Will my truck tow safely in the Smokys?
I have a 2017 Silverado with max towing of 6100lbs, it is a 5.3 w/ 3.08. My TT is 5000 lbs dry. My Truck feels strong enough on flat land but I've never taken it anywhere with a real grade. We'd like ...
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One thing to know when towing in the mountains is that you'll get some assistance from the truck if you put it in tow/haul mode and brake to under 50mph (generally 48 but I've had it require getting down to 45 on steeper grades). Not sure how much the final drive ratio has an effect on the hill descent assist, with the 3.42 near GVWR and towing a 3,600 pound trailer I can tell you it makes a world of difference, manually selecting the gears isn't nearly as good as leaving it in auto with all the aids turned on and engaged.
BTW this is one of my big gripes with TFL's Ike Gauntlet testing, these guys are smart with plenty of experience with these trucks and yet they only slow the trucks down to 49-50mph even though if they'd slow them a few mph more they'd get engine braking, transmission help, etc and about half the brake applications for the Chevy/GMC gas trucks.
BTW this is one of my big gripes with TFL's Ike Gauntlet testing, these guys are smart with plenty of experience with these trucks and yet they only slow the trucks down to 49-50mph even though if they'd slow them a few mph more they'd get engine braking, transmission help, etc and about half the brake applications for the Chevy/GMC gas trucks.
