taz64
Glendale, Arizona
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Can someone please help me? I'm planning a trip with 4 teenagers from AZ to CA. I have an '08 Chevy Tahoe LS 4.8 liter V8, 295 hp, 305 lb torque (numbers foreign to me). I recently purchased an '08 Starcraft Starstream Expandable SS22RBH with GVWR of 5800 lbs. Can someone please tell me if I will be able to tow this trailer with little to no difficulty? I've had a couple people tell me my engine isn't big enough? Is this true? Thank you. Cindy
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pulsar
Lewisville, NC
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Moved from Forum Technical Support.
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b_salgado
Salisbury ,NC,USA
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You will most likely be over your GVWR of the Tahoe. You will also be underpowered. Do you happen to know the gear ratio in the Tahoe? If it is a tall gear.... (lower number) it will be even worse. What is the tongue weight of the trailer?
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Sailbad
Bernardo, New Mexico or Quartzsite
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Cindy, that's the small block engine. I would be concerned if the truck has the appropriate gears or tow package to tow that trailer.
You need some real scale numbers. Front, rear, and total weight on the Tahoe. Then you can compare with the numbers on the door sticker and Chevy's posted Gross combined Weight rating with the actual weights of your Tahoe.
Dave C.
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rscraig
Denton, TX
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I towed a 5000 lb expandable for a couple of years with a Toyota Sequoia and a 4.7 Liter engine with no problems. This included some Rocky Mountain travel. However, it was just me and my wife. The additional weight of four more "adults" and all their gear is a significant load and may well push the rig to the limit, especially on steep grades. You dont say how far you plan to travel or whether you plan to get into the mountains. I suspect that for just a few hundred miles in the flatlands, you'll be fine.
Steve
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mkirsch
Rochester, NY
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You're going to be right at the limits and you will have to be very careful about what you take with you.
Put anything that you can in the trailer for the trip. Do not carry heavy things like coolers, luggage, etc. in the Tahoe.
Make sure you get a weight-distributing hitch and make sure it's set up correctly. DO NOT trust the RV dealer to do it right for you. Most RV dealers just hang the hitch on the vehicle, and leave it to you to set it up.
You will want to leave the Tahoe in 3rd gear all the time. Don't worry about it. Your Tahoe was designed to run in 3rd gear all day long. The engine will run at about 2800RPM. It needs to in order to have enough power to pull the trailer.
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BuckBarker
PSL, FL
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I also owned a 4.8 liter Tahoe and it was gutless. I would be concerned about towing.
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E&J push'n wind
San Diego CA, The best climate on earth!
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From Az to CA, are you coming VIA I 8 through San Diego? If so, you are going to pull a pretty steep grade coming out of the desert into the mountains. You may find yourself in 1st gear climbing that mountain range. Don't be alarmed, you wont be the first or the last to do this. I've got a friend that goes camping in the desert out there with a 5er toy hauler that he pulls with a Ford F350 PSD and he finds himself in first gear coming up that same grade.
That said, as has been mentioned you'll probably be right up against your limit. Just don't be in any hurries. Also try to keep your tranny from "hunting" while you are climbing. Again, as has been mentioned drive it in 3rd (if your tranny is a 4 speed), however when you are climbing your tranny will have a tendency to want to "hunt" for the right gear sometimes. This can cause excessive heating in your tranny. To avoid this you may have to manually select the gear you need till you top or crest the hill. When you are climbing, drive by your Tachometer. Your owners manual will tell you what your max torque is at what RPM. You really do not need to exceed this RPM when you are climbing as all this will do is waste gas. Sure you may go a little faster but at what cost to your engine and tranny?
Anyway, to answer your question. You'll be O.K if you are not in any hurries. Take your time and watch your engine temp and if your Tahoe has a tranny temp guage, watch that too. On the flat and level you'll roll just fine, it'll just be slow going on the hills.
Get a good sway control, it'll be invaluable.
I hope this helps you!
* This post was
edited 03/10/10 11:39pm by an administrator/moderator *
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TXiceman
(Near) Houston,TX
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"with no problems"....NO, the small block is going to be using the lower gears a lot on the hills. What axle do you have????Absolute minimum is 3.73 and I'd prefer a 4.10 with the small engine.
Ken
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345jeep
Fort Worth, TX
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That's a very nice HTT...congrats on your purchase !
Hopefully your Tahoe has a tow package with a Class IV hitch, tranny cooler, lower than standard axles, and enhanced engine cooling. If it does not, then you need to make some mods before setting out. Most 4.8 Tahoes are city dwellers not really meant to tow anything more than the weekend boat.
Wide range in weight for "four teenagers"....four 100 lb girls or four 200 lb varsity football players will make a lot of difference. In any case, loading will be very important. Agree with the other poster who said to put all of your stuff in the HTT. Try to focus the load above (not behind or in front of) the axles. You will want to keep the tongue weight from pushing your Tahoe over its GVWR. DO NOT try to lower the tongue weight by loading your stuff in the BACK of the HTT. This will contribute to trailer sway and make you less stable overall.
4.8 is the economy motor in this vehicle when not towing, but it will not be an economy motor when towing. In fact, I would expect your mileage to be worse than 5.3 or 6.0 versions of the same engine because it will be laboring much harder - - especially in a headwind. Let the engine spin and rev because that is how it makes it's power. Just turn up the radio and occasionally glance at your gauges. Keep speed around 55-60 mph. My two cents.
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