Charley Hoyt

I am new to towing... And today I drove 4.5 hours to pick up my new race car. I have a 2007 1500 Suburban and I am towing a 20' enclosed car hauler(3200 lbs) with a Radical SR3 (1300 lbs) in it. My question is.....what is an acceptable maximum transmission Temperature? My manual says that 180 to 200 is the normal range....when going up hills I was often in the 200 - 220 range. Is this acceptable? Or do I need to add a bigger transmission cooler? By the way my water temps were steady at 210.


Thanks for the help.

Charley

RX-Ben

That doesn't seem crazy, shouldn't be an immediate problem for even mediocre fluid. You may consider upgrading your trans fluid if you are going to have sustained higher temps, for a longer service interval.

Charley Hoyt

Thanks, what fluid do you recommend.

Mike.D

That temp is fine. You have a great truck for towing. If your temps start jumping fast, possible something could be wrong.. But 215 is fine.

RX-Ben

What trans do you have?

CHJ In Virginia

The trans temps you are seeing are fine for now. The ambient exerior temp is low - it's December ! Move to August, ambient is 98 deg with 90% humidity and the trailer and suburban are fully loaded with ALL the junk you are going to need at the track for the weekend. IMHO for transmission preservation spend a few $ and get a larger cooler. Switch to a top quality ATF such as Redline or M1. $4-500 spent now will help insure long trans life. Also if towing regularly, increase ATF / trans filter change frequency.

5280Racer

you are fine... if you see over 250 then you gotta worry about melting seals. go get some Amsoil trans fluid and you'll be fine maybe upgrade you trans cooler and use a larger capacity trans pan and you'll never worry again.

c4cruiser

As mentioned, the temps you see now are OK for the 4500 lbs you towed to get the car. It will be easy to add another 500 lbs or more of cargo to the trailer; stuff like tools, tires, and support equipment will add up fast. That increases the total weight (including the tow rig and everyone and everything inside it). Hot weather and big hills will raise the temps to where trans damage is possible.

The factory doesn't install really large trans coolers, so I would suggest getting one that will do the job. Not an add-on cooler, but a replacement.

As far as the fluid, a good quality synthetic fluid will work fine. I lke either Redline or Mobil-1. Replace the filter when you upgrade the cooler and I would change the filter once a year.

Looking at the pic, The standard hookup you show should be changed. Get a good weight distribution hitch and set it up once you have everything you will need inside the trailer. That will level the trailer and the 'Burb and you will quickly find it will be comfortable and easy to drive. I bought this at Amazon. The trunnion style provides a little extra ground clearance.

fatbillybob

Congrats Charlie!!!

I agree with C4crusier and CHJin Virgina and I tow alot. I have owned subrban 1500's and 2500's and diesel 2500 pickup's all for towing. I know the 1500 "can" tow it but I like 2500's for more capacity all around. You will understand one day if you upgrade the truck to a 2500 or even a diesel. But, for now that's fine, you will have to wait to see what happens as the ambient temps go up. Buttonwillow was 107*F in June this year. Try 90-105*F temps and towing up the grapevine and that could be tranny death on a 1500. 1500's don't have much for brakes that is a concern too. I would run a higher temp brake pad and don't let those pads go down below 50% to give you better thermal capacity. I would try your rig out on trips to WSIR and if it goes with flying colors try out BRP next...you just have lots of hills. Make sure your trailer brakes are really good and you have a good brake controller. Because your tow vehicle is sort of a lightweight tow vehicle I would consider adding electric trailer brakes to both axles if you don't already have them.

February is the SCCA superschool so you may as well get licensed. Check out Trackhq.com for more local tracking info. Oli is real good about posting SCCA/NASA happenings for those who are not regular NASA/SCCA guys already on the NASSA/SCCA email lists.

skxf430

Step up to a 2500 diesel and that will solve all your concerns.

NemesisC5

Read post 11

http://www.performancetrucks.net/for...l-best-524469/

Charley Hoyt

Thanks for all the great advice

Charley Hoyt

Thanks Carl. At some point I will move up to a better tow vehicle, but for now this will have to do. But, I want to do what I can to make it work / last. My first test trip was up to Spring Mountain with temperatures ranging from 45 to 65. If it gets this hot under these conditions I think I need to add additional cooling. The brakes did get hot coming down the Cajon pass. This weekend I am going to Willow Springs for another test. I do have a good brake controller (prodigy 3) and the trailer does have four wheel e brakes.... But, I do need to play with the settings.

I am planning to attend the super school to get licensed... Should be fun.

Charley Hoyt

Great write up... Thanks!

Bill32

Charlie, I towed my Featherlight enclosed with the Formula Ford in it for 3 years using my 1977 Chevy van with the TH350.
That trans finally blew pulling into Laguna @ 310,000 miles.
Temps on that trans were a good bit above yours.

c4cruiser

The pic of the "stacked plate" cooler is kinda blurry but that's the design you want. I believe that's the style of the OEM trans cooler.

Your owner's manual will have a section that covers towing weights. Find your specific 'Burb model in the table (drivetrain, engine and gear ratio) and it will show the max towing weight and the max gross weight. Once you know the maximum weight of the trailer as you will have it loaded, that will tell you in that table if the rig is capable of hauling it. It's a good idea to not exceed 85% of the total loaded trailer weight.

My 20' enclosed trailer weighs about 6800 lbs fully loaded and my '08 Silverado 4x4 with the 6.0L engine is rated for a max towing weight of around 9000lbs. The truck also has the optional super duty trans as part of the HD trailering package. Hills aren't a problem for my truck but I haven't hauled through mountains yet.

Bill32

Note Charlie, Cal Club's Super School is Feb. 7-8th.

Black89Z51

I towed from VA to Road Atlanta in my 08 F250 with a 6.4. Trans temps never got above 175°. Stock coolers and trans fluid.

I'd go with the other suggestions and add a bigger cooler just for peace of mind. Make sure to check the fluid level after adding another/bigger cooler.

Gary2KC5

I tow a 22' enclosed trailer with a Z06 (in it now with it!) with a 2011 1500 Avalanche.

see a bit over 200 towing during the summer. I tow 500 miles to Road America and 600 miles to Barber Park. You are fine with you Silverado.

btw: just a reminder...keep those trailer tires pressures up.

Gordy M

I have towed my 24ft enclosed for ten years and both trucks I added the TruCool 40,000 cooler in place of the stock trans cooler. If you have the factory trans cooler it is easy to get adapters for the cooler or you can make your own. At performance truck website you can find the member who sells the conversion kit. I have pulled through mountains, heat, humidity, etc and my trans temps hit 200 degrees just once. Cruising down the highway at 90-95 it runs a steady 160-170 deg. That and fresh fluid keeps the trans happy. For the trans, add a Corvette servo and a billit OD servo and transgo shift kit for added strength.