Chev 350 engine - Can it Pull?

[Peanut]

May be trading my Ford Explorer off - one option is a Chev Silverado with a 350 in it. Have never owned a Chev truck - how is this motor for towing purposes? Is it better or worse than the Ford 4.6 liter V8?

derrek.

CANADIAN WALLEYE OPEN UP AND SAY "EH"!

[chadk66]

You'll be totally amazed at what the new vortec 350's will do. They will pull just about anything you would want to pull in the line of boats. It should pull better than the ford 4.8 because it's a bigger cubic inch motor but a lot depends on gear ratio of the rear end. Another note, the 350 is bullet proof and the parts are far cheaper and you can work on the darn things. I was a ford man all my life but I am sold on chevy's now.

[Kaz]

Peanut: I have the same vortec engine in my Yukon and I pull everything from a small trailer to my 25' SportCraft with it. Mine came with the trailer package and I have never questioned what I could haul. There is a "Tow/Haul" swithch which changes the computer stepping for the transmission, and it compensates for the load. I have hauled the boat on the freeway at speeds of 70/75 mph without a strain. General Motors has a winner with this motor/tranny. Also this is my third Yukon as I trade every other year with about 75/80M miles on them. I don't think you will be sorry. Good luck FISHING...Kaz

[curt quesnell]

hi peanut,

vortec or not the chevy 350 engine is plenty for pullin a
boat. you will want to make sure you have a cooler for the
tranny.

welcome to chevyworld, you'll like it here.

curt quesnell

[BlackSilver]

When you say "350" I assume you mean the 6.0 liter Vortec.

I have the 5.3L Vortec in a 2001 Silverado, with 3.73 gears. (The 5.3L is based on the 327 of Corvette parentage.)

It tows my boat *and* a 28-foot fifth-wheel camper (6400 pounds) in fine style. Certainly the 350 will outperform the 4.6L Ford, especially with the new GM tranny management systems.

Hans

[Gearhead]

Some of us get confused easily, but here goes. Are you buying a used truck? Like a C/K series Silverado with a 350 cid engine, or a newer Silverado with the 325 cid, or 368 cid engine? The '99 and older C/K with the 350 with 3.73:1 ratio gears does a great job of hauling most boats of modest trailering size. I had a '96 with 3.42:1 gears which were great on the road, but a little too tall for pulling much weight. My '98 with a Vortec 350 and 3.73:1 gears did a better job though. The new Silverado's, 1999 and newer, with either the 325 or 368 do a fine job also. These Vortec motors develop good HP and a better torque curve than it's predecessor, and the powertrain is amenable to towing with it's tow/haul mode. Don't expect great fuel mileage while towing though. Even the miserly 350 can suck down some go-go juice when towing. I've changed my fleet of four trucks to the 2001 HD series, Duramax/Allison powered Chevy's. For heavy towing of my race cars and the wife's livestock, these do a much better job of it. But justifying the cost of one of these for recreational towing of a boat is tough. I think you'll be happy with the 350 Chevy and parts and service are easy to come by. Good luck.

[Peanut]

The truck I was looking at was a 1995.

[WetWilly]

Peanut, I have a 93 suburban with a 350, that should be the same motor as a 95. It will be able to tow anything in reason no problem, one thing though, always, always tow in Drive, you may not get the best mileage but your tranny will last.
WetWilly

[Steve KS]

I have a 1995 chevy extended cab 4x4 with the 5.7L 350 and it pulls fine. I have plenty of power to pull my Ranger 690C loaded with gear. The only thing I have trouble with is pulling it on the interstate at 70mph in July with the AC blazing. The temperature will slowly go up to above 210. It cools right back down on downhills or kicking the AC off for a minute. I am sure a transmission cooler would solve this problem. I have 123,000 miles on the truck pulling everything from antique tractors to my 690C. This motor has been bulletproof uses no oil, starts very easy, and i get 14mpg hiway and 12 mpg pulling my boat. A two wheel drive version would put more horsepower toward pulling and would get better mileage. My father got 20 mpg in his 93 5.7 and gets about the same from his 98 vortec. He has 176,000 on his 93 and still uses it to pull much bigger loads than he should!

