Which of these would tow a car the best?

[CrustyJunker]

I've towed a lot of vehicles with a 4x4 2-door Tahoe (Vortec, though). I think they were rated for around 5,000 lbs.? It's been awhile. Longer trucks are more stable though, mostly if the load is tongue-heavy.

I had good luck on bigger trailers with even load distributing. The rest was up to the brakes. Favorite part of the two-door was you still had the Suburban gas tank and all the other half ton goodies with a lot less truck. So you could drive for awhile between fill-ups, maneuvered easier backing up and around parking lots...Even with old GM's sad turn radius.

If you need the extra packing room, Suburban is king. If you travel light, 2 door rear seats fold flat, just zip the headrests out.

Here is an older thread of a guy towing with a 2 door. Seems like the towing limit was somewhere like 4,500-5,000 lbs on those 2 doors SUVs, and I think some even came with the 4.3?

Two door Blazer/Tahoe 400's came with only 5.7's or 6.5's. '92-'94 Blazers were full size, '95+ was renamed as the Tahoe Sport or Yukon GT - handing down the Blazer/Jimmy name to the S10-chassis trucks.

 

[Sparkysikes]

I own a 6.5TD. My crew cab dually came with it old mechanical IP. I did a motor upgrade and prefer the 4L80E with that set up over the nv4500. I daily drove it with 4,000 pounds in the bed for over 100k miles. 12-13mpg and it pulled any grade. I also put 7800lbs behind it and it went up the grades 5% but I let the motor choose the speed and it was 3rd arou d 48-55mph. The 6.5 can be a good motor. But you need to learn the drive a indirect injected diesel and not think it's a gasser. With turbo and motor upgrade I like it. Insane torque curve and it definitely out pulls the 350.

Here is the giant BUT! The 6.5 will realistically get you at the motor 250h/450-480T. And never anymore. The 454 does that with a tune and exhaust. Albeit at the cost of MPG. But boost (turbo or supercharged) and its an easy 400/600 combo with a tq curve that looks. Like a flat lined heart attack

My bet would be. 7.4 2500 and if the 3.73 doesn't cut it bump to 4.10's

 

[MRAJB]

Honest towing question. My 2000 k2500 ccsb 4x4, is 8ug but has 3.73 gears. Manual says my max to is 6500 pounds. Seems low for a 3/4 ton truck.

Is that accurate? Or can I tow a bit more?

 

[98chevy2500SS]

What are you looking to tow?

The 3.73s are probably going to hold you back a little. And I assume you also have a 350?

 

[MRAJB]

What are you looking to tow?

The 3.73s are probably going to hold you back a little. And I assume you also have a 350?

Yes I have a 350. Thinking about picking up a camper. But all the ones we like are closer to 8k than 6k pounds.

 

[98chevy2500SS]

Yes I have a 350. Thinking about picking up a camper. But all the ones we like are closer to 8k than 6k pounds.

Ok, yea it should be able to pull a 6-8k pound camper.

 

[Dravec]

Yes I have a 350. Thinking about picking up a camper. But all the ones we like are closer to 8k than 6k pounds.

Ok, yea it should be able to pull a 6-8k pound camper.

In order to pull 8k comfortably, you would probably NEED to regear to 4.10 or maybe even 4.56. Plus the brake system may need upgraded as well, because that does factor into the factory tow rating.

 

[Supercharged111]

In order to pull 8k comfortably, you would probably NEED to regear to 4.10 or maybe even 4.56. Plus the brake system may need upgraded as well, because that does factor into the factory tow rating.

Or just live with it in 3rd gear with a 3.42 or 3.73. Towing is very subjective. Personally if I knew I were going to drag an 8000# box down the road I wouldn't want to do it with a stock 350, but a tuned 350 with headers and full exhaust will do the trick. Now that I have Whipples on both trucks, there's really no going back for me. YMMV. I will say the best towing MPG my truck ever got was pulling my Corolla GTS on an open deck trailer not in CO. I'm pretty sure the wife had it in 3rd gear the whole time, it got about 12mpg like that. With the Corvette and Camaro on that trailer best I saw was 10 here in CO. Enclosed towing is single digits: NA was 7-9 with the 1500, with boost it's more like 7, but quieter as it's usually in OD.

 

[Gibson]

The 2500 GMT 400 Suburbans with 5.7 got the vacuum brakes

I've seen 2500s with a GVW of 8,400 with vacuum brakes, but every GMT400 Sub with a 350, and 8,600GVW that I've ever seen had Hydro-Boost.
Awhile back I went shopping for an 800/K2500, must have looked at a dozen or more.
Could not find one single one with 4:10s, they all were 3:73s, the ones with 4:10s must be kinda rare.
Ok I suppose for hauling the kids/groceries/cruising, but even the 6.0 needs 4:10s for real work.
Now a Sub with an 8.1 and 3:73s,, I could live with that, they still had a 10K tow rating, the 4:10s bumped it to 12K.
In the 800s the best bang in a gasser is a PU K2500/8.1,, you get the Allison with 4:10s as standard, with a 14K tow rating,, just hard to pass a gas station.

 

[Dravec]

Best mileage I ever got out of my old '99 K3500 (cclb srw 7.4/80E/4.10) was somehow 14 mpg with an overloaded 16' tandem axle trailer with nearly 8k lbs at about 50 mph.

Another time I had a 7.5k lb gooseneck horse trailer and one 1.2k lb horse and got about 8-ish.

Granted that truck had 265/75/r16 with no speed correction in the computer. And it normally got 11 in town or 12 on the highway.