I drove my chevy at 120% with two jet ski's an no Tires , just the rims .. they sparked an lit the fuel tank an blow the whole truck, killing nine people.. but what you going to do I had to go water skiing , An No where in the fine print , who's reads that anyway , did it say No towing Jet ski's , because again an again what are you going to do , I had to go skiing , without tires.... this seems to be a problem with other trucks or Just Chevy?????
The temperature isn't the issue, it's the density altitude. They were effectively conducting this test at 12,000 ft equivalent altitude. Air that thin is a substantial detriment to cooling efficiency, we're talking 30% here.
The SAE J2807 towing test requires a minimum temperature of 100F at the base of Davis Dam (550' altitude). This is what all manufacturers are using now to signoff their cooling packs for their powertrains while towing.
@@Crusaderhun “12,000 ft EQUIVALENT” Look more into air density, Gale Banks explains a lot of technical things about it on his channel. I don’t necessarily agree with everything he says but he’s absolutely right that air density is EXTREMELY important when maximizing power output.
@@otm646 Really tho...for what people pay for trucks these days they should be designed to tow within their designated limits at any accessible altitude within the market. Altitude may very well have been a factor in this but if that's the case it's not acceptable imho.
@@chandlerthoma9173 Fords can tow alot! We have a fleet of F150s w/gen2 Ecoboost & 10spd tranny..they are awesome. Never fail. Run hard every day! Owner prefers Ecoboost over V8s too!
@@talisikid1618 How do you know that ?? my son-in-law has a 2014 3.5 ecoboost and he has been towing his 28 foot fifth wheel since he bought the truck brand new ...still humming like a champ , so that blows your theory out of the water ..
At those lower speeds the torque converter is probably not locking, which produces a lot of heat as it slips, which is normal for lower speeds. Still not an excuse for the overheating though. The truck should be equipped with a transmission cooler capable of cooling it properly when towing in those conditions.
You are right, in my Silverado I put it in L when driving under 45 and towing in bumper to bumper traffic up large grades, such as the Cajon Pass or the GrapeVine in California. If not it will overheat, literally had a full load from Phx to home and no issues in 117-120F heat, but up a grade in slow traffic, its not good. I didn't let it get to the dummy light like they did in the video. I am pretty sure that transmission is done.
A previous TFL video stated that newer trucks (at least half tons) have actually done away with active transmission coolers? I didn’t know this until I saw that video last week, but it seems like a major mistake on the part of the auto maker since this is a relatively standard tow with a well below the “maximum” towing capacity.
As a 30 year truck driver , I learned a few things . When your pulling a hill with a load you downshift until you can use half throttle to pull the load . You need to keep Rpm's higher so the fan works more . If you bury your foot in the throttle it will overheat quickly . Gears are there for a reason, use them .
@andrew andrew silverado was clearly a vehicle issue(assuming all the towing details were true). The F-150 was an operator issue; vehicle degraded nicely! Would be good to get an answer from manufacturer and try the chevy again on a very hot day.
Vehicle since the late 90s don't use electronic fans. Additionally most trucks that have mechanical fans often have thermal clutches that disable them while driving as the inflow of air from driving keeps it cool.
@@domin8ss Nope Both GM & Ford co-developed this new 10spd transmission with Ford doing most of the engineering but GM builds it’s own 10spd Hydra-Matic 10L80 in Romulus Michigan Ford builds it’s 10R80 in Livonia Michigan and Sharonville Ohio
Agreed, I would like to see this too. Not going to lie, I am a bit disappointed in GM these last couple years with their quality and the fact that most other manufacturer's are surpassing them in many ways. I am about a year away from my next truck purchase and I honestly don't know if I will trade my 2018 GMC 3500 in for a new one to be honest. Hopefully they update the interiors and fix some of the build quality issues they have had lately.
I watched this video and I had a similar experience. I was at about 225° temp on the transmission. I realized I had it in auto 4 wheel drive mode. As soon as I went back to 2 wheel high mode the temp started go down immediately. I have the 2020 Silverado LTZ Z71 with the 6.2 l and 10 speed. I was pulling around 8000 lbs in the mountains of Virginia.
I have towed with different truck brands over time at high and low speeds, 5k to 25k lbs. And on older vehicles they recommended you to come to stop and idle the truck in neutral to let the trans oil circulate. Older vehicles didn't locked the converter until the last couple of gears which caused heat, and needed a good trans cooler, now with the newer transmissions that can have the converter locked in all gears, don't over heat as much, but that doesn't mean that they don't need extra cooling when towing heavy. But companies are trying nickel and dime you for every little thing.
