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'96 Sonoma with 5.7 swap - Towing Capacity??

3K views 18 replies 12 participants last post by  oldeerslayer 
#1 ·
1996 Regular cab short step side with a 5.7 vortec reman. Estimated towing capacity? I want to haul a 22' camper to Texas from Wisconsin. 1200 miles. And back. Has T5 borg warner. I want to remain safe and comfortable. I plan on upgrading the brakes beforehand. And trailer brake controller
Can anybody give me an estimate? Thanks

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#2 ·
Kinda like the tail is bigger than the dog. The camper is 6 foot longer than the truck. Definitely going to need those trailer brakes. Any idea what the camper weighs? One thing most folks forget is the 1000 pounds of stuff they put in the camper for a trip. Clothes, food, water, sporting goods, etc.
Your truck appears to have ZQ8 suspension. That's not helping matters.
I seem to remember some discussion a while back about ZQ8 trucks having a "no towing" sticker on the bumper.
I could be wrong, it might have just been the Xtremes. Although it's the same suspension.
 
#3 ·
I don't think the T5 can handle what an NV3500 can handle either, really depends what the T5 came out of...
 
#12 ·
My experience in towing with little trucks goes back to the mid 80's when I towed a 64 chevy 1/2 ton PU on a trailer with a 85 Ranger. Not something I recommend,serious pucker syndrome!
Also if the truck and your skadeechies could take it I don't think your rear axle could.


Man!
Don't you know? If you're gonna rock and roll you've got to play the music loud.
 
#7 ·
I'd think your S10 should be able to handle that amount of weight. Assuming the tongue weight isn't over 10% of the trailers weight. Make sure both the trans and rear end fluids are full and not black. Might want to look into some overload type air shocks. I used them on a Caprice I had to help handle some tongue weight. Not talking about HiJackers. I think they're called load levelers.
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There are also shocks with helper coil springs available. Either type are under $100 on Rockauto. Don't forget the S10 forum member 5% discount code.
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Again a good trailer brake controller, correctly adjusted, and good brakes on the trailer are the most critical thing.
 
#9 ·
I bought a weight distributing hitch off craigslist for 50 bucks and it made a huge difference in towing. I would definitely use one of those. As far as whether or not your truck will safely tow it, we would have to know what it weighs. Also, know your laws. Here in California, for example, it's illegal to tow over 6000 pounds if your tow vehicle weighs less than 4000 pounds.
 
#10 ·
The key to towing is what you can stop not what you can pull. It is also about control, which plays into the vehicle weight and size. In this case your changing of the engine will give you more power to pull but it will not give anything in the way of control or stopping power. The ZQ8 has a towing capacity of 3000# according to my research, which is the same as a regular truck with the 2.2L engine. The 4.3L 4wd trucks can pull about 5000# and that's it. Much more than that and you become dangerous even with trailer brakes. This was looked up for the 2001 model year, and the 4wd have the larger front brakes and rear disks. That will play a huge part in what it can tow. The 96 still has the smaller front disk, and most likely drum rears, so be warned your towing may be lower than mine. I would stick with towing around 3000# or less.

My ZQ8 doesn't have the no towing sticker, but what's left of my owner's manual for the truck says that the Extremes should not tow or haul anything.
 
#14 ·
1996 Regular cab short step side with a 5.7 vortec reman. Estimated towing capacity? I want to haul a 22' camper to Texas from Wisconsin. 1200 miles. And back. Has T5 borg warner. I want to remain safe and comfortable. I plan on upgrading the brakes beforehand. And trailer brake controller
Can anybody give me an estimate? Thanks

View attachment 348927
1996 Regular cab short step side with a 5.7 vortec reman. Estimated towing capacity? I want to haul a 22' camper to Texas from Wisconsin. 1200 miles. And back. Has T5 borg warner. I want to remain safe and comfortable. I plan on upgrading the brakes beforehand. And trailer brake controller
Can anybody give me an estimate? Thanks

View attachment 348927
I towed a 78 Camaro from New Orleans to Gulf Port, MS with my 96 ext cab down I10 doing 70 getting passed by big rigs and also passing other cars. A regular cab pulling a 22 ft camper from Texas to Wisconsin I don't think that would be wise unless you are that good behind the wheel. You better pack a couple of lunches. Your going to need it.
 
#17 ·
SWB s10 towing it's same weight or more is not a good idea. You will have to light of weight on the front. Your front tires will be gliding on top of the road.
 
#18 ·
I'm gonna do Firestone air bag helper springs and c6 corvette front brakes. Larger sway bars. Maybe new leaf springs.
I pulled a 33' 6700lb camper 250 miles with a lifted 98 chevy 3/4 ton. With no trailer brakes or lights. Swayed like ***over 65. I'm thinking 19-21ft 3200-4000 pounds for my next camper.
 
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