Towing with Tahoe, Escalade, or Denali ?

Are any of you here towing your boat with any of the previously mentioned? Tahoe (5.3L only apply), Denali, or Escalade?

I have an 07 22SSV that isn't going away and I'm replacing my tow rig with something more "practical". My previous rig was a 5.3L crew cab 1/2 ton but it was lifted so I dont feel that it is a good comparison factor for these models.

Can you give me an idea of fuel mileage and weight distribution? How does your 2wd work on the ramps with the street style factory tires?

I'm looking at 03 - 07s but will probably stick with something closer to 2003. What are your opinions on mileage? I found a REALLY clean 1 owner Escalade with 86K on the clock...is that too many? I'm leary of it but maybe thats being silly.

Marcus

I did some searching and came up with a couple of posts but I'd like more current input!

I'm also looking at the 03-06 not really the new body with the 6.2L.

I have an 03 denali and it tows like a champ. It has the 6.0 and you forget the boat is behind you!

What is your real world gas mileage? They dont require anything over regular grade at the pump, correct?

I have two tow vehicles:

1. 2003 Tahoe 4wd 5.3L limited slip rear diffential
2. 2000 Silverado Ex Cab shortbed Z71 5.3L oper rear diff

The Tahoe tows better than the truck because it has rear coils and it is heavier in the rear so it does not bounce as much. The Tahoe gets around 15mpg combined when not towing and 10-11mpg when towing.

I have never needed 4wd in my Tahoe, even at Tulloch when the water is low and the ramp is slippery, limited slip is the deal for towing. I also know how to load a boat so I don't soak the tires then take off like a bat out of hell pulling the boat up the ramp. My previous 2wd open rear diff Silverado give me a challenge a few times on slippery ramps. Using the boat to push and get things rolling usually does the trick.

I run regular gas when towing on flats, mid-grade if there are hills in lower altitudes.

I will second limites slip, it is a must have, got stuck twice without it. Ram gets similar mpg as that tahoe, Meaning, that is probably what you should expect do get in similar vehicles.

I have 05 Tahoe 2WD with 5.3L and tow 06 Moomba Mobius LSV (about 4300lbs loaded). Tows fine.. not what I would call can't feel behind it.. I drove from Gadsden, AL to Jackson, MS towing and got around 12.5 mpg. Tows fine in city and in and out of launch ramp.
No question Denalis/escalades with 6.0 ltr will do better. I see that new Silverado's have Vortec Max 6.0 option.. Wonder if they'll offer for Tahoes?

You can get a 6.0 in the new Tahoe. It's like a $950 option.

I have an 03 Avalanche w/4wd 5.3 that has 214,000 miles on it! 86k is no problem if maintenance is kept up. Pulls whatever I want.

I had a 2001 Tahoe with the 5.3L and I was impressed with the ride, disappointed with the braking (as I am with most GM trucks of that era) and I found the power lacking. The power train used in these vehicles do not have much freeway pulling power because of the 2nd and 3rd gear ratio. You are either revin' out second or boggin in third at 55 and it doesn't have the power to maintain 70 unless you are on a flat road. I have a 250 mile round trip to the lake that is hilly and boring as all hell. I had the transmission cooler and when the temps were 100+ degrees, it would start to overheat with the AC on and a full load. I switched out the thermostat and a sensor, but it didn't change the problem. I put 135,000 miles on my tahoe and it only went in the shop once for a 4WD solenoid that went bad. Great truck, just underpowered and didn't like to stop. I have NEVER used 4WD at the lake with M/S 20" tires and I have been on some challenging ramps. Even with all of these issues, it was probably the best vehicle I have owned for an all around SUV. Turns on a dime, easy to park, the most comfortable seats I have ever had in any vehicle and the third row seating came in handy.

Milage was 15-17 on the daily and 11-12 with boat in tow.

You can get a 6.0 in the new Tahoe. It's like a $950 option.


No you cant!

