Impressions on the 4.3L V6

[Inacanyon]

Not a bad choice

 

Edited April 10, 2014 by disc0monkey

[GPGuy]

These are some pretty insane fuel econ numbers....what sort of driving are you guys doing? Are you being really light on the pedal?

[PickUPS]

 

I'm still not sure if I made the right choice in getting the V6. Great MPG numbers are very producible, but the real-world numbers are much lower. Mine is not near broken-in yet. I got 28.4 mpg by driving rural roads, 40-45mph, coasting in neutral on the descents.

 

On the highway at 68mph I got 23mpg. My truck won't go into V4 in top gear unless it is going down a hill.

 

It is still too soon for me to know for sure, but if I had it to do over again I might choose the V8 instead. I was forced to special-order, to get a nicely optioned V6. There are lots of V8s built up like I would have wanted. I chose the V6 for better mpgs and the V8 may be just as good as the V6 at real highway speeds.

 

Something else about the V6: The Range V4Max chip is not offered for the 4.3 liter, only for V8s. If we could force this 6 into V4 more, the numbers would be even better. It should be possible, as the V6 actually has more displacement at work in V4 mode than the 5.3l and it is pushing less dead weight in deactivated cylinders.

 

Again, my truck has only 300 miles total. Any of my judgments are premature at this early stage in ownership. I can say that there is no disappointment in performance. The gas pedal felt strange at first, coming from a 2004 V8 Silverado, but that is because the 2014s have long-throw pedal action that permits the fine control needed to tease out great economy. You get used to the throttle action very quickly and realize that there is plenty of power on tap.

[Inacanyon]

There is laziness programmed into the pedal of all these '14s for sure. Definitely wait until 1500 miles to judge the v4 activation.

I would not mess with the V4 mode strategy as GM has done their homework with that. Who knows if it is durability reasons like the first gen cylinder deactivation.

 

The 25mi pic i posted is NOT real world, just good to see. Although, the 50mi pic i posted on page three is real world. I can easily get 22mpg will driving mixed but have gotten as low as 18.5 on a tank when some aggressive driving was needed, and when all highway its 23.5. I will say when im on the highway it's cruise control all the time on the highway from 40mph roads to 65-70 mph on major highways..

Edited April 14, 2014 by disc0monkey

[Todd66]

I'm definitely not sure how you guys are getting that mileage either ... I just broke the 1200 mile mark on my v6 reg. cab 2wheel dr. sierra and am sporting a 20.4 MPG (which I'm happy with coming from a V8 FX4 4 wheel drive that avg.d 11MPG around town) it is a mix of driving 33% each around town, 33% rural 45MPH stuff and the rest interstate...some is with A/C some is not...I use cruise control when ever possible and I'm definitely not a lead foot, being nice with the new baby...and this is only if the computer is calibrated correctly

Edited April 14, 2014 by Todd66

[Inacanyon]

I'm definitely not sure how you guys are getting that mileage either ... I just broke the 1200 mile mark on my v6 reg. cab 2wheel dr. sierra and am sporting a 20.4 MPG (which I'm happy with coming from a V8 FX4 4 wheel drive that avg.d 11MPG around town) it is a mix of driving 33% each around town, 33% rural 45MPH stuff and the rest interstate...some is with A/C some is not...I use cruise control when ever possible and I'm definitely not a lead foot, being nice with the new baby...and this is only if the computer is calibrated correctly

 

IMHO at 1200 miles it needs a few wide open throttle pulls.

Edited April 14, 2014 by disc0monkey

[fondupot]

I'm still not sure if I made the right choice in getting the V6. Great MPG numbers are very producible, but the real-world numbers are much lower. Mine is not near broken-in yet. I got 28.4 mpg by driving rural roads, 40-45mph, coasting in neutral on the descents. Coasting in neutral actually reduces fuel economy. The DI engines have a fuel shut off feature, when you are coasting Drive, it shuts off fuel to save mileage, the momentum of the truck is driving the motor. When you shift into neutral, it has to apply fuel to keep the motor running.

 

On the highway at 68mph I got 23mpg. My truck won't go into V4 in top gear unless it is going down a hill. Those are good numbers. I don't think it matters if it goes into V4 or not if you are getting those types of mileage figures.

 

It is still too soon for me to know for sure, but if I had it to do over again I might choose the V8 instead. I was forced to special-order, to get a nicely optioned V6. There are lots of V8s built up like I would have wanted. I chose the V6 for better mpgs and the V8 may be just as good as the V6 at real highway speeds. Could be, but if you arent hauling or towing. No need for the V8. Once you get it broken in more, the mileage will get better.

 

Something else about the V6: The Range V4Max chip is not offered for the 4.3 liter, only for V8s. If we could force this 6 into V4 more, the numbers would be even better. It should be possible, as the V6 actually has more displacement at work in V4 mode than the 5.3l and it is pushing less dead weight in deactivated cylinders. Send an email to Range, tell them you want it. I'm sure they are working on it.

