2016 Silverado towing

DTB7811 · 12-13-2016, 05:49 PM

Need help,just bought a 2016 5.3L 3.42 gears Silverado 4x4 double cab
I own a 2016 jayco 27drls,does anyone have this set up?
How has the towing been? Read a few this saying it was dicey,I don't want to white knuckle it!!!!!!
Anyone with a 5.3L please chime in.
Weighed trailer at cat scale 7,100.truck is rated at 9,400 but I want to know
How it pulls,is it straining?

motorbreath · 12-13-2016, 05:58 PM

I have the same truck, but a crew cab and a Jay Flight 28 BHBE that is around 7500# loaded. The engine pulls well, we have one 12% grade hill on the way to my RV dealer, the truck pulls with RPMs around 3700.

That being said, if you are planning on towing frequently or dealing with long sustained grades, the 6.0 litre in the HD trucks is a better choice. Both the 5.3 and 6.2 are not built for abuse, none of the 1500 engines are.

Make sure your trailer brakes are well adjusted and braking should be fine. Suspension will likely be the limiting factor with your setup.

John H · 12-13-2016, 06:09 PM

I can’t really comment on how it would pull with your setup but I am really happy with the setup that I have. My trailer has a gross of 6000lbs, with mine loaded I am in around 5000lbs or less with a tongue weight of 560lbs. There is just my wife and I and I would say no more than 500lbs of extra gear in the truck. I have hit a 12% grade and the grade decent feature really helps. I don’t push the truck and try to keep my speed at 55 -60mph with the trailer on.

Khans Keeper · 12-13-2016, 07:04 PM

I pull a similarly sized trailer ( -700lbs GVWR) with my 5.3 and have had no complaints. I think some of the complaints about the 5.3 lacking power originate from the 4 speed it used to be paired with. The 6 speed and the tow/haul feature with it's adjusted shift points and grade braking feature deliver a much better towing experience. Absolutely get yourself a good WDH and sway control. Don't plan on setting any speed records on steep grades.

clubhouse · 12-13-2016, 09:02 PM

Maybe a question that should have been asked prior to your purchase.

Dropnaduece · 12-14-2016, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DTB7811

Need help,just bought a 2016 5.3L 3.42 gears Silverado 4x4 double cab
I own a 2016 jayco 27drls,does anyone have this set up?
How has the towing been? Read a few this saying it was dicey,I don't want to white knuckle it!!!!!!
Anyone with a 5.3L please chime in.
Weighed trailer at cat scale 7,100.truck is rated at 9,400 but I want to know
How it pulls,is it straining?

The question you want to ask is what's your payload rating and the tongue weight of your trailer. Tow rating doesn't mean nothing cause my F-150 is rated at 11,400lbs of towing capacity and 17,100lbs of GCVWR. However my payload on the infamous little yellow sticker on the door jam is only 1620lbs and my WH 25BHS has a tongue weight of 900lbs when loaded. Leaving me only 720lbs for a family of 4, 1 dog, bed cover, and some firewood. Maxed on the payload but only pulling a 6900lb trailer. I can pull 60+mph up and over the cascade mountains with ease. Which most 1/2 tons don't lack power but lack the payload.

RPreeb · 12-14-2016, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dropnaduece

The question you want to ask is what's your payload rating and the tongue weight of your trailer. Tow rating doesn't mean nothing cause my F-150 is rated at 11,400lbs of towing capacity and 17,100lbs of GCVWR. However my payload on the infamous little yellow sticker on the door jam is only 1620lbs and my WH 25BHS has a tongue weight of 900lbs when loaded. Leaving me only 720lbs for a family of 4, 1 dog, bed cover, and some firewood. Maxed on the payload but only pulling a 6900lb trailer. I can pull 60+mph up and over the cascade mountains with ease. Which most 1/2 tons don't lack power but lack the payload.

The Lariat option package must involve more weight than the XLT package. My 2016 F-150 has 1777 payload. I tow a lighter TT than you do (my gross weight is less than your empty weight), so my truck has it a bit easier than yours - a good thing as I will be doing much of my traveling in the Rockies.

redenbacher · 12-14-2016, 10:42 AM

I have a 2015 GMC Sierra with same engine and we have the same trailer, so we are close. Our truck does have the max towing package. Living in the midwest, we don't have the chance to do steep grades but we have no issues with ours. I have weighed the truck and trailer and everything is good. We plan to venture out of the midwest soon and look forward to seeing how this setup handles with more challenges. So far, so good!

