Decision time...6L or 5.3L????

[bosro]

I am really torn between which engine I should get.

The 6L sounded great till I read some of the reviews on it now I am not so sure.

I pull a travel trailer alot in the summer,probably 10K or so.Trailer weighs 4500lbs dry,and I usually have a motocross bike or 2 on the back,usually pulling in the mountains.

My current truck (2001 F150 with 7700lb package) does an adequate job,but it is not stock(programmer,exhaust and intake).

I do not want to go out and put all this stuff back in a new truck to make it adequte.

Besides the pulling it will be a daily driver,where the 5.3L would be a better option.

Any opinions would be appreciated.

[Buggle_96]

What reviews have you heard that would make the 6.0L less appealing than the 5.3L....mpg?

[StoneyPgh]

When it comes to engines, there's no replacement for displacement.

[Norseman]

I am really torn between which engine I should get.

The 6L sounded great till I read some of the reviews on it now I am not so sure.

I pull a travel trailer alot in the summer,probably 10K or so.Trailer weighs 4500lbs dry,and I usually have a motocross bike or 2 on the back,usually pulling in the mountains.

My current truck (2001 F150 with 7700lb package) does an adequate job,but it is not stock(programmer,exhaust and intake).

I do not want to go out and put all this stuff back in a new truck to make it adequte.

Besides the pulling it will be a daily driver,where the 5.3L would be a better option.

Any opinions would be appreciated.

 

Why are you getting rid of your current rig? What's wrong with it (please no smarty Ford comments guys)? Seems to do the job for you.

[Bish]

When it comes to engines, there's no replacement for displacement.

 

Ditto. Minimal drop in mileage with a big difference in performance.

[dogzapper]

The 6.0 liter will burn a lot more gas, but will tow better. Sorry, but I still have memories of my 2003 Silverado's 5.3 liter engine screaming, while pulling our hills here in Oregon. Obviously, for a grocery-gitter, the 5.3 is excellent and the mileage is 20-ish/15-ish.

 

Personally, I'd opt for the Duramax is forget the gas. That way, you have incredible towing power, a stable towing platform and excellent fuel economy. Don't forget that the suspension and brakes of the 2500HD make the 1500 look sick.

 

Just my .02 worth, but I've been there and done that. Duramax rocks.

 

Steve

[Rolandd]

Does the 6.0 require premium fuel? At least in the half ton I put 87 in the tank for my 5.3, which saves $6-10/tank in Mass. If you can afford it the diesel is a nice setup, however it it not well suited for short hop driving because it does not develop its power until warm. Others with Duramax's can comment as to how well that engine runs when cold.

[Gozer]

The new style truck with 6.0L are only EPA rated one MPG less than the 5.3L, though I don't know what the difference would be in real world driving. I'm looking at the Vortex Max towing package now which comes with 6.0L, 4.10 gears, and heavy-duty axle (with disc brakes). I haven't heard too much about mileage with this yet. Keep in mind both the 5.3L and 6.0L have cylinder deactivation. I drove one over the weekend, and it went to V4 mode going down a hill registering 99 MPG. If only we drove downhill all the time!

[redvett]

The new GMT900 with the Dmax option is $8,395 you have to tow over 21000 mi a year to pay for it. Not worth it for the occasional towing of a trailer.

[Kerr]

bigger is always better. We have a 6.0 its a grate motor. Its low on performance when a trailer is not hooked up to it, but im sure its still faster than a 5.3.

 

If im not mistaked there is a lot more changes to go from a 5.3 to a 6.0 doesent that move you from a 1500 to a 2500.

 

Id say go big, just because if you decide to resale it seem to be easier to get rid of a 3/4 ton than a half ton. Also the 60 has a tone of performance stuff.

