Help Sierra/Silverado 1500 5.3L or 6.2L

[4riveteers]

We tow our 2016 27FB with our 2002 Yukon XL SLT. It has the 5.3 Vortec engine (with over 220k miles on it). It tows pretty nice (at sea level in California). Yes we are at the GVWR limit of this TV but we wanted to try and make the existing SUV work as best as we could or at least for awhile while we get our feet wet in this wonderful world of "Airstreaming" we have discovered. After we purchased our AS and towed it a few times we did a modification to our Yukon that I highly recommend. The product literature on our Yukon revealed this vehicle was offered with two rear axle gear ratios out of the factory. Ours had the 3.73:1 gear ratio. We had the gears changed out to a 4.10:1 gear set. The 4.10 gears give us more usable torque going uphill and more downshift engine braking going downhill. The sacrifice is a slightly lower (about 10% lower) fuel economy. Worth every penny IMO. I have yet to tow up in higher elevation. We also tow at 55-60 MPH max, I have the time!

I should add; Doing the gear change procedure we also found that the axle shafts in our Yukon XL were excessively worn at the outside bearing mount location and we decided it was a perfect time to replace them and all rear end seals and bearings. The setup rides and tows nice and quite like a brand new rig now. We get 14+ MPG towing. I strongly recommend to check the rear axle gear specs on any tow vehicle being considered for purchase. It is a major factor in a towing consideration and should be known as much as an engine size number, HP etc. The "build letter code" sticker in the glove box deciphers what was originally installed in the vehicle.

Off to Pinnacle's National Park this weekend!

[featherbedder]

My son has ford 3/4 hd 4/4 off road tow pkg. with 5.? gas I have 2000 chev silverado 2500 6.0 engine with same pkg. and rear gears. He does not have any prob. w/small motorcycle trailer but if hooks up to any of my trailers it's a struggle. My chev. will out pull his ford w/out any hesitation, the only reason he pur. ford saleman made huge error on price [He was fired next day] all of family trks have been bigger engines both ford and chev. IMO larger eng. gives better serv. and extra cap. when needed but pur. what ever you feel comfortable with as every one has dif. opinions, it's your tv. I feel much better w/extra horse power. Also A person I no from Wisc. has alum. ford 1of first manf. as brother works ford fact. He loves it.

[USAtraveler]

Why buy a Chevy? It and its GMC stablemate get a much-worse-than-average reliability rating, regardless of engine size. The Ford F-150 gets a better-than-average rating, and the Toyota Tundra gets a much-better-than-average rating. Both the Ford and Toyota are built in America. The majority of Chevy/GMC's are built in Mexico. 4th qtr sales reflect Chevy's poor quality. Light truck sales were up among all mfgs...all that is except Chevy, which was down. Ford was the best. To counteract their poor sales, Chevy has been putting on the most aggressive truck sales campaign of any mfg.(incl. the one where they diss the F-150 aluminum bed). I call that an advertising cheap shot. Unless you plan on frequently dumping a lot of sharp cornered, 60 lb. concrete blocks into the bed of your truck from 4 or 5 ft high (like they do in the ad), I wouldn't put much credence in Chevy's implication that Ford's aluminum bed is somehow inferior. WE like aluminum or we would have the trailers we own!

[Roxy59]

I used to have a 2011 tacoma but then went to the GMC Canyon because I didn't want to wait for the new style tacoma. I would imagine the Tundra with the 5.7L is more expensive than GMC/Chevy comparable trucks.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by USAtraveler

Why buy a Chevy? It and its GMC stablemate get a much-worse-than-average reliability rating, regardless of engine size. The Ford F-150 gets a better-than-average rating, and the Toyota Tundra gets a much-better-than-average rating. Both the Ford and Toyota are built in America. The majority of Chevy/GMC's are built in Mexico. 4th qtr sales reflect Chevy's poor quality. Light truck sales were up among all mfgs...all that is except Chevy, which was down. Ford was the best. To counteract their poor sales, Chevy has been putting on the most aggressive truck sales campaign of any mfg.(incl. the one where they diss the F-150 aluminum bed). I call that an advertising cheap shot. Unless you plan on frequently dumping a lot of sharp cornered, 60 lb. concrete blocks into the bed of your truck from 4 or 5 ft high (like they do in the ad), I wouldn't put much credence in Chevy's implication that Ford's aluminum bed is somehow inferior. WE like aluminum or we would have the trailers we own!

