Blazer88

Thats kinda sucks man, i feel bad cause thats a big investment, but anyway your truck should be very capable to pull what you have and the 4.10 gears would help a bit but i would not switch out a perfectly good rear in a new truck. How big of a trailer are you thinking about getting, i know a bit about them cause my dad has experimented quite a bit with pulling his trailer.

Old Coot

The 6.0 engine getsabout a half mile per gallon lessthen the 5.3. I had the 5.3 in my 2003 and now the 6.0 in my 07. The 5.3 got 15.1 average and the 6.0 gets 14.5. Yet has a lot more low end torque because of the variable valve timing. The 20" wheels comes with the performance package or as an option.
Your question about the 9.5 axle is listed in the 6.0 engine group.
ENGINE, VORTEC 6.0L VARIABLE VALVE TIMING V8 SFI WITH ACTIVE FUEL MANAGEMENT,
(367 hp [273.7 kW] @ 5500 rpm, 375 lb-ft of torque [506.3 N-m] @ 4300 rpm), includes (KC4) external engine oil cooler, (KNP) auxiliary external transmission oil cooler, (AXN) heavy-duty 9.5" (24.1 cm) trailering axle and a door badge that reads "Vortec Max"Also includes (JD9) Brakes when (JL4) StabiliTrak is ordered.

ckeysor

Once again thanks. If I understand the trim package from Old Coot, it looks like I have the 9.5" axle so the only thing I am missing is the "trailering suspension". Quite honestly I stayed with the 1500 because I wanted a little softer ride than the 2500 for the Airstream. So it sounds like I actually got the best set up for my current trailer.

Currently my loaded weight is under 6,000lbs. The only Airstream I would switch to is a 31' that weighs 6,000 dry. I would probably need about another 2,000 lbs when loaded up, although the trailer has a GVW of 10,000 lbs.

Anyways thanks for all the help. A side question where do you guys get the details on the packages. That might be helpful in the future.

pathfinderstow

ckeysor: Earlier this year I purchased a Silverado 1500 LT2 CC 4X4 with what was adverstised on the window sticker and paid $675.00 extra for: Towing Package: HD Trailering Equipment, Locking Rear Differential, GVW Rating -7000 lbs, Rear Axle - 3.73 Ratio.

Needless to say I did not get a HD tow package with the vehicle. I made a mistake buying the vehicle at night. I was told by the sales person that it had four wheel disc brakes, it does not. I was told that with the HD trailering package I could tow just about anything, I cannot. I was told that the trailer brake controller was an option and could be added later, not true, it is a factory option. The vehicle is designed and equipped to safely tow 5,000 lbs, no more.

Presently, Chevrolet and I are going round and round about this matterand the next step is a day in court. I'll probably lose but will make sure that there is plenty of media coverage generatedregarding the matter.

We live and learn.

Old Coot

There are two trailer packages. The Max is over $2000 on a C1500. You can go into http://www.nada.com/and checkyour truck.

MAX TRAILERING PACK,
includes (L76) Vortec 6.0L V8 SFI engine, (G80) heavy-duty automatic locking rear differential, (Z85) Handling/Trailering Suspension Package, (AXN) 9.5" (24.1 cm) hybrid rear axle, (N56) 4-17" x 7.5" (43.2 cm x 19.1 cm) 6-lug custom aluminum wheels, (T96) fog lamps, (JD9) front and rear disc brakes and (Z82) heavy-duty trailering equipment
Manufacturer Code: NHT[/align]
Manufacturer Code: PCYTOWING PACKAGE,
includes (K47) high-capacity air cleaner, (KNP) auxiliary external transmission oil cooler, (G80) heavy-duty automatic locking rear differential and (Z82) heavy-duty trailering equipment
Manufacturer Code: PCY[/align]

ax7221

ckeysor, most of the information/specifications on the newer models can be found on chevy's website, since its a 2007 NBS, its generallythe same specs as the 08 NBS's. Either way, the LOWEST amount of weight a CC 1500 with 6.0L and 3.73 gears is 8400lbs trailer weight, and thats if you've got the 4x4 option. If not, you can add an extra 300lbs for a 2wd.

pathfinderstow

Old Coot: Yes, I'm now aware of the difference you point out. A little late. The Silverado was my first and last Chevy truck. Always owned Ford trucks before and will go back to them in the future. Really nothing I like about the new Silverado. 14 MPG on the road is a pain in the pocket book too.

I feel like a complete moron for getting suckered into buying the Silverado. I've been around long enough to know better and should have done the reasearch, but it is people like me that dealers love. I guess I was PO because the Ford F-150 I purchased in 06 was a piece of crap that's why I decided to try a Chevy.

Oh well, live and learn form our mistakes. At 68 I have to aske myself do I really need a pickup truck anylonger, no.

ckeysor

ax7221, I have found the chevy website to be to vague to give me the detail I need. The NADA website Old Coot just gave me helped out a lot. I actually remember using the NADA site before I bought the truck and had it figured out.

The reason the NADA website was helpful is it appears that you can not have the Max trailer package with the 20" wheels. The Max trailer package is required tohave 17" wheels. The only other difference is that my sticker says I have the Z85 suspension package, but the detail invoice shows it as the Z60 High performance.

Therefore, I have to conclude that the only difference is the 20" wheels must not be rated or affect torque. Thoughts?

I think at some point in the future I might switch out my 20s for a set of 17s with LT tires.

pathfinderstow, I agree with you there has to be a better way. I was just on the Ford website and saw three enlightening points.
1-They actually have a fancy tool that you just slide a bar to the tow weight you need and they tell you what model, engine, and options you need.
2-They have a matrix of the the different configurations to get the max rating;
3-They specifically say that you reduce the tow ratings with 18 or 20" wheels by 50 lbs.

Truthfully, other than this I really like my truck.I guess I am in a different boat since my confused statemight only impact my future needs. It seems thatyour confusion is impacting you immediately. fyi.My firsttruck was a F-150 manual, which only has a 2,500lb towing capacity. Thedealer actually took back the truck and allowed an exchange when I proved my point.

ax7221

Well,from a purely physics perspective, you would need more torque to turn 20 inch wheels, but I would venture a guess that the issue isnt getting a trailer moving with 20's (especially with 360+hp), I'd bet its getting 10,000 lbs to stop with bigger wheels.

ckeysor

That is a good point regarding stopping. Much more important to stop in my opinion.