Why do people say the 5.3 Vortec is slow?

[MCAT069]

My wife has a 5.3 Tahoe and I have a 6.0 Suburban. In all honesty, I don't see a marked difference in power between them.

My wife drives '12 z71 5.3 and I drive an 8.1 Suburban and can see a marked difference in power. Drop the 6.0 and put in the 496.

 

[adventurenali92]

The Denali has quite a few more options than the SLT, besides having the 6.0 and AWD. The Denali has a slightly beefier trans to handle the larger motor. Denali package also has auto leveling rear air suspension package, bigger rear end gears over the SLT, and also a transmission oil cooler.
When I was test driving a handful of full sizes, in the long wheel base trucks, the 5.3 felt like it wasn’t putting out enough power to pull the weight of the long body truck. At least to me that’s what I felt like. Then when I drove the Denali with 6.0 it just felt better. Now that my 6.0 is tuned, it definitely has a lot more get up and go power.

 

[adriver]

Its about 15% more HP, and 10% more ft lb of tq. The Denali should have a better trans behind that 6.0 with a better torque curve down low. Interior trim, exterior body, leather, not sure if that has second row captains or if that's just esclades.. Full time AWD gets a hair worse mpg, but if you were to tow, or be in an area where that mattered, you should notice it.

Wheels, stereo... headlights?

 

[adventurenali92]

Its about 15% more HP, and 10% more ft lb of tq. The Denali should have a better trans behind that 6.0 with a better torque curve down low. Interior trim, exterior body, leather, not sure if that has second row captains or if that's just esclades.. Full time AWD gets a hair worse mpg, but if you were to tow, or be in an area where that mattered, you should notice it.

Some Denali trucks have a bench and some have captains in the second row. Have seen both. Mine has mid row captains seats.

 

[S33k3r]

The Tahoe is running 3.73 gearing, the Suburban is running 4.10. But, yeah, I don't tend to step on the skinny pedal. The one time I really stepped on it was my wife's Tahoe, and it got up and moved with 6 adults in it. I haven't had the need to do so in the Suburban.

I would say I notice a large difference on the trips to the gas station, however...

 

[Massfloefi]

I have a 2005 XL Denali and my wife’s family has a 2005 suburban 5.3. Both have 3.73 gears. I don’t feel much of a difference between the two during every day driving with just myself. Probably at full throttle but I don’t go there as much. I can’t comment with a full load or when towing. I’m sure the Denali is more capable with the 6.0 and slightly beefier transmission. Many of the members can attest to that.

Blackbear tune in my truck does make better use of transmission shift patterns even though I only use 87 octane.

 

[bottomline2000]

The 5.3 has a lot of mod potential. On boost it will kill a lot of smaller sports cars. They feel like dogs because of the factory tuning and torque management. Once you free it up and open the tuning it will no longer fall on its face at 4k rpm and rev out to red line like the ls based motor it is..

Forget the stronger Denali transmission. It may have more pinion gears but for the most part there's not much difference in the 4l60/65/70 transmissions and a stock 5.3 can kill them all.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-T377A using Tapatalk

 

[swathdiver]

The 5.3 has a lot of mod potential. On boost it will kill a lot of smaller sports cars. They feel like dogs because of the factory tuning and torque management. Once you free it up and open the tuning it will no longer fall on its face at 4k rpm and rev out to red line like the ls based motor it is..

The other night I was next to some jelly bean shaped SUV at a light to get onto the highway. Light turned green and we began to move, the jelly bean SUV starts to get ahead as he is on the inside of the turn onto the ramp. I give her a little more gas and the transmission startled me when she shifted to 1st gear, lifted the front end up into the air and I mashed the throttle and passed that jelly bean SUV like he was sitting still. The truck was heading north of 80 before I knew it and eased off the gas upon entering the highway with the jelly bean SUV way back there somewhere in the distance.

Still stock with a BlackBear tune.

 

[RST Dana]

The other night I was next to some jelly bean shaped SUV at a light to get onto the highway. Light turned green and we began to move, the jelly bean SUV starts to get ahead as he is on the inside of the turn onto the ramp. I give her a little more gas and the transmission startled me when she shifted to 1st gear, lifted the front end up into the air and I mashed the throttle and passed that jelly bean SUV like he was sitting still. The truck was heading north of 80 before I knew it and eased off the gas upon entering the highway with the jelly bean SUV way back there somewhere in the distance.

Still stock with a BlackBear tune.

Nice.

 

[Tonyrodz]

The other night I was next to some jelly bean shaped SUV at a light to get onto the highway. Light turned green and we began to move, the jelly bean SUV starts to get ahead as he is on the inside of the turn onto the ramp. I give her a little more gas and the transmission startled me when she shifted to 1st gear, lifted the front end up into the air and I mashed the throttle and passed that jelly bean SUV like he was sitting still. The truck was heading north of 80 before I knew it and eased off the gas upon entering the highway with the jelly bean SUV way back there somewhere in the distance.

Still stock with a BlackBear tune.

NICE!