Learn me Suburban tow pigs

I'll trade you a GMC Savana SLT for your Honda. It seats seven, will tow a boat and haul all of your boating gear. Also you won't see your self everyday on the road or in parking lots.

Vortec 5.7 with 4L60E and a towing package.

As an avid suburban owner I have some comments.

codrus wrote:

curtis73 wrote: A good 6.5TD (hard to find these days) is a paradigm of reliability. So is a Duramax or a 7.3 'stroke (strokes are getting hard to find as well). The 20+ mpg and gobs of torque are just bonuses.

The Duramax only came in the trucks, not the Suburban. A Silverado 2500HD with a Duramax is a great tow vehicle, but it doesn't seat 6 very well.

Yeah kind of a let down, thats the only thing my 2500 is missing the LQ4 is good but a top end engine isn't what I find attractive when towing. Also the tow/haul mode could use a re-cal.

the 07-13 is the last body style of the 3/4 suburban and if you go with that you gain the 6L90E as well.

markwemple wrote: Why 2500 over 1500? Our 1500 tows well and can get 18-19 mpg on trips. The 8.1 I'd bet 15 max and all repairs will be more expensive. Plus, the 1500 suburban has the same trans. Just sayin

and 8.1 will never get 15, you will get 10 if your lucky. as knurled said its a 454 with some LS tech applied to it and the 8.1 was discontinued in the 2006 model.

the 99-06 era suburban have bad GM quality interior parts as well as brake/fuel/trans lines, the newer body style uses some stainless and better quality materials that resist corrosion better.

scottdownsouth wrote: My wife taught me early in our marriage not to be surprised by anything she does. 3 weeks into our marriage she found carpenter ants in the bathroom. She tore down the sheet rock. Every. Single. Peace. As much as I'd like a diesel I'm going to have to say no. We use the Pilot for road trips and will use the 'burb to do the same, just needs to tow the tritoon to the lakes. All of the trucks I've seen so far are on the high end of the milage side. How expensive is rebuiding a 4l60 and what can you do to make them last ?

the 4l60 is not going to last that long towing...but what is your budget? are we talking a 5000 dollar truck or a 20k truck? How far is the trip to the lakes you frequent? 10 mile? 100 miles? 400 miles?

the 8.1 is great but its expensive for repairs since a lot of things are unique to this engine due to the low volume.

I'm putting my budget at 5k , the cheaper the better The price jumps from 05 to 07 is steep , I do have a boat payment now, I'd rather not have another. I've found a couple of 2500 . If I go with a 1500 I automatically figure there will be a trans rebuild at some point. I do have a extra 4.8 LS so will be used as a backup. Turbo surburban anyone ?

My 2003 Burb 4x4 8.1L has hit 15 mpg on the highway (no trailer), and driving it to work (36 miles, backroads mainly) it was in the 11-13 mpg range. My 2012 Camaro SS is only getting 20-21 on the same drive. I used to get 8-9 mpg pulling the 28 ft enclosed trailer.

Parts and repairs have been quite reasonable, even the 8.1 stuff. Probably helps that the 8.1 stayed in use in marine and medium duty trucks well past 2006.

How far is the OP planning to tow this boat?

The recommendation of the size of the tow pig depends on knowing where and how far the load is being towed, IMO.

If we're talking under 100 miles with no serious mountians then why wouldn't a 1500 suburban with a tow package be the right answer?

BTW, the van trade offer sounds interesting too. If you don't need 4wd it might be a great solution.

Why isn't the 1500 Suburban the right answer? Because the 2500 is available. Much like why the V6 Mustang isn't the answer.

The 2500 comes with the heavier frame, heavier suspension bits, better brakes, better engine and better trans, NO MODDING NEEDED. It tows up to 12000lbs with no issues, comfortably, and still drives like a Suburban when empty (easier to drive and park than a longbed pickup or dually). I've posted this before, but mine with 9500 lbs worth of trailer is an easy to drive combination.

