5.7L Towing Upgrades (yes, another thread)

[Supercharged111]

The 1500 in my sig is similar to your setup and, before the blower, would tow my 24' 8500#+ enclosed trailer locked in OD on flat ground. Open deck it fared noticeably better.

 

[L31MaxExpress]

A 4.56 gear swap would be beneficial, especially with the 285/70R17 (~33s), if I had the time. My truck is 4x4, but with the lift kit cross member in the way of the front diff, taking it apart to change them, and the labor to properly install 4.56 gears in the rear 10.5 axle, it would be too much work in the 2 weeks or so I'll have when I go home.

Going to 32.8" tires, I would need a ~4.39 gear ratio to equal the 4.10s that came stock. Obviously, that doesn't exist, so a 4.56 gear would definitely be beneficial, but not as easy as the engine upgrades.

I went from 3.73s to 5.13s in my Express van. 10.5" 14-bolt. Went from an open differential to a trutrac. Running LT285/70R16s. 350 would pull my 6,000 lbs Jayco in overdrive at 70 mph at 2,850 rpm with relative ease. On long grades it is at 3,700 rpm in 3rd. With the 3.73s I was in 3rd on flat land running 3,000 rpm and in 2nd on the hills at 4,500. Alot of aerodynamic drag on an 8' wide x 11' tall box being pulled by a van with the aerodynamics of a brick.

On a side note, I absolutely refuse to lug the engine along in too tall of a gear towing. It pounds the crap out of the rod bearings and stresses the main journals and bearings too. I like to maintain atleast 3-5 in/hg of vacuum under part-throttle load. I will set the trans to downshift well before it pulls the intake manifold vacuum down to atmospheric pressure. Have a great uncle that uses small and big block engines to pump water from wells. They run around 2,500 rpm and near full load. He noted years ago that running with atleast 3 in/hg vacuum resulted in the bottom end lasting 3-4x as long.

 

[Trenton]

The 1500 in my sig is similar to your setup and, before the blower, would tow my 24' 8500#+ enclosed trailer locked in OD on flat ground. Open deck it fared noticeably better.

Good to know. Only difference it, my truck weighs 7000 pounds while yours weighs probably 5500 pounds lol. The fact it is an enclosed trailer makes me feel better, though. A flatbed gooseneck with a newer, aerodynamic car won't have the wind drag a 24' enclosed trailer will.

 

[stutaeng]

Get some smaller wheels on OfferUp so that it equivalents to a 4.56 ratio.

Sell them when you get to East Texas.

Problem solved, and probably no lost money, LOL.

 

[Trenton]

On a side note, I absolutely refuse to lug the engine along in too tall of a gear towing. It pounds the crap out of the rod bearings and stresses the main journals and bearings too. I like to maintain atleast 3-5 in/hg of vacuum under part-throttle load. I will set the trans to downshift well before it pulls the intake manifold vacuum down to atmospheric pressure. Have a great uncle that uses small and big block engines to pump water from wells. They run around 2,500 rpm and near full load. He noted years ago that running with atleast 3 in/hg vacuum resulted in the bottom end lasting 3-4x as long.

That's interesting. Yeah I always tow in 3, keeping it out of overdrive. I hate it having to shift so much. While the 4L80e is strong enough to handle more than the engine can pull, I like it to last as long as possible. At 65-70 mph, the engine is turning at 3000 rpm in 3rd gear, which feels like the engine's ideal pulling rpm.

 

[Trenton]

Get some smaller wheels on OfferUp so that it equivalents to a 4.56 ratio.

Sell them when you get to East Texas.

Problem solved, and probably no lost money, LOL.

NO In the summer, I take my truck on Colorado trails. I love going off roading because the views are amazing. Anything smaller wouldn't do well off road, up here. Plus, the truck has a 6" lift, so it'd look stupid as hell with factory 30" tires.

 

[Supercharged111]

Good to know. Only difference it, my truck weighs 7000 pounds while yours weighs probably 5500 pounds lol. The fact it is an enclosed trailer makes me feel better, though. A flatbed gooseneck with a newer, aerodynamic car won't have the wind drag a 24' enclosed trailer will.

Forgot to mention explicitly that I'm in CO too and you're spot on with the weight of my truck. It was 5400# and change last I weighed it. I've not towed that heavy up into the mountains, most I did was a 69ish Mustang on an open deck trailer. If you do headers, full exhaust, tune, and pull in 3rd you'll have no issues up here. Your foot will be buried for the climb but the HD should have plenty of cooling if it's all in good shape. Keeping the converter locked keeps the trans cool.

 

[Trenton]

Forgot to mention explicitly that I'm in CO too and you're spot on with the weight of my truck. It was 5400# and change last I weighed it. I've not towed that heavy up into the mountains, most I did was a 69ish Mustang on an open deck trailer. If you do headers, full exhaust, tune, and pull in 3rd you'll have no issues up here. Your foot will be buried for the climb but the HD should have plenty of cooling if it's all in good shape. Keeping the converter locked keeps the trans cool.

Hey, another Coloradan! I appreciate the info, and it's a good thing to hear. I have yet to pull a trailer up here in Colorado, so the power is what I'm concerned with, especially up here at 8000+ ft where I live and work (Aspen/Snowmass). All my pulling was back in East Texas, where the elevation is 400 ft, so there's a lot more air for power lol.

 

[Supercharged111]

Could also boost the motor. I have a small Whipple on mine and it makes as much juice here with the blower as it did in MI (800') without. I'm at 6000' here in Colorado Springs.

 

[Trenton]

Could also boost the motor. I have a small Whipple on mine and it makes as much juice here with the blower as it did in MI (800') without. I'm at 6000' here in Colorado Springs.

I wish I had the money for that. I was looking into a Wynjammer Centrifugal supercharger setup, but even then, I didn't have that kind of money to spend. A Whipple costs much more.