As someone who works for a major car company as a service tech your absolutely right. A lot of it is nickel and dime stuff. However, to be fair, they have a tight noose as far as epa regulations go and it adds a lot of complications. Coupled with crash tests etc... It's a lot they are trying to do. Now, all that being said, if I'm gonna spend 50, 60, 70k on a truck they need to figure it out. That's a lot of money. I personally can't afford to buy a new truck every other year like they want me too. They're just not built to last anymore. These guys are not happy with steady profits. It's all about that growth.
Slipping the converter causes heat. That's what you're doing when it's unlocked. The mechanical inefficiency between either half of the coupler is being turned into heat. The most thermally efficient way is to lock the torque converter. Do you not understand how an automatic transmission functions?
Our 2016 Expedition hit 238 degrees when towing 3,500 lb trailer. I had the auxiliary transmission cooler added and now it doesn’t climb above 212. This is in 95-110 summer temperatures. The fluid was very black so yes, this Chevy’s transmission fluid has to be dumped.
@@johnbouldin9033 I get nervous whenever my 2013 Silverado transmission gets over 200 degrees. I drive accordingly, but never tow much over 5,000 pounds. I drain and fill my transmission, but haven't ever flushed it because I bought the truck used with 100,000 miles on it, so I don't trust there isn't some sludge I might loosen if I did a flush. I also assume the new Silverado they tested does in fact have a transmission cooler built into the lower part of the radiator, but maybe not a second auxiliary cooler. My son in law regularly tows a 23-foot travel trailer and two Sea-Doos behind that and his 5.3's transmission never gets much above 210. He tows in 100-degree-plus temps, but hasn't probably towed above 4,000 fsl.
@@miotch4176 200 is fine. The thermostat for the transmission cooling loop on a lot of trucks does not even open until ~200F. Both my Lexus GX and F150 both keep the coolant at 198-203 without a load but neither go above 210 when towing.
@@snowman2834 flooring it in the mountains when the machine is running hot is asinine son. If no damage right then, it will make for long term issues down the road. I’m sure all the 18 wheelers live by that motto too 😂
Simple answer: Look at the build sticker on the inside of the glovebox door. GM's option code for HD Trans cooling system is KNP. If that code is listed, that truck has a trans fluid radiator.
@@Pabloperes675 Right! On 2018? and newer, its now a QR code on a label at the bottom of the drivers side B pillar. Read the QR code and it will list all the option codes for the truck.
Let's make our trucks tow more weight but drop the trans coolers. Makes sense. Anything to save a buck but charge us more.. I have a 2021 nissan titan pro4x luxury. From what I read it has 2 trans coolers for the new 9 speed. A air and a water. I tow about 6000lbs on the regular. No issues. I also use manual mode on hilly roads and windy days to keep the truck out of the overdrive gears to prevent any unwanted shifting
They need to change the transmission programming so it keeps the torque converter locked or nearly locked. The transmission shouldn’t be making that much heat. I bet they update the programming.
And you have no transmission dip stick. Wait till you get off road and burst a leak and need to add fluid. It's going to be a long walk home. Good luck with that sealed transmission.
@@troyheffernan1261 ill let u in on a little secret I don't go off road. I wouldn't purchase a exspensive truck to destroy it. I like theboff road look and what I got for the money and I also got 5000 more for my frontier then what I paid for it 3 years ago. Can't beat that. My offroading is with my utvs. I got the titan for the v8 sound and to tow them around.
When the truck says "idle engine" it wants you to keep the engine on and park the truck so the transmission can cool itself with the transmission fluid pump, if you turn off the engine or let it auto stop youre baking the trans even longer.
Good video. I would like to see the tundra with that same weight on that same road, specifically testing the lack of a transmission cooler. Seems like companies are getting out over their skis to post the highest capacity. Thanks for surfacing this.
Tundras are a beasts even the new ones with out the external trans cooler. Tundras run a fan with a clutch and move way more air then a electric fan. They also have a engine oil cooler and a power steering cooler.
Please they were towing 7000 pounds even the POS ranger can tow that much Max toe on a Chevy is not the same as Max toe on a dodge Max to on a dodge I exceed mine by 3 tons and it doesn’t overheat on 95° days uphill I wish they would do a video on that
survival you are the exact person to show why they need to revamp how they do tow ratings. You do not understand just how much all of the variables that were specific in this particular test actually effect how much a truck should be pulling. ALL of the new 1500s are far more capable than they have ever been. Trouble is, in their aim to hit that ever higher tow rating, as well as fuel economy and emissions standards, they are pushing these too far into what would have been a safe margin for error. Most people are not going to understand these variables and will simply feel that a ranger can do better, or that their old half ton would have been fine. The truth is, no, neither case is true. Now, if you were to say, "no excuse in this", I agree. They all need to stop chasing these higher numbers in a half ton. Stick to a max number they will not try to break, and simply max it better at doing that. Build in a safety margin again and never run into these issues.
