trailer build question

I believe he's talking tune, as in plug in a tuner and wake it up. They leave the factory pretty darn mild.
 
Chris_Keziah said:
You spelled ticking time bomb wrong o_O
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Oh c'mon...he won't ever test the capability of either that G80 or the towing capacity of that 1/2 ton burban.....now, WOULD he?
 
Scooter402 said:
I believe he's talking tune, as in plug in a tuner and wake it up. They leave the factory pretty darn mild.
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Ok, if I did that how would that affect the normal driving/gas mileage and such.
CasterTroy said:
Oh c'mon...he won't ever test the capability of either that G80 or the towing capacity of that 1/2 ton burban.....now, WOULD he?
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well it's rated 8800lb for 2wd so I'm well under that so I should be good. Fluids have been changed on point and never towed with it all it's life so I should be ok lol, i hope.
 
marty79 said:
Ok, if I did that how would that affect the normal driving/gas mileage and such.
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I can't say, as I've never tuned one of those. I have heard/read everything between 'no change' to 'passes everything but a gas station', so YMMV. I think it really all depends on your right boot (or mandal, whatever you're into).

@Croatan_Kid would be able to answer that one much better than I could. He's tuned a few of these.
 
The towing difference between that and what you were towing with will be night and day for sure.

As for the tune, you’d be looking at $300-$400 and it will Wake it up and make it shift a bit firmer and the throttle be more sharp and precise. For now I’d just tow with it, it will be fine but I would certainly add an auxiliary trans cooler right away.

There’s a lot of people towing with 5.3/4L60 and doing really great. When you’re on the hills, gear down early and get it up there between 3-4K RPM and it’ll just keep chugging.

If you do plugs and wires and such, only run AC Delco.
 
Lots of haters here but no one here actually uses a 5.3/4l60e combo for work like I do :D
04 tahoe, Just rolled 200k miles, never broken down, original everything, moved over 150 tons of dirt and rock last summer, has a trailer hooked to it 4 to 5 days a week, pulled our camper and seadoos growing up, survived being driven by 2 new 16 year old drivers, tuned with 100% torque management removed etc..

Got a plumbing buddy who uses his 02 Tahoe everyday to tow their e32 excavator. 340,000 miles orginal transmission and everything else.

Put a bigger trans cooler on it, keep it out of OD, dont do burnouts and carry on.

All of our tahoes are that same burgandy color so that might have something to do with it too lol
 
CarolinaHD said:
Custom tune $300-400
Trans cooler $100-150
05-06 34" radiator upgrade with electric fans $300-400
Good trailer brake controller $100-150
Good E rated LT tires $500-600
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Add upgraded brakes on the burb, and it would be fairly complete
 
Besides some better pads theres not much to upgrade imo. Already comes with hydroboost and dual piston calipers front and rear.
Flush the hydroboost and brakes while you're at it
 
Great info guys thank you very much. Have load E tires coming, brake controller coming and trans cooler. Today redid rear brakes, they were squeezing lol. I love this truck already
 
The 4L60 gets lots of hate.
And under more power or hotrod driving it wont last.
But...driven and maintained well Ive got over 200k out of two.
In fact in our 01 Yukon we put TWO 5.3s in it before the 4L60 went out, and it was still rolling when I sold it.

Use the tow/haul mode when towing anything.
 
Yep...was talking about some HP Tuners love. Waking it up usually results in better mileage when running empty. The factory 05+ truck electric fans will free up quite a bit of power and you'll have some real cold AC. They can be controlled through the ECM with a simple and readily available wiring harness.

I will say that Powerstop makes damn good rotors and pads. Rock Auto sells them and they've been holding up very well to about 23,500 gross weight of my truck, trailer, and excavator. Stock replacement rotors were glazed bad in less than a year. I'm using the Z36 pad compound, I believe. Still a ceramic pad, but they grab very well and produce very little noticeable rim dust.

I second what @77GreenMachine said, but will add that MSD plug wires are pretty cheap on Summit and LS motors like NGK plugs too. I ran some stock replacement Bosch plugs once and legit lost 3 mpg.

Might as well bolt on some tow mirrors while you're at it. Probably one of the best investments you'll make for towing other than a good brake controller.
 
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I’ll second the tow mirrors. Towed one time with my stock base model mirrors and hated it. Paid $70 for mine on Amazon, very happy but man I’d trade my left nut to have power mirrors. I’m assuming you have power so they’d be a touch more, but well worth it.
 
So nobody has mentioned bolt on stuff..intake? Exhaust upgrade? Any of those worthy or not really. I don't mind a little extra tone but right now we love how it's literally as quiet as a brand new one and runs like one too.
 
77GreenMachine said:
I’ll second the tow mirrors. Towed one time with my stock base model mirrors and hated it. Paid $70 for mine on Amazon, very happy but man I’d trade my left nut to have power mirrors. I’m assuming you have power so they’d be a touch more, but well worth it.
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So we're talking factory bolt on mirrors but they're bigger? Without looking rediculous..
 
marty79 said:
So we're talking factory bolt on mirrors but they're bigger? Without looking rediculous..
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If you slide them in when you aren’t towing it won’t be bad. I never slide mine in though because they aren’t power so they’re a pain to get right. Here is a link to what you need.

Make Auto Parts Manufacturing Set of 2 Driver/Left Side Textured Black Power Operated Manual Folding Dual Glass Tow Mirrors for Chevrolet Silverado 1500 2003-2007/GMC Sierra 2007 - GM1320355-GM1321355 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HPFFL36/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Cy6PEbNND9GWR



As for other things like bolt ons and such, just drive it man. Then decide what you need after a few tows. You’re gonna be miles ahead of what you were towing with. I haven’t bothered putting exhaust on my truck cause I don’t wanna listen to it scream going up hills and stuff. I’m either on the phone for work while heading on a trip, or I’m talking to the people I’m running with on the CB so I don’t wanna hear it I like how quiet it is.

I may change mine one day but have no need to now. I really think you are gonna be so happy with how well it does right off the bat, I wouldn't go looking for power upgrades just yet. Keep the tranny cool, the tires and brakes safe, and make your tow more comfortable with good mirrors and such and go from there.
 
marty79 said:
So nobody has mentioned bolt on stuff..intake? Exhaust upgrade? Any of those worthy or not really. I don't mind a little extra tone but right now we love how it's literally as quiet as a brand new one and runs like one too.
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People are saying it's better to spend money on:
Making it stop better and more safely
Making the transmission survive
Keeping the engine cool
Appropriate load range tires

IMO it's better to address those items before wasting money on "doooop" intakes and a cat back exhaust.
 
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