[Steve KS]

On the 1995 model there is only one "drive" it doesn't have the "overdrive" and "drive" like on the 1993. My father pulls in both when he pulls his old tractors. He installed a transmission cooler and that solved the temperature problems of pulling in overdrive. He gets better mileage with overdrive so he uses that 95% of the time unless he is in the hills or pulling a load bigger than he should with a half ton. 173,000 miles an no transmission problems.

[Hawgeye]

I have the 95 Tahoe with the 350 and use it to tow my #2400 package. I don't even know it is there. ALWAYS tow in 3rd gear, never in DRIVE. That is overdrive on these vehicles and there is even a factory sticker on the inside of my drivers door that says "do not tow anything in drive" or something to that effect. I get 12 MPG towing in 3rd gear and have no trouble with the AC on.

[Coldfront]

>May be trading my Ford Explorer
>off - one option is
>a Chev Silverado with a
>350 in it. Have
>never owned a Chev truck
>- how is this motor
>for towing purposes? Is
>it better or worse than
>the Ford 4.6 liter V8?
>
>
>derrek.
>
>CANADIAN WALLEYE OPEN UP AND SAY
>"EH"!


No Contest the Chevy will way out pull the ford!

[Peanut]

Steve: Just so I'm clear - if there is no overdrive, then it is alright to tow in drive, right? Or, if there is overdrive, make sure I have a tranny cooler.

That's one problem with my Ford, it's always jumping in and out of overdrive, it drives me nuts, and in drive, mileage sucks.

This truck is an extended cab 4x4, with 136000km (about 80,000 miles). It has been well taken care of, so it sounds like the mileage/age factor is not an issue.

To those who posted so far, thanks for your thoughts.

derrek.

"CANADIAN WALLEYE OPEN UP AND SAY "EH"!

[FJH1]

LAST EDITED ON Aug-30-01 AT 01:06PM (CST)[p]Doesn't your Explorer have an Overdrive lockout? I have a 1998 Explorer and it has an Overdrive lockout button on the end of the gear selector handle. Just wondering (maybe the V8 didn't come with this?...)

Best Regards,

FJH

[Scott]

Peanut,
I have a 95 Suburban with the same engine you probably have. I pull an 18 foot boat that weighs about 2700 lb. wet. My Burb is well maintained but I don't think it pulls the boat really well. I saw a prior post where someone was pulling with a 93 Burb and it did fine. I may just have the wrong axle for pulling.
Scott

[Peanut]

Yeah, I could lockout the overdrive, and have, from time to time. My engine is the base 4 liter V6 like yours. Like I said, when I do this, my mileage goes in the toilet. If I'm gonna have sh***y mileage, I figure I may as well have some power. That's why I'm looking at trading. The 4.6 liter V8 I mentioned is the small V8 in the Ford F150's - I was trying to compare the Chevy to this. I like the Explorer, but only the Limited's or Eddie Bauer's come with a V8, and they are too spendy for me, so that's why I'm looking at a pickup.

By the way, you Chev guys, is 3.73:1 the gear ratio I need? Is it standard in the 1995 Silverado's? If not, how do I check what the ratio is - will these spec's be in the owner's manual?

Thanks for your great help so far.

derrek.

CANADIAN WALLEYE OPEN UP AND SAY "EH"!

[dlp]

the 1995 model does not have the new vortec engine.
go for the later model and get the improved vortec engine.
if you are interested in a 2000 3/4 ton with 350 vortec,
which was the last year they made the 350, let me know.
i have an extra truck.

[WetWilly]

Peanut, sorry about my post #7, the post by hawgeye is correct, on my 93 suburban I have overdrive and drive, I tow in drive, on a 95 you have drive and 3rd, it is the same thing so I would tow in 3rd. Sorry about the confusion. Ryan

[Peanut]

Unfortunately, I am cursed with a weak Canadian dollar, so if you're from the US, it probably won't work for me. If you're Canadian, I may be interested. Do you want a '97 Explorer XLT as partial trade?

derrek.