I'd rather have this for $6k or less and not need the added capability, than pay nearly as much and then find that I needed that capability but didn't have it. Same with 8.1 vs 6.0. The 6.0 has a few issues and doesn't have the power necessary to tow this (in fact the later 2500s with the 6.0 only have a 7000 lb capacity).

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned an Excursion with the v10. I'm a real big fan of my F250 with the v10, tow's pretty much whatever I want and the lariat interior is great.

I won't ever suggest the Ford V10. Only a modest increase in oomph over the 5.4L, and its basically a 5.4L with two extra cylinders. That's 25% more of the problems usually associated with the 5.4L.

Can you tell I hate my 5.4L?

I will however suggest an Excursion with the 7.3L, but good luck finding one for $5k that isn't pretty wasted.

Chris_V wrote: Why isn't the 1500 Suburban the right answer? Because the 2500 is available. Much like why the V6 Mustang isn't the answer.

My exact thoughts. For not much more money (and little or no drawbacks) you get WAY more truck with a 3/4.

81cpcamaro wrote: My 2003 Burb 4x4 8.1L has hit 15 mpg on the highway (no trailer), and driving it to work (36 miles, backroads mainly) it was in the 11-13 mpg range. My 2012 Camaro SS is only getting 20-21 on the same drive. I used to get 8-9 mpg pulling the 28 ft enclosed trailer. Parts and repairs have been quite reasonable, even the 8.1 stuff. Probably helps that the 8.1 stayed in use in marine and medium duty trucks well past 2006.

Okay so my question is what is highway speed for you? 60?

my 2500 6speed unloaded gets about 15 with the 6.0L going 65ish

fidelity101 wrote:

81cpcamaro wrote: My 2003 Burb 4x4 8.1L has hit 15 mpg on the highway (no trailer), and driving it to work (36 miles, backroads mainly) it was in the 11-13 mpg range. My 2012 Camaro SS is only getting 20-21 on the same drive. I used to get 8-9 mpg pulling the 28 ft enclosed trailer. Parts and repairs have been quite reasonable, even the 8.1 stuff. Probably helps that the 8.1 stayed in use in marine and medium duty trucks well past 2006.

Okay so my question is what is highway speed for you? 60? my 2500 6speed unloaded gets about 15 with the 6.0L going 65ish

70-75 mph. That was on the trip back from picking it up in Missouri. I was expecting 10 mpg, so it was a surprise that it did that well. When I drove it to work, I was running 55-60 mph. You do have to be easy on the go pedal, a heavy foot will cost you.

^This x1000

The small hit in fuel economy with the big engine isn't worth the bit loss in power from the small engine.

Learned that the hard way from owning two trucks, one with a 300cid I6 and one with a 460 V8 back to back.

I'll never buy the smaller engine again, it's not worth it.

I've had a '97 Suburban 2WD, an '04 Yukon XL 4WD and now have a '14 Suburban 4WD. All were 1500 with tow packages. The only one I had tranny problems with was the '97 as I didn't know not to tow in OD and promptly smoked the trans within a few weeks of ownership (used with about 150k on the clock). I have towed a 2700# car on an open trailer for over 10 years all around the northeast. They get reasonable mileage for a truck, ride great and have so many uses. Haul people, haul stuff from the lumber yard, tow a boat/car... Of the ones I have had I miss the Yukon the most for comfort, but it did have issues with the brake lines and a lot of stupid failures with electronic goodies when I finally got rid of it at about 200k. If I needed another used one I would do a fly and drive from the south and try to find an '01-05 with the least amount of goodies, the base models come pretty well optioned. I now tow an enclosed trailer and sometimes wish I had a little more power for getting up hills but the 5.3 handles it, if I was crossing the Rockies regularly I might go for the 2500 for the extra power. As for 4WD, it is one of those things that is nice to have about once or twice a year, when you need it you need it. But if you live in an area without much snow and you don't go off road you likely will never "need" it. The '07 and up have a piss poor folding middle seat design that eats up a ton of storage space and the seats aren't nearly as nice as earlier models. I don't know that I will ever not have one of these in my fleet as long as I still have a license.

