4.3 V6 gone in 2019?

Donstar · January 25, 2018

41 minutes ago, Gagliano7 said:

TO me the 4.3 is a waste in the full size truck. In the real world the 5.3 does just as good or better mpg and the power in 4.3 doesn't compare to the 5.3 . Plus the dealers by me can't sell them and if you do buy one good luck with resale. I wish they would make a 4.8 turbo. I bet they would sell like crazy. You would get great mpg plus have great towing and would be easy to add power later.

What engine do you have in your 92? Your opinion about the 4.3 is not uncommon. I personally think keeping a 6 cyl. gas in the lineup is a sound idea. I intentionally chose a 4.3 over the 5.3 with my last purchase and wouldn't hesitate buying a new truck with the same power train. My V6 is more economical than the V8 (albeit small) and it can pull 1K more than the base 5.3 with the 3.08. Yes the 5.3 has more horsepower than the 4.3 and the 6.2 has more power than the 5.3. There are many features I'd rather have than adding hp to an already powerful truck.

Gagliano7 · January 25, 2018

33 minutes ago, Donstar said:

What engine do you have in your 92? Your opinion about the 4.3 is not uncommon. I personally think keeping a 6 cyl. gas in the lineup is a sound idea. I intentionally chose a 4.3 over the 5.3 with my last purchase and wouldn't hesitate buying a new truck with the same power train. My V6 is more economical than the V8 (albeit small) and it can pull 1K more than the base 5.3 with the 3.08. Yes the 5.3 has more horsepower than the 4.3 and the 6.2 has more power than the 5.3. There are many features I'd rather have than adding hp to an already powerful truck.

I have a 2004 5.3 with heads and a cam in my 92.

pickmeup · January 25, 2018

Seems like I read somewhere the v-6 is only going to be offered to fleet sales . Also 6 speed tranny gone except for fleet sales . But article also is speculation....not GM factual.

aseibel · January 25, 2018

I agree with the v6 for fleet sales, but for the average consumer buying these trucks, v8 and 4x4 are the only way to go.

I would have bet money that my dealer does not even have a single v6 or 2wd truck on the lot. But I just searched their inventory and found they they actually have 2 trucks out of 100 with the v6. Not a single 2wd in inventory. They sell a lot of trucks.

If the small motors don't sell, no point in advertising them to the public.

Donstar · January 25, 2018

54 minutes ago, Gagliano7 said:

I have a 2004 5.3 with heads and a cam in my 92.

Sounds like you have a powerful setup! A lot of changes in the stock 5.3 and 4.3 since then. I think it is another marketing strategy to keep the displacement #'s the same for over a decade. I know there was negligible difference in power between my '09 Sierra 5.3 and my '15 Sierra 4.3.

Donstar · January 25, 2018

4 minutes ago, aseibel said:

I agree with the v6 for fleet sales, but for the average consumer buying these trucks, v8 and 4x4 are the only way to go.

I would have bet money that my dealer does not even have a single v6 or 2wd truck on the lot. But I just searched their inventory and found they they actually have 2 trucks out of 100 with the v6. Not a single 2wd in inventory. They sell a lot of trucks.

If the small motors don't sell, no point in advertising them to the public.

Chances are I'd buy the V8 if there were no properly equipped V6's available. I switched to automatic transmissions for the same reason! The mantra that trucks need V8's is being adopted by the marketing people at GM. My V6 4X4 CC standard bed is not lacking in any respect. I have ample power and have never came across a situation where a higher hp number would have improved the outcome.

Grumpy Bear · January 25, 2018

3 hours ago, Donstar said:

Chances are I'd buy the V8 if there were no properly equipped V6's available. I switched to automatic transmissions for the same reason! The mantra that trucks need V8's is being adopted by the marketing people at GM. My V6 4X4 CC standard bed is not lacking in any respect. I have ample power and have never came across a situation where a higher hp number would have improved the outcome.

It deserved more than a like. Thank you Donstar!!! There is hope here yet.

KARNUT · January 26, 2018

I still have a hot V8. I also own two 4cylinder cars that are faster to 60 than a 74 SS Nova I owned. I own a V6 car that’s faster than my 06 Trailblazer SS I owned to name a few. I coulda had a V8 doesn’t mean what it use to.

