How is your 4.3L EcoTec3 V6 Engine working out for ya?

Donstar · October 26, 2016

I believe gearing can be a replacement for displacement as the 4.3 with a 3.42 rear-end will out pull a 5.3 with the 3.08. The 4.3 is the smallest of the GM 1500 series engine choices but it is still a powerful engine. It is more powerful than many of the big displacement V8's of the past. If higher ratio rear-ends such as 3.73 or 4.10 were matched to the V6, the power to the rear wheels could render the 5.3 unnecessary. Imagine doing this and adding an 8 spd transmission! For now, if you are pulling an over 7,000 lb.trailer, a 5.3 with with a 3.42 differential is definitely the right choice.

Dnt · October 27, 2016

I wanna know how everyone is getting 20+ mpg with their trucks. I have the 4.3 and the closest I've ever gotten to that is 18 when babying it. Normally I get around 15-16 highway.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I do not drive a 4.3 but was just scanning through the thread. I was curious how well the 4.3 trucks did on fuel mileage. I think the biggest problem with a TRUCK is it like trying to push a Brick through the air no matter what engine it has. Just not a lot of aerodynamic efficiency in the design LOL. I will have to say that I am not too upset with my 6.2 8spd after reading this, it is actually averaging over 20 mpg over its 8500 miles life so far. On a recent rip to Chicago a bit over 400 miles it averaged 25mpg (hand calculated at 24.8mpg so DIC is pretty much dead on) not babying it just driving the speed limit. Big ole 420hp V8 feels like it is just loping along with no strain at all.

KARNUT · October 27, 2016

That's pretty impressive, the only problem is in the south or out west you drive that slow you'd get lots of dirty looks. I usually have an adverage speed of 68 MPH over that distances, stopping every hundred miles at rest areas. Flow of traffic is 78-80 mph, I got 22-23 MPG.

I do not drive a 4.3 but was just scanning through the thread. I was curious how well the 4.3 trucks did on fuel mileage. I think the biggest problem with a TRUCK is it like trying to push a Brick through the air no matter what engine it has. Just not a lot of aerodynamic efficiency in the design LOL. I will have to say that I am not too upset with my 6.2 8spd after reading this, it is actually averaging over 20 mpg over its 8500 miles life so far. On a recent rip to Chicago a bit over 400 miles it averaged 25mpg (hand calculated at 24.8mpg so DIC is pretty much dead on) not babying it just driving the speed limit. Big ole 420hp V8 feels like it is just loping along with no strain at all.

Dnt · October 27, 2016

That's pretty impressive, the only problem is in the south or out west you drive that slow you'd get lots of dirty looks. I usually have an adverage speed of 68 MPH over that distances, stopping every hundred miles at rest areas. Flow of traffic is 78-80 mph, I got 22-23 MPG.

I do not drive a 4.3 but was just scanning through the thread. I was curious how well the 4.3 trucks did on fuel mileage. I think the biggest problem with a TRUCK is it like trying to push a Brick through the air no matter what engine it has. Just not a lot of aerodynamic efficiency in the design LOL. I will have to say that I am not too upset with my 6.2 8spd after reading this, it is actually averaging over 20 mpg over its 8500 miles life so far. On a recent rip to Chicago a bit over 400 miles it averaged 25mpg (hand calculated at 24.8mpg so DIC is pretty much dead on) not babying it just driving the speed limit. Big ole 420hp V8 feels like it is just loping along with no strain at all.

Well I cheated a bit on the trip up I took 231 from Nashville to Chicago lots of small town with red lights and max speed was 60mph with some 35mph areas LOL. Came back down I65 and ran it hard hit the speed limiter about 6 times and then set in Louisville traffic for over an hour nearly dead stop and still got over 23mpg. The Denali dash calculates total average from all stops / idling believe me no one much passed me on the 470 mile trip back LOL

Edited October 27, 2016 by MyFavTruck

Imcrazy · October 27, 2016

I believe gearing can be a replacement for displacement as the 4.3 with a 3.42 rear-end will out pull a 5.3 with the 3.08. The 4.3 is the smallest of the GM 1500 series engine choices but it is still a powerful engine. It is more powerful than many of the big displacement V8's of the past. If higher ratio rear-ends such as 3.73 or 4.10 were matched to the V6, the power to the rear wheels could render the 5.3 unnecessary. Imagine doing this and adding an 8 spd transmission! For now, if you are pulling an over 7,000 lb.trailer, a 5.3 with with a 3.42 differential is definitely the right choice.

