Towing ability of 2004 Suburban 5.3L, 4.10, 4WD

Upgrade to a 2500 burb Just for the payload alone.

Question.... Why are you replacing a 155k motor and transmission if they are both in working order, not smoking or slipping?

Thanks!

Jeremiah

Thanks Marty,

I like the old look too (and the ride). Both the '98 and '04 do have the same 4L60-E RPO M30 transmission. I've driven a friend's 2000 K2500 6.0L 3.73 and it has a totally different feel than what I am used to.

Our '98 5.7L can stay in 3rd gear up most hills that it has to climb, even pulling our tractor at 6,000+ lbs, but as I understand, the 5.3L will need to downshift on those hills to get it's max torque that is at a higher rpm than the 5.7L. I'm not positive about this, but this is my gut feel and understanding from all I've read about the rpm ranges of hp & torque of the 5.7L vs the 5.3L. All experiences from others who've towed with these two engines greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
MartyW

You have a 4l60 trans which has a 3.1 first gear, which the new burb should have too. So the get up and go off the line should be on par or better. Not sure off the top of my head what the torque or rpm is at.....I'm recalling my 2000 vortec 350 having around 330 lb ft of torque. 255hp or there abouts. The 5.3 IIRC is closer to 300 hp, torque should be about the same. Reality is, it should pull about the same......

Now with this in mind......I do prefer the looks of the 98 burb vs the newer style myself........

My sone has pulled upwards of 7K with a 3.42 geared 4.8L 2006, with no major issues behind his reg cab 1500. He has to let it rev.....so I do not have a reason to believe that a 5.3 should not work just fine.

Marty

Thanks for the replies, and here's my situation and delima.

We tow our Bantam hybrid travel trailer (4,500 lbs loaded) about 4-6 times per year. We're in Tennessee hills so that 4,500 lbs seems pretty heavy at times.

For the past 8 years we've been towing with a 1998 GMC Suburban K1500 5.7L 4WD 3.42. It has pulled our camper wonderfully by staying out of OD when towing and using OD for non-towing and getting pretty good milage (16-17 mpg). We've also pulled our tractor and bush hog at over 6,000 lbs a few times and the '98 burb handles that well also. Our TV is not our primary transportation so milage isn't super important. We've had our '98 burb for 8+ years and have put less than 40k miles on it, so older vehicles are ok (and necessary) with us for towing.

For this coming season it's time to replace the engine in our 155k mile '98 K1500 burb and we're debating on replacing engine (and probably transmission) in our '98 versus purchasing a newer burb that we've seen (2004 5.3L burb with fairly low milage (about 100k) that we think has been well cared for).

Our delima is whether to replace our '98 burb engine and transmission for about $7k, or to replace the burb for at least double that $$ amount. We've done a lot of 1-time upgrades/fixes to our '98 and we we won't know what might need to be done to a (new to us) used 2004 5.3L burb.

Also in the delima, I like the torque of the 5.7L and I wonder if the 5.3L will tow as well on these Tn hills. I've read as many "5.7L vs 5.3L" tow posts as I can find, and it seems like a lot of folks still like the lower max torque of the 5.7L over the 5.3L.

So, our camper is 4500 lbs loaded, and we're towing on Tennessee hills, not flats. The 5.7L had good torque when out of OD, even with the 3.42 gears.

A newer burb would be nice but our '98 still is rust free and strong. I like the heavy leaf springs in the '98 and I understand the newer burbs have coil rear springs that can be prone to sag over time?

Any info on the 2004 5.3L 4WD with 4.10 (7200 MVGW) and how it will stack up to the towing capabilities of the 1998 5.7L 3.42 (7400 MVGW) will be greatly appreciated. I understand that GM corrected the piston slap in the 5.3L by the time the 2004 models came out, correct?

Many thanks,
Marty

A 4.10 pulls 1000 more lbs. then a 3.73 does.

I have had parts of that truck.. I say parts as I had the engine in a 2002 Tahoe towing my smaller camper. It was a good engine, I only had the 3.73 rear axle.

The Burb, I have weights off of a 2001 1500 Yukon XL 2 x4 drive which would be close to the one you are referring to. That truck from scaled weights was 3,040# front axle and 3,100# rear axle with full gas and no one in it.

You stated the one you are looking at was 4 x 4 so add ~ 200# to the front axle.

Do not know what TT you are looking at, heads up about loaded TT tongue weight. The Burb is a good kid hauler and that means more cargo weight plus the loaded camper TW. It is not hard to have a 750# loaded TW and people on board and max out the GVWR on the Suburban.

If you have a specific camper in mind, it is easier to help tell if the Burb is a good match or not. The Burb is a good truck, but all within it's limits. The 4.10 rear axle is a bonus, but watch the loaded camper TW.

PS I have had a 2003 K2500 Suburban, really good truck but that is a lot more truck than the 1500. Again depending what you want to do with it.

Hope this helps

John