@@TheBabadush as an owner you should be compensating for altitude density. You're not a rube, that needs to play a factor in how you drive the truck. That's both from a power output and a cooling efficacy perspective.
275 degrees is wild for a transmission. My 2011 ford gets to 210-220 towing up hills and 190 normally, and even that's hot compared to the old transmissions.
@@cordellroberson532 I don't know squat about that particular transmission or fluid, but if I run mine for too long very much above 200, I'll do a drain and fill.
Modern transmission fluid is good to about 240*, after that, the additives burn off. Once you hit 235, plan to get the fluid replaced pronto, or start putting money aside for a replacement transmission. 300 on the dial in that truck, that trans is cooked. Wont be long before the disk material starts to break down from lack of additives.
You know truck are so outrageously expensive we as consumers should expect way more out of our trucks then we did 20 years ago have done this same run with a big in closed trailer with two snowmobiles inside and my 2005 yukon denali did just fine. Thanks for the kick ass channel. 🤘🤘🤘 temp was 92 degrees.
I agree with your sentiment, but I'm doubtful your 2005 denali had any automated warnings to let you know something is wrong. I'm thinking back to any of the early to mid-2000's suvs/trucks from all manufactures and I don't recall any of them even having a transmission temp gauge let alone a system to warn you when reaching dangerous temps. It's very likely you sent your trans temps soaring and didn't even realize it. So, what I'm getting at is I think people have fairly recently being given an indication that they are potentially damaging their vehicle, whereas in years past you just didn't know and ignorance was bliss while you kept on hauling
Man i agree with you! My 2003 1500 has towed around 6-7k before and issue free. This new one rated for 11,000 lbs. should have no issues towing 7,000 lbs.
@@Matticus289 maybe your vehicle didn't have a transmission gauge, my 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 has a transmission gauge and it not a HD or a diesel. I still drive and tow with it to this very day.
@@TheXOoftheRO since 90 percent of the people that buy trucks now use then as station wagons were not going to see any changes any time soon and many people just dont tow so they will keep making trucks without trans coolers
Towing with my Chevy Suburban, I’ve really experienced the importance of limiting the gears the transmission has access to. In addition, the grade, ambient temp, and speed of your truck are huge. I’ve read that Chevy has the warning light for transmission overheating trigger at 270 (as it did in this truck) and that occasional trips to temps below but not significantly below 270 are “ok”. With all that said, with the boats and travel trailers being purchased, the manufacturers MUST ensure their vehicles can achieve their advertised capabilities- and educate consumers on best practices when towing heavy loads.
Is you suburban brand new with a 6.2 and rated to tow 11,500 lbs? Assuming it's probably not and you genuinely may have to pay closer attention to that sort of thing but this truck is only pulling a little over half its rated tow capacity and falling on its face...classic modern day GM for ya😭
Agreed. I have a new 22 6.2 superduty and sometimes I’ve got to tell it what gear to be in. I tow 4-10k through mountains daily and when turning into driveways or side roads that turn up hill, the truck tries its best to stay in second gear. I’ve learned to just drop it into first for these scenarios to do the truck a favor. One of my clients driveways is .8 miles of gravel switchbacks. I put it in 4 high and throw it in first and let it roll 2-3k rpm. It likes that a lot more than keeping it in drive and always lugging second on the torque converter
I can only speak for ram. As a previous sales person from 2011-2022 ram told us during training. All of the new Body 1500s have maximum cooling. They have no optional upgrades for cooling on any of the powertrain options only different rear axle ratios and just that different powertrains
Could be bean counters in some of these cases, but there are also reasons to remove the oil to air cooler. They still all have oil to water coolers. Sounds like they're running to close on cooling capacity.
Auxiliary transmission coolers should be standard equipment. And no, I'm not talking about the transmission cooler that is integrated into the sides of the radiator. Those just make both overheat simultaneously.
Would love to see the Tundra do this same load up the same road and see if that overheats without a transmission cooler. Heck why not take the Nissan up there too!!
They did do a test on the tundra and it went up to 230 degrees. It finished the job a little warm. The titan...I'm not to sure if it'll finish the job. It'll probably join the f-150 and the chevy. Just saying.
