Posts: 2687
Location: Hayward, WI | Don't quote me on this, because trucks and their motors are changing faster than I have been able to keep up... Saying that, I would be willing to bet that most of the V8's will get better mileage towing, and tow much more easily than the same vehicle with a V6. I would also bet that the mileage of the V8's when not towing is about as good if not even better than the V6. I talked to a guy a while ago that had (through his work), had a full size Dodge with the smallest V8, and it got worse mileage than the 5.7 Hemi does.
I think a lot of times the only time you save with the smaller motor is the upfront cost. This is all to a point. A 5.3 V8 is most likely going to do a LOT better mileage wise than an 8.1 liter V8. But, when comparing a V6 to a midsize V8, the V8 will win in most tests.
One thing to look at it torque vs horsepower. The HP is crazy on some of the vehicles these days, but they sacrafice torque to get it. Also look at the power curves. A motor that doesn't make most of its torque/horsepower until 4,500 RPM doesn't tow nearly as well as a motor that reaches max torque/horsepower at something like 1,800-2,000 rpm (like the "old" Chevy 5.7 liter Vortec). However, a torque curve that has a large "flat" peak section is great for towing too. For example, the motor might not reach 300 horsepower until 4500 RPM, but it might still be at 290 HP at 2,000 RPM. Make sense?
Check out a towing forum. I think there's an RV forum that has a lot of info on it. You can read for DAYS on this stuff in those forums.
curleytail
Edited by curleytail 3/1/2010 1:17 PM
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