Chevy Avalanche
 

Hey guys, I currently have an 04' Envoy XL with an Inline 6. The boat/trailer weights roughly 5,500-6,000 plus or minus a little depending on fuel in the boat. The Envoy's hitting 130,000 miles and is really only rated to tow 5,000lbs. I'm not looking to spend more than 25k so my options are kind of limited. I'm looking into the following cars. I'm hoping you guys can fill me in on towing capabilities, everyday usage, ride, comfortably, and versatility. Gas mileage is not an issue. All of the following come with a V8. Looking at the 6.0 for the Avalanche.

05'-08' Envoy
07-09'- Chevy Avalanche
05'-07'- Suburban
05'-08- Tahoe
I'm only one person, So I'm not sold on getting another big SUV. This envoy xl was handed down to me a couple years ago. I'm open to any other suggestions. I would guess the avalanche is best at towing. A towing comparison of the envoy to the avalanche would also be very helpful.

Thank you:drink:

The longer wheelbase is what will make the towing much better. With the amount of weight you have, you will be fine with the Suburban or Avalanche.

I happen to like the avalanche. I am not sure what year Chevy stopped putting the 8.1 liter in the Avalanches as the 2500 series, but that was a great combo and the difference in gas mileage from the 6.0 to the 8.1 was only 1 mpg better, but the power difference was alot. Just a thought.

Also any of the newer pickups with 4 doors is pretty much like having a SUV anyway.

Go with somethin with a long wheelbase.

I towed a 25' checkmate with a 2003 Tahoe with AIRRIDE suspension, I liked it and it towed well, but I am sure others will chime in and say the Tahoe probably isn't the best choice. I think the tow rating for that truck was around 7900lbs.

Tahoe/Suburban/Avalanche all in 1500 5.3L trim will be fine. All are nice trucks for everyday living too. Add the Silverado/Sierra to that list.

My '00 Silverado with 5.3 has 210K miles and has been a great vehicle. Comfortable, nice road manners, reasonable on fuel, and more than capable of towing loads you describe. All of those trucks are based on the same platform. Good luck!

not huge on the full pickups....... I do like the half pickup though. Looks very finished and gives you that security of leaving stuff in the bed. Also just don't like the look fully. I drove the tundra, Ram 1500, Ford F-150, Titan....... wasnt impressed.

PS- Looking at the Avalanche LTZ 6.0. Says towing capacity is 8,000lbs. Any thoughts on how it would tow in comparison to the envoy?

You can still get a HD Suburban/Yukon XL with the 6.0 but I don't know what transmission they're putting behind them these days. The 6.0 with the 4L80E trans feels like a dog.

Silverado/Sierra ext/crew cab would be ideal. Still has leaf spring so it tows great. The 1/2 ton SUVs have multi-point rear coil suspension so they'll wiggle a bit more. But they should be ok up to 6k lbs.

The design changed in '07-08 (depending on pickup vs SUV), but I think around '05 there were a few "MAX" trucks that were 1/2ton that got the 6.0L/4L65E. That right there is the perfect truck.

Nice truck and will tow 6K with ease. That truck vs. an Envoy will be night and day with the Av being substantially better.

I also have a TrailBlazer SS (same platform as Envoy) and it happens to have a 6.0, it doesn't tow as well as my 5.3 Silverado. Sure it has plenty of power (400hp), but light weight and short wheelbase don't make it a very good tow vehicle.

You'll really like the Av LTZ.

The Avalanche, Suburban, Escalade, and Escalade EXT are all on the same frame and share drivetrains, just in different configurations. The Av. and EXT feels smaller than the Burbs or Esc. even though they're not. I love my Av. it's the best of both worlds SUV/Pickup. If you need more info on Avalanches try their Fan Club site. http://www.chevyavalanchefanclub.com/index.html

Not exactly. Built on the same platform yes, drivetrains, no. The Escalade ESV/EXT have 6.2L motors and 6spd. trannys.

I own or have owned every vehicle that you have listed. No need to go with the 6.0 gas hog when you are only pulling 6k lbs. A SUV with a 5.3 will pull that kind of weight just fine. Before I bought a Duramax I pulled 8K lbs very well with a 5.3 truck. My wife has a 08 Trailblazer SS. I do not recommend one of those for towing. Jeff Wurl

AV has a 6.0?

5.3 standard, 6.0 optional.

I forgot about the LTZ/6.0L option myself. Do they offer that in the newest body style?

Yes.

Are you getting a bigger boat one day?

