# 2009 Avalanche Ltz And 210Rs Or 250Rs?



## NDKoze (Jan 5, 2011)

*250RS or 210RS?*​
*Preference of 250RS or 210RS?*

250RS853.33%210RS746.67%


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## NDKoze (Jan 5, 2011)

I had pretty much decided on a 210RS because of its size and maneuverability, but after some discussion in the following two threads, I am starting to wonder if I should be considering the 250RS too?

Factory Receiver On New Outback Models

Anyone Towing With A TV With Chevy "AutoRide" Suspension? 

I like the floor plan of the 250RS and like the openness that it provides. However, for the time being (unless I get married again), it is just my two boys (15 and 11) and myself that would be staying in the camper, outside of 1-2 weekends a year when my parents come along. So, while I really like the 250RS, I am not sure that I need the extra room.

Plus how much harder is it to tow and manuever an almost 28' camper vs. a 23' camper? This is where I need some feedback from the experts, because I have no idea what the answer is.







The biggest trailers that I have towed so far are my 16' pop-up and my 19' fiberglass boat. So hauling a high profile camper already intimidates me a little bit, even though I am pretty certain that I will be able to overcome that.

My biggest concern is whether my TV would be able to adequately/safely tow the bigger 250RS. I don't anticipate upgrading the truck anytime soon. But, if I did it would probably be for another 1/2 ton truck. If it comes down to a 1/2 ton truck not being able to adequately/safely tow a camper similar to the 250RS, I will stick with the 210RS that I know will tow well behind the Avalanche.

On the positive side, I live in ND and camp mostly in ND, MN, and SD where it is generally pretty flat and probably won't be traveling to any mountainous areas anytime soon.

What are the thoughts on me towing a 250RS with the Avalanche?

Here is my setup:

Chevy Avalanche
3.42 Axel ratio
AutoRide Suspension
Towing package with HD Cooling Equipment
7,800 trailer capacity
14,000 GCWR
All feedback will be appreciated









Gregg


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Your truck will do a pretty good job with the 210RS. IMO you'll be wanting more truck pretty quickly if you go with the 250RS. Not that your truck can't tow it, it just won't do a great job at it especially with the 3.42 gearing. We had a truck with 3.42 gears towing our 21RS and it did an adequate job, flats were okay, hills weren't. We changed the gears to 3.73 and it did a much better job.

I think your avalanche is going to struggle with the 250RS.

If you really want the 250 and get it I think you'll be wanting a heavier duty truck in the near future too. Just my opinion though : )

Mike


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## W5CI (Apr 21, 2009)

I assure you that you will use the Extra room in the 250RS, i had a 210RS briefly and got a 268RL for the wife and myself, i tow it with a 1/2 ton chev crew cab with 3.23 gears, its sluggish on the hills but it gets the job done.
Good Luck.


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## jasonrebecca (Oct 30, 2007)

We love our 21rs; the older version of the 210; towed with my old F150 its a good choice for a 1/2 ton to feel comfortable. Anything bigger like the 250rs I would to with a 3/4 ton. It does get quite crowded in the 21rs with 4 people and 3 dogs though.


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

I tow a 2008 21RS with a 2009 Silverado crew cab LT 4x4. It has a 5.3L, 3.42 rear end, 6 speed transmission and HD towing/cooling package. I can go anywhere I want with that combination. Weight wise, your Avalanche has a lower towing capacity, 7900 lbs (per the brochure) vs. 9500 lbs for my truck. As far as mechanical equipment, I am assuming the same engine size. I would be more concerned with the extra length vs. wheel base and how much a 250RS will sway when you get passed by a big semi truck.


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## SLO Outbacker (Jan 30, 2009)

I pull a 2009 210 with a Chevy Tahoe. I have had no issues at all and it is plenty of room for the three of us. I can load our three bikes into the front. We have even had room when my son wants to bring a friend.

Another thing to keep in mind is that a smaller trailer opens up more campsite opportunties


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## jasonrebecca (Oct 30, 2007)

SLO Outbacker said:


> Another thing to keep in mind is that a smaller trailer opens up more campsite opportunties


This is another reason why we went with the 21rs. We were looking at a 26' Aerolite until we realized that we just couldn't get into the places we camp. We have actually had troubles (minor) getting into spots with the 21rs but we wouldn't have been able even try with anything bigger.


