2015 ltz tahoe towing issues
September 1st, 2014, 7:10 PM
#11
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We had almost nothing in the trailer when we experienced this. As I mentioned earlier - prior to this 2015 Tahoe I has a 2012 Tahoe with no issues towing the same trailer for years - and in the mountains etc. This occurred on a calm day on a straight run of road. And with the new trailer and the new hitch - everytime a tractor trailer passed us - the whole trailer pulled towards it. Also - why did this new sway control engage and prevent it from becoming excessive?
Also - maybe the media is not all over this because there is no history on the 2015 Tahoes yet? How many people have a towed a 30 foot RV trailer with a 2015 LTZ Tahoe? And if there are any incidents - how many have reported it to the media? I havent.
Also - if the Tahoe wheel base and your formula equal towing 18 foot rv trailers and less - then GM should be forthcoming with that information and prevent future incidences with Tahoes towing trailers18 feet and longer. I explained to my dealership exactly what I was towing and the lengths and weights - and they encouraged me to buy this more than capable LTZ Tahoe.
September 2nd, 2014, 3:40 AM
#12
Also - maybe the media is not all over this because there is no history on the 2015 Tahoes yet? How many people have a towed a 30 foot RV trailer with a 2015 LTZ Tahoe? And if there are any incidents - how many have reported it to the media? I havent.
Also - if the Tahoe wheel base and your formula equal towing 18 foot rv trailers and less - then GM should be forthcoming with that information and prevent future incidences with Tahoes towing trailers18 feet and longer. I explained to my dealership exactly what I was towing and the lengths and weights - and they encouraged me to buy this more than capable LTZ Tahoe.
Also - if the Tahoe wheel base and your formula equal towing 18 foot rv trailers and less - then GM should be forthcoming with that information and prevent future incidences with Tahoes towing trailers18 feet and longer. I explained to my dealership exactly what I was towing and the lengths and weights - and they encouraged me to buy this more than capable LTZ Tahoe.
I can guarantee there is no one at the Chevy dealership that knows anything about the gory details of figuring out how much TT you can pull with a Tahoe. If you mentioned things like GAWR, GVWR, GCWR, wheelbase vs trailer length, they'd probably look at you like you had three heads.
Same thing happened to me when I went out shopping for my first TT. I pulled up to the RV dealer in my Suburban. The salesperson I was working with said, "You have a Suburban. You can tow anything on the lot." Nothing could be farther from the truth.
When it comes to my family's safety, I take nobody at their word. I did extensive research, learned as much as I could, and chose a TT that was suitable for my vehicle.
We had almost nothing in the trailer when we experienced this. As I mentioned earlier - prior to this 2015 Tahoe I has a 2012 Tahoe with no issues towing the same trailer for years - and in the mountains etc. This occurred on a calm day on a straight run of road. And with the new trailer and the new hitch - everytime a tractor trailer passed us - the whole trailer pulled towards it. Also - why did this new sway control engage and prevent it from becoming excessive?
And the push-pull when trucks pass you - that's common with a TT. I'm frankly surprised that you don't have that with your 2012.
Last edited by intheburbs; September 2nd, 2014 at 3:52 AM.
September 2nd, 2014, 12:47 PM
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I have recently purchased a 2015 LTZ Tahoe and had extreme sway when towing a RV trailer. I used to tow with my 2012 TAHOE Z71 edition - with no sway at all. This new TAHOE is supposed to have sway control built into it - which is ironic. Within the first hour of towing - there was so much sway that the trailer ended up on its side - and the truck almost too. The sway control never engaged. I have heard a similar story from another 2015 Tahoe purchaser - and he ended up returning the TAHOE immediatley. Has anyone else encountered this?
Amber N.
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September 3rd, 2014, 5:48 PM
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GM is in the business to sell cars, not trying to anticipate every possible usage of their vehicles.
I can guarantee there is no one at the Chevy dealership that knows anything about the gory details of figuring out how much TT you can pull with a Tahoe. If you mentioned things like GAWR, GVWR, GCWR, wheelbase vs trailer length, they'd probably look at you like you had three heads.
