5.3L or 6.2L tow vehicle?

[CumminsBu]

Drove a 2012 Chevy crewcab 2500 with the 6.2l. With only a 1000lbs tool box in the bed, the truck transmission held the highest gear while climbing a 5 to 6% grade. I did force it to down shift in manual to see what it could do. It's not bad for a gasser.

[timjame0719]

Boz you are correct....that seems to be where I am with the soured experience. I've only had one "lemon" and that unfortunately was a 2010 Silverado with the 5.3L. I never got to tow with it as it was in the shop for two of the four months I owned it. The motor was rebuilt three times in the first 6k miles of it's life due to valve slap. That also pushed me to try Ford. Realistically the problem I had with that truck is worse than this one but I expect a lot more/better with the price tags of these vehicles today. In reality the more issues I have with a vehicle the shorter I would keep it. All trucks fail in some way or another, but if I get one that out of no where it actually holds up really well I will hold on to that guy until the motor rusts through the frame (which may not be long these days with all the salt brine they use around here )!

Ruffdog that key fob was the first thing my dealer suggested with the Armada so I left the whole thing in the console. Still rolled windows down but only when it started to rain. Strangest thing I have seen in some time. I had several other electrical issues with it. Guessing it had some grounding or snorting out issues. It was the first year for the Armada which didn't get great reviews until much later when they ironed out things like that and the small brakes. I absolutely agree though the power in that thing I still can't believe. It was fun to drive no doubt.

[timjame0719]

I will likely buy used this time around and won't wait for the new chevys to roll out. I am checking them out at our local auto show first next weekend before I purchase even thoughbi shouldn't......if I wait until they come out I believe I may be upside down in the value of my Ford which is another factor here. Im sure also being all new the price of them will be high and from the lineup it appears as though the engines haven't changed much and shocking to me their 1500top crew cab still falls a couple inches short of my current F150's rear leg room. Odd.....

[Hammertime]

We currently have a '08 Chevy Silverado 1500, CC, 5.3, 4-speed, 2wd with the tow package, 3.42, pulls the boat ok, but spends most of it's time in 3rd gear. We use this as a back up vehicle and our teenager is driving it now.

We also have a '12 GMC Sierra 1500, 6.2, 6-speed, 2wd with the heavy duty suspension & towing package, 3.42 gear, which pulls the boat great. Last summer we did a 1,300 mile trip and tow about 3,000 miles a season. I drove the 6.2 to work this morning and checked the mileage when I got tot the office and it was at 17.8 (95% highway at 70 mph)

FWIW, the one noticeable difference at the ramp is the tires. We have the Michelin LTX on the '08 and the factory Goodyears on the '12. The Michelins seem to hook up better and spin much less.

We've owned diesels in the past and I'm thinking you wouldn't even now a boat is behind a diesel. i couldn't justify the additional cost & maintenance on a diesel, so we bought the 6.2.

Good luck & keep us posted.

Edited March 5, 2013 by Hammertime

[timjame0719]

Thanks for that info! Sounds like the general thought is the 6.2L is preferred but the 5.3L will do the job....just going to work much harder. I hope the 6.2L wont be too hard to find used.

[timjame0719]

Well a search 200 mi in any direction from my zip code on three websites revealed 8 used silverados/sierras that had the 6.2L. May be tougher than I hoped.

[Nitrousbird]

Well a search 200 mi in any direction from my zip code on three websites revealed 8 used silverados/sierras that had the 6.2L. May be tougher than I hoped.

I'm sure there are more than that (I saw 17 on Autotrader in the same distance), but it is hard to get a good search result for that particular size of engine.

This truck is pretty sweet: http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?endYear=2012&zip=43231&keywordPhrases=6.2&engineCode=8CLDR&doorCode=4&sellerTypes=b&mmt=%5BCHEV%5BCHEV150%5B%5D%5D%5B%5D%5D&doorCodes=4&modelCode1=CHEV150&makeCode1=CHEV&startYear=2007&showcaseOwnerId=0&engineCodes=8CLDR&searchRadius=200&listingId=332192729&listingIndex=6&Log=0

As is this one:

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?endYear=2012&zip=43231&keywordPhrases=6.2&engineCode=8CLDR&doorCode=4&sellerTypes=b&mmt=%5BGMC%5B15SIPU4WD%5B%5D%5D%5B%5D%5D&doorCodes=4&modelCode1=15SIPU4WD&makeCode1=GMC&startYear=2007&showcaseOwnerId=0&engineCodes=8CLDR&searchRadius=200&listingId=320923536&listingIndex=2&Log=0

My pick (okay, it isn't a Chevy or GMC but 6.2L Caddy instead):

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?endYear=2011&zip=43231&doorCode=4&sellerTypes=b&mmt=%5BCAD%5BEXT%5B%5D%5D%5B%5D%5D&doorCodes=4&modelCode1=EXT&sortBy=derivedpriceASC&makeCode1=CAD&startYear=2007&showcaseOwnerId=0&maxMileage=45000&searchRadius=200&listingId=338801640&listingIndex=1&Log=0

[wakesetter8796]

They are all sold

[Timmay]

For what little time I've had my boat I've towed it with an '03 Tahoe with a 5.3L. It tows it just fine. I towed the boat from L.A. to the Bay Area when I first got it and was able to go through the worst parts of the grapevine at 55mph, granted in second gear and spinning 4500rpms but you're not going to hurt the motor by spinning those rpms for a few minutes. It will tow 70mph on the flats with ease, as mentioned any grade and it will kick down to third. IMO the 5.3L has plenty of power to tow ski boats and small wakeboard boats, the limiting factor is the transmission and the chassis. For the larger boats we see today I would want some more power and more chassis. I used to tow my race car with the same truck and the load was over 6000lbs, the Tahoe handled it but you could definitely tell it was nearing the safe limit of the chassis.

