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Build Sheet decipher for towing & New Member

BainMan

Full Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2019
Messages
1,216
Hello all! I'm new to the forum, just picked up a 2010 Avalanche that appears to be very well taken care of. In fact it's so clean I feel guilty about strapping 3 car seats into the back.. My wife drives a Traverse (I replaced rear upper control arms, rear wheel bearings/hubs, front sway bar bushings and forward control arm bushings last weekend, drives so quiet now!).

Anyways.. The 2010 Avalanche brochure states a trailer weight rating of 7,800 pounds, and doesn't list any options that would affect this (gear ratio, heavy duty cooling package, etc...) However after a quick google search, it appears the 3.08 axle ratio limits the trailering weight to 5,100. My questions are...
1. I see the Z82 option code listed on my build sheet, is that just the standard hitch & electrical?
2. Are there additional towing option codes for a 2010 Avalanche?
3. What is my max trailer weight given the RPO codes below?

Be seeing you around! I'll get a picture or 2 up in the next week or so.

Build Sheet Option Codes:
1LZ - 1SZ - OPTION PKG DISCOUNT
50U - SUMMIT WHITE 6D7 - SUSPENSION
7D7 - SUSPENSION 836 - LIGHT TITANIUM/DARK

TITANIUM

83I - DARK TITANIUM A31 - POWER WINDOWS
AG1 - SIX-WAY POWER DRIVER SEAT AG2 - POWER PASSENGER SEAT
AJ1 - DEEP TINTED GLASS AJ7 - SIDE IMPACT AIR BAGS
AL0 - SENSOR INDICATOR INFLATABLE RESTRAINT FRT PASS AN3 - FULL FEATURE BUCKET SEATS
AP3 - REMOTE VEHICLE START ASF - HEAD CURTAIN SIDE AIR BAGS
AT5 - FOLDING CENTER SEAT AU3 - POWER DOOR LOCKS WITH
REMOTE KEYLESS ENTRY
AXP - MPV VIN IDENT POSITION B30 - CARPETING, COLOR-KEYED
B41 - CARGO AREA FLOOR MAT B58 - COLOR-KEYED FLOOR MATS,

CARPETED
B85 - BODY SIDE MOLDING BVE - ASSIST STEPS
C49 - ELECTRIC REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER C5Z - 7,200 LB GVW RATING
CF5 - POWER SLIDING SUNROOF CJ2 - DUAL-ZONE AUTO AIR

CONDITIONING

D07 - CUSTOM FRONT FLOOR CONSOLE DCP - ONSTAR DIRECTIONS &
CONNECTIONS 1 YR FACTORY
PACKAGE

DD8 - INSIDE REARVIEW MIRROR, AUTO- DIMMING DH6 - LIGHTED VISOR/VANITY

MIRRORS

DK8 - DELUXE OVERHEAD CONSOLE DL3 - OSRV MIRROR W/DRIVER SIDE
AUTO DIMMING, PWR FOLD & ADJ,
HEAT, TURN SIGNAL (REPLACES
STD/PKG MIRROR)
DT3 - REAR STOWAGE COMPARTMENT EF7 - U.S. COUNTRY CODE
EN4 - 3 PIECE RIGID TONNEAU COVER FE9 - FEDERAL EMISSIONS
FUB - SEALER G69 - LEVEL CONTROL AUTO, AIR, HD
G80 - LOCKING REAR DIFFERENTIAL GU4 - REAR AXLE 3.08 RATIO
JD9 - BRAKES, 17" DISC/DISC JF4 - POWER ADJUSTABLE PEDALS
JL4 - STABILITRAK-STABILITY CONTROL W/ TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM K34 - CRUISE CONTROL
KB6 - SEATS, HEATED/COOLED FRONT KG3 - 145 AMP ALTERNATOR

LMG - ENGINE, 5.3L VORTEC V8 W/ACTIVE FUEL MANAGEMENT & FLEX-
FUEL CAPABILITY

MSL - SILAO, MEXICO PLANT

MYC - 6-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION N15 - FLEXFUEL
NP0 - TRANSFER CASE NP5 - LEATHER WRAPPED STEERING