Why though? V8 gets the same MPG as the V6? Unless it was just a cost thing. I will give you that you have a slight advantage to have the 4.3 w/ a 3.42 over the 5.3 with a 3.08. Even if you change the rear end, horse power and torque are still needed to do a certain amount of work, trucks of years gone by did have less HP but, they weighed less too. Don't get me wrong, I rarely felt like the 4.3 let me down and when it did it was only a minor let down, it's a heck of a good motor, beats the crap out of the 4.8 from the previous gen, I just feel like it should throw down more MPG's or cost less to make it a great value having owned both, I would prefer the V8 and I'd really like to have a 6.2 so put me in the if some HP is good more is better camp but, I just bought a malibu for the wife and got the little 1.5L turbo gas sipper because it gets 5mpg more and uses 87 where as the next choice up wanted 91 octane which is too rich for my pocket book.

Donstar · October 27, 2016

Why though? V8 gets the same MPG as the V6? Unless it was just a cost thing. I will give you that you have a slight advantage to have the 4.3 w/ a 3.42 over the 5.3 with a 3.08. Even if you change the rear end, horse power and torque are still needed to do a certain amount of work, trucks of years gone by did have less HP but, they weighed less too. Don't get me wrong, I rarely felt like the 4.3 let me down and when it did it was only a minor let down, it's a heck of a good motor, beats the crap out of the 4.8 from the previous gen, I just feel like it should throw down more MPG's or cost less to make it a great value having owned both, I would prefer the V8 and I'd really like to have a 6.2 so put me in the if some HP is good more is better camp but, I just bought a malibu for the wife and got the little 1.5L turbo gas sipper because it gets 5mpg more and uses 87 where as the next choice up wanted 91 octane which is too rich for my pocket book.

Well stated! I really like all three of the current engine choices. I know that a lot of what we often attribute to engine size can be achieved through gear ratios in the differential and/or transmission hence my previous comments. I find the 4.3 to be a powerful engine. My truck is fun to drive and I never experience a lack of power. I know the 5.3 and 6.2 are more powerful but would not enhance my appreciation of my truck.

KARNUT · October 27, 2016

Unlike getting the 6.2 you can get the 5.3 across the board with very little upgrade cost. Then you factor in the added HP can go up to 380 on e-85 it's a no brainier. I have nothing against V6s I have two with 300HP in cars even one high performance 4cylinder, there is nothing like the sound of a V8.

Donstar · October 27, 2016

Unlike getting the 6.2 you can get the 5.3 across the board with very little upgrade cost. Then you factor in the added HP can go up to 380 on e-85 it's a no brainier. I have nothing against V6s I have two with 300HP in cars even one high performance 4cylinder, there is nothing like the sound of a V8.

When I was looking for a new truck in 2015, the trucks with the features i wanted appeared more often with a 4.3. The trucks that had the 5.3 were either too plain or two dressed up for my taste and budget. The real cost difference for trucks on the lot was not $1,000. I either had to pay for unwanted trim or sacrifice other features to get a V8 for the price I was willing to pay. If the situation was such that I found two identical trucks except for the engine, with a $1000 difference in sticker price, I would have hesitated for a minute and picked the 4.3. I am also aware that dealers are/were more anxious to negotiate on their V6's. My experiences are such that I went through decades with trucks pumping out between 100 to 200 hp. My 81 and 85 Supercabs, for example, had longer wheel bases than my current 2015 cc std. bed. They pumped out approximately half of the horsepower yet they took my family on long road trips and pulled or carried many heavy loads. To me, a 285 hp engine was a no brainer! If I was in a position to be regularly hauling loads beyond the limits of the base engine, I would upgrade to the 2500/3500 series.

KARNUT · October 27, 2016

When I was looking for a new truck in 2015, the trucks with the features i wanted appeared more often with a 4.3. The trucks that had the 5.3 were either too plain or two dressed up for my taste and budget. The real cost difference for trucks on the lot was not $1,000. I either had to pay for unwanted trim or sacrifice other features to get a V8 for the price I was willing to pay. If the situation was such that I found two identical trucks except for the engine, with a $1000 difference in sticker price, I would have hesitated for a minute and picked the 4.3. I am also aware that dealers are/were more anxious to negotiate on their V6's. My experiences are such that I went through decades with trucks pumping out between 100 to 200 hp. My 81 and 85 Supercabs, for example, had longer wheel bases than my current 2015 cc std. bed. They pumped out approximately half of the horsepower yet they took my family on long road trips and pulled or carried many heavy loads. To me, a 285 hp engine was a no brainer! If I was in a position to be regularly hauling loads beyond the limits of the base engine, I would upgrade to the 2500/3500 series.

