2014 Silverado Double Cab EcoTec LV3 4.3

[ocracokenc]

Hello guys!. I am interested how many here are towing Travel Trailers with this truck. We are looking for a camper for around $10,000 to take to NC and back. I am not new to having a camper and had a few over the years with the last being a 30' Sandpiper but I towed it with a F350 and a 7.3 diesel and that was in 2006.

I do tow a 24' Bay boat with this truck that is about 5,100lbs and to be honest it does better than my 2008 Silverado with a 5.3 and the 4L60E did. So I am interested it what people are towing with the new V-6. Thanks for having me on the forum.

[jerem0621]

You are good to go with the 3.42 gears. It will pull a 5-6k trailer around no problem.

FYI...I pulled a 6500-7000 lb loaded TT all over Tennessee with a 235 HP 5.4...I really do not think you are going to have ANY problem. You have 50 more HP, even though you give up 30 ish Lbft to my old 5.4 the increase in power will pull better. (Faster that is)

When I test drove the 4.3 I found it to have good bottom end power. I had a 2015 suburban 5.3 rental and the 4.3 was peppier down low.

One very nice advantage the 4.3 has over the 5.3 (or disadvantage depending on how you look at it) is when in V4 mode the 4.3 is putting down more power. Because the per cylinder volume for the 4.3 is .7166 liters per cylinder. The 5.3 is putting down .6625 liters per cylinder.

Max HP per cylinder works out to 47.5 Hp per cylinder for the 4.3 and 45.625 max hp for the 5.3.

Your cylinders are bigger and your 4.3 makes more power per cylinder than a 5.3

The bad news is that in V4 mode the 5.3 is more efficient because of less volume and less power 😞

Great motor! And please post pics when you buy!!

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[OH48Lt]

My BIL has one of these with the 3.42 axle. He pulls his 30' TT around, and it does OK on flat roads. He says it struggles going up grades in the Smokies, but it gets there.

[goducks10]

http://trailmanor.com/wordpress/
Low profile and lightweight.

[ocracokenc]

jerem0621 wrote:
Welcome to the forum!!

When these hot V6's started getting put in the full size trucks I did a lot of research and even went so far as to drive them all.

What I found was that the tow ratings for these V6's vary greatly simply based on the rear axle ratio.

Do you happen to know if you have a 3.42 or a 3.23, also what is your truck cab and bed configuration.

Your biggest enemy is going to be aerodynamics not so much weight.

I recommend going with a lower overall profile trailer with a rounded or angled front end.

Something like the Apex line of trailer would be a pretty good match for the 3.42 rear axle 4.3 v6's.

If you have the 3.23... all is not lost you just have a lighter weight trailer to consider.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

I have the 3.42 with a tow rating of 7600. I am looking for something that is more wind friendly for sure. Thanks guys

[Targa]

These newer engines are impressive. I remember my 2001 Ram with a 318 in it, I believe it was 230 hp with 300 ftlbs of twist. Anyway, unless your intent is to keep the truck long term, I would have to agree with a previous response by a member in reference to resale. I would step up to the 5.3 for that reason alone.

[jbardram]

donn0128 wrote:
Nice grocery getter. The biggest problem you will encounter will be the massive amount of wind resistance at 50MPH. You will probably be floor boarded to maintain highway speed with a conventional TT. A tent trailer would be a better choice.

With 285hp/305lb ft of torque ?? No way its floored to maintain 50 unless you are talking about climbing long grades.

[majorgator]

What is the tow rating of this truck as derived through the GCWR? Just curious...

[CKNSLS]

Chevrolet dealers are making great deals on those V6s because the "take rate" has been very low. GM has flooded the market and can't sell them. AND come trade in time you won't be able to "sell it back" to the dealer at a decent price either.

Get the 5.3 with the new 6 speed transmission. Your old truck is an entirely different vehicle and can't compare to the new ones.

[jerem0621]

Welcome to the forum!!

When these hot V6's started getting put in the full size trucks I did a lot of research and even went so far as to drive them all.

What I found was that the tow ratings for these V6's vary greatly simply based on the rear axle ratio.

Do you happen to know if you have a 3.42 or a 3.23, also what is your truck cab and bed configuration.

Your biggest enemy is going to be aerodynamics not so much weight.

I recommend going with a lower overall profile trailer with a rounded or angled front end.

Something like the Apex line of trailer would be a pretty good match for the 3.42 rear axle 4.3 v6's.

If you have the 3.23... all is not lost you just have a lighter weight trailer to consider.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[ocracokenc]

MFL wrote:
I think the game changer with the newer trucks, is the 6-speed transmission. The new free revving small engines have more HP & TQ than they used to, and the extra gears make them more capable.

If the truck is set up to tow, it should handle a reasonable TT.

Good luck,
Jerry

I agree and the Direct Injection, Variable Valve Timing and high compression helps the V-6. I am not looking for a large camper just something around 5,000 loaded. The truck has a lot of low end torque and that helps. I understand that a 2.5 ton TT will have more wind resistance than my 2.5 boat. I am just looking for what people are actually towing and have towed long distance with these trucks.

To me the LV3 was a good choice for what I tow because I get 13.1 average with my boat versus 10 with the 5.3. I would have bought a 5.3 but they had such large rebates on the V-6 I took it. I am going to a RV dealership tomorrow and see what is out there that I can tow. Thanks for the input. When I do buy something I will report my performance.

[MFL]

I think the game changer with the newer trucks, is the 6-speed transmission. The new free revving small engines have more HP & TQ than they used to, and the extra gears make them more capable.

If the truck is set up to tow, it should handle a reasonable TT.

Good luck,
Jerry

[The_Texan]

What is the payload for that truck. I would imagine you will be maxed out very quickly with the tongue weight from any mid sized trailer.

[ocracokenc]

I have towed a 27 foot camper with the truck that was a lite model with a slide out and it was far from "Floor Boarded". The 4.3 EcoTec has as much power and torque as the out going 4.8 V-8 and the 5.3 V-8 when it first came about. It is not a V-8 sure but with over 300 Ft-lbs of Torque I respectfully disagree with the grocery getter comment. AS I have said it tows better than my 08 Silverado with the 5.3

[donn0128]

Nice grocery getter. The biggest problem you will encounter will be the massive amount of wind resistance at 50MPH. You will probably be floor boarded to maintain highway speed with a conventional TT. A tent trailer would be a better choice.