Really, huh....

http://www.jdpower.com/cars/study/20...ty-Pickup/1124

and this:

http://www.jdpower.com/ratings/study...ty-Pickup/1123

[Vich]

I have the 2009 GMC sierra with the multi-displacement 6.0. I tow a 1999 Safari 25 SS a lot out west in the 10,000+ foot mountains. I really like the added power over the 5.3. I can tow up the steepest grade at or above the speed limit with ease. Previously I had a 5.3 , it was a very good motor but was lacking for power on some grades. My 6.0 gets 14.5 MPG towing where my 5.3 only got about 11-12 towing. My 6.0 gets 21.5 Solo where as my 5.3 only got 19.5 MPG. I would go with the 6.2 so that the motor can just loaf along instead of working its guts to death.

Vic H

[Silver.Sanctuary]

Originally Posted by Roxy59

I used to have a 2011 tacoma but then went to the GMC Canyon because I didn't want to wait for the new style tacoma. I would imagine the Tundra with the 5.7L is more expensive than GMC/Chevy comparable trucks.

I don't know. I bought a 2014 Tundra Limited in 2014 (5.7 6 speed transmission) Double cab for $37,000 cash out the door. Had all the tow stuff except the brake controller, and my AS dealer threw in a Prodigy P3 at my request.

I had a veteran's discount ticket for $4500 that I would have liked to use, but in Albuquerque, no Chevy/GMC dealer had the truck package combo I wanted (lots of trucks too), so GM was out. I owned an '87 Ford Bronco and swore I would never again buy a Ford (and haven't with 7 subsequent new car purchases). I didn't care much for the Ram, so it fell to Toyota.

I had already bought a 2 axle 22 foot Airstream, so I didn't have quite the same situation, but lots of people swear that their Tundras can pull much bigger trailers with ease.

What does a comparable Silverado go for?

[Roxy59]

We have Canadian funny money up here so can't really compare prices. 1-1/2 years ago our Canadian money was worth more than the US dollar. Now our Canadian dollar has dropped about 25% making everything more expensive. Canadian travel to the US has dropped dramatically. Probably a good time for Americans visit Canada.

[Bgibbs]

Don't know if the 5.3's have changed, but I had a Yukon with a 5.3 pulling a 24' boat and it would downshift from 4th to 2nd going up the smallest hill and engine would rev to redline. It would shock me so much that I would take my foot off the pedal and it would immediately upshift. And this was in Texas hills (not!). I played that game for a while and knew the life of the TV would be severely shortened. I would go with the 6.0 and pay the gas penalty.

[Dmsteeen]

I can not speak to the 5.3L, but i have a 2016 GMC Sierra with the 6.2L. Towing a 16 25" Flying Cloud to the rally last year in WV from NY it did fine.

I have never used anything but the lowest grade of regular, even with towing.

Hope this helps....

[fotoman1527]

Yes, because if you ever feel underpowered, or if you increase the size of your airstream, you'll regret having not having done so.

We tow a 27 foot flying cloud with a 2015 Silverado 1500 with the 6.2 engine, Max towing and Max luxury. We only got this vehicle after discovering that our 2002 Toyota Sequoia wasn't sufficiently powerful when there was grade. Accordingly, we weren't going to risk buying anything underpowered.

We have taken this rig to the Rockies and just love it. I'm impressed by the amount of technology Chevrolet put in this vehicle. It is well-made, comfortable and gets 12 1/2 miles to the gallon pulling the airstream. It does so effortlessly and many times we don't even realize it's back there. I'm very happy with the purchase. Since there's more than one right answer to your question, I wish you Good luck.

[nickoftime]

I have a 16 Sierra 1500 with the 5.3 and 8 speed trans. and I love it. We haul an 04 31 Classic without a problem. That 8 speed is smooth I set the cruise at 65 or so and it keeps us right there up hills and down. I really like the way it shifts down to keep the speed steady. If you use the truck for around town as well I think you'll get much better gas mileage with the 5.3. We have hauled from Vt to SC and around and will be heading to Florida soon. Good luck with your decision.

[RandyNH]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

Really, huh....

http://www.jdpower.com/cars/study/20...ty-Pickup/1124

and this:

http://www.jdpower.com/ratings/study...ty-Pickup/1123

So in a discussion about F150s and 1500s - half ton trucks, someone says Chevy isn't good and you then link to something that says it's 1st? Oh wait, that says the 2500 is first and the drop down takes you to the 1500 which, drum roll, says the Toyota is best in class, as your offender correctly pointed out. (At least the GMC was second)

So, yes, Really.

