Sluggish towing with GMC Yukon

[tcc11tcc]

I just picked up a used 2007 Jayco Exp 17C & towed it home last night with my 2011 GMC Yukon SLT. The drive was 2 hrs & lots of hills in TN. I had the tow mode on. It seemed to struggle up the big hills. Could only do about 60mph without the RPMs going above 3500 & the truck seeming like it was really working. I went about 60-65mph & averaged just above 8mpg. The weight of the camper is about 3000lbs. I would think my Yukon shouldn't struggle at all. Don't know the axle ratio but at least my Yukon is rated to tow 7200lbs.

I tow a 19 foot bass boat with no issues. Maybe slowing in mountains for safety. I can do 70-75 no problem. Average about 12-13 mpg.

Is towing a camper that much different? Is 60mph a normal speed?

Do I need to do something to my Yukon to make it tow better? It's all factory except upgraded GMC 20" rims.

I did have a Prodigy 2 brake controller installed. Do I need a sway bar?

[GMT830]

Some pretty comical posts here. Not many people understand final drive ratio.
Or the difference between an 8.5" semi-float GM 10 bolt and a 11.5" full-float AAM

[6dot6]

edit

[lbrjet]

APT wrote:

lbrjet wrote:

May be similar in first gear but in 4th it is like having 3.55 gears, rather than the direct 4.1 on the 4 speed. This is the reason it feels sluggish.

So a 4-spd with 1:1 3rd gear and 4:10 diff would be better than a 6-spd with 3rd gear @ 4.7?

I said 4th gear which is comparable to the old 3rd gear. What used to be called direct is still such IMO even though it is not 1:1 anymore.

[Canyon-Cruiser]

Capt RonB wrote:
I tow a Visa 19 ERD weighing in right at 3500 loaded with my 2008 Trailblazer (inline 6 rated at 290hp) ... We tow in 3rd gear (that's about 2700 rpm @ 65) and average 11.5 mpg here in flat Florida. The cruise control works fine. I'd guess that the your experience with the Tahoe V8 is about right.

I also have a Vista Cruiser (Visa) 19 RBS that I tow with a 2010 GMC Canyon w\Offroad Package. Mine has the 3.7L I5 and it tows fine with as good or slightly better results to Capt RonB. You said you bought it used? Although your vehicle my be preforming as expected, I would still have the bearings looked at if you haven't already. Make sure they are properly greased, packed and tightened. Old bearings, old grease or over tightening can cause excessive drag. Also just a good thing to have done on a used TT anyway.

[tcc11tcc]

I tow something somewhere about every weekend from Feb - Nov. It's also my daily driver so I just eat the gas mileage. I've owned many midsize SUV's in the past and they are all about 1-2mpg difference in all of them. I wish I would have bought a Denali now but it would cost alot more to buy a Denali than an Armada, even used there's about an 8k difference.

[APT]

lbrjet wrote:

May be similar in first gear but in 4th it is like having 3.55 gears, rather than the direct 4.1 on the 4 speed. This is the reason it feels sluggish.

So a 4-spd with 1:1 3rd gear and 4:10 diff would be better than a 6-spd with 3rd gear @ 4.7?

[Wishbone51]

opnspaces wrote:
In my situation though I found that at 9 - 12 mpg around town the Suburban just sits in the driveway unless going camping. So in that sense it would have made more sense to get the bigger engine and forget the gas mileage.

I get 13 around town in the Titan.. It was my truck, but I ended up driving the minivan to work be cause I drive much more than my wife does.

[opnspaces]

I would say get whichever truck you want and are most comfortable with. I don't think you'll see a real difference in towing between the two.

Another thing to consider is how often do you think you'll be pulling the travel trailer compared to no trailer or the boat? I went the route of getting the smaller engine on my Suburban because I figured I would drive it around mostly empty and only occasionally tow with it. So I wanted the better gas mileage while hauling the kids to soccer.

In my situation though I found that at 9 - 12 mpg around town the Suburban just sits in the driveway unless going camping. So in that sense it would have made more sense to get the bigger engine and forget the gas mileage.

[tcc11tcc]

leftybj wrote:
Are you a Bass fishing SAP consultant? There was a person with the name of "T" that was an active participant on the Nitro Owners forum when I was there around 2007.

LOL yep still around

[Elite130]

tcc11tcc wrote:
I believe Platinums only come in 4wd and only come with 3.357:1 final gear ratio...guessing that equates to 3.36. How do I tell if it has a HD tow package (like extra tranny cooler). Sorry dad didn't teach his daughter much about cars. I read it has autoleveling suspension. I assume that will take care of any rear sag? What kind of gas mileage towing do you get?

If the Armada has the autoleveling suspension and the 3.36 gearing, you will have the HD tow package. You probably already know this, but it is even pre-wired for the trailer-brake controller and has the 7-pin connector. All you need is a pigtail between the connector located under the front dash and the brake controller of your choice and you are good to go.

The autoleveling suspension will take out any sag, but make sure to still have your weight-distribution hitch setup correctly. Also, when hooking up your trailer, hook it all up, including the WD hitch, when the Armada is off. Once everything is ready to go, turn the Armada on and let it auto-level. That is the best way to do it to get the correct weight distibution.

As for gas mileage...I saw as good at 12mpgs and as bad a 8mpg, average was 10mpgs with the Armada. With my Titan that has the stock 20" tires, BDGT and intake, I see a consistant 10mpgs. That is with all the hills here in CO.

[APT]

The Nissan "tow gears" are actually a bit inferior to GM's 6-spd with 3.42 axle. The engine has more torque and thus more wheel torque, but it really doesn't compete well against GM's 6.2L, Tundra 5.7L/4.30, Ford 5.0L, EB, or 6.2L with 3.55 even.



Pay attention to payload as you shop if you decide to change your TV. Loaded up (Platinum) trim levels with lots of options can be low, under 1200 pounds for some. So much for a family + 600 pounds of TW.

Try using Gears 1-4 of what you have now. Spend $50 on a trans cooler. Keep all your thoughts in one thread on here.

[sh410]

Yes, you can have the rear gear ratio changed from 3.08:1 to 3.73:1 $1500 - $2000. But, you will have to also change the front differential.

[leftybj]

Are you a Bass fishing SAP consultant? There was a person with the name of "T" that was an active participant on the Nitro Owners forum when I was there around 2007.

[tcc11tcc]

Besides reading transmission temp I wouldn't have a clue what to do with it.