2016 Chevy Silverado 5.3L Extreme Tow

admin | February 4, 2016 | 2016 Chevy Silverado Review, Chev towing test, Chevy Pickup Trucks

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2016 Chevy Silverado 5.3L Extreme Tow

Fast Lane Trucks give this 2016 Chevy Silverado 5.3L Extreme Tow test on the Ike Gauntlet, not just uphill but down hill as well.
If you have any towing experience a down hill run can quickly turn to disaster if the tow vehicle is not up to the job, or for any other many reasons.
Generally as a rule whatever gear you are in going up the hill is the same gear you must use going down. Using a higher gear and then relying on brakes to control speed is a sure recipe for eventually disaster. Ask any trucker and you will be told the same thing.
This is where a diesel has an advantage over a gas engine as a diesel with an exhaust brake and in the correct gear can go down long hills often without having to apply the wheel brakes.
You have no doubt heard them as when in use the trucks exhaust note changes to a distinct off beat one. How does it work? The fuel supply is interrupted and a valve restricts the exhaust so the engine is now working in reverse. The higher the back pressure that builds in the manifold and cylinders the greater the engine braking.
Unfortunately this wont work in a gas engine, but changing to a lower gear does give reasonable engine braking on the over-run. Just take care not to over rev the engine.

This version Silverado has the 5.3L engine rated at 355hp and 383ft.lbs torque matched to the 8 speed auto and is 2WD. Not as much power as the 6.2L I recently posted about but is still an interesting comparison and the most popular engine.

The Ike Gauntlet is a tough tow test as not only is it a long haul but is also high altitude, and they didn’t go easy as the Chevy was sitting on maximum revs all the way.

How did it score? FTL have an interesting points system, see the results at the 7min mark.