@@PeterGriffer247 I've got a 2012 with the "big tow " package and my tranny stays cool. I tow 5000lbs regularly and a 6000lb camper van up peak a boo canyon in utah once... from the bottom. 4 lo floored for about 5 mins in that deep sand. Great truck
@@PeterGriffer247 I remember seeing a video but I don’t believe it was the same weather conditions and elevation climb as they have done in these recent videos.
I was told that Tundra doesn’t have a transmission cooler for the models 2019 and up. Went with Titan XD (not the regular titan) and it has been awesome so far.
@@lukman8400 my uncle has a titan xd with the Cummins and its a beast thinking about getting one myself next truck I get. Shame they discontinued it. Have to get a used one
I have a 2012 Silverado with the 5.3 and do a good bit of towing. I noticed that the transmission temps would creep up around 200 or a little more, which is less than ideal. I went on Amazon and bought a Hayden 10,000 GVWR transmission cooler which was about 3 times larger than the stock cooler. Towed an 18ft car hauler with a 1981 F250 on the back to totaling about 7,150 lbs according to the scale, and I didn’t see over 180 degrees. It’s a shame that you have to upgrade these trucks just to do what they were “designed” to do on paper.
Chevy: "We tested this truck to make sure it can handle anything you throw at it" TFL:"What about towing 4000 lbs under capacity uphill at 30 mph?" Chevy" Why do you need to do that??"
Wish you could test the Ram 1500 doing the same towing in the mountains with high temps. Would be very interesting to see how the Hemi and 8speed do compared to the Ford and GM 10 speed.
Agreed. I have a 2020 Ram 1500 Limited with the Hemi and 3.92 rear axle. I would love to see how it performs. I tow a 6,000lb trailer at least once a week and it tows like a heavy duty. I’ve been super impressed. I’d love to see what you guys find!
@@Davido50 I think not sir. As an owner of 4 rams 3 being the 8 speed most current a 2020 crew 8 speed 392 rear ram 1500. I can assure you it does very well. My travel trailer is roughly 10 pounds and total length is 36 feet with the tongue of course. Box is 31. That's not including all the coolers ice all my wife's shit the boys and the dogs. Been all over the north east in over ungodly hot weather with the wonderful humidity we get here. And the truck does great. All of them did great. Been all throught the mountains of western md and Pennsylvania and yes they ARE mountains and never once even come close to overheating nor did I ever have to put it to the floor to maintain 65 70 mph. So the slaughter you are talking about with the 8 speed in inaccurate also did you know that the ZF transmission that ram uses locks out in ALLLL 8 gears instead of the ford and not sure about GM having 4 or 5 gears with 5 or 6 over drives. Big difference. Do your research before you speak. I love GM it runs in my blood. Truly. My family members have retired from GM and I still buy RAM. Think about that. And ford. Good luck. There ok when there new. Go ahead and work them. Lmao. They literally fall apart. I've owned them to so I am infact speaking from experience not my ass.
Filmed almost 6 weeks ago and still no response from GM. Absolutely unacceptable! Even though the response was very lame from Ford at least you received one almost immediately.
How was the Ford response lame? They quoted the manual, which Andre and Mr. Truck had easy access to online. The information is not a footnote or fine print. They just didn't read the manual, and they seemed to be completely taken by surprise that things like elevation, grade, speed and ambient temperature might be a factor. As many trucks as they review, I don't blame them for not ready every manual cover to cover, but living in Colorado and tow testing trucks for a living, you'd think they'd be aware of how extreme environmental conditions where they live could impact capacity as it does for every truck, everywhere. They need to accept responsibility and up their game, not blame the manufacturer for not child-proofing their truck.
@@Immolate62 The truck should be able to tow full capacity at WOT for the entire fuel tank in 130 deg F weather without overheating anything. Class 8 trucks do this everyday with minimal issues.
@@wilmarbarrick3194 and tow a lot more weight as well. They need to rate these trucks for they can actually do under known or foreseen worst case conditions plus a safety factor of 1.5.
@@user-tb7rn1il3q Is there a website for Brian's list of arbitrary standards that the major manufacturers can refer to? Or perhaps we can just say "1/2 ton pickups should be able to perform to class 8 (semi-truck) standards."
The Max Towing Package has 3.42 gears and it says “Enhanced Cooling Radiator” …. The word enhanced tells me that GM is trying to say ‘It doesn’t have’. Ha.
This is an informative segment. There was nothing excessive in that test. A 95 degree day at higher altitudes with a 6.2L V8 with tow max additions should not be overheating below 10K Lbs. Keep us informed on the manufacturer’s response for both of the examples you covered.
