18th Nov 2008, 16:51

You're pulling a 27 foot trailer with a half/ton? In Overdrive?

The biggest rear end you can get on that is a 3.42 ratio.

A 6.0L Vortec is useless if the rest of your powertrain isn't designed for pulling the kind of weight that you're trying to.

Now a 6.0L in a 2500HD or 3500 with a 4.11 Rear Axle will give you no problems. And use the Tow/Haul Option.

...I work at a Chevy Dealer.

4th Dec 2008, 14:02

I have a clicking sound in the motor after its sat over night or 4 to 5 hours when its in the 30's or colder. I was informed that the reason was is because of the all aluminum engine you can hear the sounds echo louder. I only have 27,000 miles on my 2007 silverado vortec max 6.0liter.

16th Dec 2008, 21:54

I have an 07 and it rocks... tonnes of power and surprisingly great on gas. I tow a little trailer just in the summer for a week and I have had no problems. I had a dodge before and I won't even go there...

14th Jan 2009, 12:34

I have NO problem towing my 16' car hauler trailer with my 231s MF tractor & 6' Bush hog. Also a tool box with chains, boomers, & tools, mounted on the front of the trailer. Owners manual says to not exceed 60 mph! I do go 65 mostly though, & my truck does shift into OD. The only thing I don't like, is the sag. I am about to add helper springs to cure that problem! Total weight of this setup is around 6800lbs.I love my truck!!! davet553.

14th Jan 2009, 21:40

I just tap into the trailer mode and drive mine. No issues whatsoever. I like regular Overdrive when I am cruising with no large trailer.

22nd Jan 2009, 23:47

I have an 08 Vortec max with the 373 rear end and max trailering package, and pull a 29ft bumper pull camper at 8700 lbs. I don't have any problems pulling at 70 or 75, although I think this truck could use some helper bags to improve the ride while pulling under load. I also have around 350lbs of tools in the bed of my truck when I am pulling to the next job.

7th Mar 2009, 11:06

I have a 07 Vortec Max LTZ with the 3.73 gears and an Edge Attitude performance programmer. I average 19-22 in town and 23-28 on the hwy.

When I tow my 14' cargo trailer, I put the truck in town and haul mode, and it pulls fine, but with the programmer set to tow mode, it is like there is nothing behind the truck. I average 17-19 on the hwy towing the trailer. I also put an exhaust on it to allow even better airflow.

The biggest trailer I have towed with it was a 51' foot stacker trailer, and that is well over what it says it can tow, but with the Max trailering package it didn't squat but maybe 3 inches, and when I gave it gas it pulled like there was no tomorrow.

The only drawback is while going through the mountains on 77 in West Virginia, it shifted down to 2nd gear to get pulling and then right into 3rd, but really never came out of 3rd in the mountains. I can't say anything bad about the truck in anyway except don't tow in OD unless it it is a little trailer with a lawnmower on it.

6th Apr 2009, 11:06

I have the same truck V-Max with the 3.73's (not the NHT package) and it tows pretty good. I also tow in OD with the tow switch in tow position, but it still hunts sometimes around 70. I think one of the above posters may be misinformed though, as the V-Max does come with the 4L80E, which was the same transmission the older 6.0 2500HD had, so the transmission should be quite capable of towing.

Also I think all the V-Max's have either 3.73 or 4.11 gears; the latter would be the same as the 2500's. I know mine has the 9.5" rear end, which was the same the light duty 2500's used.

All in all a good truck, but it does like the gas!!

15th Apr 2009, 10:55

Negative. Neither the NBS Vortec max nor the NNBS 07-08 Vortec max has the 4l80 trans, it has a slightly upgraded 4l60 trans, named the 4l70.

If you get the max trailering package with it, you get the 3.73 gears in the 07-08 trucks. Now that the 6.2 is out, the Vortec max package is gone. I have the 06 version with the 345hp LQ9 motor and 4.10 gears.

You can tow in overdrive with these trucks fine, but when you start adding a lot of weight it's best to switch on the tow haul mode.

7th May 2009, 14:27

To the last poster... I just checked the window sticker that came with my 07 V-Max and it says specifically 4L80E...maybe it's because it was one of the first 07's but it's there.

8th Sep 2009, 11:08

Has anybody had any problems with your truck making clicking sounds or tapping when you first start from sitting over night, or sometimes when it's hot or really cold. I was just wondering if anything was wrong, the dealer says it's normal with all aluminum motors, sounds like a older motor with a lot of miles. It only does it for about 3 to 5 seconds. I have a 2007 Chevrolet Silverado Vortec max 6.0 liter. I only have 31,000 miles on it now.

15th Sep 2009, 00:57

Yup, the lifter need to be changed. Your nearest Chevrolet dealer will know EXACTLY what you are talking about as this is a problem many have had with this particular motor. The actual bulletin # is:PIP4344, Document # 2065710.

5th Oct 2009, 18:48

I have an 08 Silverado 4X4 Crew Cab with the Vortex Max L76, Max Trailering package, Air bags (2500lbs each), 4L70E, and the 4.10 rear.

At 900 miles I began towing my 28' toy hauler, which weighs 10,800lbs with all the toys, water, etc. Truck and hauler on scales are at 16,100 so pushing the limits of this truck. After about 20 trips to the dunes, a round trip of about 300 miles and now 28,000 miles on the truck, it runs like a dream with no failures yet. No problem pulling this heavy trailer at all. During summer it hits 230degs only during the 3 mile or so climb up Questa grade, then cools back to 210 within a mile. It shifts down to 2nd gear at 4500rpm and hangs there at 52mph all the way up the grade. On flat ground, towing in OD is no problem at 60mph, and gets right at 10-11mpg. Tranny hits 225 up the grade then cools to 205 on flat ground. Just had tranny oil/filter changed at 25k and it was only slightly changed in color and no burnt smells.

I did heat the rear end initially on the 1st couple trips and it actually burned off the paint. Changed to synthetic oil and now it runs a good 200 degs cooler. I am also running Mobil1 5-40 synthetic in the engine instead of 5-30, which gained some oil pressure when hot. No aftermarket tune, just a Coffin muffler instead of the huge barrel it came with. This made a noticeable difference in pulling the grade and gained about 1mpg normal driving.