Preferred gas engines for 1 ton pickups

[wkpoor]

How can you hook a gn trailer to a van?

The points you make are valid but it has definate limitations also.

I have pointed out that shortcoming many times in the past and is the reason sometime in the future I will want a PU. For now its a matter of what serves my needs best most of the time. I am content to use BP for now so that I may take advantage of enclosed storage.
My own Dad had a 2wd PU with a cap. Thats made no sense to me. He said he just didn't like vans. I think alot of people set functionality aside in favor of what is socially cool to drive.
I work for a corporate flight dept. For years they would bring out the luggage and boxes in a PU from the house. I asked many times what sense it makes for the house to own a PU when most jobs they do are suited for a van. I mean, what if its pouring down rain or middle of winter with all the slush and salt spraying up on the stuff. I bugged them about it till they finally broke down and bought a van. Haven't seen the truck since. Its van fobia. So they came one day with a very expensive painting on the Boeing. They put it in the back of a brandy new van. The boss makes a comment on the value of that painting being hauled in a rusty old van. I said to him " what! that was a brand new van!"But to him all vans are broken down rusty heaps that grungy contractors drive. Its van Fobia I tell ya.

 

[Highbeam]

You don't see a lot of 4x4 vans.

 

[two_bit_score]

You don't see a lot of 4x4 vans.

That's van fo-b-ia.

 

[ModMech]

I have towed a lot of stuff, with a lot of different trucks, that does not qualify me as an "expert" however, just opioniated -

My preferred gas engine is the Ford "300-6", unfortunately the EPA killed one of the best all-round TRUCK engines ever to power a pickup (or van).

There is little need for the complexity of the modular Ford Modular OHC V-8s, they are GOOD engines however (4.6/5.4/6.8L).

The pushrod "old school" Dodge engines are good, tried-and-true stuff, but durability is not as good as with the Ford or GM offereings and fuel economy - well there isn't any. They will pull though!

GM, well their products are certainly acceptable and a lot of people really like their new enignes, I don't. I think they use a GREAT computer with lots of fancy sensors and tiny wires to connect it all. I just don't like 'em. Great fuel economy compared to a Dodge in the same power though, not a nice a truck.

Overall, my opinion is that the 5.4L 3V Ford is the "best" all-round gas engine right now. It will never be as good as the "300-6", but it pulls like a big-block but gets a LOT better mileage.

(PS: I freely admit I am a fan of the Blue Oval, that does not mean I do not know that the 12V Dodge Cummins is THE diesel truck to beat for Diesel power or that GM has some great styling. I cannot bring myself to buy a new vehicle from a bailed-out company however).

 

[Raw Dodge]

Overall, my opinion is that the 5.4L 3V Ford is the "best" all-round gas engine right now. It will never be as good as the "300-6", but it pulls like a big-block but gets a LOT better mileage.

(PS: I freely admit I am a fan of the Blue Oval, that does not mean I do not know that the 12V Dodge Cummins is THE diesel truck to beat for Diesel power or that GM has some great styling. I cannot bring myself to buy a new vehicle from a bailed-out company however).

I find your comment bizzare...the 5.4 3V is very behind the competition...It is Fords top option V8 engine.... They are 60+hp behind the GM 6.0 and Dodge 5.7 Hemi offerings,and down on torque as well,with worse fuel economy than both..In fact the 5.4 3v can only match the 5.3 GM pushrod engine for power,even though GMs 5.3 is its fuel economy engine,not its top option powerhouse..Ford is scrambling to get the hurricane 6.2 to market as they do not have a competitive V8 right now.You cant even compare the 5.4 to a Toyota Tundra 5.7 or the Nissans 5.6,they both leave the Ford so far behind in power,that its sad .......Your comment on big block pulling power is actually comical,the 5.4 is barely adequete towing over 6000lbs,esp with enclosed trailers.It does the job,yes,it is a good engine,but it is not powerful,or even close to big block pulling power...

 

[Diamondpilot]

I find your comment bizzare...the 5.4 3V is very behind the competition...It is Fords top option V8 engine.... They are 60+hp behind the GM 6.0 and Dodge 5.7 Hemi offerings,and down on torque as well,with worse fuel economy than both..In fact the 5.4 3v can only match the 5.3 GM pushrod engine for power,even though GMs 5.3 is its fuel economy engine,not its top option powerhouse..Ford is scrambling to get the hurricane 6.2 to market as they do not have a competitive V8 right now.You cant even compare the 5.4 to a Toyota Tundra 5.7 or the Nissans 5.6,they both leave the Ford so far behind in power,that its sad .......Your comment on big block pulling power is actually comical,the 5.4 is barely adequete towing over 6000lbs,esp with enclosed trailers.It does the job,yes,it is a good engine,but it is not powerful,or even close to big block pulling power...

