Should I get the 4, 6, or 8 cylinder in my truck?

[TritonGlenn]

Thinking of getting a new truck. All this boat engine size discussion got me thinking. Should I get the 4 cylinder, 6 cylinder, or 8 cylinder engine in my new tow vehicle? I only ask because I could save $3500 dollars by going with the 4 cylinder, or $2000 by going with the 6 cylinder.



Since the speed limit is a maximum of 70mph in TX, and I really don't need to go over the speed limit, I was thinking that a 4 cylinder engine would do the job of towing my big 'ol 20 foot bass boat to and from the lake. I won't be racing my truck, so there is no need to exceed 70mph anyway.



However, I want to have enough torque off the start to get up to highway speeds quickly. I regularly carry a lot of stuff in my truck - a couple of people, tools, etc... so going with the smaller engine is a concern.



With the money I save, I could buy a GPS navigation and premium sound system in my new ride. I might strain the heck out of that little 4 banger, but at least I'll have digital maps and tunes on the way to the lake. And what's more important anyway? The longevity of a $15K engine, or the fact that I am entertained on the way to the lake?



So what do you all think? Will the 1.8 liter 4 cylinder pull my rig ok? Or should I go to the 3.6 liter straight 6? Or spend the extra money on the 5.7 liter 8 and just buy these "extras" later when money becomes available.



Oh yeah... I almost forgot - What do you think this will do to resale value? If I go with the 5.7 liter 8 cylinder, do you think I'll make every penny of my money back on the resale value difference between the 4 and the 8?



:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:



(Sorry - I'm in a jovial mood this morning. The cold air is getting to my brain.)



All the best,

Glenn

 

[JR F]

big v8 everytime

 

[Randy Walls]

Well let me think this through. If you were just going to drive it back and forth to work and lived in the south, say like Texas, where snow is relatively non-existent and planned on keeping it until it fell apart and stayed in the right lane driving the limit or below then the 4 banger is sufficient. You might also want this for your hot rod child to drive to help keep them rained in a little!



Now, if you lived a little farther north, planned on towing a boat or small trailer once in a great while, needed a little more power because you drive on highways or lived in a hilly area the 6 would be my choice.



For all else the 8 is the way to go. Unless you wanted to go for the diesel!!!!!!



I'm in a jovial mood today also since I just snow blowed about 15 inches of snow!:angry:



Randy!

 

[TritonGlenn]

Randy,

Sorry to hear about the snow brother. 15 inches of snow. Brrrrrrrrrr!!!!! My wife said she was going to miss the occasional snow we got while living in VA over the past 20+ years, but I wasn't going to miss it at all. I was looking forward to warmer weather.



Warmer... Uhhhh... Yeah. :wacko: Last night, it was in the mid-teens here! Now, I realize that isn't squat compared to some of our brothers and sisters living in states further North, but in South/Central Texas.... that's frackin' ridiculous! The wind was whipping through yesterday morning and the night before, making it feel even colder. We were glad we planted all of our citrus trees in huge planters. We actually bought them in two nights ago, and they are taking up residence in our breakfast nook right now. They seem very happy indoors. :lol::lol::lol: I hope it gets warmer soon, because 3 satsumas and a grapefruit tree take up lots of room inside a house.



Hope you all have a great weekend and that you are all staying warm!



All the best,

Glenn

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

You are joking right? :lol::lol:



Coming from you this is one of the most redundant questions I have ever heard!!:lol::lol:



I'll wager you are going to have a hard time getting the smaller V8 let alone a 6 or heaven forbid a 4. My suggestion.......You don't need a Diesel!!:lol: :lol::lol:



TOXIC

 

[Bill Hamilton]

Glenn - Read thread on 150, 175 or 200 HP Boat engines. LOL :lol:

 

[Herndonpro]

If you get a 4 cylinder send us the picture of the front wheel poping off the ground when you hook the boat to the hitch.



HP

 

[Rusty C.]

Wow,I guess I learned my lesson on asking advice on this forum.....

 

[TritonGlenn]

Toxic,

Yes, I'm completely joking. Just having a little fun since I'm stuck in the house with nothing to do this morning. :lol:



Bill in VA,

I did brother! That's where this jovial mood came from this morning. How's the weather on the lake this morning?



herdonpro,

If you ever see me in a 4 cylinder truck, it's because the other 4 cylinders in my engine aren't working. :lol::lol::lol:



Rusty,

Please don't take this mild-mannered joking the wrong way brother. Ask all the questions you want on this forum and I (and all my brothers and sisters here) will try to answer them as honestly and accurately as we can. Please don't get angry at this. I used to get upset at the occasional poking (or disagreement) too, until someone explained something to me in a way I really understood. Take postings on these boards as you would take a joking at the dock when speaking to a bunch of fellow fishermen. We poke fun, and get poked back. I was perfecly honest in my recommendation on which engine should be chosen for a boat, and I stand by that recommendation to this day. But I'm not the one paying for the engine - you are. So if you want a 150 or 175, then buy the engine YOU want. Later on down the road, when you post again about upgrading your engine to a larger one in a year or two, I'll be happy to post my recommendations then too. :lol::lol::lol: Smile. Lifes too short to be upset and frowning. I need an occasional reminder of that myself, so feel free to give that same advice to me later down the road. It will be welcomed.



All the best,

Glenn

 

[eric nichols]

My wife has 6 in her Trailblazer and I have the big 8 in my 2500hd. The 6 in hers gets horrible gas mileage, 13-14. Mine gets around 19, 15-16 when towing. Thinking ahead a bit, pulling your rig isnt the only thing to consider. Also need to consider the slope of the ramp when putting in and taking out. I have witnessed a few with too much boat and not enough truck. Just my opinion, good luck.