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Imcrazy · January 26, 2018

4 hours ago, Donstar said:

Chances are I'd buy the V8 if there were no properly equipped V6's available. I switched to automatic transmissions for the same reason! The mantra that trucks need V8's is being adopted by the marketing people at GM. My V6 4X4 CC standard bed is not lacking in any respect. I have ample power and have never came across a situation where a higher hp number would have improved the outcome.

Unloaded, flatland non highway I would say the same about my 2014 4.3 that I traded in a couple years ago but, there were times with a trailer in tow, or uphill or getting on the highway that the 4.3 left me wanting more omph... On the 55mph backroads etc, I can barely tell a difference in how the two trucks moved, they also got identical MPG unloaded without a trailer... 4.3 is no doubt a very capable motor, I could make the same argument for dropping the 5.3 V8, if they could make a hopped up v6 that pushed the power like a v8 I would buy one, as long as it wasn't a turbo... The plethora of engine choices just doesn't make a ton of sense to me... I see three motors making sense: 1) base motor 5.3, 2) Upgrade motor for (you know what) measuring contests 6.2 3) Diesel motor for people who tow more often than average but, don't need a 2500HD... By doing this GM can drop the 4.3 from the line up thus eliminating the overhead for making the 4th motor and can line their pockets with more dollars which after all as a for profit organization should be one of their top goals... If macho guys like me could get past having a v6 vs a v8 you could make the base motor a 3.6 or 4.3, I prefer the former but, we all know GM won't have their only v8 available be the 6.2 sucking down high test fuel...

Edited January 26, 2018 by Imcrazy

Gagliano7 · January 26, 2018

18 hours ago, Donstar said:

Sounds like you have a powerful setup! A lot of changes in the stock 5.3 and 4.3 since then. I think it is another marketing strategy to keep the displacement #'s the same for over a decade. I know there was negligible difference in power between my '09 Sierra 5.3 and my '15 Sierra 4.3.

My friend had a 09 and traded it in for a 2016 last year both 5.3's and he says the 09 felt like it had more power.

Donstar · January 26, 2018

8 minutes ago, Gagliano7 said:

My friend had a 09 and traded it in for a 2016 last year both 5.3's and he says the 09 felt like it had more power.

There are so many influences that go into the "feeling" of horse power. For the most part it is quite subjective. Your friend will notice fewer trips to fill-up!

Grumpy Bear · January 26, 2018

Look up the towing capacities of the various Silverado 1500 platforms and motor combinations and you will get a shocker.

This truck isn't motor limited with any motor. In fact the RCSB 4X4 with the 4.3 is the tow king at 7600 lbs. The CCSB 6.2 4X4 2LZ is but 6100 lbs. All other 6.2's and 5.3's have a lower tow rating than the RCSB 4.3 4X4. In fact the RCSB 4.3 2WD and 5.3 4X4 CC long or short is only 7100 lbs. The 2WD 4.3 has a capacity equal to the larger motor 4WDs.

The exception is the 6.2 CC long or short High Country. It's higher at 9,400 lbs.

So kids the tow capacity is about the chassis and gearing not the motor. I think I said in another post that you could pull Mt. Everest with a 90hp 216 cid 1950 RCSB with the right gear.

Seems GM has set the limit with the chassis first, gearing second and motor last in order. What horsepower buys you is SPEED. Not how much I can tow up a mountain but how fast I can tow it. If that sort of thing is important to you.

Edited January 26, 2018 by Grumpy Bear

Gagliano7 · January 26, 2018

1 hour ago, Donstar said:

There are so many influences that go into the "feeling" of horse power. For the most part it is quite subjective. Your friend will notice fewer trips to fill-up!

They are about the same mpg and the old one would smoke the tires from a stop while the new one even with a diablo tune doesn't do the same.

Donstar · January 26, 2018

HP is a number that creeps up for marketing reasons. It is a tool consumers can use to measure/compare vehicles. In the 60's finding a vehicle with 300+ HP was not difficult. The energy crises of the 70's saw a dramatic reduction in this number and we all learned what manufacturers can do to sell trucks putting out 100+ HP. A decade or two later this number climbed up to 200+ and now we're saying 300+ hp is what we need. As Grumpy Bear suggests chassis and gearing (differential/transmission) determine the strength of a truck. You can "break loose", haul your family trailer and get speeding tickets with 150 HP and 350 HP.