The gauntlet is buying pretty much any new vehicle these days now that manufacturers are building them with throw away transmissions. “Maintenance free” and “no transmission cooler needed” = substantial repair bills.
That’s County Rd 83/52 and 6 miles up from 4th street where he first overheated and pulled off. If they do these towing tests they’re going to be impeding traffic up Sunshine Canyon because there’s no way they’d be able to maintain the speed limit especially once it hits 35 mph. Just speaking as a former long time resident up there.
Hello TFL crew! I'm dropping a line, Thank You for your videos. I watch them often! I find them funny, educating, and most of all real world/everyday things that JUST Happen. Such as this last video I watched with overheating Transmissions. Learning That Ford has decreasing towing limits per-elevation levels. Always a joy to watch! Living a dream!
2021 Silverado half ton with 5.3. We towed our camp trailer from central Washington to northern Ca. It’s about 5500 lbs. No issues. Coming home it was 109 degrees in Yakima. I was watching the trans temps closely climbing the pass. Hottest the trans hit was 200. No alarms or warnings. I could hear the fan kick on a few times. So far so good.
When I was driving to Moab driving along the stretch of highway between walsenburg and Durango. I did see quite a few overheated Chevrolets towing a fifth wheel.
Sounds like GM and their "great" converter clutch lock up strategy strikes! I believe the low speeds have something to do with it and lack of air flow. With some transmission setups on these they have an cooler mounted down low on the transmission that is cooled by engine coolant, and some others have a small stand alone cooler in front of the condenser. Also the 10 speed transmission has an internal bypass valve for the cooler circuit, curious if that was having issues and not allowing full flow or enough flow through the coolers.
Thanks for being so honest about these results! It confirms my decision to go with a 3/4ton Cummins with my 7k trailer. Friend told me some time ago that 1/2 ton trucks are rather vehicles for grocery shopping nowadays. The manufacturers make these vehicles as the consumers want and use them. I bet 99.5% of people will never overheat the truck. Many of the issues with trucks are money driven, the finance guy probably decides to remove the transmission cooler and the engineers get a bonus when they show the data that it works.
A 7000lb trailer is too heavy for any 1/2 ton truck to tow on a regular basis. A 3/4 ton truck is heavier so it doesn’t get pushed around by a heavy trailer, better brakes, and a stronger suspension. It’s simply better equipped to handle it with a stronger frame as well.
@@gregrowe1168 This is exactly correct. I hate when people tell me, that there 1/2 can tow 13k or 9k lol. Sure, It may have the power to do it, but it won’t be stable, it will not be reliable either. If you tow anything over about 7k more then a few times a year, you need to be upgrading to a 3/4 truck.
@@calebniederhofer6529 I've seen cases where especially with a tall toy hauler or camper, that the trailer will catch a ton of wind and overpower the truck and cause it to lose control. The trailer is so much heavier than the truck that it bullies the truck into losing control. It can still happen with a 2500 or 3500 series truck but its less likely to because those trucks are considerably heavier.
I'm with these guys a 0.5 truck is not made for 7,000 lb towing maby a jhon boat. I went a bought a 7,000 lb travel trailer and the sales man swore a .5 truck would tow it. I told him to stop telling people that just to make a sale. I live in California and people tow hevey loads up the mountains all the time with .5 trucks I would like to see the look on there face going down hill with that squatting
I towed with a 2.7 ecoboost F-150 to west Texas through the hill country. Altitude was well under 2000 ft. and i was about 3,000lbs below max tow limit (roughly 8000lbs.). All Temps were normal and had no issues. Little did I know it was slowly melting everything north of the engine block. A week and a dead cylinder later they had to replace heads, injectors, and plugs. 17,000 miles it was all under warranty.
I live not far from you , my 04 Chevy Avalanche with 5.3 . I installed a 40k btu trans cooler after getting trans warning msg . Pulling a camper over Monarch pass . Haven’t had a issue since. Elevation , grade and load takes its toll . Been watching your reviews for my next truck . Thank you I appreciate ya ‘
At least it’s the trans that’s hot not it’s heart!! You could hold that Chevy to the mat and keep going. It will eat it. I’ve done it. Stopping can’t be good for it. Run it til it detonates.
Great video. Very professional presentation. Good job. If you shut off the truck when over heated the coolant stops flowing. Ideling keeps the coolant moving through the radiator. If you go to high idle. About 1500 RPM will enhance cooling
I don't think it makes any difference to the transmission temperature and considering that the fans are electric and therefore independent of engine speed. For an engine and turbocharger, yes, because of the volume of ambient air being pumped through by the pistons with no load, therefore minimal fuel and combustion heat.