If so, go with the 2500 Suburban with the 6.0L.

IMHO, you don't really want a 5.3L tow vehicle.

I have an 08 AV LTZ with the 5.3 it pulls my Baja 242 great. Wish it had a larger fuel tank..............it drinks gas when I tow
75 mph

Looks like mixed reviews about the 5.3 and 6.0 . One person said "the 6.0 feels like a dog". If the 6.0 feels like a dog, I'd imagine the 5.3 would be substantially worse. What are the power differences between the the two? For the people who have driven the 5.3, is it substantially less powerful than the 6.0 ?

i'm on my 4th 5.3 vehicle

only one that towed decent had 4.10's...

HP ratings have changed over the years, but I believe currently they are 290hp and 360hp respectively. Older 6.0s may be a little less.

I think I would sum it up like this; if you can find the Av you like in a 6.0, buy it. On the other hand, if you find an Av that you really like and the price is right, don't not buy it because it has a 5.3. The majority of Avs out there will have the 5.3.

You should consider finding a AV 2500 with the 8.1. I picked mine up on the used market and saved a ton of cash. Lot's of low mileage inventory out their too.

Tows my 35 on a Myco like a dream. Gas averages 12.5 mpg non-towing and around 9mpg towing.

The 2500 AV and the 2500 Suburbans that have the 8.1L are BRUTES.

Do you have the 4.10 or 3.73 rear end gears? I got about 11 MPG daily driving with mine, but I had 4.10s, wider & taller tires, K&N FIPK intake, and bug deflector, along with a couple torsion bar cranks. ALL of these negatively affect MPG. Not to mention my exhaust sounded great and I kept my foot in it a bit.

Anyone know what year they stopped making those?

2005 was the last year I think.
Very easy to spot.
They all have cladding.
They have 8 lug wheels.
They have little fender flares on the FRONT fenders as the front axle is wider than the rear.

I took delivery of my 6500-lb boat/trailer two months ago and towed with my 2003 Avalanche 1500 (5.3L, 4:10 rear). We didn't care for the way the truck strained up the hills around here but we LOVE the Avalanche (as do most folks who own one) so I started looking for a Avalanche 2500. As stated, they stopped making them in 2005, but we found a low-mileage one and traded for it.

The difference in towing is night and day. The 2500 has an 8.1-liter engine, 4L80E transmission, 14-bolt rearend with 8-lug axles, leaf rear springs, extendable towing mirrors and transmission temp guage. Also has hydroboost brakes which are way better than the vacuum boost brakes on the 1500. Truck is rated to tow 12,000 pounds and tows my 6500-lb rig with ease.

The previous owner installed Firestone Air Ride helper bags on the rear leafs with onboard compressor/guage. I love being able to level the truck when we hook up the boat, and it tows just that much better.

As stated, fuel mileage is atrocious but we'd rather have an Avalanche with poor fuel mileage than a full-size pickup with a diesel. Prices are good on these rigs right now due to the economy and fuel prices; we found ours on autotrader.

Mine is a 2005 completely stock with a 4.10 rear end. I took it on a long highway run (mostly flat) unloaded and got a 17.5mpg according to the OBC.

But real life is a consistent 12-13 mpg non-towing. Big tank on it so it has about a 400 mile range which keeps you out of the gas stations for a bit. But plan on staying there awhile to fill up!

Got mine on cars.com.

The Avalanche is pretty comfortable as a daily driver. Unless you plan to go much heavier, I'd stick with a 6.0 with 3.73 gearing. The 4.10 gets uncomfortable in more ways than one, mileage being just one downside. The new six speed trans seems to make up for a lot compared to the older versions.

It's a truck that has many benefits of an SUV. Just feels more civilized than the standard pickups.

I think I understand what you guys are saying when you say the truck kind of dogs. It's a really comfortable, versatile, good looking truck though. After about 50mph it does lose its acceleration greatly. I think $1000 or $1500 in mods would solve that midrange problem. Otherwise, does anybody know what it costs to change the plastic hatchback with new ones or the escalde fiberglass? version.

RE-read the entire sentence: the 6.0 driving the 4L80E transmission will feel like a dog. That's the combo that was put in the 2500 series trucks. I don't know if they've started putting in the heavy-duty 6 speed in the 2500 yet?

If you get the 6.0 in a half-ton chassis, it will either have the 4L65E or another 6-speed variant. The 4L80E has a very tall 1st gear ratio making it feel sluggish off the line, plus takes more power to turn. The 4L65E and the six-speeds have shorter 1st gears helping with off-the-line feel.

