ok ive got an 08 1500 4 door 2wd with 4.7 that im lookin to tow with.the tow is goin to be a 96 s10 show truck. ive tow short distance with it but the s 10 had no motor or bed on it. truck did real well the way the dime sits but should i have any problems with long hauls when new motor and sheet metal bed is on it.any help will be apprecited..... thanks

 

When I had my 2000 silverado, it had the 265hp 4.8L. That would struggle to tow my Mustang compared to my Ram 5.7L. It is roughly the same weight so you might be struggling a little bit, but I don't think it's unreasonable. If you keep up on regular maintenance I don't see why you would have problems. Just make sure the tongue weight isn't too much. You can always turn the truck around or back it up to change the weight distibution on the trailer. You want a few hundred lbs of tongue weight, but too much or too little will make your truck feel like it's pulling a house down the road.

 

Towing requires torque, not HP. My 92 GMC had a TBI 350 with 210hp (same as a v6 Ram from today) but 300 torque. It pulled a 6k lb load (Grand Marquis on a UHaul trailer) several hundred miles with decent performance. I wasn't going to pass anybody but I had no trouble reaching or maintaining speed.

I doubt the OP will have any problem towing an S10. The 08's 4.7 is rated at 310hp/330tq. It may take some revs (peak torque rpm is a bit high compared to larger engines) but it'll get the job done.

 

I have towed my Pontiac Firebird around a few times without any issues...back before my 2002 QC RAM 4.7L was heavily modified... It did well with no real issues to speak of... I had no complaints.

SPEED SAFE, AIR RAM

 

Yes and no. Torque is a byproduct of HP. With no HP you have no torque! Besides my Silverado had 270hp and 285ft/lbs

 

It works the other way around. Horsepower is simply a function of torque and rpm. Take 100 torque and spin it to 9k rpm and you get a 200hp rating but it isn't going anywhere fast. Give me the same 200hp and 300 torque and you'll tow anything you want.

My old TBI truck was a monster right off idle, especially after a few mods. Sure, after 3k rpm it was toast but it made all its torque down low and that's ideal for towing -- it's why diesels are so good at what they do.

I got the Hemi because it's the best of both worlds - 390ft/lbs and 345hp to go with it. That kind of performance was unheard of with this kind of displacement until its introduction. I look forward to towing a big load again now that I'll be doing it with this truck.

 

Yes I dunno WTF I was thinkin when I wrote that, but I have been quite dyslexic lately??? HP is indeed a byproduct of TQ. Power(hp) is derived directly from the amount of tq that is produced...duh.....lol
However, you need the HP to run through the gears and have power through out, not just at 2k rpms.


Oh,

Actually 100ft/lbs at 9krpms will yield 171hp....lol
.

 

Sorry to say, but your Hemi only has 375lb/ft.

345 HP 375 lb-ft

 

Sorry - was just guessing there. It's probably closer to the 390 after mods but either way it moves when I want it to. I average 9.5 - 10 mpg for a reason!

 

True. probably more with mods