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## wolverine (Mar 5, 2009)

camping479 said:


> Your truck will do a pretty good job with the 210RS. IMO you'll be wanting more truck pretty quickly if you go with the 250RS. Not that your truck can't tow it, it just won't do a great job at it especially with the 3.42 gearing. We had a truck with 3.42 gears towing our 21RS and it did an adequate job, flats were okay, hills weren't. We changed the gears to 3.73 and it did a much better job.
> 
> I think your avalanche is going to struggle with the 250RS.
> 
> ...


I am pretty sure you can only get 3.42 gears with the new 6 speed transmission.


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## thefulminator (Aug 8, 2007)

wolverine said:


> Your truck will do a pretty good job with the 210RS. IMO you'll be wanting more truck pretty quickly if you go with the 250RS. Not that your truck can't tow it, it just won't do a great job at it especially with the 3.42 gearing. We had a truck with 3.42 gears towing our 21RS and it did an adequate job, flats were okay, hills weren't. We changed the gears to 3.73 and it did a much better job.
> 
> I think your avalanche is going to struggle with the 250RS.
> 
> ...


I am pretty sure you can only get 3.42 gears with the new 6 speed transmission.
[/quote]

That was the case when I bought my Silverado. The only choice with a 1500 crew cab and 5.3L was 3.42 gears.


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## gonewild (Mar 13, 2009)

From experience, I agree with the above statements about wanting more truck. I traveled from NY to Yellowstone towing a 210RS with a 2005 !500 Sierra extended cab 5.3/3.42. The combination was OK and always felt in control, but wanted more power after crossing the Missouri river. I believe you will be fine with your Avalanche and a 210Rs, but will definitely want more TV if you go with a 250Rs. We spent the following summer in Michigan's UP and Canada with a 2500 diesel. Didn't feel the trailer back there and much better fuel economy when towing. Heading to Alaska this summer with very few concerns....

Good luck and safe travels,


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## deanintemp (Apr 3, 2007)

We pull a 2005 26RS with our 2005 Suburban 1500 with no problems. Do I sometimes wish for more power...sure, but it does the job just fine. The long wheelbase helps with sway as well, I usually don't even attach the sway control and I never have sway issues at any speeds - even 70+mph! Having said that, the only reason I bought the larger 26RS was for the quad bunks up front as we have three boys and sometimes they bring a friend. Space is not typically an issue for as because we spend all our times outdoors other than bad weather and sleeping.


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## NDKoze (Jan 5, 2011)

Thanks for all of the comments!

I am still debating 250RS verses 210RS and still 50/50 on which one to go with.

I know my heart says that I want the 250RS and that I may be wanting more power on occasion, but I live and camp mostly in North Dakota where it is very flat with rolling hills being the biggest obstacle. I don't really see myself going to any mountainous areas, but heck if I did that it would be such a rare occasion that I would consider renting a bigger truck.

I would even consider buying a 3/4 ton truck, but my biggest obstacle is that full sized trucks are about 5" too short to fit in my garage. My Avalanche is about 9" shorter (221") than a full sized truck (230"). Many have talked about the wheel base of the Avalanche. While the Avalanche (130") is not as long as a full size (143.5"), it is significantly longer than a Tahoe (116"). I wish they still made the 3/4 Avalanche as that would solve my problem. Any gearheads heard any word on them bringing back the 3/4 ton Avalanche? I just looked at the specs and see that

The best quotes that I have found (not shocking at Lakeshore) are about $2,000 difference. So, my current thought process is that for only $2,000 more, the 250RS seems like the way to go.

I understand the that I may be wanting power, but quite frankly I think my biggest worry/concern would be the maneuverability of backing a 28' camper into a camping spot verses the 23' camper. I would be interested to hear comments from you guys about how much harder it is to back a 27'-29' camper into a spot verses a 23'?