Suburban yes-1500 Silverado-yes-Avalanche-yes

I have an 07 crew cab with the 5.3 liter 4wd 4.10 gears and tow pkg (rear limited slip). stock as the day I drove it off the dealer lot. I get around 15mpg but my commute is 6 miles 4 of which is freeway (stop and go on the way home). I got around 17mpg (according to the onbaord calc) before I got the boat. now the clock reads 14.3 my drive to and from the ramp is about 45 min there is a section of crazy hills which will stop any and all momentum you have but they're short. I typically burn about 1/4 tank or roughly 20 bux in gas to get there and back. I don't regret getting the 5.3 at all but I also made sure I got the factory 4.10's so I could pull a boat or lift it if I wanted to. I love my truck and will hang on to it for a long time. I sometimes wish I had a diesel for the brakes.


As for tires? lol I am glad I have 4wd lets just say that. The factory tires are garbage I can't wait for them to wear out to get something on there that can hold the road. It has a posi but it still spins the dickens out of both tires. My friend has a chevy quad cab 2500hd with the full bed (mine's a shorty) he has a 2wd w/ the 6liter and his truck has absolutely no slip problems. I put my truck in 4wd its less work on the torque converter to have to stall it to get the whole setup rolling uphill. Hope this helps.


My friend has a new style tahoe with variable displacement, very cool stuff I wish mine had it. He gets better mpg than me by roughly 3mpg from the clock.

I've only been looking at Suburban's...just assumed 6.0 was also available on the Tahoe's. My bad.

I don't understand why they don't offer it on Tahoe's, and don't understand why it's not standard on the 'burb...but that's just me.

I have a 2003 Denali, 6.0 liter, AWD. It tows great. The AWD helps the handling but hurts on the gas mileage (14-15 mpg city, 17-18 mpg hwy, 10-11 mpg towing).

I have an 04 Escalade ESV and i love it. I can haul ass up hills and around corners and it also auto-levels itself so the back end won't sqaut down. Also, having the all-wheel drive gives me the piece of mind knowing that i can get up any boat ramp w/o spinning out, no matter how steep. I don't worry about the fuel mileage because it is going to suck regardless while pulling a boat and the most inportant thing is that we look "GOOD" when rolling up to the boat ramp w/ my shiny 20's/285's. Black truck w/blue boat gets the attention, which is what we all want. I say get the caddie, you only live once.

Ha ha! Any black SUV pulling my boat is going to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!

[IMG]http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e52/Trainwreck06/IMG_1869.jpg[/IMG]

I have a 2002 Tahoe Z-71 with the 5.3 and tow a new X-Star and have not had any problems towing. I mainly tow around Dallas but have towed the X-Star on some longer trips and the Tahoe has held up fine. It's obviously no diesel and you can feel the boat behind you, but you don't have to pay the sticker shock at the pump.

I tow with an 04' tahoe and it has no problems and I average about 13 miles to the gallon while towing.

I now tow with a Tahoe with the 5.3, it tows good, not as good as the HEMI I had, but good. Stopping is OK, but not the best. Overall, I LOVE it. A lot easier to back up with the short wheel base.

I tow our 21v with our '01 Denali. Tows great, echo what ericlee said "tows like a champ, forget the boat is behind you!". I have cold air intake, and dual exhaust, we get about 14mpg city and 18mpg hwy. For what it is worth, we also have a '99 dodge ram 4x4 with the Dodge 5.9, it is HORRIBLE towing, no HP, no Torque and about 7mpg towing the 21v (no kidding)...if you are going to stay with gas (vs deseil) it's hard to beat the 6.0 in the '01-'06 GM's.

I'm not sure how the others with a 5.3 are pulling so well. I have an 03 Suburban 5.3 and I'm replacing it with a 3/4 ton Burb or a Denali before I start towing this summer.
It gets about 14-15 MPG all around and about 8.5 towing. It works, but seems like it's working fairly hard to tow.

I use to pull my boat with a F350 dually but now have an Escalade ESV with the 6.0L motor and it pulls better then the dually did. My other truck, another F350, is lifted and large wheels and tires. I don't like pulling my boat with it, feels like it is yank all over the place, due to the lift. Escalade is the way to go, air suspension so it levels out, put it in tow mode and you don't even know it is there. I am getting around 11-13 mpg.

I had an 04 Escalade EXT with the 5.3 or 6 I forget. The transmission and computer started failing around 47000 miles. It broke every 500 miles after that... till I sold it

I have an 03 suburban....I get about 15 around town, about 18 on the highway, and about 12-13 towing. Its been a great vehicle