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Towing question

Thanks....I'll probably hold off as I don't plan on towing it anywhere this year and plan to get a new vehicle next year before the summer.  I actually forgot about those chips...I used to have one in a Mustang 5.0 I owned years ago.
 
Hey Keith, things might have changed since 2010 when I bought my Escalade, but the 6.2 was only in the Caddy and the Yukon Denali, not the regular versions. Great motor, passing power is ridiculous for a big unit. I'm thinking my next might be an Infinity QX80 (rebranded QX56) great looking units and still 400 hp.
 
Things have changed. 2014 Chevy Silverado High Country has a 6.2 available

I can't bring myself to get rid of my 2006 6.0 Serria Denali. Once something is paid for it's just that much more difficult.
 
Jared, I'd take that Denali off your hands ;-)

My wife thinks I need to give up my beloved Audi Avant S Line for something with more ground clearance after this horrible winter, so I've been shopping for trucks and SUV's again, after owning many over the years. I had a 2007 Acura MDX that was a fabulous car, but it only tows 5,000 lb in a pinch. The Honda Ridgeline would be nice but the same 5,000 rating, not a "real" truck in that sense. Same with Pilot, Acadia, and almost all the crossovers. All have short wheelbases and are lightweight, not good for pontoons.

I've also looked at pickups and am kind of shocked to hear Keith say the Hemi struggled. I had the hots for their new EcoDiesel 1500 truck but I've never been keen on any of Dodge's interior designs (sorry Semper), and they're just now hitting the lots so no deals at all. They offer the EcoDiesel in the Grand Cherokee but it's only in huge money versions, they still depreciate like a rock, and I think they have a questionable reliability reputation.

I learned the VW Touareg, BMW X-5, Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne all tow up to 7700 lbs (3500 kilo in Euro-speak) and have diesels available. Online reviews rave about how good the Touareg tows, so I'm looking at a used VW Touareg V10 diesel on Friday. It can pull large trees out of the ground with 550 lb-ft of torque. It's also pretty hefty so doesn't get moved around so much and has great brakes. I test drove a new V6 TDI Touareg tonight and loved it. It gets great mileage too, but it's just too much $$$ for as infrequently as I tow. I really wanted it to follow me home, but alas, it's not happening.

I suspect when all is said and done I just need add a truck to the fleet, but I really don't want yet another vehicle to maintain.
 
Rockie69 said:
Things have changed. 2014 Chevy Silverado High Country has a 6.2 available

I can't bring myself to get rid of my 2006 6.0 Serria Denali. Once something is paid for it's just that much more difficult.
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Sorry, I did know it was available in trucks, I was just referring to the SUV's he was talking about.

Tom, how's the wheelbase in those Touregs? One of the guys at work has one, but he is on the night shift so it usually is gone before I get there. He seems to love it, I just thought it might be a little short for that much weight behind it. Although a V10 diesel sounds like it would do wonders for my lake commute!!
 
TomS- I have a 2013 Ram 1500 with the hemi and I've towed an 8000 lb box trailer (full of firewood) up and down hills and highways about 75 miles without a problem. The new hemis are around 60 hp and 30 ft/lbs of torque more than the hemis from the early 2000's. I also have the 3.92 axle ratio which is supposed to help towing. I havent picked up the boat yet but I would imagine it will be under 5000 lbs and would tow just as good as the box trailer.
 
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It's not just Horse power that's needed to get these boats around Rear end gearing, and torque are a must. I pull my 20GSL with a Ford Explorer 4 liter V6 and it does fine on small inclines. On a trip out to Lake Keowee about 65 miles (We do it 3 time a year) I'm getting 10MPG but there  are a lot of hills. There is some shifting but I can stay at 55.  Wish I had a bigger truck but most of the time we don't need one.
 
highpond said:
It's not just Horse power that's needed to get these boats around Rear end gearing, and torque are a must. I pull my 20GSL with a Ford Explorer 4 liter V6 and it does fine on small inclines. On a trip out to Lake Keowee about 65 miles (We do it 3 time a year) I'm getting 10MPG but there  are a lot of hills. There is some shifting but I can stay at 55.  Wish I had a bigger truck but most of the time we don't need one.
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You said it -- differential gear ratio and engine torque are huge factors.   I would add that for safety reasons a heavier tow vehicle with long wheel base is important as well.   
 
Yeah, we towed our 2 horses for many years. I had a 3/4t Avalanche w/8.2l and 4.11 rear end to tow our trailer with and it did a great job. Basically a sawed off Suburban. The mileage is not worth talking about. I need something that can be a daily driver too, as I don't want one more car in the fleet, thus the diesel idea.

Derrick - The Touareg gets great ratings from people towing long travel trailers of reasonable weight, mainly because the vehicle is way heavier than it looks. 
 
SEMPERFI8387 said:
Keith,

You'd be amazed at what potential the HEMI has left hidden in the computer. Get one of these, http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001W4SSVQ you won't be sorry. It has different modes you can load, towing, performance, economy .....

