Tuskyz28

Hey guys I came to you from over LS1tech. I'm a car guy so bare with me please. I plan on towing my camaro on occasions 6 hours each way from home at least 3 times a year. I can't afford a duramax so let's keep that in mind.. Most of the time my car will be driven to the track but followed by this truck with my tools, a jack, air pump, and slicks. A couple of questions I need to ask. I plan on doing a LS swap into a square body or either buying a cat eye year truck.. O yea it's go be a 2wd either way.

-Just how much of a truck/power I need to tow my 2000 Z28 on a open trailer?
- what mods really helps?
- is the trailblazer SS intake beneficial while towing?
- who makes the best Transcooler? And is it best to keep the trans as cool as possible.
- is it REAL gains in the real world by doing a cam swap or should I leave the factory cam in the motor?
-what rear gear ratio I need to make sure my car gets onto on ramps nicely?
-5.3 or 6.0 ?
Sorry for so many questions or any dumb questions. The truck/towing game is new to me.

TXsilverado

iTrader: (19)

5.3 will get the job done, 6.0 will do it better. True-cool 40,000 gvw cooler. Yes, keep the trans as cool as possible.

Mean87SS

iTrader: (18)

Heat kills tranmissions...

TBSS intake is fine.

My 03/5.3 with 3.73 gears towed my fbodies fine... my 08/6.2 with 4.10 gears doesnt know the car is back there

Tuskyz28

Mean87SS did you gear your trucks or was they already factory geared?

treylittlefield

My dad just bought an 03 1500HD. 6.0, 4l80e, 3.73 gears iirc and it pulls his open trailer with a k5 mud truck on it great.

I would suggest finding one with a 6.0/ 4l80e combo with minimum 3.73 gears.

Trucool 40k for trans cooler

Mean87SS

iTrader: (18)

Factory.

Tuskyz28

So towing with a gas motor is mostly effective by the rear gear ratio ?

zachm89

iTrader: (16)

I pulled my old fbody on a heavy *** uhaul car hauler behind the SSS a few years ago. Towed fine even with a donkey dick cam, converter and 4.10 gearing. Didnt get the greatest fuel economy in the world, no where near what I can get with my dmax now but its apples to oranges there. You should be fine with a factory 5.3L truck and a good trans cooler. Whats your budget for the new truck? Youd be surprised how inexpensive you can pick up a good dmax nowadays.

Tuskyz28

How long did you tow?
Only thing I dislike about diesels is my lack of knowledge. Im familiar with the LS motors. I know nothing at all about diesels and I don't plan on pulling the car every weekend. I know they are towing monsters tho. I stay right below Memphis. I only want to tow the car in case of breakage or when I go visit my buddies 3 to 4 times a year. So I will be towing the car north of me to Kentucky twice a year (LS fest for sure!!) Then I will be towing the car south of me twice a year. 6 hours each way from home. I'm located a hour south of Memphis. As far as budget I haven't came up with one yet but I can't afford a 60k new truck. Also the truck will be a daily driver when needed.

zachm89

iTrader: (16)

With the SS i only towed the car with it once when I moved, about a 3 hour trip. Im sure it wouldnt have been nearly as much of a pain with a stock ext cab though compared to a cammed and stalled all wheel drive truck. I didnt have much knowledge about diesels when I bought my dmax either but like anything else knowledge comes with time and first hand experiences. Ive had mine for a little over two years and damn near 60k miles since I bought it (240k on the truck now) and I havent had any issues that I havent been able to address and fix myself. The biggest issue Ive had so far was worn out front suspension components and the fuel filter head assembly needed to be rebuilt. Nothing out of the ordinary for a 200k+ mile vehicle and both easy fixes. If you do decide to look into diesels, chevy or gmc specifically, try to find something in the 05.5-07 range with an LLY or LBZ. I daily this truck as well and with nothing but turbo back exhaust and a tune I see around 20-22mpg hwy in a 2wd crew cab leveled on 33's. I paid in the ballpark of 13,500 for it so if something like that is inside your budget Id definitely without a doubt buy a diesel over a gas burner for daily driving/towing purposes.