[timjame0719]

Those trucks are nice...I thought that Caddy was a great price actually. I plug in "6.2L" when I search, maybe that limits me a bit somehow.

[wakesetter8796]

Ya on cars.com that works great.

[Ndawg12]

For what little time I've had my boat I've towed it with an '03 Tahoe with a 5.3L. It tows it just fine. I towed the boat from L.A. to the Bay Area when I first got it and was able to go through the worst parts of the grapevine at 55mph, granted in second gear and spinning 4500rpms but you're not going to hurt the motor by spinning those rpms for a few minutes. It will tow 70mph on the flats with ease, as mentioned any grade and it will kick down to third. IMO the 5.3L has plenty of power to tow ski boats and small wakeboard boats, the limiting factor is the transmission and the chassis. For the larger boats we see today I would want some more power and more chassis. I used to tow my race car with the same truck and the load was over 6000lbs, the Tahoe handled it but you could definitely tell it was nearing the safe limit of the chassis.

I beg to differ, I'm tracing a coolant loss after towing through the hills of WV up to an Ohio WOW (shifted down to 2nd and 4k+ rpm several times). Granted my heads are a known problem but...

[timjame0719]

I never thought the Tahoe was underpowered until I pulled my boat with a Dmax dually, then the Ecoboost. I saw what towing could really be. Going back to the 5.3L is doable, just not excited to feel like I'm "settling" for something less. If I had to step down to that motor to save some fuel $ or more importantly vehicle cost (5.3L trucks are dime a dozen) then I could make it work for sure.

[Bill_AirJunky]

....... in second gear and spinning 4500rpms ............

Just a guess, but 3.42 gears?

I don't think I've needed to do that with 4.11s towing thru Hells Canyon or Grants Pass.

[Ndawg12]

Just a guess, but 3.42 gears?

I don't think I've needed to do that with 4.11s towing thru Hells Canyon or Grants Pass.

Yes for me. that's one thing I overlooked when I bought it. I saw an average of 16.1 mpg when I bought...

[billb]

My 2004 Chevy CC 2500HD 4x4 6.0L gasser has been great and I'd have another. I wanted the diesel, but did the math and it wasn't worth it. My truck has nearly 100K on it and tows like a dream. I believe that you have to pay for that power and can't expect to get a tow vehicle that gets 20mpg and has hillclimbing guts. My boat is lighter than the big wavemakers that some of you guys yank around.

[timjame0719]

I thought about that also but I figured around town I'd be at 10mpg or worse with that heavy truck and gas motor. Not that I specifically purchase a tow vehicle for fuel economy but if I can tow nicely but daily drive upper teens id be happy ..

[Malibudude]

The 5.3 will tow just fine, it’ll run up the rpm’s on hills and do some gear searching on minor hills/flat. Sold mine with 100k w/o any issue what so ever, I can tell you that the 4 wheel disc brakes are a huge improvement on stopping. I wouldn’t be afraid to tow w/ a 5.3 unless you had some long steep grades or towed in high elevations, very reliable engine in the GM stable. The 6.2 will cost more and harder to find, but the extra power is great when you need it or just want to let er’ rip. Though for the cost you might be able to find a 2500 w/ a 6L for roughly the same price.

[Bozboat]

A few years ago, I test drove a 6.0 in a HD 1500 with the quadrasteer for a week and never got more than 9 in town. The 6.2 would give me 10.5 to 11.0 in town driving reasonably, less if you got in a hurry. I figure that over the last seven months I have spent about $1500 less in gas driving the ecoboost than I would have spent on the Sierra Denali with the 6.2.

My combined mileage in the ecoboost over the last 9000 miles is 15.04, although I have been able to get as high as 18-19 on the highway with a strong tailwind.

Edited March 6, 2013 by Bozboat

[timjame0719]

It is very odd chevy uses drum brakes on the rear unless you have the 6.2L max tow package. I don't get it.

[Malibudude]

It is very odd chevy uses drum brakes on the rear unless you have the 6.2L max tow package. I don't get it.

Weird my '01 had disc all around.

[Bill_AirJunky]

Weird my '01 had disc all around.

My 05 Avalanche (5.3) has discs all the way around. My brother's 01 Suburban (8.1) has discs all the around too.

Edited March 7, 2013 by Bill_AirJunky

[saskicker32]

I'm not a huge input, but I tow both my '96 response (light boat) and '03 wakesetter (heavier, but not compared to newer models) with a 5.3L without a problem thus far. I just got a new (to us) tow vehicle that is a 5.3 as well. The only reason for the switch is the high mileage started to worry us, the first was a '01 chevy suburban Z71, and I towed the wakesetter last in december and the car has 180k miles on it, towed it fine (dropping into 3rd on hills). The new car is an '07 suburban, not Z71, I have full faith in it, my only problems I have with it is the steering is much looser then the z71, and it's only 2wd, but basically my input is I have full faith in the chevy 5.3L

[Malibudude]

My 05 Avalanche (5.3) has discs all the way around. My brother's 01 Suburban (8.1) has discs all the around too.

Wonder if the tow option isn't selected or perhaps trim level determines 4 wheel disc or drum (rear)? Burb w/ the 8.1 is rare....great setup!

[jk13]

Suburbans/Tahoes/Avalanches all have a different rear axle housing than the pickup trucks. It has coil spring and linkage mounts rather than leaf spring pads.

The '99-'06 trucks had rear discs with internal drum parking brakes. Speculation online is that they changed some of the trucks back to rear drums in '07 because of some parking brake issues (and cost) but left some discs on trucks with larger engines for towing.