KYCAMPER · 12-14-2016, 11:10 AM

I towed a 2015 27DSRL with a 2012 Silverado (probably 40HP less than your 2016) for about a year. No white knuckles (get a good WDH) - it handled great. No transmission or engine overheating. My issue was that the transmission would begin hunting on even the slightest of grades. That was annoying to me, especially on long trips. I upgraded to a HD Duramax partly for the transmission hunting but mostly in preparation for an upgrade to a larger 5er (will happen this year since I just sold my TT). My only concern would be frequent steep inclines?? If the transmission hunting is not an annoyance for you, IMHO I think you'll be happy with your setup.

Dropnaduece · 12-14-2016, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RPreeb

The Lariat option package must involve more weight than the XLT package. My 2016 F-150 has 1777 payload. I tow a lighter TT than you do (my gross weight is less than your empty weight), so my truck has it a bit easier than yours - a good thing as I will be doing much of my traveling in the Rockies.

The extra Lariat package brings down the payload quite a bit I learned. Just the full moon/sun roof is a huge amount of weight because how heavy the glass is I found out. Do you have the full roof covered in glass?

Vicr · 12-14-2016, 02:39 PM

It all depends on the gearing of the differential. 3.42's are pretty tall gears to tow with. Most tow packages have 3.72 or 4.11's.

RPreeb · 12-14-2016, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dropnaduece

The extra Lariat package brings down the payload quite a bit I learned. Just the full moon/sun roof is a huge amount of weight because how heavy the glass is I found out. Do you have the full roof covered in glass?

Nope. No sun roof. I wouldn't have bought the truck if it had one. I have no use for it. We did test drive a model with the sun roof, and aside from marveling at the size of it, we immediately rejected that one.

I've found that for my taste, it's either too hot, too cold, or it's raining. My wife's 2014 Honda Ridgeline had one, and in the 2 years she had it, I think it was opened once, just to see if it worked.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vicr

It all depends on the gearing of the differential. 3.42's are pretty tall gears to tow with. Most tow packages have 3.72 or 4.11's.

My F-150 with tow package came with a 3.55 rear end. According to what I have read, the other "standard" ratio for my truck was 3.31

Vicr · 12-14-2016, 05:43 PM

I wonder with the new 6 speed transmissions they are able to put trans-diff gearing with the final drive gear to give good pulling power along with improved mileage over the "old way". And of course the Ecoboost for great low end torque. Almost makes me want to buy a new truck, almost.

StormPOD · 12-14-2016, 07:20 PM

I tow my 2016 White Hawk 27DSRL with our 2000 GMC Sierra 1500. 5.3L with 4:10 gears. 194+ miles.

I have towed to NC via I77, I75 and I65 to FL - No Problems.
I have towed from Ohio to Jekyll Island, Ga and several other places without issue.

The sweet spot for towing using tow/haul is 60mph. I have now sway issues and average 10mph. I keep up on all maintenance and never push the rig. 2500 rpm towing and rarely see 3200rpm.

I never feel out of control or under powered. I have slowed to 40mph and 3200 climbing a 9% grade to 3250 feet for 5 miles. Tucked in behind a semi and let the truck to it thing. Payment temp that day was 107 and I had not engine or trans cooling issues.

Ottawasteve · 01-06-2017, 11:31 AM

As others have stated, be aware of the payload capacities and axle weights of your truck, not the brochure or advertised weights of other 1500 class trucks. The loading of your truck, tongue weights and WD hitch can be adjusted to increase or decrease axle weights of your TV.

I tow with an F150 with an extra 0.1 displacement 5.4 Litre, but I don't think torque ratings were significantly different for those years. A properly adjusted good quality WD hitch is also a must. I have used a Propride 3P for 3 years and would not tow without it. When it came time for new tires, I added LT tires for added stability at $20 per tire and rear airbags to eliminate a little big of squat I had. This last summer after my TV warranty expired, I added a 5star tuner with custom tunes which locks out 6th gear and provides an extra 30ft/lbs. It exceeded my limited expectations as I wanted it to monitor trans temps etc. while towing, but it really cut down on gear hunting while towing in the mountains.

RedHorse1 · 01-06-2017, 05:54 PM

I'm not sure what the "max tow/trailer" number tells us. My previous TT/TV combi was perfect, my max tow was about 9500# and our TT was around 4500#. The CAT Scale revealed that we were about 300# from the Rear GAWR with just the two of us aboard. Since you have purchased, hook up and hit the scale and get all your weights. There is an excellent sticky on weighing and interpreting the results.
The CAT Scale is your friend.

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