Tahoe vs Expedition vs Suburban to tow 5400 GVW TT

The Suburban may do well for you with added room when the middle seat is down. I had a 98 that I pulled a 32ft. trailer with. With the 3.73 gear, it gave me a 7000lb. tow capicity and also was a 1500 with 5.7l. Just make sure the a/c works in the rear, cause they are prone to lines corroding and leaking.

I wouldn't mess around with a Tahoe if you need the space.

My dad had a '99 Suburban w/ 5.7 that he ran to about 350k miles. Good engine, solid vehicle, seemed to have more low end power than my '05 Suburban 5.3. He didn't tow a lot with it, but it did fine when called on. I think he had a couple transmission issues in the 200-300k mile range, but that wouldn't be unexpected for any auto transmission from that vintage, I wouldn't think.

Do the 'Burb, although any of them will be fine.

I'm assuming the Tahoe/Suburban's you are looking at are C or K 1500s. Those use the 4L60E transmissions. They are not bad but are prone to damage due to over heating. Fluid should be changed every 50k miles, so if you find one with service records, all the better. In either case, change the fluid immediately and use Dex VI, not the Dex III that they came stock with. Dex VI is a synthetic blend and runs much cooler than Dex III, and is backward compatible with the older 4L60Es.

It would not hurt to add an axillary transmission cooler. Stacked plate type is best, but any extra cooling is better than just stock.

Does the 99 Suburban and 2001 Suburban use the same transmission? What is a stacked plate cooler?

I would go with Burb or the Expedition el for the room and longer wheelbase. I would buy witchever was the lowest miles and the cleanest.

Any thoughts on the 12-14 in difference in wheelbase between the Suburban and Tahoe/Expedition?

Yes the longer wheelbase will help to control sway issues if you were to have any. Very generally speaking, the longer the trailer, the more likely the sway, the less effective the shorter wheelbase is.

I tow with a 07 tahoe. Do I wish it was a burb? Maybe. Tough to say. I love my tahoe. If I had a burb decked out in the same fashion, and it would fit in the garage (im sure it would be maybe not as easy), then I'd probably be just a little happier with it.

in this order:

1. Burb
2. Expy
3. Tahoe, only if you couldn't find a Burb or Expy.

the Tahoe doesn't have the extra wheelbase, both for towing and interior room for passengers/cargo, that the other two do.

Remember that the rear overhang on the Suburban is greater than the rear overhang on the Tahoe. These two factors kind of make it a wash for me. Overhang advantage Tahoe, wheelbase -advantage Suburban. As long as you are In the trucks tow ratings, tires aired up to max sidewall PSI and a WD hitch dialed in either the Tahoe or the Suburban will be fine.


There are two types of auxiliary transmission cooler. Stacked plate and tube and fin. The stacked plate resembles a mini radiator, is more resilient, and some believe better cooling. I like them because there are no fins to bend an they are MUCH more robust.

Tube and fin is just that. A tube hat has a lot of 180° bends and a lot of fins (think household AC condenser type fins that kids like to smoosh down!)

For your budget you should be able to find a Sub 2500 or a Excursion V10 that will give you some growing room....iirc..the 90's body style 1500 subs maxed out at 6500 lbs towing and the tahoe around 7,000 lbs.

The Expeditions go all the way up to 8,000 lbs with the 3.73 rear axle IIRC.

So anyhow, my recommendation based on budget is a V10 excursion or a 454 Suburban. Much better towing platforms for the money.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

I tow my 29 ft KZ Frontier with a 2001 Tahoe 5.3L. I have any anti-sway bar and it tows Great. No Issues.