[dznf0g]

My point is jd powers is honest, and that is who we continously improve to. You really need to drill through the data though to understand how really close all the top 10 are. I will only defend when untrue statements are made and give factual info.

[senioryakker]

I firmly believe in bigger is better, get the most tv you can afford to buy and drive comfortably. We tow a 28' 2007 Classic with an 06 Ram 3500 dually CTD. Just averaged 12.4 mpg on coast to coast trip, currently in Baja. No concerns about tongue weight, cargo capacity, breaking ability, or any other tow related issues due to tv being marginal. To me, that piece of mind is worth a lot. Hope this opinion helps you decide, safe travels.

[JCWDCW]

What is the rear end ratio on your 5.3 choice? I would have a problem with 20+% increase in fuel costs over regular fuel.
I have a Dakota with the 4.7 and 3.55 rear end. It is capable but not in Mountains where you can't get speed up between hills. I live with the occasional 6-7% grade towing a '96 Excella 25 ft. It would be very good with the 3.92 ratio, but good mileage was more important when not towing when I bought the truck. Any one know what the HP/Torque ratings are for the 5.3. The older 5.3 engines were not as good as my 4.7, but that was 2003
JCW

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by Roxy59

I will be buying a new TV for my baby (2017 26U). I have decided on a Sierra/Silverado 1500. I can get both engines in 5.3L and or 6.2L with the same Max Tow package (about 2000 pounds of payload).
The 26U has a 903 pounds tongue weight and 7600 pounds maximum trailer capacity. Dry trailer weight is about 5975 pounds.
The salesman says the 5.3L engine should be able to handle this without any trouble. We will be travelling from British Columbia down to Arizona area every year. Should I pay the extra money and get the bigger engine?

I tow both my 25' and my 34' trailers with my Silverado 1500 that has a 5.3L engine. This past summer I towed the 25' (6,400 lbs) out west over some 12,000' passes and it did very well. One uphill was marked 10% grade.
The difference between someone having a good towing experience and a bad towing experience is the equipment setup. All Silverados, or any other trucks for that matter, are not equal. Gearing and transmission type make all the difference.
I have owned two different 4 x 4 Silverado LTZs with the maximum towing package. One had the 5.3 and one had the 6.2. My preference if I were going to purchase another one today would be with the 5.3L. Both have similar pulling characteristics towing up grades in the mountains, the 6.2 only slightly better. The 6.2L had a little better engine braking ability on the down grades. On wet paved surfaces the 6.2 would easily break rear wheel traction while in 2 wheel drive.

My opinion:
To me the additional cost to purchase and maintain the larger engine is not worth the little bit of extra torque.
If you decide on the 5.3 engine you will be happy!
If you decide on the 6.2 engine you will be happy!

[Roxy59]

The GMC 1500 6.2L has a 3.42 ratio 8 speed transmission. The 5.3L has a 6 speed transmission and I don't know what the ratio is.

[gandttimes]

Originally Posted by Roxy59

The GMC 1500 6.2L has a 3.42 ratio 8 speed transmission. The 5.3L has a 6 speed transmission and I don't know what the ratio is.

I believe that if the 5.3 is a max tow, should it not also have the 8 speed for 2017?
Also in all the reports I have read, the regular mileage is basically the same between the 2 but towing mileage is better with the 6.2.
I tow our 25 int.with a 2008 1500 6.0l and max tow and in thinking about our next vehicle, was considering the 5.3 , but after much investigating would definitely go 6.2.
By the way those boys out east don't know what a mountain pass looks like, especially here in BC.
The folk at Midtown know what they are doing. That's where we bought ours.
Good travelig with whatever your choice.
you will be more than pleased with the GM product. Best choice out there.

[PKI]

Now to the details - most likely they are just the possibilities. The A8 is reported to have some problems. It is new for GM and they just don't have it perfect. But they fix on warranty claims and reports of the problems may be over blown.

The Corvette crowd sees the development of vibrations in V4 mode. A new torque converter seems to fix. Assume Silverado to be similar, but it's not the exact same transmission (bolt on engine vs torque tube/transaxle), so you should verify.

What also seems to be reported, is that folks are extremely happy with the performance of the A8. However, there are some who are suspect of the A8 and would rather go with the 6-speed because they feel it is bulletproof. To add to the consternation, the ten speed is coming, actually, it is here on some models. All "new" can bring issues, but what would be the fun if everything was same-oh, same-oh, same-oh? Gotta believe 10 is a great number!

Good luck with your choice. Pat