Upgraded our Tow/Travel Vehicle

[lalijaca]

I wish all these tow vehicles were easy available in OZ.
Oh how we get shafted.

[JohnnieMo]

Got my upgrade done this week.

Took my stock 2008 Avalanche LTZ and added a Magnacharger TVS1900, Corsa cat-back exhaust and Volant cold air intake. Results was an additional 105HP and 100ft-lbs at the wheels. So sitting at roughly 335rwhp, 372rwtq.

I looked at a lot of other options, however a new diesel was really out of my price range. I settled on keeping the truck I already loved. Now it is really a blast to drive and should have no trouble with a 7000lb trailer. A few more little mods and it will be ready to bring home a new Tige this fall/winter.

[Timmy!]

Nice upgrade!

[Joeprunc]

Did some upgrades on the truck. Here's earlier this year on our way to Shasta.

[Z1Fan]

Here's my 2003 duramax diesel (LB7) 3500 Dually. and with the camper and 2013 Z1 behind it scales out at 17,980 lbs, (picture was taken at the top of the highway20130622_145739.jpg thru hell!!!!))20130810_110527.jpg

[kmkramer71]

my new tow truck

tundra_tige.jpg

Loving it.

[Av8tor]

[ATTACH]35556[/ATTACH]

Loving it.

Looking at the Tundra or Sequoia to pull the new 14' Z3. How long have you had the truck? Not sure which way to go.

[kmkramer71]

just a few weeks and honestly I've only towed it 2-3 times totaling maybe 20 miles. I had a '11 Tahoe with the towing and to me it seems this guy does a much better job albeit at a hefty MPG loss. But I love the Tundra regardless.....

[Ewok]

I recently purchased a Sequoia to add 3 rows of seating for my growing family. We test drove all the large SUV's and my wife liked the layout, the options and the thrid row seat the most. I was holding out for a new Expedition with an EcoBoost engine but that did not happen for 2014. They both have the same EPA mpg but the Sequoia has quite a bit more horespower, so we went with the Toyota. It has a little squat on the rear end due to independent rear suspension and I added Timbren helper springs to keep it level. It doesn't look it in this picture but on flat ground with the Timbren the Sequoia sits level. Without the Timbren it squats about 2.5" in the rear. It tows well with the squat but it tows much better with the Timbrens.

The Sequoia is also my wifes daily driver so the non-towing ride was very important and the Sequoia rides very smooth and quite and has a tighter turn radius than the Expy so it's easy to park. The parking sensors and rear camera help as well and give my wife confidence in tight parking areas. According to the instant mpg computer in the car it gets 18-20 unloaded on the highway and 11 towing the boat at 65-70 mph. I think they are both great tow vehicles for boats it just comes down to what kind of interior room do you need. We needed extra room for car seats for kids so we have a Sequoia. I wish I could have had the power and mpg of EcoBoost but this Sequoia really fun to drive, I can't wait for our first road trip in this thing.

[zroutt]

2009 Chevy 2500HD Duramax. Never knew what I was missing by not pulling with a diesel. Can't image pulling with anything else.

WP_20130706_002.jpg

Photo is pre new CVX brackets. You can almost tell there is too much gap between the swim platform and the CVX in that picture compared to what is now.

[Av8tor]

Just not sure I need a diesel. I've heard they are more costly to maintain. Is that true? Also, with the price of diesel it seems that it would be more expensive on a daily basis, unless the mpg is much better.

[JohnnieMo]

2009 Chevy 2500HD Duramax. Never knew what I was missing by not pulling with a diesel. Can't image pulling with anything else.

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Photo is pre new CVX brackets. You can almost tell there is too much gap between the swim platform and the CVX in that picture compared to what is now.

I friggin love your boat!!!!

[JohnnieMo]

Just not sure I need a diesel. I've heard they are more costly to maintain. Is that true? Also, with the price of diesel it seems that it would be more expensive on a daily basis, unless the mpg is much better.

A diesel is more costly to buy, more costly to service, and more costly to operate. However they do last a lot longer, and deliver ungodly amounts of power. When people say "I didn't even know the trailer was back there" they truly mean it. Obviously the steering and braking is affected, but for power, the turbo just keeps adding more and more power when you hit hills or want to accelerate. The performance pretty much just stays the same. You really don't notice the trailer..... until you refuel.

With that being said, the cost really doesn't pay off. Not all of us are pulling 20 horses to to Kentucky Downs each week. I wish GM would bring back the plans for the 4.5L diesel. 800ft-lbs of torque (and the related heavy duty everything) just isn't practical for city living. We just need a bit more grunt to pull our toys on the weekends while still dropping the kids at school during the week. For me, I just supercharged the gas engine and am hoping for the best.

[Ewok]

The sequoia and tundra with the 5.7l V8, 381hp, more than enough power to tow the Z3. One thing to consider when comparing the tow ratings is that Toyota has adopted SAE J2807. You can read about it in the link below but it uses real world tests to determine a usable tow rating that can be accurately compared against all manufacturers. Currently the sequoia is rated for 7,200 lbs, it was previously rated for 9,000 plus before the new standard was adopted. No other manufacturers have adopted the standard so the 10,000 lb rating for some 1/2 ton pickups is not accurate and can't be compared to Toyota or to the other 1/2 tons either. I know I can safely tow 7,200 lbs with the sequoia because its been tested in real conditions. BTW, with a full tank of gas, full cooler of ice drinks and food, all the boards and gear for a day my boat and trailer weigh 6,400 lbs on a certified scale. Here is a story on the new standard:

http://m.automobilemag.com/features/...t/viewall.html

[zroutt]

I friggin love your boat!!!!

Thank you! We have been so impressed with Tige. Little hiccup with the brackets on our VX but no issues getting it corrected and now we are throwing the best wave on the lake. May not be the biggest wave but it has the cleanest open face, longest pocket. Its ridic.

Av8tor, so far I wouldn't say the service is more expensive. Change the oil roughly at 8k miles. Oil change and tire rotation at my dealer, $50. We tow our boat 3-5 times a week 20-30 miles and some serious hills. Same mileage all day long. 13-15mpg.