WHEEL

NT7 - EMISSION SYSTEM FEDERAL TIER 2 NZ4 - FULL SIZE SPARE WHEEL
PCJ - SUN, ENTERTAINMENT, DESTINATION PACKAGE: * REAR SEAT
ENTERTAINMENT SYS * POWER SLIDING SUNROOF * 1 YEAR XM
SATELLITE RADIO * XM NAV TRAFFIC - NAV TRAFFIC FEE EXTRA. 1ST 3
MONTHS INCL. * REARVIEW CAMERA SYSTEM * REAR SEAT
ENTERTAINMENT SYS * POWER SLIDING SUNROOF

QSS - 20" BW TIRES

R5C - TIRE BRAND BRIDGESTONE R9N - PROCESSING CODE
S80 - 20" CHROME CLAD WHEELS SAF - SPARE TIRE LOCK
SLM - STOCK ORDERS SLT - EQUIP CHEV 'LT' SALES PKG
STZ - LTZ EQUIPMENT GROUP T74 - HEADLAMPS
T96 - FOG LAMPS U42 - REAR SEAT ENTERTAINMENT

SYSTEM

UBS - XM NAV TRAFFIC UD7 - ULTRASONIC REAR PARKING

ASSIST
UE1 - 1 YR ONSTAR DIRECTIONS W/TURN- BY-TURN NAVIGATION (ASK
DEALER ABOUT GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE)

UG1 - UNIVERSAL HOME REMOTE
UJ6 - TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR UK3 - STEERING WHEEL RADIO

CONTROLS

UK6 - REAR SEAT AUDIO CONTROLS UPF - BLUETOOTH FOR PHONE
UQA - BOSE PREMIUM SOUND SYSTEM USR - USB PORT
UUK - NAVIGATION SYSTEM-TOUCH SCREEN WITH CD/DVD, XM NAV
TRAFFIC

UVC - REAR VISION CAMERA SYSTEM
V22 - CHROME GRILLE V54 - LUGGAGE RACK - SIDE RAILS
V76 - FRONT RECOVERY HOOKS V8D - VEHICLE STATEMENT
VFF - VIDEO FORMAT REGION 1, NTSC VGD - BODY COLOR FRONT FACIA
VGE - BODY COLOR REAR FACIA VGK - LTZ ORNAMENTATION
VK3 - FRONT LICENSE PLATE MOUNT VR4 - WEIGHT DISTRIB. PLATFORM

HITCH

VT7 - OWNERS MANUAL ENGLISH X88 - CHEVROLET CONVERSION
YD3 - BASE AXLE YD5 - BASE FRONT SPRING
YD6 - BASE REAR SPRING YE9 - LS TRIM
Z55 - AUTORIDE SUSPENSION Z82 - HD TRAILERING EQUIPMENT
ZRS - 17" SPARE TIRE ZW9 - BASE BODY
ZY1 - SOLID PAINT ~CD -
 
First, welcome to the website!
You may find some info on this thread and you may ant to read all three pages:

http://www.chevyavalanchefanclub.com/cafcna/index.php?topic=96887.0

Info from the Resources Section on this website and should be in your owner's manual:

Black plate (73,1)Chevrolet Avalanche Owner Manual - 2012Driving and Operating  9-73 VehicleAxle RatioMaximum Trailer WeightGCWR *1500 Series 2WD5.3LV83.082 313 kg (5,100 lbs)4 990 kg (11,000 lbs)5.3LV83.422 540 kg (5,600 lbs)5 216 kg (11,500 lbs)5.3LV8 K5L HD Cooling Pkg3.423 674 kg (8,100 lbs)6 350 kg (14,000 lbs)1500 Series 4WD5.3LV83.082 268 kg (5,000 lbs)4 990 kg (11,000 lbs)5.3LV83.422 495 kg (5,500 lbs)5 216 kg (11,500 lbs)5.3LV8 K5L HD Cooling Pkg3.423 629 kg (8,000 lbs)6 350 kg (14,000 lbs)*The Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR) is the total allowable weight of the completely loaded vehicle andtrailer including any passengers, cargo, equipment and conversions. The GCWR for the vehicle should not be exceeded.
http://www.chevyavalanchefanclub.com/assets/files/resources/model-years/owner-manuals/2010-chevy-avalanche-owners-manual.pdf
The link first states 2010 AV manual but then shows 2012 AV manual, my giuess is no difference in those two year manuals.
 
