m83

Thank you. Would switching to a more expensive gear oil help?

in2pro

No, expensive doesn't mean better, your diff should already have a synthetic with additives in it, continue to use the recommended , but consider changing it more frequently....

m83

Thanks!

davidinseattle

M83,

I have and I thought it was doing okay, but in reality, it probably wasn't as good of a towing experience as it should have been. I thought I had the HD towing package. It turns out I didn't. I've towed in the 6500 range prior to some basica mods and it did okay. I then did the Volant CAI and Corsa Touring exhaust and that made a huge difference. I know some people say the Burb already has CAI, but it's not really due to all the maturations the piping takes to quiet it down. When you get that thing off, it looks like a clingon warship.

Now, all of that said, I just made an appointment to regear from the 3:08 to a 3:73 as we bought a new travel trailer that is coming in dry about just shy of 6000 pounds. I am also adding an aux trans cooler while it's in the shop. I called three Chevy dealerships. One told me $6650 for regard and trans cooler, another told me $7000 to regear and a 3rd told me that GM won't let them do it as they didn't come factory with a 3:73 option. The 3rd also told me that (if it were him) he'd take to an axle shop that does this word daily as his guys only see the inside of an axle on a rare occasion.

For comparison, the axle shop that I was referred to by two separate friends in the business quoted me $2500 total. A local transmission ship will do the aux cooler for $500. The only issue is the powertrain warranty. I have a little over a year left and not even close on the miles. However, I have a fair bit of experience with the Magnuson Moss Act having represented a manufacturer in court cases for a few years in my younger days, so I know it's very difficult to prove that one component caused another to fail. The keep it taking them to small claims court where the judges are pro consumer. In my state, the max damage is $5000 which would cover most repairs.

m83

Update do you guys:

Turned out that the Suburban I have bought already had a tow package with transmission cooler etc. When I started this thread I have not seen the car yet (I purchased in on an auction), but VIN number look up showed that it had 3.08 rear end - must have been a mistake.

Anyway I picked up both the Suburban and trailer last week, and made the 30+ hour trip without issues.

For those reading this thread in the future, as long as it's not too hot outside, I think all that the non-tow-package suburban would need to tow a 7000 lb trailer is a transmission cooler. Don't bother changing the diff ratio. It's not needed with the 6-speed transmission from what I've been told.

davidinseattle

m83,

No, you can't have the HD tow package and the 3.08 axle. So, someone either already added the cooler, or you do'n't have a 3.08 axle. The chances of the Vin look up being wrong are somewhere between slim and none and slim just booked a flight out of town.

The issues is not the axle ratio per se, it's the damn payload on these things. It's downright anemic. At any rate, I was going to do the gear swap out as my earlier post suggested, but decided against it and ordered a new F350 Super Duty Crew Cab with a turbo diesel. Decided it wasn't worth the hassle of messing with the burb to get it to where it needed to be. I also talked to the guys at Duraburb as i was going to send it down for the conversion, but he told me the big issue is the half ton frame. Lots of weak links with the 1/2 ton burbs for towing. Ford Expedition is in the same boat but to a lesser extent. More options, less payload, less payload, less towing.

intheburbs

You're starting to sound like me. ;-)

m83

Yeah my rear end is not 3.08, it's 3.42 according to the sticker in the glove box. The vin checker was wrong.

But I think the rear end ratio should not make a big difference with the 6 gear transmission.

davidinseattle

yeah, life lesson. Love the Burb, but no matter how I sliced it, there was no way I could get it to meet my needs. My TT on the back of the 350 turbo diesel is really going to be like an afterthought. Reading that a lot of people are getting 12-13 mpg towing my weight (which is close to what I get empty with the burb), so looking forward to that.

I'll post a pic when it gets here at the end of May. Cheers