4.3 vs 5.3

Brian S. · April 11, 2017

The stigma of driving a gas 6 cylinder in a 'man' truck is enough to put many off.

What a girly-boy motor. (Said in my best Arnold)

You could be right.

When I had that 4.3 I made sure to be wearing my Levis Button Fly jeans, roll up my sleeves on my Duck Dynasty t-shirt, put a pack of Camel straights in the breast pocket, and wear a DeWalt cap.

I wore some Dockers and a Polo once and got ambushed in the parking lot at Gander Mountain. As they were kicking me on the ground, I heard one of my assailants mutter, "This truck aint right! Don't sound like no truck! Its a dang UFO and this here's a ALIEN!"

KARNUT · April 11, 2017

You could be right.

When I had that 4.3 I made sure to be wearing my Levis Button Fly jeans, roll up my sleeves on my Duck Dynasty t-shirt, put a pack of Camel straights in the breast pocket, and wear a DeWalt cap.

I wore some Dockers and a Polo once and got ambushed in the parking lot at Gander Mountain. As they were kicking me on the ground, I heard one of my assailants mutter, "This truck aint right! Don't sound like no truck! Its a dang UFO and this here's a ALIEN!"

You forgot the pit bull.[emoji106]

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Brian S. · April 11, 2017

You forgot the pit bull.[emoji106]

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Heh, I have a cabin on a slough and spend a lot of time in swamps fishin' and huntin', so I'm not exactly genteel myself.

I do think there's something to the "manly men" don't drive 6 cylinder trucks perception, I grew up in the 70s and got a dose myself. Was a stretch for me to buy the 4.3l but it proved itself to me.

KARNUT · April 11, 2017

Heh, I have a cabin on a slough and spend a lot of time in swamps fishin' and huntin', so I'm not exactly genteel myself.

I do think there's something to the "manly men" don't drive 6 cylinder trucks perception, I grew up in the 70s and got a dose myself. Was a stretch for me to buy the 4.3l but it proved itself to me.

My first truck was a Toyota Hylux p/u, my second was a 70 Ford 240 six three on the tree, I later put in a 289, sounded better no increase in power. My dad had a large construction co. in NJ, you can imagine how I got teased over those. The wife got to drive the hot rods, of course I got it for that too.

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Knightfall · April 17, 2017

The stigma of driving a gas 6 cylinder in a 'man' truck is enough to put many off.

What a girly-boy motor. (Said in my best Arnold)

This may be true, but if anyone REALLY drives out to the sticks, I'm talking hours from an interstate or mall, where anyone who acts like some big country bo because it's what's in now since Duck Dynasty and modern commercial country music and all those other contributors to posing have come about, and you pull into a gas station with a sign from 1978 and nothing for sale but fatback, mountain dew, the cheapest brands of smokeless tobacco and Busch is in the premium beer section, and you look who pulls in, I gurantee that the majority of the trucks gassing up will be two wheel drive V6's or I6's with mud grips on the rear wheels only, complete with straight pipes from when the exhaust fell off in 1997 and a dog who never leaves the shotgun seat. Growing up I saw more 4.3 Chevy's, 4.2 and 4.9 Ford's and 3.9 Dodges than any other kind of truck, and countless 4 cylinder quarter-tons. It was all we needed and they lasted plenty long. The image of what a truck is and what it supposedly has to have for "real work" or someones ego is alot different, contrary to popular belief, in suburban USA than in the hills and hollers that everyone is trying to claim their from.

I'm not downplaying how cool modern engine technology is, I'm simply making a statement that "real rednecks", whatever that is, usually don't half-live out of a Denali for 20 years. A truck is something to depend on, not much else.

KARNUT · April 17, 2017

In the 70s it's was 302s and 350s mostly a few 6s. end of 70s - 80s a few 4cylinders for gas mileage. I had a 460 for one month 8 miles per gallon wouldn't cut it. Traded it for a Mazda pickup. The few red necks I new in NJ in the 70s were pretty handy, they all seemed to have junk yards. Mostly drove old fords with big caddy engines in them.

Brian S. · April 17, 2017

This may be true, but if anyone REALLY drives out to the sticks, I'm talking hours from an interstate or mall, where anyone who acts like some big country bo because it's what's in now since Duck Dynasty and modern commercial country music and all those other contributors to posing have come about, and you pull into a gas station with a sign from 1978 and nothing for sale but fatback, mountain dew, the cheapest brands of smokeless tobacco and Busch is in the premium beer section, and you look who pulls in, I gurantee that the majority of the trucks gassing up will be two wheel drive V6's or I6's with mud grips on the rear wheels only, complete with straight pipes from when the exhaust fell off in 1997 and a dog who never leaves the shotgun seat. Growing up I saw more 4.3 Chevy's, 4.2 and 4.9 Ford's and 3.9 Dodges than any other kind of truck, and countless 4 cylinder quarter-tons. It was all we needed and they lasted plenty long. The image of what a truck is and what it supposedly has to have for "real work" or someones ego is alot different, contrary to popular belief, in suburban USA than in the hills and hollers that everyone is trying to claim their from.