Signed,

"Indecisive in ND"


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## luverofpeanuts (Mar 9, 2010)

NDKoze said:


> I understand the that I may be wanting power, but quite frankly I think my biggest worry/concern would be the maneuverability of backing a 28' camper into a camping spot verses the 23' camper. I would be interested to hear comments from you guys about how much harder it is to back a 27'-29' camper into a spot verses a 23'?


Sounds like you have your truck options understood. For what it's worth...I'd probably opt for the 250RS even if it pushed the limits of the Avalanche a bit.

As far as backing up a larger camper....

I moved from a '97 Expedition and a 24 foot camper.... to a F250 CC short bed with a 31' camper. "in between" I towed the 24 footer for a season with the F250.

I believe the larger factor in backing up the camper into spots is the tow vehicle turning radius and wheel base. I found it harder to backup the 24 foot camper with the F250 than with the Expedition. The longer camper added a bit more complication to site choices...but other than that...not too bad. If you're not changing tow vehicles..I wouldn't worry too much about it ;-)


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## CdnOutback (Apr 16, 2010)

I found that the longer the trailer, the easier it is to maneuver while backing.


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## SLO250RS (Mar 11, 2010)

We have a 2011 250RS and we tow with a Chrysler Aspen with 120"w.b.I have plenty of power to pull it,but I am at the short end of the needed wheelbase for the trailer.I spent a lot of time dialing in the hitch and tow light(no water)I keep my speed in check when traveling.We love the room the the 250 provides for us a family of 4.Make sure you make the decision you feel the most confident in.Just throwing in my .02


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## GSJ (May 20, 2008)

I pulled 23Rs with a 2005 Avalanche. I found that the Avi. has the power to pull the 23 footer OK, as long as there were no big hills, no high head winds and you have an extra tranny cooler in it(blew the tranny at 135000km). It also used twice the gas, well maybe 40% more. On a trip out west from Ont. to Alberta, we ran into a 60km head wind and that truck worked HARD. Going 60kph we were in 2nd gear at 3500rpm. When we finally got up to 70kph and it shifted into 3rd, then it would slow down due to lack of power and back down into 2nd again. That cycle repeated itself over and over. All this in the prarries on the flats. I love my Avalanche, but pulling the 23 footer was hard on the poor girl (Blanch). I upgraded to the Ford F250 PSD and no issues pulling. As a matter of fact, in looking into a 30 footer.
I'm not saying it can't pull a 25 footer, i just hope your in no hurry...
Gord


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## rsm7 (Aug 8, 2009)

NDKoze said:


> Thanks for all of the comments!
> 
> I am still debating 250RS verses 210RS and still 50/50 on which one to go with.
> 
> ...


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## scott1k (Sep 29, 2010)

I moved up to a 2011 250RS from a 23' Coyote Hybrid. I tow with a 2007 Chrysler Aspen. I honestly cannot tell much of a difference towing even though the Outback is probably 1500 lbs heavier than my prior trailer. The biggest issue is wind drag and both trailers punch the same hole in the air. I've pulled some pretty good grades with both and could not tell a difference between the two trailers. You won't notice much of a difference backing. Like a previous poster mentioned, I feel it gets easier as the trailer gets bigger. I still use a spotter for tight spots, but overall it is not a problem. I would not hesitate to move up to the 250RS. With that big slide out and extra length it feels huge inside.


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## TravelinTexas (Apr 30, 2010)

I would say unless you have length restrictions where you camp then go with the 250RS. The large U-shaped dinette is a nice feature for extra family and friends that may join you on trips. I tow my 300BH with a 2007 Yukon Denali XL, it too has a 3.42 axle but with the larger 6.2 engine. Our wheelbase is the same so I think you'll have a great towing experience. The main thing to watch out for is loading up your truck with too much stuff. My payload is about 1400lbs so other than passengers most of my stuff goes in the trailer. Towing in Texas is for the most part flat but I have run into some strong winds driving along the coast and have not had any 'white knuckle' experiences. I use the EQ WDH/sway bars and tend to keep my speed around 60-65. Right at about 63mph keeps me at 2000rpm in tow/haul mode(the sweet spot). Whether your towing 24ft, 27 ft or 30+ feet you don't want to be in a rush, you are basically towing a big sail behind you.


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