Same thing happened to me when I went out shopping for my first TT. I pulled up to the RV dealer in my Suburban. The salesperson I was working with said, "You have a Suburban. You can tow anything on the lot." Nothing could be farther from the truth.
When it comes to my family's safety, I take nobody at their word. I did extensive research, learned as much as I could, and chose a TT that was suitable for my vehicle.
By definition, a longer-wheelbase vehicle is going to be more stable pulling a TT than a shorter-wheelbase vehicle. I don't have an explanation why your 2012 is more stable than your 2015. I'm frankly seeing this "sway control" thing as a gimmick. I'm not seeing any way that the electronics in the tow vehicle can mitigate trailer sway, other than applying the trailer brakes. The physics don't support it.
And the push-pull when trucks pass you - that's common with a TT. I'm frankly surprised that you don't have that with your 2012.
I can guarantee there is no one at the Chevy dealership that knows anything about the gory details of figuring out how much TT you can pull with a Tahoe. If you mentioned things like GAWR, GVWR, GCWR, wheelbase vs trailer length, they'd probably look at you like you had three heads.
Same thing happened to me when I went out shopping for my first TT. I pulled up to the RV dealer in my Suburban. The salesperson I was working with said, "You have a Suburban. You can tow anything on the lot." Nothing could be farther from the truth.
When it comes to my family's safety, I take nobody at their word. I did extensive research, learned as much as I could, and chose a TT that was suitable for my vehicle.
By definition, a longer-wheelbase vehicle is going to be more stable pulling a TT than a shorter-wheelbase vehicle. I don't have an explanation why your 2012 is more stable than your 2015. I'm frankly seeing this "sway control" thing as a gimmick. I'm not seeing any way that the electronics in the tow vehicle can mitigate trailer sway, other than applying the trailer brakes. The physics don't support it.
And the push-pull when trucks pass you - that's common with a TT. I'm frankly surprised that you don't have that with your 2012.
As parents, husbands, sons, - our foremost concern is our family's safety. I am not sure if you are insinuating otherwise.
At the end of the day we cant all drive around in steel plated tanks and depend on vehicle dealerships and trailer dealerships to point us in the right direction.
Do I think the trailer sway control is a gimmick? No - how could it be. Do I think it worked in my situation - obviously not. I am only sharing my story to see if there are similar situations out there - and to prevent future ones from happening. I did not to share this anecdote for you to judge or for you to share the amount of miles you have towed. By you inferring that the dealership has no knowledge of travel trailerweights or vehicle tow capacities - is cynical. By you guaranteeing that they have no knowledge is beyond cynical and I now have no apprecation for your opinion. Please refrain from participating in any of my future threads on this particular matter.
September 4th, 2014, 5:14 AM
#17
I'm sorry I'm posing information you don't want to read. I'm posting this last response and I'm done. You'll never hear from me again.
I never meant to insinuate anything. I was simply stating that it's up to "us" (as the owner/driver of a rig for our families) to make sure we've made every effort to keep ourselves and our families safe.
I've been towing a heavy trailer (heavier than the tow vehicle) for almost 10 years. I'm not an expert, but I've learned a lot over those years, have had some white-knuckle drives, and have broken major components in my truck because I was overloaded. I'm simply offering my experience to try to help others avoid the mistakes I made.
Towing involves a lot more than "how much can my truck pull?" Salespeople are not trained on these types of things. They can spit back numbers and specs, but they aren't taught/trained on how these towing numbers are arrived at. How do I know? I worked at a Dodge/Chrysler dealership as a salesman. I had to take weekly product knowledge tests. Nothing other than max trailer weight was ever discussed. For an SUV, max trailer weight is a useless number. My 3/4-ton Suburban can't safely tow a trailer anywhere near its "max trailer rating." In fact, my 6500-lb trailer is about the safe limit, not the 10,000 lbs that Chevy says.
Read this: Chrysler, Ford, GM to Finally Adopt New Towing Standard
The electronic sway control that SabrToothSqrl posted works because 1) it has its own sensor in the trailer, and 2) can also apply the left and right brakes of the trailer seperately. Trailer brakes do not come in two channels for left and right, so this can't be done with the regular system in trailers and tow vehicles.