I'm not downplaying how cool modern engine technology is, I'm simply making a statement that "real rednecks", whatever that is, usually don't half-live out of a Denali for 20 years. A truck is something to depend on, not much else.

You mean fake leather seats and heated steering wheels are NOT the primary concern of most country folk?!?!

What the heck is wrong with those barbarians?!?!

It's somewhat amazing to me to see pickup trucks discussed like mini vans as well:

"You've GOT to have the 8" video screen with individual surround on the back of the headrests Trent! How will the children watch Youtube en route?!"

My first concern has always been fitting my sporting gear.

Grumpy Bear · April 17, 2017

This may be true, but if anyone REALLY drives out to the sticks, I'm talking hours from an interstate or mall, where anyone who acts like some big country bo because it's what's in now since Duck Dynasty and modern commercial country music and all those other contributors to posing have come about, and you pull into a gas station with a sign from 1978 and nothing for sale but fatback, mountain dew, the cheapest brands of smokeless tobacco and Busch is in the premium beer section, and you look who pulls in, I gurantee that the majority of the trucks gassing up will be two wheel drive V6's or I6's with mud grips on the rear wheels only, complete with straight pipes from when the exhaust fell off in 1997 and a dog who never leaves the shotgun seat. Growing up I saw more 4.3 Chevy's, 4.2 and 4.9 Ford's and 3.9 Dodges than any other kind of truck, and countless 4 cylinder quarter-tons. It was all we needed and they lasted plenty long. The image of what a truck is and what it supposedly has to have for "real work" or someones ego is alot different, contrary to popular belief, in suburban USA than in the hills and hollers that everyone is trying to claim their from.

I'm not downplaying how cool modern engine technology is, I'm simply making a statement that "real rednecks", whatever that is, usually don't half-live out of a Denali for 20 years. A truck is something to depend on, not much else.

So this dog will hunt eh?

jefferoonie · November 18, 2019

On 3/27/2017 at 12:38 PM, Brian S. said:

I don't have a 4.3l, I'm on my second 5.3l.

I just jump into these threads because I had a 4.3l and for towing my ~3000lb fishing boat, and doing the outdoor sports related hauling I do, it worked great.

I paid less in insurance, less for gas, and think I paid less for the truck because demand is soft on 4.3s. (I think I paid around $30K for a LT2 Z71 4wd Xcab and the list was $42 or $43).

It drove and towed about the same as the 2010 5.3l I traded in on it. (and when I traded the 4.3 in they only knocked $1k off my negotiated trade in price off it when they pulled it up on the computer and found out is was a 4.3l)

The 4.3s are far under rated on truck forums. Just because this gen of trucks came out with more hp/torque doesn't mean the hp/torque most of us had for decades doesn't work any longer.

Yeah, I know this thread is old, but I couldn't resist. It was fun to watch.

I have a 2019 Silverado, with the 4.3l. Compared to my 2002, with the 5.3l, it's not a slug. Then again we're talking a 17 year difference. The HP and Torque rating are pretty much the same between my two trucks. I'm willing to bet if you were happy with the 5.3l in an early 2000s Silverado, you'd be fine with the recent 4.3l.

The only thing I really noticed is that the idle on the 4.3 is rougher than the 5.3. The 2002 was smoooooooooooth, even when it has over 200k miles on it.

YukonXL04 · November 20, 2019

On 11/18/2019 at 9:33 AM, jefferoonie said:

Yeah, I know this thread is old, but I couldn't resist. It was fun to watch.

I have a 2019 Silverado, with the 4.3l. Compared to my 2002, with the 5.3l, it's not a slug. Then again we're talking a 17 year difference. The HP and Torque rating are pretty much the same between my two trucks. I'm willing to bet if you were happy with the 5.3l in an early 2000s Silverado, you'd be fine with the recent 4.3l.

The only thing I really noticed is that the idle on the 4.3 is rougher than the 5.3. The 2002 was smoooooooooooth, even when it has over 200k miles on it.

Ok but how many of us were happy with the 5.3 power in 2002? I know I wasnt. I had a 2500 with the 6.0. Towed alot of boats though.

I still own a 04 yukon with a 5.3, but it has e fan swap, CAI, exhaust and a custom tune. And I'm still not real happy with the power. I put a 24ft enclosed trailer behind it empty... on the highway I pretty much had to run 3-4k rpm to hold 60-65.

I have a 6.2 sierra now and I'm pretty happy with the power aspect. Wouldn't mind some more though. I wish they would put out a 500hp stock truck lol

I owned a 4.3 s10 blazer, it was ok. Also had a 4.3 in a boat. Not bad. Almost impossible kill them though. Very reliable, just doesn't belong in a full size truck. I use my truck as a truck. Tow dump trailers, travel trailer, boats, utility trailers. I keep 2 large tool boxes in the bed. My truck gets used!

Doublebase · November 23, 2019

I've driven both the 4.3 and 5.3...I currently own a 5.3.