Eric

 

[Bill Hamilton]

Glenn - Temp in the low 20s with a little wind. Hammers buddy, Chad, the kayak

fisherman and his friend came this morning to do some fishing out of a new prototype

fishing kayak that some manufacturer is working on. They were dressed for it and at 3 in the afternoon they haven't returned yet so maybe the fishing is good. Most of the back coves and creeks are iced in on the cold side but the main lake is still open. Course the hot side never freezes and is still in the low to mid-sixties.

 

[Randy Walls]

Glenn, I just came back in from snowblowing another 4-5 inches. At least the wind died down. Good luck in your upcoming tourneys. Let us know how you do as I have to live vicariously thorugh you for about ..... three more months!!!:wacko:



Randy

 

[TritonGlenn]

Bill,

A kayak? Heeeeeeeeeeecccccccckkkkkk NO! :lol::lol::lol: There is no way, no how, no where that I would get into that temperature water to fish out of a kayak. With my luck, I'd get to practice barrel rolls within the first hour of fishing. :lol: One of those "sit on" types would be even worse for me. I'd give myself about 5 seconds before I rolled off the side of one of those. Ha! Our temps got up past freezing later today. I think I saw 48 on the way to Bass Pro Shops this afternoon, but not much higher than that. It's supposed to be back in the teens tonight, and then it should warm up later this weekend / next week.



Randy,

You're always welcome to make a trip down to TX and come fish with me. I've been trying to get someone to go fishing and everyone looks at me like I'm crazy. "ITS TOO COLD!!!" is all I hear from them. I can't wait any longer though. I have to get my boat on the water, with or without a fishing partner. My first tournament is Valentines day weekend. We have two tournaments - one on the 13th, and another on the 14th - both are ABA's. We are fishing Falcon. I hear that this weekends tournament (I have to look it up, because I don't know what series is fishing there) was BAD. I hear they lost 3 boats and that some people got caught on the Mexico side and will have to spend the night over there because they can't make it back across. That's all second hand info though. I caught the tail end of a conversation at the marine counter when I went in to update the Lowrance units this afternoon. I'll have to check further into that. Hope nobody got hurt.



All the best,

Glenn

 

[robert e morgan]

younger women, faster horses!!! and more money. Life's the game ,those are the prizes .:lol:

 

[Bill McElroy]

I can hook you up with BIG savings on a V8 powered Silverado or Sierra if you want one..just send me an email and let me know if you're interested. Besides....where's the logic in maxing out the horsepower on a boat,...but not in a truck???



Email me...I'll hook you up!!

Mac

 

[Texas Transplant]

I thought maybe someone hijacked Glenn's account when I read the initial posting. A 4 Cylinder Truck???? In Texas??????



Tex

 

[TOMMY RICH]

The new Silvys do run on 4 cylinders (at times):lol:

 

[Bill McElroy]

...only when the wife is driving it,...................downhill!!

 

[TOMMY RICH]

I actually keep a close eye on the threads about AFM...some good ,some bad.

 

[TritonGlenn]

TEE / Mac,

Didn't know about the Chevy AFM until you posted about it. My Dodge has MDS - kinda the same concept I guess. Shuts down to a 4 cyl on the highway when not under strain. It doesn't matter - I still get crappy gas mileage. But I did find out when it stopped working - because it got much worse. I used a Synthetic oil that wouldn't allow the MDS to function correctly. I had to end up going with another weight (instead of 5W20, I had to go with a 0W20 in the Amsoil).



Another issue I have with mine - you can't put an aftermarket exhaust on it without messing everything up. At highway speeds in 4 cyl mode, I'm told a deep rumbling exhaust in normal 8 cyl mode turns into something that sounds like one of those little 4 banger Honda Civics with the gigantic aftermarket mufflers. :lol:



All the best,

Glenn

 

[Rich Stern]

Glenn, I've towed plenty of midsized loads with V6's, going as high as 5,200 pounds with my V6 4.0L Ford Explorer Sport Trac. I'd hate to go throuogh the mountains with a load like that, but for relatively flat terrain or highway towing, it's fine. For short jaunts to local ramps...no big deal. Good brakes on the trailer and the tow vehicle are more important.



I've also towed the same loads with a 5.4 V8, and it's a pleasure in comparison, and would be my choice if I was going through hills or on long jouneys.

 

[Randy Walls]

Glenn my Durango averages 17.8 miles to a gallon no matter if I am towing or not. Either the gauge is broken or I am real lucky. I have towed the 929 with other friends towing their boats and have to stop regularly while they fill up and I still have the better of half a tank left.



When on the highway in cruise mode I have seen 22 miles to a gallon for many of miles!



5.7 Liter Hemi!



Randy!

 

[TritonGlenn]

Randy,

If you like Dodge, then I'd hold onto that one then, because you're getting better mileage than most Mopar owners with the 5.7 that I've heard of. My truck gets 14 right now, and I have the 5.7 Hemi MDS. It was better when I first bought it, but seems to be decreasing with age. My wifes Jeep was getting 17-18 with the 4.7, but now she is getting about the same as mine. I don't know what's going on with them. We do regular maintenance, use the best oil and filters available, etc... but the mileage seems to be steadily declining with age on both vehicles.

All the best,

Glenn

 

[Randy Walls]

Glenn, my dealer also says that this is the best they have ever seen. I guess I just got lucky. It has 235,000 miles on it and is an 06. Yes, I drive a lot! I also do all the regular maintenance and keep it spotless. One of the best vehicles I have ever owned. Too bad they discontinued them. My partner has the older style and it eats gas. Nothing like the Cuda I used to own. It was fast but had a terrible turning problem. Seems it couldn't pass up a gas station, even way back when......:lol::lol:



Randy!