engine size and fuel economy

[Chad D]

I am needing to buy a truck something from the late 80s or early 90s; I'm still finishing school and the truck is going to sit unless im using the boat. So I dont want to spend a lot of money. I was going to try and find one with a smaller engine ie 4.3, 300 straight 6 or a 302, 305. My boat and trailer weigh right at 3000#.My question is if you are towing with a smaller engine will it be working so hard that it will use more fuel than a 350 or 351 would use, or would it still be benefical to try and find a six cyl or smaller v8?

 

[Stepney55]

Re: engine size and fuel economy

It would even out,


Since yyou are only towing 3000 pounds get a nice compact or midsize pickup it will handle that fine.

 

[BigB9000]

Re: engine size and fuel economy

305 vs 350, what is it, an extra mile or 2 to the gallon?

 

[dave11]

Re: engine size and fuel economy

Bigger is always better.

 

[tommays]

Re: engine size and fuel economy

I use a 2003 4.3 Silverado and tow up to 4000# at 12 to 13 MPG

On long normal trips i get get 20 MPG and drop to a low of 15 MPG in short winter driving


Having worked my up from older trucks the improvements in the EFI and tranny would never allow the older ones to perform this well

The thing that amazed me the most was the how far it rolled when you let off the gas compared to my 1995

 

[KETELS]

Re: engine size and fuel economy

Go with what you find and what you like.
Talk of fuel economy does not go with boats or trucks.

 

[SooLineRob]

Re: engine size and fuel economy

Hi!

The "350 or so" cubic inch engines (~5.7 liter) aren't that bad for fuel economy, relatively speaking. You'd be deeper (and longer) into the gas pedal accelerating with a V6 versus a V8, so it's a wash either way as far as fuel economy goes.

Since you're looking specifically for a tow rig, you can find a clean, well cared for, fuel injected, 4 wheel drive late 80's/early 90's 1/2 ton pick-up with 100,000 miles or more for around $1200-1500. Even a mid/late 90's extended cab P/U should be found for less than $3000. Chances are you'd need to install a transmission fluid cooler right away, since most trucks didn't come with one from the factory when new (unless they were ordered with a "towing package").

I'm very new to towing/boating, so my advice should be taken with a grain of salt! But, I'm a "car" guy, and my experience is the V8 engines around 350cid are good. The "smaller" V8's, like the 302-305-318 are fair, but have to work harder than their bigger displacement brothers to move the same load; which in turn reduces their efficiency.

Like KETELS said, "economy", "trucks", and "boats" don't work in the same sentence. I'd find a nice, clean, '90 or so 4X4 P/U with a ~350 for a little over $1000. Good luck!

P.S. My post refers to OLDER trucks which is the subject of the question. The "newer" 2000 and up 4.3 - 5.4 liters are great, but would be out of the price range of the search.

 

[Stepney55]

Re: engine size and fuel economy

I agree with what everyone is saying, but its only 3000 pounds, a 350 is kind of overkill. Most little pickups will easily handle 5000 pounds and the mileage will even out.

 

[Chad D]

Re: engine size and fuel economy

thanks for the replys. I know that fuel economy and boats dont go together but if i could save some gas getting to the water I could have more time on the water. I do think a 350 would be over kill. I drive a saturn every else I go so I wont need it for anything else than towing the boat and if I do need a truck for anything bigger ill call my brother who has a f350.

 

[Chip73]

Re: engine size and fuel economy

Bigger is always better.

Not when fuel economy is the issue.

 

[zibzer]

Re: engine size and fuel economy

NOTICE: This is in respect to early 90s chevy trucks.

a 350 is not that much overkill..

A 454 is overkill

honestly though go for a low-mid 90s 5.7l chev (350).. you will be very happy..

Yes a 4.3 will tow 3000lbs.. but you will notice the weight back there and it would add stress to the transmission.