Last year was the hottest on record in AZ and many parts of our country. I pull a 5k pound trailer trailer with a 2019 Toyota Tundra TRD PRO from Phoenix to Flagstaff thought the summer Temps above 115*, no issues or signs of stress on the Tundra. Just another reason I'm a Toyota fan.
Time to install a transmission cooler in the Chevy . Then repeat the test with the new transmission cooler. It would be interesting to see the results!
That’s what most GM trucks owners do in the Middle East. There is no way to survive the extreme heat (up to 120 degrees) without installing a transmission cooler.
Or the manufacturer could have considered that from the factory and installed them from the get go. If they make claims of certain tow ratings they should have tested those loads in real life situations. I bet the new tundra will not have overheating issues towing 7k up hills. Shoot my old 08 tundra just towed a 9800lbs camper over those same mountains without issues.
@@robertwalston678 Same here, no issues my 2007 Tundra towing in Northen CA, lots of hills and temps over 100 in summer, of course, it does have a factory trans. cooler, and I have not buy a new one ton replace my 2007, because of the lack of it, c'mon Toyota do the right thing
It’s very interesting the overheating series, can you make another tow challenge with Andre’s f150 but with manufacturer recommended weight to see if it overheats again.
No, the argument is that it should tow rated capacity no matter where or what. You can over deliver you should never under deliver. Especially with work trucks. A thing Ford is supposedly good at.
Not sure if this would be the case with the Chevy but in my Tacoma the torque converter doesn't lock up until 4th gear and higher. Torque converter unlocked generates a lot of heat. If it was unlocked at those slow speeds you were going plus the 7K load and 95 degree outside temperature could have been a perfect storm scenario for an overheated transmission.
Toyota is moving to direct shift automatics that keep the torque converter locked or nearly locked in all gears. The 22 Tundra will have this type of transmission. It will be interesting how hot it gets.
You are exactly right, when the converter is unlocked, they generate a ton of heat and no amount of cooler is going to keep up under full pull like that.
@@johnb7430 I’d be willing to give up performance in exchange for less transmission heat. Keeping the torque converter locked can decrease performance under certain circumstances. This usually occurs when in between gears at lower speeds. I also wonder if the transmission fluid thermostat needs to be redesigned. I bet GM fixes this quickly.
My dad has a 2020 Silverado 1500 Crew Cab with the 6.2 and the 10 speed and it keeps the trans extremely cool. That trans stays cooler than the Allison in our 2500 and the 6l80 that was in his 17 Silverado. We pull a 10k pound camper with it and the trans stays around 150-175 on the hottest of summer days in Virginia. Occasionally it will edge towards 190 when coming up our gravel road and driveway. But it is a truly awesome truck on temps. Also the coolant temps stay at just a hair above 210. We have never seen it move past that point. Even during towing. This result make me inclined to believe there was an issue with the test truck because there is no reason for that trans to see those sorts of temps.
Hey Guys I have a 2021 AT4 with the 3.0 Duramax and trailing package. When I bought the truck I printed out spec/option sheet for my truck from the dealership website and it does list the following options: “External engine oil cooler” -Heavy-duty-air-to-oil cooler -Helps prevent possible engine oil breakdown under heavy loads and then list “External auxiliary transmission oil cooler” -Heavy duty-air-to-oil cooler -Helps provide optimal transmission performance even when operating under a heavy load or towing a trailer -May require additional optional equipment. So I’m not sure if this is just a Duramax installed item but I do have a similar transmission cooler setup in my 05 Sierra SLT with 5.3. Hope that helps. Keep up the great work!
It wasn't a huge surprise when the Ford overheated, just because they were close to max towing, and pushing it hard at altitude for longer distance then the ike gauntlet. But for Chevy to have a truck that is capable of 11,500 pounds of towing, overheat pulling 7,000 pounds not even close as hard. That is really poor, and i mean unacceptable. When you pay that amount of money and can't even come anywhere close to max numbers like most people do, unacceptable.
I'm assuming up that mountain the Torque Converter wasn't locked. I wonder if he had Manually locked it in a gear, say 2nd gear, allowed the torque converter to lock up and stay that way and ride the wave of RPMs, results may have been different. Even with my 18 Ram 3500, I tend to manually override my transmission from hunting in gears, and have better results.
That is why you have the option to manually select a low gear and crawl up the steep hill in that gear, otherwise the trans keeps changing then it gets hot.