I think there is a noticeable difference in power between the two in everyday driving scenarios...passing, flooring it, pulling out onto the highway. The 5.3 has more "pep" and it just feels more "snappy". I've read many posts on this thread alluding to "slug", when describing the 4.3...I understand what they are saying when compared to the 5.3, but I don't agree when compared to other vehicles in normal driving situations. I think the 4.3 is fine. I think it is "capable" for everyday driving situations, maybe not as snappy and peppy as the 5.3 in passing situations, or situations where you're towing, but I think the 4.3 is fine.
I also think the 4.3 feels much smoother when driving/shifting. I was actually shocked comparing the V6 to the V8 in terms of shifting/V4 engagement and overall driving smoothness.

I'm averaging 24.5 mpg in my double cab 5.3 4x4 V8...that's pretty damn good, but I imagine I could do even better with the V6 (and enjoy the everyday smoothness of that power plant). But I definitely think the 5.3 has more power - I can feel it - it is useful at times, but not needed in my daily 80 mile round trip commute. In hindsight I probably should have went with the 4.3 - I don't tow, I don't drive "fast" and I don't need the power. But the 5.3 is impressive and fuel efficient, nonetheless.

jefferoonie · March 25, 2020

On 11/20/2019 at 3:33 AM, YukonXL04 said:

Ok but how many of us were happy with the 5.3 power in 2002? I know I wasnt. I had a 2500 with the 6.0. Towed alot of boats though.

I still own a 04 yukon with a 5.3, but it has e fan swap, CAI, exhaust and a custom tune. And I'm still not real happy with the power. I put a 24ft enclosed trailer behind it empty... on the highway I pretty much had to run 3-4k rpm to hold 60-65.

I have a 6.2 sierra now and I'm pretty happy with the power aspect. Wouldn't mind some more though. I wish they would put out a 500hp stock truck lol

I owned a 4.3 s10 blazer, it was ok. Also had a 4.3 in a boat. Not bad. Almost impossible kill them though. Very reliable, just doesn't belong in a full size truck. I use my truck as a truck. Tow dump trailers, travel trailer, boats, utility trailers. I keep 2 large tool boxes in the bed. My truck gets used!

I'll give you that. I just use mine for tent Camping, towing a 19ft fiberglass boat, hauling crap. Once in awhile I am towing a car trailer with a car on it. I'm not doing any commercial work with it.

Edited March 25, 2020 by jefferoonie
Mispelled word

jshrubs · July 2, 2020

On 11/20/2019 at 4:33 AM, YukonXL04 said:

Ok but how many of us were happy with the 5.3 power in 2002? I know I wasnt. I had a 2500 with the 6.0. Towed alot of boats though.

I still own a 04 yukon with a 5.3, but it has e fan swap, CAI, exhaust and a custom tune. And I'm still not real happy with the power. I put a 24ft enclosed trailer behind it empty... on the highway I pretty much had to run 3-4k rpm to hold 60-65.

I have a 6.2 sierra now and I'm pretty happy with the power aspect. Wouldn't mind some more though. I wish they would put out a 500hp stock truck lol

I owned a 4.3 s10 blazer, it was ok. Also had a 4.3 in a boat. Not bad. Almost impossible kill them though. Very reliable, just doesn't belong in a full size truck. I use my truck as a truck. Tow dump trailers, travel trailer, boats, utility trailers. I keep 2 large tool boxes in the bed. My truck gets used!

Have you owned an ecotec 4.3? I currently own one, I've had 3 s10s with the vortec 4.3, and I drive a 5.3 for work. When I started driving my work truck, I obviously noticed the difference but not enough to say I bought the wrong truck. My 4.3 does everything I ask of it in daily driving situations and is capable of much more than that. The vortec 4.3 you're talking about is not the same as the ecotec 4.3 and those comparisons need to be put to bed. Apples to oranges.

YukonXL04 · July 12, 2020

On 7/2/2020 at 4:07 PM, jshrubs said:

Have you owned an ecotec 4.3? I currently own one, I've had 3 s10s with the vortec 4.3, and I drive a 5.3 for work. When I started driving my work truck, I obviously noticed the difference but not enough to say I bought the wrong truck. My 4.3 does everything I ask of it in daily driving situations and is capable of much more than that. The vortec 4.3 you're talking about is not the same as the ecotec 4.3 and those comparisons need to be put to bed. Apples to oranges.

Wow bring back an old quote lol.

I'm glad your happy. Im happy with mine.

All done.

WHITESSTOWPIG · July 17, 2020

There are a few videos floating around of single cabs with the new gen V6 running door to door with intake/ tune/ header previous gen 5.3 and 6.0 swapped single cabs.They are honestly pretty impressive 6 cylinders considering no one makes anything at all for them.Yeah the new gen 5.3 are a little peppier but its still the lowest performing 8 cylinder on the market right now so thats not really saying much.If you are worried about performance and are somehow blown away by the 5.3 over the V6 I would say your butt is just way too sensitive because its splitting hairs IMO

Edited July 17, 2020 by WHITESSTOWPIG