Quote:
Originally Posted by Kwantau
Bill in answer to your question about speed. Like you said the grades on the Cog are between 6 to 8% also and some of the uphill runs between 2 to 3 miles. Speed would drop off a bit to between 55 to 60 mph, engine speed about 4000+ rpm. I travel no faster than 105 km per hour (65 mph) as recommended by tire manufacturer. Engine temp reached 112C, oil temp about same, transmission 117 C, oil pressure 77 psi. Cruise set at 105 kph. The 2017 GC has a great gauge readout system on the centre screen and can be accessed also on my screen in front of me.
As you probably remember I had a 2013 GC with the same engine as my 2017 has now. The big difference is the transmission, 5 speed compared to a 8 speed. The 2013 would drop speed quickly and drop gears to 3 if I let it. The engine speed getting close to 5000 rpm. The new TV having that 8 speed tranny does shift down but you hardly notice it , to 5th or 6th gear, but it keeps the torque curve right up there giving you that extra get up and go. I even keep it in cruise as the computer seems to handle things better than my foot can and if necessary I drop the cruise setting to 95 kph . They, Chrysler, upgraded to tow capacity from 5000 lbs to 6200 lbs in the new TV. Hope this gives you a good insight Bill.
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Bill, our GVCW was 10050 lbs! The GVCW limit for the Tahoe is 12000 lbs or so. That accounts for about 2150 lbs of 5 people + cargo. So, yes, we're going to have to pack lighter for sure. My wife was packing for the trip, so I felt it was better to not say anything. This first experience was important for both my wife and me. My TM axle was 3498 lbs, at the limit. Boy, I'm sure glad I upgraded the tires! My rear axle was 4158 lbs. The weight limit for the rear axle is 3960 lbs, so I was overweight there. The front axle was 2860 lbs. I think I'll get the bathroom scale out today as I unload the trailer and find out exactly what the weight of each of the items were, as best as I can. I did get a WDH while I up in Kamloops, but that may have overloaded the TM axle. I noticed that, with the brakes set up, and the Tekohsha P3 at maximum of 14, I could not lock up the trailer brakes on gravel. I took the downgrades in 2nd gear, which kept my speed stable. I didn't need to use the brakes much, but I could feel the brakes working when I used them. The WDH helped with brake a little, transferring more of the weight load onto the front axle. However, more weight would have transferred to the rear axle as well, probably overloading the trailer axle this time.
As for climbing hills this time, I did take Bills advice and keep the engine revs up. The engine temperature did rise again and I did switch the AC to heat to dump extra heat. It's interesting that Kwantau observes his temperature rising to about 112°C. My temperatures were rising to about the same levels too, but I didn't want to take any chances of boiling over on the Coq., so I found ways to dump the extra heat on the hills.
Bill, we have a 2008 Explorer which doesn't have a temperature guage. For these vehicles, you would probably not notice any temperature problems until it overheats. However, the 4.6L likes to rev high for power, and the 6 speed transmission will likely keep engine revs high on the hills. The Tahoe is an older technology type of engine and like to lug rather than rev, but the Tow/Haul mode does keep the engine revs higher.