When I bought my 14 Texas package it was loaded for 27K, the V6 was 1K less same package. The truck I had before that was a 5.3 with 285HP so the 6 would have been fine. But the sound with exhaust and 380 HP on E-85 no real advantage with gas mileage, no brainier.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

TeddyB · October 24, 2018

I know a lil late... but......Well I got my 2014 Silverado 4.3 v6 standard cab...in 2015. Solid Truck! only 3 things that get to me sometimes about it.... 1st 13MPG city 18-20 hwy. 18 at 70 and 55mph I get 20 ..2nd Idles rough period after 1st week owning it... 3rd AC has mind of its own sometimes .. wont turn on for 1-5 min after starting, sometimes or just turns off.. says it on??? Nothing blowing no compressor kicking on either so? Told from dealership even after 1st oil change 5k I needed injec- cleaned.. a NEW truck needs a service like that?? wth! They just idle like that!... ac can't find the problem. for power an mpg.. guess I should have spent 5k more for the 5.3? and got a back seat/4 door... anyone ever get better mpg ????? Out of town with a rented 2018 5.3 umm 17 city O.o???? not sure highway yet........

Grumpy Bear · October 24, 2018

80,000 and love the 4.3.

Camaro45th · November 5, 2018

I have 21xxx on my 16’ and it’s been great. Love using e85 $1.75 a gallon is great!!!

Grumpy Bear · November 5, 2018

On ‎10‎/‎10‎/‎2016 at 6:50 PM, sierraguy2015 said:

I wanna know how everyone is getting 20+ mpg with their trucks. I have the 4.3 and the closest I've ever gotten to that is 18 when babying it. Normally I get around 15-16 highway.

27.1 mpg us gallons life time average over 82,000 miles.

On ‎10‎/‎10‎/‎2016 at 7:30 PM, azsundevil said:

Yep, that's spot-on for me with my 4.3L. I think a lot of people who brag about high MPG are being a little dishonest with themselves and maybe not telling the whole story. When I calculate my MPG by hand, I usually get around 18 if I've been driving economically, and I've seen as low as 14-15 if I've been driving REALLY aggressively (I live in Socal, our freeways are a free-for-all deathmatch).

I don't know how this could be dishonest. I drive. I fill. Use my Odometer and pump numbers and divide. Calibrated speedo and O'meter. Unless all these gas stations in Illinois/Iowa/Wisconsin are all double pumping! I drive 55 mph as a rule. It's one thing to get 27 for 25 miles or a tank. Quite another to average that for 82K and counting.

mmrbad · November 5, 2018

Bought a 2017, built in Sept 2016 , 4.3 2wd short bed Silverado 1500 WT from my neighbor recently for a heck of a deal. Was kind of leary about having another gas sucking full size truck as I am a notorious tightwad with my money. But I really needed a stout truck to haul lumber and trailer loads of farm stuff and couldn't pass up such a deal on a 16,000 mile truck for $15,000. After having it for 3 months I am really impressed with the fuel economy. Hand calculated MPG, always filled to overflowing, has been 22 MPG+ so far. I have NEVER had a truck with a V6 or V8 that got that kind of mileage. My 1998 Dodge Dakota single cab short bed with a 3.9 V6 Never got more than 20 MPG. And I drove it for 18 yrs before giving it to My daughter, Who complains about the terrible gas mileage. Power has never been an issue as I have never had a full size truck with 285 HP. It seems more powerful than a 1982 454 3/4 ton I had years ago. And It would not get 15 MPG down hill !! Keep it up Chevy, You're on the right track !!

Donstar · November 5, 2018

2 hours ago, mmrbad said:

Bought a 2017, built in Sept 2016 , 4.3 2wd short bed Silverado 1500 WT from my neighbor recently for a heck of a deal. Was kind of leary about having another gas sucking full size truck as I am a notorious tightwad with my money. But I really needed a stout truck to haul lumber and trailer loads of farm stuff and couldn't pass up such a deal on a 16,000 mile truck for $15,000. After having it for 3 months I am really impressed with the fuel economy. Hand calculated MPG, always filled to overflowing, has been 22 MPG+ so far. I have NEVER had a truck with a V6 or V8 that got that kind of mileage. My 1998 Dodge Dakota single cab short bed with a 3.9 V6 Never got more than 20 MPG. And I drove it for 18 yrs before giving it to My daughter, Who complains about the terrible gas mileage. Power has never been an issue as I have never had a full size truck with 285 HP. It seems more powerful than a 1982 454 3/4 ton I had years ago. And It would not get 15 MPG down hill !! Keep it up Chevy, You're on the right track !!

Your observations are spot-on! Those of us who loved our gas guzzling sub 200 hp full sized pickups of yesteryear can really appreciate these ecotec v6's.