[QUOTE=David Cairns] the 465e transmission in the SS is holding fine.QUOTE]

in the manual i recieved it says my 03 ss has a 4l80e?

 

You got an SS for 28,900? Thats cheap.

 

yeah only bad thing is that since i bought, i will have only owned it for about 5 or 6 months and its already two years old. only 6k miles on her and the beater car has arrived so shes gettin stored for winter

im not sure why they had such a hard time unloading it, the window stickers were all out of it and folded and put away in the glove box. i guess to hide the gas hog numbers, and that nasty asking price. only reason i even have the truck is cause they had it in the paper listed under "BLOW OUT DEAL".

 

No boat here, sorry...

I would like one someday... a nice small sporty V8. I'm SURROUNDED by small lakes over here.

 

mines more of a lounge chair. 6 pot but its 235hp!

 

I vote the 2500. You say you're going to be modifying it anyway, possibly with a supercharger. The 2500 already has a 4L80-E and a 9.5" rear end, both of which take a serious beating. The LQ4 in the 2500 will take more boost than the LQ9 can. It's heavier, but that extra weight is in better drivetrain components and a stronger frame - worth it.

 

I'm with James B. - this really is a no-brainer. Whatever style points the SS may have are more than made up for by the simple practicality of the 2500. Beefier everything all around. Watch guys who mod their vehicles, the area of real concern and fretting is the drivetrain, which the 2500 has that taken care of in the better rear end and tranny. You can add power with confidence and have pretty much zero worries. Though some guys will say you 'can' tow with an SS, the SS is not really a towing vehicle, whereas the 2500 is. I would rather have a vehicle where I can hitch up my ride and just go....I think with the SS I would be looking, wondering, worrying all the time I was towing with it. Just my $.02.

 

On a related note: 5K-lbs barely makes the SS's tranny flinch. Tranny temps are only a "needles width" higher on the scale during around-town and non-lockup driving. It's normally aroudn 150*. Even during an hour of stop and go traffic in 89* weather this summer, I was all over that gauge but it never got higher than 175 or so.

Aside from getting the weight dristribution setup, I hitch and go. (WD is something people consider a safety item on most heavier loads anyway... in addition to a trailer-sway-bar.)

With the AWD, the weakish 10 bolt out back has a fair share of it's load taken off of it.

Still though, if towing is a big priority, there's little to no denying that the 2500's were designed for that.

 

The SS and the 2500HD are both good for towing, but it just depends on how much you are going to tow. I have a boat, and bout the 2500 HD with the 8.1 block, it is much sturdier and has no problems at any speed, but of course I am a power addict and had to heavily modify it. The SS can handle the boat easily but i find it runs into the higher RPMs than I would like when on the highway. Both trucks have very potent powerplants that with a few mods can make them fly. But if your sole purpose is towing, I would buy the 8.1 or a DMax. They are amazing in towing. If you only tow occasionally and your load is not too heavy go for the SS, its much more fun to drive daily. The 2500 can be lots of fun too but it requires money for mods