The 4L80E has a 2.xx 1st gear and .75 final - slow off line and lower highway mpg.

The 4L65E has a 3.xx 1st and .70 final - better off line and better highway (plus smaller parasitic loss).

The new 6 speeds I think I read may have a 4.xx 1st gear - that's u-joint and diff breaking ratio if you're not careful. :D

Oh yeah, I would not hesitate to tow up to 6k lbs with the 5.3L w/3.73 or 4.10s. I had a '99 Silverado 5.3L/3.73; this early '99 was a weaker 5.3L also. But it towed my race car fine (6k lbs), right up to the fuel cutoff. It also never complained about my full throttle starts from the toll booths (with the race car). These motors love to run in 3rd gear (1.00:1) with Tow/Haul on so the torque converter locks up.

the escalde has the same hatch just painted why do you want to change it if it's discolored all you have to do is armor all the plastic it should come back I do all the plastic whenever I wax mine

This is true. I do this for the back footstep on my envoy. Its usually very temporary though. I heard Canola Oil brings it back like new though.

Your GM parts counter sells a 'wipe' in a pouch called Armadillo. It is specifically designed for the cladding on the Avalanche. It works VERY well in protecting it and keeping it looking new. 303, Armor All, tire protectants, etc. will all eventually "zebra stripe" the cladding and plastic on the AV & Escalade EXT.

This site is a fantastic site for the AV enthusiast:
http://www.chevyavalanchefanclub.com/index.html
You can find info about every nut and bolt on the truck there.

I finally had the chance to pick up my Suburban 2500 8.1 today.....very happy boy! I bought it last saturday. It's an LT, 4x4, 4:10 rear, quad captain's chairs, snrf, summit white/tan interior, super clean. Can't wait to get my Formula behind it.

The 2500 Avalanche/Suburban with the 8.1 engine is a towmaster. They have a 12,000 lb rating (with the 4.10 axles) and will pull your boat with no problem. The 4L80E tranny is very heavy duty. The 6.0 versions are good but do not have the torque of the 8.1. The only issue is gas mileage, my Avalanche with the 8.1 gets 11.8 mpg around town, 12.5 on the hwy and 9 pulling my 30ft Chris cat. The good news is my oil changes are only $ 48 (mobil 1) as opposed to 2x that for diesels and I don't have to smell like a truck stop after I fill up my Truck. There are used 8.1's out there, look on the internet. Most people that have these vehicles take good care of them, and if maintained should see 200k miles before major work needs to be done.

Wannabe

Just to quantify... You don't have smell like a truck stop when you fill up a diesel anymore. The diesel pumps are quite pleasant nowadays! If I could squeeze a 7.3 PSD into my 2 door Tahoe....

Damn, now I got the gears turning. (I've seen it done on a mid-90s full size Ford Bronco.)

Also, I suggest the cupholder size of Swipes in each car truck. They come in handy for any fuel/hand contamination!

Congrats! Mine only had 3.73s but it towed my '91 311 just fine. Should be that much better with the 4.10s. I sold it with 190k miles. I'm shopping for a newer one...

Pic of the new rig, poor quality, sorry. Just put the new wheels/tires on today, 20s with 285/55-20 tires:

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/b...g?t=1273886923

I don't have to smell like a truck stop after I fill up my Truck. wannabe


Ridiculous reason not to have a diesel. :rolleyes: There are thousands of gas stations now that have diesel pumps, so you don't HAVE to go to a truck stop. I use Valero QT and Race Track but I'm sure there are more. I carry a pair of gloves which I use to fill up with so my hands never touch the fuel.

(BTW my Dodge Cummins gets 15-16mpg towing the weight of your AO).

I've had my 2007 5.3 Avy for 3 years now and use it to tow both the Allison and the Pantera. Mine is 2wd and has the 3.73 rear. My 24 is roughly 5600 pounds on the trailer fueled up and packed for the weekend. It tows just fine down here in FL. I've been back and forth to the east and west coast at 80 mph several times and never had any problems.

I think the rear definitely makes a difference as the 5.3's were also available with a 3.42 rear. I believe all the 6.0's came with 4.10's.

I just replaced my hatches with the bakflip. It's great!


Also I think it was 2006 as the last year of the 2500. The one I picked up last month was a 2006 8.1 LT 2500 with 4:10 gears loaded with Nav, leather and only 54K miles :)

Pulls the new sled pretty good.http://www.teamjustice.net/DCB/truckboat.jpg

TIGHT!