Plus, when you load extra weight like that to a v6.. the gas mileage will be the almost the same as the v8, but youll get their slower, and I would suggest you drive it in 3rd gear unless the roads are very flat.

basically if you care to save 1 or 2 dollars in gas every outing go with the 4.3l ,.. it will work just fine(add a good tranny cooler in there) pop it in 3rd gear and cruise.

if 1 or 2 dollars doesn't concern you much, go for the 5.7l.. it gives you the opportunity to buy a bigger boat in the future, it will tow that light load in OD as long as you want, and i wouldn't be surprised the the Gas Mileage worked out to be the same as the smaller engine pulling the larger load.

And I wouldn't suggest a 5.0l.. they get the same mileage as the 5.7.

If you add 4x4 to this. I can almost guarantee the 2 trucks will be within 2mpg of each other with the 3000Lb load. though it is likely they will be the same.

This is coming from a guy who has pulled his fair share of stuff with chevy trucks. ...

 

[CATransplant]

Re: engine size and fuel economy

Well, the real deal is how much time you spend hauling a trailer. If that's the main use of the truck, then the larger engine will make your life more pleasant when you're hauling.

For most folks, however, trailer hauling is only a minor part of the use of the vehicle. If that's the case, and you're not hauling for hundreds of miles each trip, then you'll end up ahead with a smaller truck and smaller engine. When you have to tow, it'll work the truck a little harder. But...when you're driving the truck to work or the many other ways you use it, it'll do better on gas mileage.

Just make sure that the towing capacity of your truck is greater than the load you'll be towing. Slow down...use the towing position for your transmission or set it to not use the overdrive. Don't labor the engine, and you'll be fine. Then...when you're not towing...enjoy the better fuel economy.

All of us are having to figure out how to make our vehicles use less fuel. As the price goes up to $4 /gal and more, it'll become more important.

Bigger is not always better, unless all you do with your vehicle is tow heavy loads. In that case...it's worth scaling up so the load isn't a big deal. But, if you use your truck most of the time for other things, then just slow down with the boat...drive gently, and don't insist on being able to pass everyone. You'll be a lot happier in the long run.

Of course, you can just ignore that and do what you want. Most folks do.

 

[Chad D]

Re: engine size and fuel economy

well this will be relevant and probably should have put this in with the original post. most of the time I will be towing to the Mississippi which is 15 min from my house. I plan on taking a few trips. this summer. the first is Mark Twain lake which is about 150 miles from my house and the roads are realitivly flat the whole way. the other is Norfok lake which is 250 miles from my house, ill only go there once this year. and again i wont use the truck for a daily driver. I have a 95 saturn that i love and can go all week on 11 gal of gas.

 

[dave11]

Re: engine size and fuel economy

Within reasonable parameters, the bigger the motor, the more the tow vehicle weighs, and the longer the wheelbase, the less towing will be an issue. Like everything else, you will have to make compromises as to what is more important to you, and buy a tow vehicle based on those decisions.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: engine size and fuel economy

Forget saving fuel getting TO the water. Save fuel when NOT towing the boat and apply the savings when you do trailer the boat. Most people put far more miles on their vehicles not trailering than do trailering so the amount saved getting to the water is insignificant in the grand scheme of things. In that regard the 4.3 makes excellent sense. I've used 4.3's for years and none of them ever got worse than 14 towing between 2500 and 3000#. Put a cover on the boat to cut down wind drag and that 4.3 in an S10 crewcab 4x4 with 3.73 gears will still tow in overdrive and deliver nearly 17 MPG in the process. How do I know? I own one and put thousands of miles on a season towing. It will do a tick over 20 MPG on a trip when not towing. Run the air while towing and it will drop to 15 into a stiff wind. Try it with 3.53 gears and you will be "required" to run in direct. Mine will also get tested towing a pontoon which is like towing a barn door sideways at freeway speeds. For your purposes there are a bunch of Astro/Safari vans out there (think about the longer one). The 1992 and newer all wheel drives had the "W" series (balance shaft) engine and were rated at 190 HP. I also put 150,000 on one of those with zero towing issues and it got very respectable fuel mileage towing or empty. You might find some full size Chevy/GMC work trucks with the 4.3 but they will likely be fairly beat up and high mileage. Certainly not fancy but from an economic standpoint, they would be a bargain if "classy" is not in your description. One or two MPG regardless how it's achieved will amount to a significant savings with $3.50/gallon fuel. There is another way to look at savings! With high fuel prices, there are a boat load of large pickups on the market that people would love to unload regardless what they get for them. Take advantage of a down market. The money saved on a newer full size truck can be applied to gas. When gas is high, economy vehicle prices rise accordingly. Why pay for small when you can have big cheaper. Just another way to look at things. If you put many thousands of miles not towing on your tow vehicle, then that arguement doesn't hold true.