I use the "reg fuel" performance and was amazed. This spring I'm going to 93 fuel and loading the 91 performance tune. Also, if you have stock exhaust, it's holding it back.

Flowmaster 40 or 50 and lose the resonator if you have them.
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I know these computers work well but I have a hard time believing it would help my truck (2003 Ram 1500 5.7L Hemi, 20" rims) THAT much.  And the truck is only a single cab so it's not even that heavy.   You have to take the OD off so that really puts the rpm's up at cruising speeds on the highway which I'm sure that chip would help with that but still.....that is a lot of weight between my boat and trailer.
 
Gas mileage is not very good at all when the truck is empty. Luckily I work about 10 miles from and we take my wifes jeep most of the time anywhere else.
 
patcraver said:
TomS- I have a 2013 Ram 1500 with the hemi and I've towed an 8000 lb box trailer (full of firewood) up and down hills and highways about 75 miles without a problem. The new hemis are around 60 hp and 30 ft/lbs of torque more than the hemis from the early 2000's. I also have the 3.92 axle ratio which is supposed to help towing. I havent picked up the boat yet but I would imagine it will be under 5000 lbs and would tow just as good as the box trailer.
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I have a 2010 Ram with a hemi and 3.92 axle ratio. No problems towing the boat - except the 10 miles per gallon.
 
TomS said:
Jared, I'd take that Denali off your hands ;-)

My wife thinks I need to give up my beloved Audi Avant S Line for something with more ground clearance after this horrible winter, so I've been shopping for trucks and SUV's again, after owning many over the years. I had a 2007 Acura MDX that was a fabulous car, but it only tows 5,000 lb in a pinch. The Honda Ridgeline would be nice but the same 5,000 rating, not a "real" truck in that sense. Same with Pilot, Acadia, and almost all the crossovers. All have short wheelbases and are lightweight, not good for pontoons.

I've also looked at pickups and am kind of shocked to hear Keith say the Hemi struggled. I had the hots for their new EcoDiesel 1500 truck but I've never been keen on any of Dodge's interior designs (sorry Semper), and they're just now hitting the lots so no deals at all. They offer the EcoDiesel in the Grand Cherokee but it's only in huge money versions, they still depreciate like a rock, and I think they have a questionable reliability reputation.

I learned the VW Touareg, BMW X-5, Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne all tow up to 7700 lbs (3500 kilo in Euro-speak) and have diesels available. Online reviews rave about how good the Touareg tows, so I'm looking at a used VW Touareg V10 diesel on Friday. It can pull large trees out of the ground with 550 lb-ft of torque. It's also pretty hefty so doesn't get moved around so much and has great brakes. I test drove a new V6 TDI Touareg tonight and loved it. It gets great mileage too, but it's just too much $$$ for as infrequently as I tow. I really wanted it to follow me home, but alas, it's not happening.

I suspect when all is said and done I just need add a truck to the fleet, but I really don't want yet another vehicle to maintain.
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I thought about towing with my wife's Pilot and getting rid of my Ram. Think I will reconsider after this thread...
 
If you tow a lot like I do, one more thought to consider beside HP,  torque and differential gearing and GVW. is,  do any of these vehicles have a separate  transmission radiator. Without one you'll be walking because the trans. will over heat and freeze up.  Just my thoughts from experiences pulling a 5th wheel RV. for a number of years. GET TOW PACKAGES.
 
highpond said:
If you tow a lot like I do, one more thought to consider beside HP,  torque and differential gearing and GVW. is,  do any of these vehicles have a separate  transmission radiator. Without one you'll be walking because the trans. will over heat and freeze up.  Just my thoughts from experiences pulling a 5th wheel RV. for a number of years. GET TOW PACKAGES.
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Absolutely agree with you.  Good point.  Add that to the towing features list.
 
I still believe in long wheel bases.  Towed the race car and boats since 1986 and won't use anything shorter than our Suburbans.  Saw a Jeep Grand Cherokee jackknifed with a 20' boat because of a panic stop.  Had an axle mounting u-bolt break on a 26' enclosed trailer at 70 mph.  The trailer ran over the wheels and tried to flip.   It bent the ball mount and  damaged the race car (it took 2 motors and a season to find the hidden damage) but the Suburban stayed upright.  The kids were sleeping in the back at the time.  A under-powered truck will still get you there, a short wheel based vehicle can kill you. IMHO 
 
Shawn said:
I have a 2010 Ram with a hemi and 3.92 axle ratio. No problems towing the boat - except the 10 miles per gallon.
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You are pulling a lot less weight than I am.

Also, regarding Surburbans (which I have always loved) you cannot get them in AWD (which I also love) so it looks like I will go with the GMC Yukon XL (which has AWD as an option). 
 
There certainty is a difference .

You would be surprised the people that dont know it

You can get the AWD in the Escalade . :)

35 years in a powertrain plant ,is what now is paying for my toys 
 
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