbo, or even an over aggressive camshaft and its a slippery slope to trans failure. Thats why its a good idea to get some trans mods under your belt, those servos will allow the truck to shift more normally when towing a heavy load, help you hold overdrive to get better milage, and keep the trans from searching for gears. But most of all they will reduce slippage by applying a greater force on the clutch bands, reducing wear and keeping the trans temp under control. And the best part is that they are fairly cheap, and unlike something like a cold air intake, the effects are immediate, more like a tune or forced induction.

jrrod2004 · December 1, 2007

well that is why I asked how much he wanted to spend, get a budget, and determine what would be the most bang for the buck.....and yes I forgot about the shift kit and billet servos (I was lost in deep thought - on how much beer was going to cost when I get off work)

C & A s Dad · December 1, 2007

Joe, I do not want to take away from the advice you have gotten but let me see if I can provide some info that may be more cost effective. I mean if you are going into the trans, adding a super charger etc etc, you may as well upgrade to a more capable truck.

I am basing my recommendations from my set up. I am towing a 29ft 6500 lb Travel Trailer with an 02 Yukon XL 1500, 5.3L with 4.10 gears. It does a great job and I have been very satisfied with it. A 2500 would certainly do better but this truck is also my Wife's daily driver and I just could not buy a 2500.

1) Gears !!! Although it will be expensive, there is nothing else you can do to your truck that would come close to providing the improvements you are looking for. 4.10 gears keep the 5.3's revs up where they need to be. This little motor loves to rev and will do it all day long. It needs to remain above 2200 RPMs when tuggin. If it falls below this it is hard to recover without dropping to another gear. I tow in 3rd and keep it at 55 or less on 2 lane roads and 60 to a max of 65 on an Interstate. 3rd and 4.10s keep the 5.3 in it's sweet spot.

2) A good aux trans cooler. If your truck is not equipped with a aux cooler, install a good stacked plate designed cooler. The OE unit if equipped is located just behind the Bowtie in your grille and will be about 5" x 11" x 3/4". If you want more info on this search the forum our PM me.

3) A Cold Air Intake will help a little but not a great deal. You can retain your factory air box and simply replace the restrictive tube if you like. The OE box is a true cold air set up. I have a True Flow unit but there are other out there including GM's own perf parts piece. Again, they will help but do not expect a lot. TF claims 15 HP and about 17 ft lbs of tq if I remember right.

4) Syn oil in the engine and trans. Choose your brand, I use Amsoil but all syns are good IMO.

5) A good Weight dist hitch. I have an Equal I Zer and love it but the Reese Dual Cam is great and the Hensley Arrow is the top of the line but at $3K it was too rich for my blood.

6) Exhaust Sys. Some may disagree but i researched this too much. A good Ex syst will provide some extra hp but it comes in the very upper RPM range and most will reduce somd tq at lower Revs where you will be running when towing. Most people with a camper who have read or spoken with will tell you the drone from the ex note coming off the camper when tuggin will drive you crazy. Don't get me wrong, I love a good exhaust system but not on my tow vehicle.

7) Last but not least, I have Airlift Air Bags in my rear coils. You do not have coil springs but you can still add air bags to your rear suspension. This was the best mod I added in the area of adding stability.

Remember, TQ is what you are looking for, not necessarily HP and you need it to come in just abover 2000 rpms and be avail up to 4,000 rpms. The 4.10s will be your most valuable mod to get this done for you.

Also remember, you will not win any races while towing, so do not even try.

Agaiin, no offense to those suggesting more elaborate mods. I would simply go after and new 900 series V Max with the max tow pkg if I was going to go this far.

Oh yea, forget about the Tundra, they are simply not ready to play in this arena yet. They are having too many issues at this time.

Genuinefine409 · December 1, 2007

1) Gears !!! Although it will be expensive, there is nothing else you can do to your truck that would come close to providing the improvements you are looking for. 4.10 gears keep the 5.3's revs up where they need to be. This little motor loves to rev and will do it all day long. It needs to remain above 2200 RPMs when tuggin. If it falls below this it is hard to recover without dropping to another gear. I tow in 3rd and keep it at 55 or less on 2 lane roads and 60 to a max of 65 on an Interstate. 3rd and 4.10s keep the 5.3 in it's sweet spot.

I totally agree. gearing makes the world go round sometimes. Our maintenance truck at work has a ford 6.8 V10 with 4.88 gears and it feels like a rocket when you take off, even pulling a heavy load it really goes. 3.42 gears are not pulling gears, some can argue about 3.73's but real pulling gears start at 4.10. You'll appreciate the ease of passing in overdrive when running empty as well with the 4.10's.

Joe28443 · December 1, 2007

well that is why I asked how much he wanted to spend, get a budget, and determine what would be the most bang for the buck.....and yes I forgot about the shift kit and billet servos (I was lost in deep thought - on how much beer was going to cost when I get off work)

I am looking to get

1) 410's

2) servo's

3) wait4me tuner

4) tranny temp guage

5) probably gonna do a diagnostic check

in that order, oh yeah I bought the truck about 6 months ago and it came with a $800 set of new 285 BFG's, I know that sucks some power so they gotta go soon. I love my truck and do not want to park with it, If I can do all of this for about 4k I will be happy. How much is one of those wait4metunes?? My wife says selling the camper is not an option seeing as we just made our first payment today

Joe

2500ak · December 1, 2007

Suspension is something I forgot, those 1500's have kind of slushy suspensions. I think you said you have the z71 and I think that might have some better than base shocks, but nothing beats rancho 5000. They have pretty bad ride quality actually, but as for handling and load bearing... I have some on my truck and a few of my friends have them and I can tell you from the expirence of driving 309 miles from anchorage to fairbanks with my friends (multiple trucks + CB radios = fun) frequently, at higher speeds (around 75-100) and with heavier loads stiffer shocks you have a lot more control over the vehicle.