Towing with 2002 Envoy

[SDMatt]

I'm looking for some advice on towing with my 2002 Envoy (4WD, 3.73 axle ratio).

According to what I've managed to pull together after reading and re-reading numerous posts my max towing capacity is 5600 pounds. The dry weight of the travel trailer I'm looking at is 3923 pounds.

I know I'll need a WD Hitch, and probably an external trans cooler.

Envoy has 130K miles on it, with a rebuilt trans that's got about 10k-20k miles on it.

So now for the questions...

Would you recommend a trans cooler?
When towing, would I see a noticeable MPG difference running premium vs standard unleaded?
Does the towing scenario above sound reasonable?
What maintenance items should I make sure I'm current on?
What might I be missing?

Thanks!

 

[sawicksted]

The weight is well within specs. Just don't overload the trailer and Envoy with too much "extra" gear
$50-$100 for an aux trans cooler (to be on the safe side and can likely get it installed for under $150 parts included)
fuel type .....will be various opinions on that one!
WD kit is important
Electronic trailer brake module install is a must
RED wire.......search for that one on the threads here if you want to charge your trailer battery / system

Maintenance:
ALL Fluids should be "up to date" as per suggested service schedule - oil change, Front and rear Diff fluid, Transmission and *********TRANSFER CASE FLUID!!!!!

With a little searching on the threads here you'll find everything you need!
People are very helpful and there are plenty of articles on all this stuff.
Good luck

 

[DocBrown]

Dry weight is a fictional number. Dry weight is a trailer with no options (awning, AC, and even spare tires are usually options), no cargo, no propane, etc. There is a yellow sticker on the driver side of the trailer that has the shipped weight. That number will be at least couple of hundred lbs more than the listed dry weight.

More important find out what the GVWR of the trailer is. That's the number you should be working with. Most likely that trailer is closer to 5000# loaded.

Don't go by what people here say your towing capacity is. The owners manual is the law on this subject. There's a couple of pages with a chart that lists the different combinations of SWB or EXT, engine size, and gear ratio to give you the correct towing capacity. You need to know that and your GCWR, that is the total the truck, trailer, people, and "stuff" can weigh. You also need to know your payload. Anything in the truck beyond the the weight of the driver has to be counted and subtracted from your towing capacity. Payload and GCWR can be found on the tire rating sticker in your driver door. Normally I'd share some info about tongue rating and axle limits but I think you'll be within range. That said, from personal experience, the closer you get to your rated capacities the more difficult and frustrating the towing experience can be. I bought the trailer in my sig last year and my old TB was only adequate for towing it. My Sierra doesn't even break a sweat with the same trailer.

Here's a really good calculator to help you determine safe towing capacity. http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-trailer-weight-tt.shtml

Check etrailer.com for videos on properly setting up your weight distribution hitch. This is critical to a good and safe towing experience.

At that weight, yes I would do an aux trans cooler. Also, make sure you are using Dex VI in your trans and not Dex III. It's a synthentic blend that runs cooler and is recommended by GM for all transmissions, even those older than 2006.

Unless you had a tune done, using premium is a waste of money.

For your brake controller do not get a time delay type. They are a little cheaper but not very good. Get a Prodigy P2 or P3.

 

[SDMatt]

Thanks for the advice.. I don't know why but a break controller wasn't even on my radar. The time delay ones sound a little sketchy.

I had started a spreadsheet in an attempt to estimate my total weight as I knew that propane and the water tanks would quickly add up, even before adding food, clothing, etc.

I'll check out that calculator.

Thanks again

 

[{tpc}]

Is that a v8 envoy with the 3.73 gears? Either way I think you will be happier with the 3.73.

Let me say that I would do the trans cooler without question. A couple weeks back we took out our tt on a 300 mile or so trip up north. 03 voy 3.42 gears i6. She did everything we asked of her. I was really pleasantly surprised. I did have a couple of issues with sway. Adjusting the WD bars helped.

Despite all this, I wasn't 100% convinced that everything felt safe. After all I had my family with me. Admittedly this was my first real "tow". We had a short shake out run that went well, but we were also planning a trip to Tennessee in July. We came home Sunday. Monday I traded in my avenger for a Tahoe. Older, used but still a 5.3 with the 3.73 gears.

Today I pulled it for the first time. I still have some work to do figuring out the hitch setup due to autoride (dealer adjusted it today, and I just don't know if they understand autoride), but it's a big difference than the voy. Where the voy seemed to struggle, the Tahoe didn't have an issue. Sure the trans got hot a little quick on the xway, but I'm still waiting on the cooler to get here.

I now don't question the truck, just the setup. Your load appears lighter than mine so you results will likely be better. But don't ignore the great advice you have already been given here.

The I6 voy can do it no doubt. It's just a matter of how well and how comfortable you feel with it.

 

[gmcman]

I have this brake controller and it works extremely well, can't recommend it enough.

http://www.etrailer.com/Brake-Controller/Tekonsha/90885.html?feed=npn&gclid=CMWUme-VqL8CFSwS7AodIGsAhQ

 

[{tpc}]

Prodigys are nice. I got one as well from the reading all the recommendations from others on this site here as well as other sites.

I got a P3 though, used but worked just like a new, except for a sticky button. Couldn't beat the price at $75.The only bummer is the warranty doesn't carry over unless you have the sales receipt as I found out when I inquired about the button.

20 mins of my time and the button was fixed. Seems some of the units had a little flashing left on the bottom of the plastic button that as it wore, it started to "stick". So I took it apart, cleaned off that flashing and put it back together. Perfect now.