Dodge vs. Chevy

[Joe B 17]

Ha i have a newf150 eco and get a whole 1mpg better than the Tundra and Chevy 5.3l that we rotate driving. They all have their little differences but nothing to make an easy choice. Over $10k off sticker on leftover '13s so we went new, they all are dealing big.

[PayCheck 20]

Forget the 5.3 just not enough power. if you tow short distance with no hills then it would be OK

We don't tow enough to buy anything much bigger then a 5.7. It has 4wd, not sure if that makes a big difference?

 

Nick,

Thanks for that input. I was told the 5.3L would be fine, a super reliable source who has owned 5 silverados in the past few years said they do well. Just was wondering if the suburban was any different.

 

We're going with the suburban more for space inside, and appearance. As a GM at a hotel in downtown DC, my dad thinks it would be much more appropriate to drive an SUV as opposed to the truck. Which makes total sense. Also the fact that they just look better

[BillC4 24]

The suburbans wheelbase makes an excellent tow vehicle. You made a great choice.

 

I went from a similar powered suburban to a Tahoe. Even though i like the Tahoe more than the suburban, the suburban is a superior tow vehicle. The distance between the axles makes a significant difference.

[h20king 794]

We had a 08 GMC 1/2 ton with the 5.3 and tow package also had a small chip upgrade and it worked good for short trips. If there are any big grades that you have to travel the 5.3 will not like it nor the trans. On big grades trans temps would hit 225 and up. I do here good things about the 6 litter though

Edited November 5, 2013 by h20king

[PayCheck 20]

how does the chip upgrade work? i think that could be done if its not stupid expensive. is it more fuel efficiant? different shift point? we have never purchased anything above a chevy equinox... so were still learning. i dont think we will tow more than an hour tops at a time.

[h20king 794]

WE had the Edge programmer it gives you different power settings and shift points. super easy to install just plug and play. I loved the truck until we made the trip to Shasta. The 5.3 worked so hard I thought it was going to jump out of the truck and head home on it's own LOL

[elc 2]

We had the same exact experience as h20. Hopefully the new transmissions are better.

 

We had a 08 GMC 1/2 ton with the 5.3 and tow package also had a small chip upgrade and it worked good for short trips. If there are any big grades that you have to travel the 5.3 will not like it nor the trans. On big grades trans temps would hit 225 and up. I do here good things about the 6 litter though

[lakerat 70]

We live in a valley completely surrounded by mountains, so anywhere you go is over a pass. We've owned suburbans (1500) with the 5.7 and they did ok except for one transmission. I'm towing now with a 2500HD with the 6.0 and on long grades it's still a battle; my boat and trailer probably weigh 6500 - 7000. My daughter just bought a Tahoe with the 5.3 but we haven't had a chance to tow with it yet.

 

I think for short trips on moderate terrain that you'll be ok with the Suburban 5.3. I'm looking for a Duramax or better yet a lake house.

[grizfan 0]

A transmission cooler for a GM 5.3 is a must in my opinion. It has drastically reduced trany temps in my Chevy Avalanche. Cost was minimal, $100 for the kit. Cheap insurance. I tow my boat locally at least 3 times a week and it is more than adequate. If I trailered longer distances with greater frequency I would definately upgrade to a 2500 or 3500. I just don't want to drive one of those beasts to work everyday.

[PayCheck 20]

A transmission cooler for a GM 5.3 is a must in my opinion. It has drastically reduced trany temps in my Chevy Avalanche. Cost was minimal, $100 for the kit. Cheap insurance. I tow my boat locally at least 3 times a week and it is more than adequate. If I trailered longer distances with greater frequency I would definately upgrade to a 2500 or 3500. I just don't want to drive one of those beasts to work everyday.

thats our same situation, except we tow our boat only during the summer, about 10 times. driving a 2500 or 3500 into downtown DC everyday would become pretty inconvenient

Edited November 8, 2013 by PayCheck

[elc 2]

I trailered long distances up grades... the external cooler did nothing. In GM's defense they ended up replacing all kinds of things under warranty - they were easy to work with.

Agreed that towing locally the 5.3 is more than adequate. In fact Id tow with the smaller chevy v8 locally with no concern.

A transmission cooler for a GM 5.3 is a must in my opinion. It has drastically reduced trany temps in my Chevy Avalanche. Cost was minimal, $100 for the kit. Cheap insurance. I tow my boat locally at least 3 times a week and it is more than adequate. If I trailered longer distances with greater frequency I would definately upgrade to a 2500 or 3500. I just don't want to drive one of those beasts to work everyday.

Edited November 8, 2013 by elc

[grizfan 0]

I trailered long distances up grades... the external cooler did nothing. In GM's defense they ended up replacing all kinds of things under warranty - they were easy to work with.

Agreed that towing locally the 5.3 is more than adequate. In fact Id tow with the smaller chevy v8 locally with no concern.

That surprises me. After adding the cooler, my avalanche's trany running temps dropped 20 degrees with daily driving. Trailered the Elite-V (loaded with 5 days of camping gear) 450 miles with decent uphill grades and saw a high temp of 201... in August. Before the trany cooler I had seen temps of 220 driving over Mt Hood, and I wasn't towing a thing.