My 4L60E may be a grenade but it has towed without flaw for me for the last 60k miles, now with 190k on it. A lot depends on how you apply the go pedal, I always lift to shift.

Also it has a corvette servo and a cooler. Still shifts tight.

Trans_Maro wrote: ^This x1000 The small hit in fuel economy with the big engine isn't worth the bit loss in power from the small engine. Learned that the hard way from owning two trucks, one with a 300cid I6 and one with a 460 V8 back to back. I'll never buy the smaller engine again, it's not worth it.

I struggle with this a lot because I tow a lot. I have towed with darn near everything from a 4-banger tacoma up to a heavily modded Dmax that put 938 lb-ft to the wheels. The power is great, but I find that as long as I can get to the top of a mountain at the speed limit, its all I need. I think its just preference. I would rather have the extra couple MPGs and have to drive a little smarter.

Which is also my reason for loving diesel for towing; best of both. Much higher MPG and gobs more torqueses

Do you need 4wd? 2wd tahoes and suburbans are cheap. Not sure if they made a 2wd 2500 suburban.

a 1/2 ton (1500) 5.3 equipped truck will do fine with occasional towing of a pontoon boat. If you are somewhat interested in trucks, there is a 4 door 6.0 equipped 1500 out there too. Diesel is not worth the added entry cost, fuel cost, and maintenance costs for a pontoon.

Also, not sure where you are located, but here in NC, SUVs and vans don't need weighted tags (for some reason)

I would thoroughly recommend the 2500 Suburban. Like others have said, price is about the same as you will pay for a 1500, its a little harder to find, but you will have no issues towing now or in the future when you want a bigger boat or trailer. Mine is an 06 with the 8.1 and 4.10s. I get about 13 mpg on the highway empty, and 10 in town. Might see 4-5mpg better in a 1500, but having the extra capability is worth it to me.

I like GM vehicles, have always had them. I did consider the Excursion when I bought the Sub, but the ride is not as nice, and my wife drives it most of the time so it was an easy choice for me. The Excursion for being more "truck-like" also doesn't have higher tow ratings, so it was pretty much a no brainer. I would love to have a Duramax in the Suburban, and eventually I will, but it certainly isn't necessary. The 8.1 is a great engine (and so is the 6.0).

I've heard that because LS the 6.0 respond well to a couple mods also which help give it some more power. They do make 2wd suburban 2500s.

They are somewhat uncommon so its a question if you want the occasional use 4x4 option vs less to maintain etc

Might have a hard time finding an 8.1 for 5k tho https://charlotte.craigslist.org/cto/6114949659.html

So my search has so far been disappointing. Overpriced junk or just way overpriced. Is there any more places to search besides craigslist? If I go up to the 07 year are there any problems with there transmissions ?

I've been looking at tahoes, suburbans, yukons from 01-06 in Texas. Houston has a lot of them in good condition and priced fairly. My budget is 4k and under.

Texas does seem to have the best prices on them, along with less rust than more northern vehicles. Here in the southeast they get strong money for them.

Are we talking a good enough difference in prices that you would want to fly and drive even on something like this?

I think that depends on the condition and options. Rust free means a lot to people. I'd pay premium for rust free. I'm looking in Texas because I'm moving there from California. I'm spoiled by not having rust. Never will i accept paying for a rust bucket

10 grand for a 2001 with 200k on the clock seems stupid to me, at that price range I'm going for a 07 and up if I must. I went and looked at said vehicle and laughed at the dealer when he said he paid 8k for it. Even by my low standards it was well worn out.

I paid $3,500 for this 2005 Denali with 170,000mi. It's a 335hp 6.0 AWD is nice in New England winters but I wish it was a selectable 4x4.

It's not as nice as the picture makes it look but it was pretty sharp. It sold for $58,000 in 2005

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