4.8 V8 vs. 4.3 V6

[Big Al]

I'm looking at some used trucks. Is a 4.8 V8 a better choice than a 4.3 V6?
This will be a short bed 1500 base 2 wheel drive truck just for light work.

Al

[Bob M]

Drive one of each and decide for yourself. I've owned both. One thing
I can tell you is that the 4.8 was a rocket. The 4.3 was no slouch but
that 4.8 would bring a smile to my face every time I drove it. Too bad
the damn thing vibrated so bad on the highway. I traded it after only a
year because I got sick of hearing "Can not duplicate" from the
Chevrolet mechanics. The gas mileage on the 4.3 was not much better than
the 4.8.

Bob

[Steve]

My 2004 Silverado with the 4.8L V8 runs smoother and has lots more
get-up-and-go than my 2002 Blazer with the 4.3L V6 did. And the fuel
economy is almost as good (15 to 16 MPG City vs 16 to 17, 20 MPG Freeway
vs 21 MPG in the Blazer). I have not observed any vibration issues.

--Steve

[PerfectReign]

Big Al wrote:

Eh, do yourself a favor and get a 8.1 - you won't regret it.

Seriously, I've had the 4.3 and it is fine for light loads. I've got a buddy
with an '04 1500 4WD stick shift with the 4.3. He never tows and only
carries around light loads. There's no issues with the truck at all.

I think he's got roughly 150K miles on the truck ATM.

--
www.perfectreign.com
linux - because friends don't let friends use windows
www.opensuse.org

[William R. Walsh]

Hi!

Light work? What have you got in mind?

The 4.3L V6 is a tough engine, and it is strong. There's a lot more power
there than one might think, and being derived from the 350 V8, it is a
mature design.

I know of a number of people who have had that engine in a fullsize truck
with a manual transmission. As far as I know, all of these people were happy
with their trucks. I have a '94 W/T with the 4.3 and an automatic. It's not
great to trailer with (but it will). Loads in the bed aren't a problem,
although there have been times when I needed a lot of passing power with
plenty in the bed and had to turn off the A/C to get it.

William

[Picasso]

Why go with a 4.3 when the fuel economy is just as well in the 4.8, and
you have the extra power should you need to hook up a small trailer of
sorts..
Fueleconomy.gov says (city/highway) 14mpg/19mpg 4.3L, 15/19 4.8L, 14/19 5.3L

Don't look for fuel savings in the 4.3

The HP difference between the 4.8 / 5.3 is not much anyway. Then again,
the 4.8 - > 5.3 fuel mileage isn't a lot different either.