Thanks Vaeagleav.

That is a bit of a bummer. It's strange that I see no mention of the HD Cooling Package or gear-set options listed in the Avalanche Brochure, even though it specifically only mentions the higher tow rating. I guess those were secret options that the dealer could order but didn't show up on the brochure? Luckily for me I don't tow often, but when I need it having the option is invaluable and now I feel a bit limited. But thanks for the reply with the info.

Is this the best & most active Avalanche forum to use? Do the Av owners hang out on the Suburban or Silverado side because of the similarities? Coming from the Expedition forum, they were super active, but maybe that's because they had more problems, ha!
 
You are welcome BainMan,
I don't feel you need to be limited in your AV ownership, try towing as is and see if you need more performance first. The upgrades are just replacement bolt in parts that can be changed as needed. Most people who tow just worry about a good aftermarket transmission cooler and hitch setup. Several members on this website have bought a Magnussen Supercharger kit to add to the performance while towing without hurting their gas mileage or dependability. You may want to read about that before replacing gears etc.
I believe this is the best AV forum since it contains a mountain of info and is still somewhat active. It has slowed down some since the demise of the Av in 2013 but I find it an easy format to find ideas and solutions by subject matter once you explore and learn your way around the site. Some members on this site belong to other sites as well but I have looked and the other sites seem less active. Some members also use a Facebook page but I am not a Facebook member so can't speak for the fun of using that page. From what I have observed though Facebook might be good for social interaction but since it scrolls and changes I could only envision it may be hard to find an old post for info. This site also doesn't have a lot of advertising and pop ups which is nice!
 
Thanks for the extra info Vaeagleav. I'll keep an eye on transmission temps and go from there. I'd love to see the supercharger kit, not that I'm ready for that but I'll start snooping around the site to dig those posts up! I don't use Facebook either, so those groups are out for me as well. Again, thanks for welcoming and helping me out with information.
 
Here is the info on a supercharger for a 2010 AV:

http://www.magnusonsuperchargers.com/product-p/01-19-60-003-bl.htm
 
Heya and welcome to the club.  I'm a new Avalanche owner myself (2009) and since towing was my #1 reason for getting it I've become sort of an expert in this whole arena.

The GU4 3.08 Axle Ratio is your biggest limiter.    That right there took all the other trailering options off the table at the factory.

The Z82 RPO only indicates that there's a hitch and trailer wiring harness at the back (which was standard on every Avalanche ever produced).

The most significant trailer-related RPO would be the K5L (Heavy Duty Cooling Package) which added secondary, external oil and transmission fluid radiators alongside the main radiator.  Even with the GU6 3.43 rear axle, the book limits for towing remain at 5500# without the added oil coolers.  The K5L option alone adds the other 2500# of towing capacity to get to the 8000# figure.  It wasn't possible to order the K5L option without the GU6 axle either.

From everything I read and learned, it seems like the steel itself can handle the weight but the engineers' concern was that the transmission would burn up and overheat the fluid first.    You can't do much about the rear axle now (other than replace it with a 3.43) but if you're right on the limits of what you need to tow at 5000#, adding those external transmission cooler lines and fins should give you a comfortable safety margin and transmission longevity.
 
Thanks dogstar and vaeagle! I don't tow but a few times a year, I'll watch transmission temps closely and go from there. An external transmission cooler wouldn't be that difficult.

My 2010 has 124,xxx miles, my initial focus is going to be regular maintenance. Transmission fluid, plugs and front/rear diffs are high on the list.
 
I've wondered about the towing as well, I have a Jayco travel trailer that is in the 4000 lb. range when loaded for travel, I haven't had any issues towing and think it does pretty well, but have wondered about adding a cooler.
Does anyone have info on the type/ size of cooler to get?
 
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