wmoses
Houston, Texas, USA
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jlatenight wrote:Hi all, my family's going to buy a HTT, but first I need to upgrade my vehicle. I'm close to pulling the trigger on a Tahoe, but it might be overkill for what we plan to haul. .... I know bigger is always better when towing, but I'd prefer better fuel economy the 99.9% of the time I'm NOT towing  What do you guys think?
I will offer my opinion on the above aspect only as I am sure there will be lots of responses addressing other perceived aspects of your post.
Bigger is better indeed, especially if you don't want to worry about cargo and you will likely be towing in other than flat, windless terrain. These are aspects that are typically ignored when looking at tow capacities vs trailer weight.
If you get a smaller vehicle you will most likely better fuel economy when not towing. When towing it is not so clear. What might start out as a more fuel efficient vehicle unhitched could end up having the same mpg numbers when towing. There are many reasons for this, one of them being the smaller vehicle will be working harder than the larger one, every thing else being equal.
Maybe some responses would be from owners of both types of vehicle who could advise of their numbers, and I would bet that they would be essentially the same when towing.
Regards,
Wayne
2010 Jayco Jayfeather EX-Port 17Z | Tekonsha Prodigy P3 brake controller
2010 GMC Sierra 1500 SLE 5.3L Vortec V8 6-speed with Power Pack Plus Package | Hypertech Max Energy tune
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bikendan
Napa, Cal.
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Joined: 11/21/2005
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i have the same trailer and the same platform as the Tahoe, the Avalanche. the Avy is longer than the Tahoe, the same as the Suburban.
for me, it's a perfect combo. the 5.3 AFM v-8 and the 3.73 rear end that comes with the factory tow package, not only tow well but i can get over 20mpg highway when not towing.
as others have said, forget the fictional "dry" weights. my Roo weighed about 400lbs. over the "dry" weigh, from the factory. that was with the normal "options" that nearly all come with, that the manufacturer doesn't include in the "dry" weight. things like: awning, a/c, microwave,
oven, spare tire/cover and so on.
for the two of us, our 23SS weighs a little over 5000lbs., loaded for camping. since we have a lot of mountains out west, the Avy has plenty of power to get over them, since i still have a ton of towing left over.
and the other vehicles mentioned will get less mpg and may not be cheaper. the Trailblazer I-6 gets worse mpg than the v-8 Tahoe.
* This post was
edited 02/12/11 01:48pm by bikendan *
Dan- Firefighter , Shawn- Musician/Entrepreneur , Zoe- Faithful Golden Retriever , 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche LS, 2007 Rockwood Roo 23SS w/Equalizer and Prodigy, and 5 Mtn. bikes and 2 Road bikes
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smccollamjr
WV
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We used to tow our 23B with a V6 4-Runner and even a few times with our I6 Cherokee. The 4-Runner did a decent job. In the hills (we live in WV) it did ok as long as you didn't mind slowing down and winding the engine up some. We have replaced the 4-Runner with a CC 1/2 ton Silverado with 5.3. We mainly did it to have a bed to haul dirty/wet stuff in. The Silvy does a much better job towing the 23B. Towing I get a little better gas mileage than I did with the 4-Runner. Without the HTT it get a few mpg less. If the Tahoe doesn't put you in a financial bind, you'll be much happier towing with it.
2008 Jayco 23B
2006 CC Silverado 1500/5.3/3.42
Me, DW, & 2 Boys
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wmoses
Houston, Texas, USA
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smccollamjr wrote:We have replaced the 4-Runner with a CC 1/2 ton Silverado with 5.3.
What is "CC" mean in the above?
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bikendan
Napa, Cal.
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wmoses wrote:smccollamjr wrote:We have replaced the 4-Runner with a CC 1/2 ton Silverado with 5.3.
What is "CC" mean in the above?
should mean "Crew Cab".
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yorkgm
York Beach, Maine
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go with the tahoe. I would not want to tow at the limits of any TV.
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NomadBill
Sacramento
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I pulled a 3750 lb trailer with my Blazer 4.3. Flat OK, hills very hard. After 2 years; new rear end and transmission. Go big, you won't be sorry. I went to a 2500 HD, 6.0 (12mpg towing/15mpg not towing)and I now have no worries about towing any hill or mountains.
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BP88
St. Louis, MO
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A Tahoe is NOT overkill for that trailer.
Buy it, you will be glad you did.
"Here we go, life's waiting to begin."
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wmoses
Houston, Texas, USA
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bikendan wrote:wmoses wrote:smccollamjr wrote:We have replaced the 4-Runner with a CC 1/2 ton Silverado with 5.3.
What is "CC" mean in the above?
should mean "Crew Cab".
Thanks. I was not sure especially where it preceded the vehicle name.
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kellem
Shenandoah valley,VA
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Joined: 05/07/2007
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The Tahoe is ideal....not overkill.
We tow our hybrid with 5.3,nice.
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