I have a 2017 Silverado w/ 6.2 & tow a 7,500lb. RV without any trouble. So far my Chevy has done everything I’ve asked of it. I live in Tennessee so tow over some pretty steep mountains. No problems.
Ohh this is very interesting, put all those: "modern trucks are crap, my .39 Rust bucket would have done it in half the time, and used only ¼gallon of Petrol, no problemo" comments to the test.
On my ford f350 superduty I experience the hottest transmission temperatures in low speed towing (ie dirt road towing). Flat out towing with 30k+ on the 2 lane highways (45 to 65 mph) don't get as hot.
@@hedydd2 They can lock up at low speed, but they won't if the speed is not constant. From the sounds of it, they were slowing down and speeding up for the curves in the road. I wonder how much it was shifting. I don't think they mentioned it.
@@Eman2000 sounds like a guy has to learn how to do accelerator pedal gymnastics so there trans doesn’t overheat? That’s just embarrassing auto manufacturers.
This should not be happening. The trucks should be able to tow these trailers without the engines / transmissions overheating. You are not getting what you paid for and GM not responding is very concerning.
@@npsit1 And? Thats my daily commute around here. They shouldn't be overheating the transmission to the point that it is at 300F, especially if the engine coolant is right around 200F.
I bet the SAE tests do not include that slow of a speed. That plus altitude and grade and hot day. Maybe they should design for it but you can always find a realm where it’s pushed over the edge.
@@Rift45 they tow Davis dam on the I-40 in the summer with temps pushing 120. They do max loads but at the SAE speed rating of 45 mph. That was specified in the Ford video. These trucks can handle it but elevation makes such a huge difference. I was surprised by the Chevy since it would not be a high rpm situation unless Andre was getting into it after every turn. Driving style also comes into play. Either way, these manufacturers need to do a better job of explaining max tow ratings and any changes based on temls and elevation up front.
@David Vega No but I do tow a travel trailer at least once a month, often in 95F weather, and my transmission fluid doesnt hit 300F. Or 250. Or 225. There is no excuse for that. Andre's powerboost overheated but it at least kept going and climbed the hill almost as fast as a 6.6L Duramax. Transmission fluid approaching 300F is pretty bad.
Kudos to Ford for actually responding to your inquiry. GM has Chevy Bolts catching fire, and now their trucks are overheating when towing within specifications. What the heck is going on with GM?
@@3xcogitation hey my LBZ 2006 drives like a champ hauling 10k lbs daily and had her for 8 years now, but your right as the years go by the quality goes down. Just like when car manufacturers made sealed transmission.
@@EattingMeatSince82 I still believe they can put out some good products but I think their success to failure rate makes me me weary of spending my hard earned money on GM myself.
My 2014 Ram Hemi had amazing cooling, we towed our boat and camping gear, about 6K lbs on a 3-hr trip thru the mountains on July 4 2017, 95 deg and humid and really put the whip to her. A/C on and had no issue
You'd think being a "Truck Channel" with all the testing they do they would've opened the hood while sitting there letting it cool down. It used to be a common sight in the mountains...cars and trucks pulled over with their hoods up cooling down.
Turning the heater on will work slightly but one problem I saw is you had the defroster on which will make the condenser generate heat which will then get sucked through your radiator making it not cool as efficiently. Try using the dash mounted vents setting next time for increased engine cooling.
Great video thank you for the information. I think it’s ridiculous these expensive vehicles are not coming with the proper equipment to do simple tow jobs that they should be easily able to do.
Just a quick heads up. At 6:12 you see he is running the heater to cool off the engine. However.... he has defrost on max. Turning the defrost on turns on the AC compressor..... (which makes it worse).
My guess is that: 1. Low speed towing didn't allow for converter lock-up thus generating heat. 2. High altitude reduced the amount of air passing through the radiator/trans cooler reducing it's ability to actually cool 3. This type of overheating (trans) is probably something that happens far more frequently but since computers now alert us vs just shortening the trans life like the older days.
I did that last summer with my 3.5 Ecoboost Expedition pulling 7500 lbs. I was freaking out, but it did well. Transmission got up to 235 but no warnings and had full power.
From what I remember both GM and Ford have jointly designed 10 speed automatic transmissions with different tuning, could this be a possible problem caused because of it being a the 10 speed transmission?
That was my thought. It sounds like that 10 speed transmission is a street transmission for someone who just drives around town with no load and wants to get good gas mileage.
