Towing ability of 2004 Suburban 5.3L, 4.10, 4WD
Can anyone give first hand knowledge of the towing abilities of a 2004 Suburban 4WD with 5.3L engine and 4.10 axles? It is 7200 MVGW and has Z82 hd towing rpo. Thanks!
Forum Discussion
Thanks BenK for the info.
While raising our youngsters we towed with a Caprice wagon with 400 sb and turbo 400 trans. When we rebuilt the trans in that one we did opt for the shift kit and it was a great puller. We liked the feel of the harder shifts.
For now, to keep costs down, we'll probably stick with stock exhaust (in good shape), but the headers are good to keep in mind. I've never used headers and I always associated them with needed higher volumes at higher rpms's. I never thought of them helping with low rpm torque/hp. Are the long tube headers a significant boost for the low rpm hp/torque? If so it might be something we add later once we absorb the cost of new engine and trans.
I'm still not sure about which trans to choose. My current gut feel is telling me to go with a local shop that can use heavier parts (the ones that gm went cheap on) and also add a shift kit. I looked into Monster transmissions once and I understand that one of the nice-for-towing things in their 4L60-E builds is that they eliminated the half shifts, and for towing that would be nice. I'm not sure how "custom for towing" I can get a local 4L60-E but I have heard some negatives about Monsters so I don't think I'll opt for one of those. I'm thinking a local shop/purchase "might" be better for a trans but not sure. Any opinions appreciated.
MartyW
While raising our youngsters we towed with a Caprice wagon with 400 sb and turbo 400 trans. When we rebuilt the trans in that one we did opt for the shift kit and it was a great puller. We liked the feel of the harder shifts.
For now, to keep costs down, we'll probably stick with stock exhaust (in good shape), but the headers are good to keep in mind. I've never used headers and I always associated them with needed higher volumes at higher rpms's. I never thought of them helping with low rpm torque/hp. Are the long tube headers a significant boost for the low rpm hp/torque? If so it might be something we add later once we absorb the cost of new engine and trans.
I'm still not sure about which trans to choose. My current gut feel is telling me to go with a local shop that can use heavier parts (the ones that gm went cheap on) and also add a shift kit. I looked into Monster transmissions once and I understand that one of the nice-for-towing things in their 4L60-E builds is that they eliminated the half shifts, and for towing that would be nice. I'm not sure how "custom for towing" I can get a local 4L60-E but I have heard some negatives about Monsters so I don't think I'll opt for one of those. I'm thinking a local shop/purchase "might" be better for a trans but not sure. Any opinions appreciated.
MartyW
