Some one tell me why the domestic market hasn't got their heads out of their rear ends and sorted out these domestic engines in our trucks...

I watch almost all the car shows on TV on weekends and they are always raving about either V-6s or small V-8s that are running lots of HP and Tq figures..I saw a 4.8 V-8 in a car with 350 hp and 310 ft lbs of torque. My 4.6 would cost lots of money to get anywhere near that number. The 4.8 in the car did not have any superchargers or turbos or anything...

My neighbour's V-6 in his car is rated as high as my 4.6...What gives? Almost every thread on the engine forum focuses on "more power" and the price for power is high...

I know, a truck is for hauling things but one of the things should be A$$...

There are some fast trucks out there but are priced out of reach for many and to get the "run of the mill" truck to reach any sort of performace number is crazy expensive and then there's the reliability issues...

I think the domestics need to change their way of thinking when it comes to trucks. They need to look at these forums and give the people what they want for a change...

 

even though a v6 may have the same power, a V-8 will carry torque through the RPM range better.

 

In the years to come you're going to see fuel economy be the norm instead of power. So.....more gutlessness to come. Especially if Tom Brokaw gets his $2.50/gas tax increase he wants.

 

For my truck, I'll take low end torque, reliability and affordability (less cost to manufacture).

Advertising brochure peak HP numbers and HP per Liter of displacement are of little importance on a truck, IMO.

 

I used to own a few S10's with v6's that had 125hp. Most import 4 bangers make more than that.

Those trucks were totally gutless, especially going up hills.

 

So let me get this straight your saying that a motor that puts out 300hp and 365ftlbs is gutless?

 

try sticking that v6 in your truck and see how well it moves. then you can come and say your engine is gutless.

 

After driving a 3.0 V6 Ranger for 4 years, my 4.6 feels like a top fuel drag engine in comparison.

 

...all valid points however, why is the after market power-adders so strong if our engines were meeting expectations?
I am all for adding power as I have items added to my F-150 to gain a little power but I firmly believe that the domestics are way behind on engine designs.

I mean whether it is a V-6 or whatever-horse power and torque figures are not on different scales 350 hp is 350 hp whether it is in a truck or a car...My 4.6 don't make anywhere near that figure and it would cost a pile of green backs to make it get near that figure...

I am not a youngster and have lived through the Chevette stage knowing all too well the "gutless" power plants but heck, we are in the 21st century-can't the domestics catch up??

I am not a real fan of the imports but they seem to know how to get power out of their engines-see Mercedes, Toyota, even Hyundai...

 

My V6 is rated as high as your 4.6.

 

This statement is definatley true. My last truck was a 3.0 Ranger it was a tough little truck but slow. I got outran by a friend's caterpillar powered Peterbilt. Most embarassing day of my life. :o

 

To the OP I understand the point your making. I would lover to see Ford build another truck that would blow the door's off a tundra but i'm not gonna cry if they don't though. My truck is only rated at 300 hp at the crank but it does everything I need it to do. Personally I think that if ford would have not made our truck's so heavy and made the transmission shift more aggressively our F150's would run neck and neck with a comparitively equipped tundra or titan. If you think about it though the jap's are just now catching up to ford in the performance truck category. Look at how long the Lightning was and still is pretty much the fastest stock pickup built to date.

 

More power = new engines/power adders/newer technology = more money = trucks cost more = trucks harder for dealers to sell.

 

JBMX928-if you have the 4.2, you are not running as much power as the 4.6. I had a 4.2 in my other truck and the 4.6 is definately a step up in power. Whether it's the delivery of the power or whatever I'm not sure but it is more in the 4.6...and that is before I added power adders to my 4.6...

The Lightning is and was a great truck but they had to supercharge it to get any real power out of it...I would not kick one out of my garage though...

 

I have a 4.0 V6....