[hockeyfan39]

I'm facing the same decision as you are and am torn between the two engines as well. From what i have read both trucks are not getting as good as gas miliage as they claim. The number that comes up for the 6.0 with the max trailering package seems to be around 13. here is an artical that i found on the internet reviewing the 6.0L also theres a link to a chevy vs the toyota.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drive...rticleId=117482

They claim that there average was pretty low and the best they got was 14.1 which is pretty bad. After some searching on this site i found someone who said he was averaging about 13 in town an got 17 on the highway. He has the 6.0 max towing package. I also found in the same post that someone had the 5.3 with 3.73 and was averaging 15 and then 16 after he put a cover on the back. And as far as the highway he said he was getting close to 20mpg. So as far as gas miliage your looking at i'm thinking 20% better fuel economy for the 5.3L. It seems as though they increased the HP numbers so they burn up more gas and the DOD just keeps them similar to the 06 engines. The towing capacitys are:

5.3 3.73 - 7500

5.3 4.10 - 8500

6.0 3.73 - 8500

6.0 4.10 - 10500 (Max Towing Package)

 

So your looking at similar numbers for towing with the 5.3 however i'm guessing your ford has less hp and torque then the new 5.3L. Basically the 5.3 would work for both of us fine and get better gas miliage around town but the extra hp is kinda tempting to get in the 6.0 but just got to decide if its worth the loss in fuel economy not to mention the couple extra grand for the motor and packages along with it. Right now i'm leaning towards the 6.0 Z71 with the 3.73 gearing in hopes of it not being quite as bad of gas mileage but then again might just go with the 5.3 too....

 

and for the record you dont need to go to a 2500 to get the 6.0 L but as far as i figured out you need to go with the Max Towing Package and NT suspension (Increases your payload by 200lb) or the Z71 Package both also give you the heavy duty 4 speed transmission over the regular.

 

well good luck hope that helps a bit...

[bosro]

The diesel is not even an option.

Price wise they are at least 10K more,and the price of diesel here is now more(+15cents/liter).

Not to mention all the guys who have them here(Alberta Canada) whining about how long it takes for their diesels to warm up.

I can buy alot of gas for 10K,besides you should not need a diesel to pull a 5000lb trailer.

My current truck is starting to have some transmission issues,usually only when very cold out but I want to get rid of it before it costs me $$$$.

I've read several things about the 6L.

My main concerns are:

How the computer programming is set from the factory

Mileage that it is actually gonna get as compared to it's EPA rating.Everything I've read says its pretty hard on the juice.

Not to mention that the Max Towing Package is a $2200 option here.

The 01 F150's had only 260Hp and 350ft/lbs of torque stock,with the exhaust,programmer,intake maybe I'm up 275Hp/370ft/lbs.The problem with this engine is that it actually makes peak torque too low in the RPM range,right at 2650RPM.Pulling the trailer in 3rd I'm revving at 2800-3000RPM depending on speed....already past peak torque.Screaming these engines does nothing for you.

In this way the 5.3L should pull just as well.Has more Hp stock and makes it at higher RPM's where you actually do your pulling.

Maybe adding a custom tune,from Wheatly or whoever would be all I need to be very happy with the 5.3L

[Daubs]

I've had two 5.3's and wife's got the 5.3 in her Burban. Good engine with good power and excellent MPG for a truck V8. The 5.3 should handle your trailer, but it will have to work a little harder than the 6.0. The 6.0 will eat a little more gas.

 

I'd probably opt for the 6.0 and just suffer on the MPG thing. Hate to have a case of the "I wish I would have's..." down the road. And I generally try to get the biggest engine possible whenever I can. Hence the 8.1/496 cid BIG BLOCK under the hood of my 2500HD. Not a big tower...but love the added power and grunt of the Big Block.

[ChrisNJ]

I vote for 6.0/4:10's. I owned one, was good tower of my 7K trailer, but it struggled on my 9K trailer. We tow in the mountains of NY/PA. My 8.1 pulls both like a dream. Can't comment on the 5.3 but if your weights are near 6-7K I would go with the 6.0, and not with the 3.7's, but with the 4:10's. 2mpg difference, assuming 15Kmi./yr @ $2.00 gal. is only $267. Of course if you only tow 2-3 times a year, not a big deal, but I tow 12-15 times a year. good luck

[cymmgarcia]

How about buying a 5.3 and upgrading the gears to 4.10

 

My 2 wheel drive 2004 Silverado's GCWR is 12,000 with 3.73's or 13,000 with 4.10's

 

Towing is rated 7,800 with 3.73's and 8,800 with 4.10's

 

Rear gear swap should run about $800