I have to agree 100% wit Raw Dodge on this one and I am a Ford Guy. My current Titan will stomp all over the 2007 F-150 5.4 I traded it on.

The only comment I disagree with is the 5.4L to 5.3L comparison. Yes they both make about the same HP but that means very little in a truck. Torque is what really matters and where it is made at is even more important.

The 5.4L is really more comparable with the 6.0L in the GM line even though it gives up HP. The reason it seems like the 6.0L is such a stronger engine than the Ford 5.4L is 75% or more of the 6.0's came with 4.10 gears while 60% or more of the 5.4L Fords came with 3.55 gears to battle GM in mpg and maybe 30% had 3.73's with only 10% or less of the trucks having 4.10's. I had a F-150 with 4.10's and it was the best F-150 of the 6 I owned. It got 14 mpg no matter what I was doing with it town or highway.

In the end it is a reliable adequate engine but by no way the best gas engine.

Chris

 

[sld]

Too bad Ford didn't try and squeeze the V10 into the half ton.

362 hp and 457 lb ft with a very flat torque curve are hard to beat in todays gas motors. Hard to believe the 457 lb ft out of 415 cubic inches.

I bet the mpg would've been better than the 5.4 in most conditions too.

The 5.4 was a great engine years ago but is only a decent engine by today's standards. Ford has fallen behind a little but numbers aside the 5.4 will get the job done.

 

[Dmace]

Hard to believe the 457 lb ft out of 415 cubic inches.

I bet the mpg would've been better than the 5.4 in most conditions too.

Why is that so hard to believe? 457lb.ft. out of a huge V10 motor. The 5.7l HEMI makes 407lb.ft with only 345 cubic inches and 8 cylinders... (1.18 lb.ft per cu. in vs 1.10 lb.ft per cu. in for the Ford) GM's 6.0l V8 makes 380lb.ft out of 366cu.in. (1.04 lb.ft per cu. in)

 

[RobertN]

If you are talking "old school", GM was the worse I have ever seen. Ford and Dodge's I drove got better mileage.

One of the worse gas mileage vehicles I ever saw was a 350 Chevy in a 1/2 ton 4x4. Even with a stick shift. Had a buddy, tossed his 350, and went for a 454. Lots more power, with not much difference in gas mileage.

In cars and trucks, I always saw better mileage from Chrysler "LA" series engines. And saw a lot of them with tons of miles on them.

The pushrod "old school" Dodge engines are good, tried-and-true stuff, but durability is not as good as with the Ford or GM offereings and fuel e

 

[ModMech]

I find your comment bizzare...the 5.4 3V is very behind the competition...It is Fords top option V8 engine.... They are 60+hp behind the GM 6.0 and Dodge 5.7 Hemi offerings,

HP gets the credit and Tq does the work. The 5.4L is "behind"? Neither the 6.0L or 5.7L enignes have variable cam timing, looks like it's ahead to me. If you buy a pickup for TOWING based only on the PEAK HP ratings, well you aren't the market Ford is after. That must do a lot to explain the sales leadership of the F-150 for the past 30 odd years.

Your comment on big block pulling power is actually comical,the 5.4 is barely adequete towing over 6000lbs,esp with enclosed trailers.It does the job,yes,it is a good engine,but it is not powerful,or even close to big block pulling power...

ROFLMAO! Have you ever pulled 6,000# with a "big block"? Those "big blocks" you think are so powerful made about 260 HP and 340 lb-ft of Tq input at the transmission. No one in 1977 thought that pulling a 6,000# trailer with a 3500 and 454 was "underpowered" and LOTS of people opted for the smaller v-8s because they recognize that they really only need the bigger engine 2 or 3 times per year.

There isn't a 1/2 ton pickup made that doesn't do a BETTER JOB towing than those old 1 tons did, and engine ratings are not a huge factor in that.

BTW, I've pulled 12,000# with 3/4 and 1 ton trucks and a "300-6" safely and for long distances and similar loads with F250 Power Stroke diesels. Both get the job done but one truck costs twice as much as the other.