Yukon, Tahoe, and Suburban towing question

[favoritos]

We use a variety of GM tow vehicles. We pull an inline 4 place. The 07 Yukon with the 5.3 has enough power to get up the hill on 35 going into Duluth. The shorter wheelbase is the most skittish. The 07 Burb has the same motor and tow-mode tranny. It has the air leveling system and rides better with the tongue weight of the trailer. We also use a 09 standard cab 1 ton with the bigger motor. It does the best job, but the mileage does suffer as a daily driver.

Bottom line, any of those vehicles do the job. Just get the vehicle that you want. Towing the trailer will be the least mile useage.

 

[ezra]

fyi some of the chev not any better than the ford my 05 z71 less than 80k new fr diff gears/ trany taken out 2 times some kind of vales I dont know/evry time I hit the gas hard from a stop the drive line clunks thay say that is normal teah ok/she burns 2qts every 3000 mi thay tell me gm spec is 1qt every 1000 mi yeah thats right 1qt 1000mi gm spec.new wheel bearings on right side 2 times/new trailer wiring plug and harness/I had a 98 f250 1 tranny in 198k thats it beleve it or not not bad.but that was lucky on my part.well yeah pads tred wipers ect.I was going to buy a toyota when I bought the chev same thing thay were not giving 0% so I got the chev now who looks like a dumb <font color="ff0000">&#149;</font><font color="ff0000">&#149;</font><font color="ff0000">&#149;</font> adding oil every 5th trip to the gas station.Good luck

 

[mxz_chris]

I have an 06 Suburban, and I think you're nuts if you buy a new one. I paid 29000 in October of 06 for a 50000 truck, with heated leather, tow package, Navigation, etc. Buy a used one, save 20000-25000 and get new sleds and a trailer. To your question, I agree with others, my 5.3 with 3.73 does fine with a 4 place enclosed V-nose, 12-14 MPG, and it's my wife's daily, averages 17.5MPG. Best vehicle I have ever owned, swallows tons of gear, and still holds 8 people. I will have it until it rots away. New or used you will love it.

 

[yamadooed]

Adding a tranny cooler, hitch and swap'n the gears is only a couple hundo worth of stuff I would think even the worst dealership could handle that...

 

[booondocker]

Put things into perspective.

Your wife will be putting 90% of the miles on this truck, and the high ratio rear-end is going to suck more fuel, unless she only drives 5 miles back and forth.

How many miles and how long distance is your trip with the sleds, over the 3 or 4 dozen times you will be doing it?

Maybe you won't be able to drive 75 mph with the lower geared machine with trailer in tow, but you can get there.

Remember to back the "rated" payload down by 15% as all manufacturers try to "stretch" the numbers.

Also you can buy a set of rims and tires for that machine that are 15% smaller and get your towing ability up much higher. I do that in both directions, and it makes a big difference.

Also I think that the after market tranny coolers are far better than those wimpy things that the manufacturer charges the snot out of you for.

You can customize any truck to fit your needs and do a better job than off the shelf stuff.

And I agree with some on here that if a dealer won't do some hunting for you for the right machine that you want, then switch dealers...you got someone who is burned out.

No doubt the fleet mileage decisions have changed the heck out of the gearing on these machines and of course the demand for towing machines is still there so I would not be surprised that lots of the towing stock stuff has been spent. But as long as you don't mind green stripes, with yellow pokadots, you should be able to find just the right one.

 

[sxrron]

I have a 07 tahoe with the tow package and a 5.3l with 3.73 gears. It tows great even my 6000 lb tractor plus a 2k lb trailer is not a problem. I did have a Yukon XL and it was a better tow rig than the Tahoe but my wife prefers the shorter wheel base for day to day driving.

 

[chevy_guy]

Everyone seems to be overlooking that the 09 suburban or yukon xl has a 6 speed trans with the 5.3. Or is spouting opinions without worrying about facts. The 3.42 ratio in 4th gear will run slightly more rpm than an earlier 4 speed automatic with 3.73. Forth gear is an underdrive ratio of 1.15 to 1 with a 3.42 gear ratio this gives an effective raio of 3.93. So if all these guys with 5.3's and 3.73 are happy you should be in good shape. A tranny cooler can be added by the dealer - just ask. In most cases that salesman is trying very hard to suit your needs AND feed his family, we just have some blowhards that can't seem to realize this !

 

[mvedepo]

Thanks again for all the comments. I am not sure where people got the idea that I was not happy with my dealer. I am extremely happy with my salesman. Everytime I think of something I want or need he bends over backwards trying to find one he can get. He has even returned my calls after hours. Now its just about getting the right vehicle.

 

[eao]

<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>quote:</font>

I am not sure where people got the idea that I was not happy with my dealer.<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>

I guess people often think that dealers can get any vehicle off another dealer but that's the case. The dealers are under no obligation to wholesale to other dealers. The longer a vehicle has been in a dealers inventory the more willing he might be to unload it to another dealer but if its a recent arrival or a popular vehicle he is not going to give it up.

 

[harvest1121]

Another dealer might not want to trade it but if they do they might not want anything in return then charge the dealer a little below invoice or invoice for it. It does not leave much room to make a profit for the other dealer. I know what a mini deal for a salesman can be from $50 to $150. So if you want someone to drive a few hundred miles its not going to happen. But it sounds like the salemen is doing anything he can do for MVEDEPO.

When I sold cars I told peope where it was because it was not worth going to get. That usually changed their minds and took something closer.

 

[rmkking]

Go with the Suburban the Tahoe doesnt have any room for gear behind the back seat. I pull the third row out and have room for 4 guys gear on trips. Get the auto ride to that way you dont have to worry about the rear sagging when you hook up the trailer.

 

[zman]

I wouldn't waste your time with the 3.42. It's not that you have any less power, you'll never keep it in overdrive when towing. It will drive you nuts always slipping in and out of OD everytime you encounter a mild grade. I have a Suburban Z71 with the 3.73 and it tows with no problems. I'm curious what features your wife wants that something like a Z71 LT doesn't have.

 

[mvedepo]

Thanks for all the input guys! I ended up buying her a Yukon XL. It does have the 53.L with the 6-speed 3.42. Time will tell I guess. I haven't towed the trailer yet.
Zman, I really like the sporty look of the Suburban but the wife liked the more plush look of the Yukon. Also, do you have a 6 speed or 4?

On an interesting note, we took it on a 3 hour trip and I got about 18.5 mpg doing 75 mph on the interstate. The wife got 24 mpg on the way back doing a more "sensible" 60 mph. Not bad!!

 

[tomxc700]

Like I said before, leave your right foot at home and use to cruse lol. It looks nice I like the color my pickup is about the same color.

 

[amazza76]

I have an 05 Suburban 2wd 5.3 4 speed with the factory tow package. It includes a transcooler and 4.10 gears. I have more than enough power to pull my 2 place enclosed, my open steel trailer with my '66 GTO, or my buddies 25ft Chapparal bowrider. The Autoride system works great...no sag in the rear. At highway speeds, I get @ 13mpg in tow/haul mode. The new gen Tahoe/Suburbans are quite a bit heavier than my model but I really like the idea of the six speed trans and have even contemplated doing a retrofit to my truck.