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So my wife and I went to look at a SeaDoo jetboat and we bought the darn thing! Of course, there's only one issue. What do we tow it with? Hmmmm, not gonna be her Hyundai Sonata, we sold the Silverado so that leaves.... the GXP!

The total weight of the boat, trailer, gas and gear is around 1800 lbs, we live 3 miles from the boat ramp and a new or used truck to tow the boat is out of the question for the time being, therefore, we are going to go for it.

I'll change the tranny fluid (67K) to be on the safe side and I'll let you know how she fares.

Wish us luck!

I am curious to know how it does, however this arrangement does not meet with my blessings.

Gotta do what you gotta do however.

Especially in SC, add a transmission cooler to the factory unit. I lived in Columbia for 2 years, my 4T65 got well over 200*F on the middling hot days sitting in traffic on I-26 heading out of town during rush hour. With the cooler, the hottest it got sitting still was 180*F. Dropping 20* in temperature helps transmission life by many miles.

Do a synthetic transmission fluid, as they are far more heat-resistant than a dino ATF. Valvoline Maxlife ATF is fairly available at Wal-Marts down there. If not in Myrtle Beach, when you're passing through the outlying areas, stop in, as the rural Wal-Marts seem to carry it more regularly than the urban/suburban Wal-Marts. Also available in gallons at Advance.

The biggest issue I have with adding a tranny cooler is there doesn't appear to be enough space to add one in front of the radiator, or at least one of decent size. If I were taking a road trip, or towing in hilly terrain, I'd add one, no matter how small, but I'm just not going far enough to make any real difference.

Just get a good Class 2 hitch..

Tow In 3rd as well

Add an external trans cooler before you do it.

Jrs3800 wrote:Just get a good Class 2 hitch..

Yeah, don't be that guys with a class 3 hitch. It will be so big, and look ridiculous.

vogie01 wrote:

Jrs3800 wrote:Just get a good Class 2 hitch..

Yeah, don't be that guys with a class 3 hitch. It will be so big, and look ridiculous.

Even a good class 1 should do. Class 1 limits are 200lb tongue weight, and 2000lbs max. That is also not counting that some of the gear can likely go in the trunk, and not all weight has to be in the trailer.

At any rate, as mentioned, the boat ramp is 3 miles away, take it easy, and you should be okay.

Still doesn't have my blessing, but I can see your point of view.

I think you should have absolutely no problem, the 4t80 transmission is strong like bull, the northstar has plenty of torque and people in europe have towed a lot more with a lot less (as in a whole camper with a hatchback). Just don't floor it and watch your tranny temps (if you have a tuner)

vogie01 wrote:

Jrs3800 wrote:Just get a good Class 2 hitch..

Yeah, don't be that guys with a class 3 hitch. It will be so big, and look ridiculous.

I somewhat agree.. Class 2 will be more than enough...

I have a Class 2 on my 95 Trans sport... When I looked at it I thought it was a monster for being a class 2( 3500 Lb ), but its also a hidden design... You have to look for the square for the ball.. Hidden Hitch I guess is the right term..

For the OP...

short distance towing will not hurt... If you were going to tow 40 or 50 miles or more I would push you into a cooler of sorts...

On my 03 SLE Bonneville I will install a cooler in the near future... Mine easily runs at 210F on the highway... Thats too hot for any trans..

I agree, 3 miles is nothing. The problem is that GM doesn't rate the GXP for towing, and no one makes a GXP specific hitch, so you'll have to look hard to find something to make it work. Also make sure you have the proper wiring for the lights.

There's a big difference between the terrain of Columbia and that of Myrtle Beach. Columbia is somewhat hilly. My grandmother, who lived in Columbia for most of her life, told me it was chosen as the state capitol because it's the highest point in the central part of the state. By contrast, the coastal area of S.C. is quite flat. I don't think three miles on flat ground (okay, six for the round trip) will hurt anything as long as you take it easy. The worst strain will be pulling the loaded trailer out of the water. The GXP has the same powertrain as a Cadillac Deville and I've seen them pulling small trailers. Just don't push it too hard.

LeSabre in Buffalo wrote:Especially in SC, add a transmission cooler to the factory unit. I lived in Columbia for 2 years, my 4T65 got well over 200*F on the middling hot days sitting in traffic on I-26 heading out of town during rush hour. With the cooler, the hottest it got sitting still was 180*F. Dropping 20* in temperature helps transmission life by many miles.

Do a synthetic transmission fluid, as they are far more heat-resistant than a dino ATF. Valvoline Maxlife ATF is fairly available at Wal-Marts down there. If not in Myrtle Beach, when you're passing through the outlying areas, stop in, as the rural Wal-Marts seem to carry it more regularly than the urban/suburban Wal-Marts. Also available in gallons at Advance.

RJolly87 wrote:

vogie01 wrote:

Jrs3800 wrote:Just get a good Class 2 hitch..

Yeah, don't be that guys with a class 3 hitch. It will be so big, and look ridiculous.

Even a good class 1 should do. Class 1 limits are 200lb tongue weight, and 2000lbs max. That is also not counting that some of the gear can likely go in the trunk, and not all weight has to be in the trailer.

At any rate, as mentioned, the boat ramp is 3 miles away, take it easy, and you should be okay.

Still doesn't have my blessing, but I can see your point of view.

I agree, but I looked around when I put the hitch on my Ford Flex, and on my old 03 Bville SE. The class 1 was crazy expensive, and hard to find. That was awhile ago, not sure what you would find now. The other prob with smaller than a class 3 is the tongue weight. If you want to put a bike carrier or any thing else you will need something with more than 200lbs of tongue weight. Not sure if you plan on doing anything else other than towing the boat, as this would not matter if you weren't.

On a unibody like our cars, tongue weight is EVERYTHING, total weight is ALMOST EVERYTHING.

I have a Class 2 on my SLEeper, and I can tell you I have to be very careful with weight distribution on my utility trailer. The hitch is bolted through not much more than sheet metal. The hitch itself was only $125, but the danger to your car could be far more.

If you tow ANYthing, make sure your weight distribution leaves as little as possible up front, just enough to keep things from bouncing.

Something to keep in mind...Most vehicles can get a boat/jet-ski/trailer up to speed, but the hard part is stopping them. Most people on the truck websites bolt on power adders, tunes, or gears and think they can safely tow more, but don't think to upgrade the brakes. I know the GXP probably has good brakes, but it is still something to think about.

The GXP has the best brakes ever put on any Bonneville. It has bigger brakes than our 92 K1500 Chevy pickup, lol.

00Beast wrote:The GXP has the best brakes ever put on any Bonneville.

Which isn't saying ANYTHING.

With nice fat 12.6" front rotors and two-piston calipers that require big wheels just to clear, I'd say that says a lot.

These brakes are more than adequate for the GXP but put another 1800-2000lbs of rolling force pushing on the car during braking and you will wish you had trailer brakes.