I have been thinking about towing a 1991 4runner (sas,36"+tools and misc junk assoc with wheelin) on a flat 16' trailer, with 2004 6.0 v-8 Denali? Think it would do ok?
It would only tow about 5 times year from KC to Colorado or maybe Moab (read rocky mountains).
BTW, the denali is not an XL or suburban.

i would if you had brakes on the trailer

how is it different then a suburban? :confused:
other then its nicer...

I beleive the denali Xl is a lux'd up suburban, where as the non-XL denali is a lux'd up tahoe.....

I would defenitely have trailer brakes on both axles, and you should be fine power wise with the 6.0

I would be concerned with rear suspension, just watch your tongue weight so your front end on your denali doesnt reach for the sky.....

Buddy of mine tows with an Denali XL and it tows fine...the gas bills suck ass though. Averages about 6-7mpg towing an XJ.:eek:

Im getting about 10mpg with a 01 Ford Supercrew 5.4:flipoff2:

I beleive the denali Xl is a lux'd up suburban, where as the non-XL denali is a lux'd up tahoe.....

I would defenitely have trailer brakes on both axles, and you should be fine power wise with the 6.0

I would be concerned with rear suspension, just watch your tongue weight so your front end on your denali doesnt reach for the sky.....


actually IMHO you are better off towing with a denali vs. a 1500 suburban. The denali has computer controlled load leveling suspension. If you put a lot of tounge weight on it the computer will stiffen up the back alot to help with squat. The suspension is standard on the denali's/escalades, but can be optioned on uplevel suburbans (autoride)

and i beleive the denali 6.0's are equipped with an additional 45hp over the 3/4 ton pickups.

but not a strong tranny i would suggest being very carefull were you use overdrive or them cushy comfy seats wont be leavin your driveway :D

and i beleive the denali 6.0's are equipped with an additional 45hp over the 3/4 ton pickups.

but not a strong tranny i would suggest being very carefull were you use overdrive or them cushy comfy seats wont be leavin your driveway :D

the Denali's are 325hp. Trucks are 300hp. Escalades are 345hp.

all of those above engines are 6.0 liter, but NOT the same. Escalade LQ9 has a higher compression ratio and different heads I beleive. Truck and Denali LQ4 have a lower CR...


I might be wrong about the RPO codes but I know the escalade 6.0 has a higher CR.

my mistake :D i knew they changed the power around a little bit.
guess i need to get my facts straight before i start talking :D

i have an 03 denali and tow my 18' trailer with my TJ on it all the time. i live in colorado and yes the millage suck but there is plenty of power to tow with. i can easily do 90 on the flats ( if you want bad millage) and it does around 60 up the passes.

I have towed my tj with our 05 Yukon. It is ok, but needs more power for hills and it could use a wd hitch. You should be better off than me.

The 04 Denali has the LQ9 motor at 345 hp and 380 lb torque, the same motor as the Escalade and Chevy SS. The 02 trucks have the high output LQ4s with 325 hp and 370 torque, but that was before they even had the LQ9 that came out in 03.

My reprogramed 02 Sierra Denali pulls down I would say a lot more than 325 hp and can pull my 18' steel deck trailer and heavy YJ through the Smokey Mtns. as fast as you want to go and average 9 mpg if my foot is in it the whole way from OH (200 mile trip). It will do 11-12 mpg average if I do the speed limit most of the time and take it easy.

The Denalis along with the other high end 1/2 ton trucks up to 05 or so have a 4L65E trans that is built a little bit heavier than the 4L60E and have aux coolers, at leat the Sierras do and mine also has a trans temp guage.

before I get flamed, we already had everyone out of the car, propane, batteries disconnected and fire and DPS were there before we started taking pictures.

this guy passed us 3 times between phoenix and yuma, including at least 85mph going up the hill just east of yuma, we'll sure as shit, he lost it coming over the top. No load dist. bars or brake controller. I am sure properly equiped the denali is fine but this guy is an idiot.

No vehicle is good if you drive like a dumbfuck, there's no fix for stupid.

I think its something to do with desert or duners....

I ride quads, but know my limit, but over at planetsand.com a bunch of them were talking about running 80+ mph in there lifted trucks with large toy haulers in tow.... :eek: Its like some people think because the truck can do 80 or even more with a trailer in tow, that it can handle that speed and stopping. I had a guy on the way to florence oregon last year FLY by me with a lifted superduty and 5th wheel toy hauler... and I was doing the speed limit with my quads on my flatbed behind my rig, we saw him up the road a ways, with 3 flats on the toy hauler and a cop writing him a ticket.. dont know the circumstances, but my bet would be speed had something to do with it

I don't do over 80 and only do that long enough to merge with traffic to get around trucks doing 50-60, most of the time I run 70 unless traffic is running faster and then may go just a little faster to stay with traffic to a clear area to slow back to 70 on a 2 lane section. People are always in a hurry on I-75.

Changing lanes is what causes a lot of highway accidents and I like to stay out in the clear to stay away from people shooting out from behind and in front of me.

The Sierra Denali was built to tow with a 10,000 lb tow rating, all wheel drive, and Quadrastear. The Quad. axle is a 35 spline Dana 60 with AAM CV axles hence the high tow rating.

My trailer has brakes on both axles and I use a Ultima brake control that is tied with a cable to the brake pedal for absolute control of the trailer brakes. I also use a wieght dist hitch.

I tow with a 2002 Denali (not the XL). I tow my heavy-ass rover with it.

Truck does ok. Trailer brakes are a MUST (but they are always required for towing). I've towed with and without trailer brakes and the binder on the truck work fairly well all things considering. Brakes are good in the truck. Rides like a champ. Power...don't expect it to be a medium duty duramax but it'll move right along. The turning radius on the thing is badass as all get out. It'll turn. A LOT better than anything Ford has to offer (I used to drive a E-450 at work). Towing my heavy-ass rover, it'll get 12 mpg on the highway. I don't even bother thinking about what it gets going over the mountains.

I tow my rig with the Denali probably twice a year and the truck doesn't mind it. I also tow a little race car with it and I can't even tell there is a 1000 lb race car back there. If you aren't going to be towing frequently, then it'll be very nice. Also its a great rig to generally have. Quite comfy and handles that snow like a champ.