 

[jljue]

Re: engine size and fuel economy

I've pulled a 4000 lb. load over an extended distance at one time or another with a '94 Ford Explorer 4.0L V6, '97 Mercury Mountaineer 5.0L V8, '05 F-150 4x4 CC 5.4L, and an '07 Titan 5.6L, and I think that I got between 12-13 mpg at best with all 4 vehicles. The only difference between the mid-size SUV's was that the 4.0L didn't anything left in for passing it while the 5.0L had some power left for passing and got slightly better fuel economy (0.5 mpg), but not much more. Also, the transmission lasted longer on the Mountaineer because it was built for that type of durability. The two full-size trucks also had a lot more power leftover for passing, and they felt more stable with that load. Also, they might be able to get better if I could keep my foot out of it.

Seriously, in those years that you want, you might as well go for the 350 if it's in great shape since you are a Chevy fan. It's going to sit when not in use, so mileage really isn't a difference. You will be glad that you have the power when you need it. However, you will need to make sure that the transmission has a good cooler and is in good shape because those years do have problems with transmissions failing when not setup properly, and I have enough friends to back that statement up.

 

[BamaAlum97]

Re: engine size and fuel economy

We rented a slip at the local marina this year specifically to avoid towing. Now we can take the car to the lake which gets far better mileage.

 

[kai1414]

Re: engine size and fuel economy

NOTICE: This is in respect to early 90s chevy trucks.

happy..

Yes a 4.3 will tow 3000lbs.. but you will notice the weight back there and it would add stress to the transmission.

This is coming from a guy who has pulled his fair share of stuff with chevy trucks. ...

Just an FYI the 4.3's and 5.7's run the same transmissions, depending on the year either 700R4's or 4L60E's. So in respect to the above comment, the only way that you are possibly going to "add stress" would be if the lack of power in the 4.3 is causing the tranny to hunt between gears and heat up. Otherwise the 4.3 doesn't stand a chance of overstressing that tranny.

 

[Ezrider_92356]

Re: engine size and fuel economy

4.3's suck i had one in an 95 silverado and hated it, got worse mpg than my 350CI truck and half the power, i will never buy another even light towing in any kind of hills it will struggle at freeway speeds.

 

[2kwik4u]

Re: engine size and fuel economy

Here's a good semi direct comparison for you.

I had an '04 4.3 V6 powered 4wd crew cab S10. Towed my 4,000lb boat and trailer just fine. Got ~10-12mpg towing, ~14mpg around town, and ~21mpg on the highway. I trade it last year for an '03 5.3 V8 powered 4wd GMC Yukon. It gets ~11-13mpg towing, ~14mpg around town, and ~20mpg on the highway. Same mileage figures, same maintenance costs. But I was able to upgrade from a 5200lb capacity to an 8400lb capacity, added tow haul mode for the transmission, and a significant amount of room for myself and passengers. Monthly payment went up $14, monthly insurance went down $10. Same terms, on both interest and the ength of loan. Resale is probably higher on the Yukon than the S10, although that remains to be proven/seen.

My point being, do a little investigating and you can get alot of truck for your money. Just last week I saw an '02 Z71 Tahoe with 96k miles on it for $10,500 on craigslist. You aren't going to get much more truck for your money than that IMO.

If I was searching in the $5,000 price range, I would look for a mid 90's Tahoe with the 5.7L V8 and the towing package. Friend of mine has one of those, and it's been ROCK SOLID reliable for 181,000 miles now. You can pick those up in good shape for cheap, and they'll drag around a good sized boat for years to come.