Naw, I’d have to disagree with that thought. Already thousands / hundreds of thousands of 10 speeds in use from Ford and Chevy is using them too. While I’ve never taken my truck up that hill I regularly tow in excess of 7500 lbs travel trailer. To date the highest transmission temps I’ve ever see was coming up a large grade exceeding 6% grade. I saw 219 degrees for a very short time period. Note: I was driving a 2018 4x4 f150 screw with 3.5 ecoboost with max tow package.
@@kenwelsh4189 -- It's not just the grade, it's also the "thinness" of the air. "Thick" air at sea level can remove a lot more heat from a radiator than the thin air at 9000 feet. (Assuming the temps are equal.)
@@glenatgoogle4393 while not a GM fan I agree the air density might play a part on a vehicle engine temperatures but not on the transmission. I’d hope that they do another test of this particular road using similar weights to make sure this wasn’t an anomaly. I do believe that GM in general has been putting too high geared rear ends in their trucks for years in an attempt to produce higher fuel mileage at the cost of towing capacity.
@@Makemydayoutdoors No need to be sad "bro". It's not that I can't buy a new truck, I just that I won't. The excitement wears off long before the payment goes away.
They already have several times, they're build apparently better because it don't happen. Even my older Ram when I lived in Co, never had an issue or went over 220 trans temp.
@@justingill5256 It's a know problem on the Ecoboost going into reduced power mode. The Chevrolets are having issues with trans coolers even at sea level, I work at a Gm dealer. The Manufacturer test these trucks under extreme conditions, year round. I've towed over the Ike several times never had problems in any vehicle I've had.
I can't wait to see this same test in a couple years with an electric truck, what will it do when the electric motors overheat will it be like a cordless drill and shut off?
Electric truck won't overheat. Ambient temperatures do not come into play with electric trucks. The reason gas trucks overheat is because they use that hot ambient air to make power and heat soak everything.
That exact same error happened on my 2021 Trail Boss. I wasn't towing anything. I was making my way up a mountain side while taking the truck off road in 82 degree weather. The trail was rated as a level 2 (Easy) drive. I was about 3 miles from the top of the mountain (5800ft), when the alarm triggered. I had already been driving for about 3 hours up the trail. I stopped immediately, parked the truck blocking the trail path and waited about 5 mins, then the alarm cleared. I then decided to continue to the top, parked the truck and let it sit for an hour and then headed back down and made it home with no other issues. It has not happened again....so far! Now I am dealing with a Misfire P0300 alarm. Still love my Trail Boss!!
I have towed a brand new enclosed trailer 24'. Weighing empty is 3800lbs. Had two t-buckets 1,950 lbs each. Had 0 issues with it. Engine temp was 212 is all it went up to the trans was holding 198 the whole way up. Was 90 out even. with my 2014 Silverado has the 3.42 gears. With the 5.3L. From indiana to Townsend TN up and down the mountains. Yeah not as big of mountains here. I was able to do the speed limit going up and kept the speed limit going down. At 65mph.
@@onthegrind7 no collaboration. Deal was that Ford provide GM with 10-speed rwd trans, and GM was to provide Ford with 8 & 9 speed transverse mounting fwd transmissions. Ford ultimately decided to not take the GM trans, but GM still uses the Ford trans.
It truly surprised me that GM did not reply to your request for an explanation, for the towing and over heating problems. As a life long customer of gm, my correspondence has been one way also. Keep up the excellent job with your reviews
I’m glad you guys these these. I would have stopped at around 215-230°. I added a huge Haden trans cooler to my 2011 Tahoe. Even in traffic pulling my 7,000 lb trailer in 90+degree temps I never see over 195°
I have a 2019 1500 5.3 Silverado, been towing a 30 foot camper, in Portland 117 degrees, drove to Redding Ca, over the Siskiyou mountains, 111 degrees, 112 degrees in Redding Ca. No over heating? Is it a 6.2 issue?
I love the real life videos. I would love to see what would happen if you re-ran the test with the truck with a lower gear manually selected to keep the rpm above 3000 (or wherever the converter is locked). I think if you guys figure out something that works for low speed hills you could probably save your viewers a lot of stress. Keep up the good work!
Now that you guys do the ike tests in summer, seems like a lot of trucks are struggling to maintain temps while max towing in high heat. Good!!! Now the manufacturers can focus on upgrading thier cooling capabilities. Currently it would seem if your max towing over the ike in summer and daytime your screwed. This shows that thier cooling systems are inadequate. This can only make things better because they have to make the cooling bullet proof. We all win because of these tests. NICE! TFL literally will effect cooling upgrades across the board. Well done guys. The big 3 now have you to thank for showing them areas where they can improve thier products.