 

Again, my truck has only 300 miles total. Any of my judgments are premature at this early stage in ownership. I can say that there is no disappointment in performance. The gas pedal felt strange at first, coming from a 2004 V8 Silverado, but that is because the 2014s have long-throw pedal action that permits the fine control needed to tease out great economy. You get used to the throttle action very quickly and realize that there is plenty of power on tap.

[PickUPS]

Coasting in neutral actually reduces fuel economy. The DI engines have a fuel shut off feature, when you are coasting Drive, it shuts off fuel to save mileage, the momentum of the truck is driving the motor. When you shift into neutral, it has to apply fuel to keep the motor running.

 

There are times when leaving it in drive makes sense, but when there is an opportunity to coast for long distances @ a displayed 99mpg I will do it. The alternative is being forced to push the accelerator. The 2014 6-speed will not coast for long distances.

 

Much of the time I like how the trans back-drives the engine. It makes the truck easier to drive in town. Also like the fact that the engine is using zero fuel, injectors off while coasting in D. Using that momentum to slow the truck down and keep the engine ticking over also saves brake wear. It is all good.

 

For longer descents where preserving momentum is desired, N-coasting is very effective imo. The fuel needed to keep the engine idling is well spent if you can maintain or increase your speed by force of gravity.

 

 

 

Something else about the V6: The Range V4Max chip is not offered for the 4.3 liter, only for V8s. If we could force this 6 into V4 more, the numbers would be even better. It should be possible, as the V6 actually has more displacement at work in V4 mode than the 5.3l and it is pushing less dead weight in deactivated cylinders. Send an email to Range, tell them you want it. I'm sure they are working on it.

 

Done and done.

[Sierra Sik]

Give that motor time to break in.I only have 700 mi on my 4.3L but already am noticing it going into v-4 more easily. My best 25mi avg is only 31mpg .That was on the highway at 55-60 while breaking in. Oh ya that little six is good for 50 ft of dbl rubber patch from a stop !

[GPGuy]

Thanks for all of the great replies guys! Very helpful to read some first hand impressions.

[Stars_Fan]

There is laziness programmed into the pedal of all these '14s for sure. Definitely wait until 1500 miles to judge the v4 activation.

I would not mess with the V4 mode strategy as GM has done their homework with that. Who knows if it is durability reasons like the first gen cylinder deactivation.

 

The 25mi pic i posted is NOT real world, just good to see. Although, the 50mi pic i posted on page three is real world. I can easily get 22mpg will driving mixed but have gotten as low as 18.5 on a tank when some aggressive driving was needed, and when all highway its 23.5. I will say when im on the highway it's cruise control all the time on the highway from 40mph roads to 65-70 mph on major highways..

 

Does your truck have the power adjustable pedals? It's amazing the difference in pedal feel when mine is extended all the way up.

[grayrock8]

OP wanted impressions from V-6 owners- Mine has 3937 miles. I bought the V-6 for economy- I tow/haul very seldom. It has plenty of power for me. The pedal feel is strange coming from an F-150. My only point of contention is the "sound". The motor sounds like a weedeater. I think GM should have put a bit more "growl" into it for a truck. I had a 4.3 V-6 in a boat and it had a great sound. That was sort of what I was basing my expectations off of when I started thinking V-6. (I know- boats don't have the same exhaust requirements trucks do, but ...)

[BillsLT]

New here and just wanted to share my thoughts in my v6 LT 4X4, I have had it for less than a week and to be honest when i test drove it it felt like a small v8 (not downing the v8 guys) i didn't realize till my wife read the sticker as we were test driving it.

 

Now a little background i had a 2012 dodge challenger RT hemi and it had all the torque you could ask for and then some stock was 13.6 in the 1/4 at beech bend raceway in ky, as i said it feels good plenty of getup and go for a four wheel drive v6 .

I thought i would miss the rumble and scat of the hemi terribly but not so far. Truck runs great and has exactly the equipment i wanted and nothing else.Looking forward to starting mods soon.

 

Regards

[GPGuy]

Thanks for your post of your impressions William! And welcome to the forum!

[Imcrazy]

I have about 7500 miles on my Sierra Double Cab SLE 4x4 w/ the 4.3L V6. I've never owned a truck before but, the V6 is pleanty strong for me, my buddy had a 2012 Silverado with a 4.8 V8 and it was more of a dog than my V6 is. I think the 6 speed transmission helps quite a bit. I didn't get the V6 for fuel economy, just got it because it was less $$ on the purchase price, I'd rather have a 5.3 but, I don't tow much and rarely haul a heavy load, mostly I run around with some plywood or lumber for home projects or use the bed as a big @ss trunk. IMO it was a bad marketing strategy to keep the displacement the same on the new V6, too many people thing of the dog 4.3V6 that came in previous work trucks and dismiss the motor before getting the real scoop on it. GM shoulda made it a 4.6 or something. I don't know what the engineering implications of that marketing plan would be though. Either way my V6 is doing the job for me like others said it beats the 4.8 V8 it replaced in the lineup.

Edited May 16, 2014 by Imcrazy