Truck upgrade?
Hi, looking for some advice from the experts, we have a 2021 Chevy 1500 Custom. It’s the 2.4L 4-cylinder turbo. It’s rated to tow 9,300 and we’ve been towing our 5,000lb TT with it. It does ok around ...
Forum Discussion
hikingst1ck wrote:
You guys are quick! You’re correct, the truck is 2.7L, not 2.4. The TT is 4300 empty, so loaded (we’re not running with a tank of water or anything crazy) I’m guessing 5-5.5k. 2 Bikes in the bed of the truck. I know stuff adds up and I haven’t been through the scales but there’s no way it’s over 5500. On flat ground the engine runs around 2400rpm @68mph. I don’t go faster than that. On uphills it’ll shift once to about 3500rpm which if it’s slight it’ll maintain speed. Any more than a slight grade and it’ll start losing speed and then shift again and we’ll be running around 4500-5000rpm which gets me a take-your-foot-off-the-gas-before-the-engine-blows look from my wife. Most of the hills we encountered were no more than a few miles long max so it definitely didn’t take anywhere near 10-15 min.
You are traveling really light if the trailer is anywhere close to 5000lb. I'm betting you are closer to 6000lb. Of course, that is certainly within the trucks drivetrain ratings.
It's a change in mindset. The old days of 5000rpm being redline are long gone. The engine isn't going to blow because you are running 4000-5000rpm for a few minutes. It's not an ideal towing machine but it's also capable of doing what you ask.
A small V8 is going to crank up the RPM in the same conditions. Maybe not quite as high but you will notice it. The downside is:
- You will lose MPG when not towing.
- At high altitude, you may be worse off. The V8 at 8000ft will be down 25-30% on power. The turbo compensates for thinning air by force feeding the engine, so power loss is negligible.