The ONLY way to mitigate sway is to increase tension on the hitch. Reducing engine power and applying the brakes of the tow vehicle put the hitch in compression - the exact opposite of what you need. It's not my opinion. It's physics - talk to Isaac Newton. And how can the tow vehicle sense the onset of sway? What's the threshold of the sensor in the vehicle?
Go back to the dealership and ask them, "How much trailer tongue weight can my Tahoe handle?" It's something every trailer owner needs to know. Find ONE person who can correctly answer the question at the dealership. Tell you what - if you find someone at the dealership who answers it correctly, I will give you $100. Make a movie, post it online, and I'll send you the money.
I'm sorry for your experience. Have a nice life.
I never meant to insinuate anything. I was simply stating that it's up to "us" (as the owner/driver of a rig for our families) to make sure we've made every effort to keep ourselves and our families safe.
I've been towing a heavy trailer (heavier than the tow vehicle) for almost 10 years. I'm not an expert, but I've learned a lot over those years, have had some white-knuckle drives, and have broken major components in my truck because I was overloaded. I'm simply offering my experience to try to help others avoid the mistakes I made.
Towing involves a lot more than "how much can my truck pull?" Salespeople are not trained on these types of things. They can spit back numbers and specs, but they aren't taught/trained on how these towing numbers are arrived at. How do I know? I worked at a Dodge/Chrysler dealership as a salesman. I had to take weekly product knowledge tests. Nothing other than max trailer weight was ever discussed. For an SUV, max trailer weight is a useless number. My 3/4-ton Suburban can't safely tow a trailer anywhere near its "max trailer rating." In fact, my 6500-lb trailer is about the safe limit, not the 10,000 lbs that Chevy says.
Read this: Chrysler, Ford, GM to Finally Adopt New Towing Standard
The electronic sway control that SabrToothSqrl posted works because 1) it has its own sensor in the trailer, and 2) can also apply the left and right brakes of the trailer seperately. Trailer brakes do not come in two channels for left and right, so this can't be done with the regular system in trailers and tow vehicles.
The ONLY way to mitigate sway is to increase tension on the hitch. Reducing engine power and applying the brakes of the tow vehicle put the hitch in compression - the exact opposite of what you need. It's not my opinion. It's physics - talk to Isaac Newton. And how can the tow vehicle sense the onset of sway? What's the threshold of the sensor in the vehicle?
Go back to the dealership and ask them, "How much trailer tongue weight can my Tahoe handle?" It's something every trailer owner needs to know. Find ONE person who can correctly answer the question at the dealership. Tell you what - if you find someone at the dealership who answers it correctly, I will give you $100. Make a movie, post it online, and I'll send you the money.
I'm sorry for your experience. Have a nice life.
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NorthlandRVer (February 5th, 2024)
September 4th, 2014, 9:27 AM
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The "formula" that I have seen to calculate appropriate trailer length to wheelbase is 110" of wheelbase for a 20' trailer and add 4" of wheelbase for every foot on the trailer. I always considered this more as a rule of thumb though rather than a rule of Sir Isaac Newton. So according to this, Tahoe's 116" wheelbase should be able to handle ~21-22' trailer. Again, no physics, conditions, trailering accessories, etc. taken into account here. Just doing the math.
What are the specs of your TT? How many passengers and how much gear do you have in your Tahoe while trailering? Have you weighed your rig to see where you stack up against RAWR, GVWR and GCWR?
What are the specs of your TT? How many passengers and how much gear do you have in your Tahoe while trailering? Have you weighed your rig to see where you stack up against RAWR, GVWR and GCWR?
September 23rd, 2014, 8:13 PM
#19
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Towing calculator
Ran across this in my FB feed, it came from the internet so it must be true and accurate
It can also be downloaded as an app 
RV Tow Check - Answers How Much Can I Tow
It can also be downloaded as an app RV Tow Check - Answers How Much Can I Tow
September 24th, 2014, 7:18 AM
#20
Super Moderator
I couldn't agree with you more. My build says 8100lbs but, I wouldn't dare ! 
I hope you're referring to any comments directed to the other User, not the Forum. That would be a loss in my opinion.
I hope you're referring to any comments directed to the other User, not the Forum. That would be a loss in my opinion.