[Big Dave]

JMPVW73, your situation sounds a lot like mine. You really don’t tow all that much – just when you happen to have a tow mission.

On pickup truck related sites you hear a lot of obsessing about towing from the denizens. You’d think they tow 24/7 to read the posts. My observation is much the opposite. Most truck guys are like me, they mainly haul butt and little else.
Here in Indiana you see a lot of “driveaway” guys – guys who use big US pickups to deliver towable RVs. Elkhart County is a stronghold of the RV biz. A pickup is the best way to deliver big towable RVs. They are generally too bulky to load multiples on big trailers. Driveaway guys approximate 50% towing duty. Driveaways never get backhauls. Everybody else tows dramatically less.

That’s why I ignore towing in my testing. If a towing mission intrudes, I segregate it off from normal testing (by filling the tank and noting mileage separately. I reckon I am lucky. I have a 45 mile commute that is split almost exactly in thirds – urban/suburban, two-land state roads, and Interstate. Because this is on a set group of routes, I can keep my driving very consistent. My testing is just the commute and some local grocery-getting, always running empty except for maybe $60 worth of groceries and my fat butt – a heroic load for any truck.

I do occasionally run special tests towing a known trailer. For me that means a Bobcat on a flatbed or 3-5 tons of building materials.

Having a fairly consistent run allows you to accurately compare things to determine what work and what doesn’t.

I suspect your Chebbie will be a lot like my Ford. Gearing and aero are the big enchiladas. “Tuning” is worthless and big tires are counterproductive.