"CANADIAN WALLEYE OPEN UP AND SAY "EH"!

[Gearhead]

As to the questions on the transmission.......the 700R4 or the 4L-60, or 4L-60E all suffer wear when towing in "D". This allows the trans to utilize the overdrive mechanism as well as holeshot from the smallest clutch pack. Driving in "3" places the initial launch stresses on a much larger clutch group and causes less wear on the clutch materials. Larger surface area also transfers the heat generated to a larger volume of fluid more quickly. Even if your owner's manual states that it's OK to tow in Overdrive, I think it is a poor recommendation given the mechanical design of these transmissions. The HD 4L-80E in the bigger trucks is fairly bulletproof and may not cause anyone concern unless towing a helluva load. Hope that's useful info.

[Hawg Tracker]

I pulled a 2500lb. bass boat with the 4.6 litre Ford in a Crown Vic. ..pulled it like a toy. If I am not mistaken the Chev. 350 (5.7 litre) is something like 250 horsepower which will pull your boat with little effort but the 4.6 litre (281 cubic inches)is something like 225 horse with dual exhausts. The Ford motor has a much better horsepower to cubic inch ratio than the Chev. The Ford is more fuel efficient and in fact is an overhead cam motor ...I think that the Chev is still a pushrod motor but I could be wrong on that point since they now call it a "Vortec" engine. I now pull the same boat with a 4.0 litre overhead cam motor in the Explorer and have no problem at all. I am partial to that 4.6 litre motor since I had one in a Thunderbird and later, in a Crown Vic. mThe Ford V8 is bullet proof.
Just my 2cents

[Hawgeye]

Gearhead,

Thanks Gearhead. I always wondered why the "OD" was such a no-no for pulling. So really, a transmission cooler still does not offset the wear on the package when pulling in OD, right?

I will pay a little more in gas by running in 3rd, to offset the cost of replacing my tranny. I know because I took out the tranny in my 93 Grand Prix and my 95 Lumina Van. Over 3 years, $3k taught me to be careful when towing. That is why I bought the Tahoe.

In defense of the previous two vehicles, I was towing a load heavier than the owners manual recommended...in fact much heavier.

[Gearhead]

Actually, a cooler is still a good thing. If the fluid can operate at lower temps, it's less likely to scorch and become less "transmission friendly". Get yourself a brand named, high quality unit, and be reasonably cautious about where you locate the unit. Slapping it onto the front of the A/C condensor adds another heat load to the condensor and radiator. If it can be located lower, let's say catching some ambient air from bumper cutouts or front valance vents, might work better. Be advised, too low of an installation may also present hazards from road debris. Rocks, nails, etc can be tossed up by other cars, and striking these with the fragile cross tubes of a cooler can spell instant death of the cooler. I've mounted most of my units with stainless steel screen or hardware cloth in front as a deterrent to the collateral damage from road debris. So....the long answer is,....YES....a cooler is still helpful and recommended.

[Coldfront(IL)]

Gearhead, I noticed you have the duramax and allision. Have you had any problems? I am all ready to order a 1 ton with that combo and I start hearing rumors of problems on another board. No one will get specific. Are these just sour grapes from the ford dodge guys,or is there in fact a problems. thanx jim

[Steve KS]

The available gears are D, 3, 2, 1, R. I always pull in drive (which has the overdrive gear) and have never had any problems other than in really hilly areas it will shift down some times two gears and really rev the engine. I have 123,000 on my 1995 ex cab 4x4 and no problems doing this. I don't tromp the gas pedal to the floor and spin the tires every time i take of either. I don't abuse the truck and I pay attention to what it is telling me with temperature and transmission shifting. I have the 3.73 gears. If you crawl under the truck and look at the back of the transfer case there is a little aluminum tag on the xfer case that will tell you the gear ratio. That is the only way to tell gear ratio with confidence since owners manuals are generic. Unless you can find the original window sticker.
This truck will take a lot of abuse and with regular maintenance i expect this truck to last another 100,000 miles. At least my 16 yr old son hopes so. It will be his in April when mama has promised me a new one.