Yea, but you had to put 4.88's in yours to get up a hill

I'll never forget going thru the mountains in PA. I was pulling a car trailer , hauling a Windstar. Was running pretty close with another 1/2 ton Ford (standard cab/short box (I think?), pulling a U-Haul Trailer- They were running a little faster then me on the Turn Pike. I had the 5four on cruise, but I would catch them on every hill - Purr right by them while they were either downshifting/up shifting - just working the F^ck out of that thing getting it up the hills. Then they would pass me again once I made it over and was at the bottom.

There worth the extra doe IMO.

 

I would save the 20k in mileage get the 4.6 and add a tuner to help wake it up.

 

You would not

 

Scott, I've seen you post several times that if you had the chance to do it again, you'd get the 5.4.

 

Personally, I'd go with the 5.4... The 4.6 is too under powered IMO. Sure, you can build it up, but when the day is done, it's still a 4.6... You said the 4.6 felt sluggish but you barely tow anything, well when you do finally tow something, you'll be wishing you had the 5.4... Just my .02

 

X2.

 

I have a 4.6. You would be better off with the 5.4

 

I have a 4.6 supercab and it has been incredibly dependable, but my vagina 3.08 rear end kills it around town. If you want the newer truck, ask ford how much they would charge you to put a 3.73 or 4.10 in the rear end, otherwise pass on the 4.6. You will end up spending money down the road trying to mod it for more power.

 

I would given all things equal. But he is looking at a used truck and 20k more warranty would mean much more to me than more power.

 

When I bought my truck in 2001, there were two trucks I looked at on the same lot. One was a 1998 with only 40 some odd thousand miles on it, and had the 4.6 in it. The other was a 1997 with 60 some odd thousand miles on it, and had the 5.4 in it. Both were going for around the same price of $17k too...

I had not found this site yet, so I had no idea what anybody else thought, or any of the potential 'issues' either one had... I only know that I wanted a truck and it was going to be an F150. I am handy with a wrench and knew 'stuff' about cars, so that's what I went with at the time.

I first looked under each one and noticed right away that the 5.4 had a much larger rear axle. Humm.. That's interesting I remember thinking.. Looked under the hood and saw the intake covers. One had a 5.4 on it and the other had a 4.6 on it... 5.4 looked better then 4.6..

Sat in both trucks. They were both XLT's, so they had the same stuff in them. The 4.6 had newer tires and 17" wheels. The 5.4 had the original, but very worn out BFG Trail somethings and were only 235/70/16 in size! The wheels were steel with the cheap chrome plastic wheel covers too!

One of the biggest factors for me, was the damn color of the trucks! The 4.6 was white with grey trim and the 5.4 was dark blue with grey trim.. The only reason I pulled in the lot was because I saw the blue truck! I'd seen that color on other trucks and really liked it..

Well, even before the sales guy came out, I had made up my mind.. I was going for the blue one with the 5.4 in it! It was the color, engine size and rear axle size that made up my mind.. I didn't care that it was older and had more miles on it..

I didn't even drive the 4.6.. I've never driven a 4.6 equipped F150, so I can't tell you what that's like, but I had driven my dad's 1997 T Bird with the 4.6 in it... Not really that impressed with it... I owned a 1986 Mustang GT at the time, and I know I'd walk all over it if we ever did a pass between the two.. (unfortunately, we never did do that, but my dad also agreed, since he had driven my GT and noted that it was pretty darn quick.. Well, a 5 speed manual, compared to a slush box off the line will give you that impression!)

Anyway, as it has turned out, I have not had a single regret buying the older, higher mileage truck... I got a new set of tires the next day and I later ended up getting a #5000 travel trailer a year later, that I had no idea I was going to do.. I'm so glad I got the 5.4 for that reason alone!

So, this was only me.... In your case, you have to decide what is MORE important to you... I lucked out that color was a factor in my decision (I sound like a freaking girl!).. Had the 4.6 been the blue one, I might have actually gotten it! But, I still could not overlook the engine size or the rear axle size either. That's why I didn't even drive the white 4.6..

Good luck with the choice! You need to get your crystal ball out and 'think' what you will be happier with!

I know that with 186,000 trouble free miles on my truck, I made the best choice for me!!

Mitch

 

Nevermind which motor, here is a bigger question, what oil do you use?

btw, I would go with the 5.4. Sparkplugs be damned! The better performance and virtually same fuel mileage should be a no-brainer.

As mentioned purchasing a tuner for the 4.6, just imagine how much further ahead you would be with a tuner and the 5.4....

 

quit smashin on the lil 4.6L my 97 4.6 with only a K&N intake and shorty headers beat a 99 5.4L from 45-95..*stuiped rev limiter* so it only takes a few mods to make the same power... and who says they have trouble hauling? Thats my lil 4.6L with an overloaded bed...thats about 2,000lbs worth of crap in the bed. it did it just fine.. So if you want the 4.6L just a few mods and you'll be right up there with the 5.4L i know im gonna catch hell for this post but oh well...go lil 4.6!! haha

 

I have the 4.6 in a regular cab. I test drove a Screw with a 4.6. There is a big difference in the way it handles compared to the reg cab. The Screw was way underpowered. I can only assume that the Scab would be in the middle. My 4.6 in the reg cab will move pretty damn well and all I have is a drop in K&N. It breaks the tires loose easily. I chose the 4.6 because I got a great deal on the truck. I got my 2008 for less than your looking at for either on of the Scabs.

After reading all I have about the 5.4 recalls, I would say get the 4.6 if you're looking for dependability. If you're looking for power, get the 5.4. I do not regret my 4.6 only because I got the regular cab. I would not take a Screw with the 4.6 in it. Good luck with your decision and post up some pics when you get the truck.

 

Unless you have driven the same truck, same vin, with both engines you will never know the real difference between the two. Only those that have swapped a 5.4 for a 4.6 can say for sure. There are a handful of us who have done it. Personally I don't really care what truck you get. But hands down the 5.4 is the better choice of engine. It has more power and gets better mileage to boot. You need less of the skinny pedal to get going at the same rate of acceleration as the 4.6. That saves fuel. If you press it as far down as the 4.6 you will go faster. Try this test. Take the 4.6 out for a test drive and go home to get your trailer. Hook it up and go for a ride. Repeat this process with the 5.4. Then decide.

Regards

Jean Marc Chartier

 

we have a 2003 4.6 SC and gunning it up to speed on the hwy in traffic is the only problem we've had with torque (?)

had the 60K service recently and i don't know what they did, but the gas mileage is outstanding now. a 1/4 tank just keeps going and going and going. with gas prices we don't fill up often, so i can't quote the mpg, but lets say we can go about 200 miles before it drops more than a 1/4. some gas stations are much worse - must be ethanol in the gas, so we shop carefully.

but, a 4x4 with a 4.6? no way, unless it's just a soccer mom vehicle. the fords are too heavy.

we did have a jeep cherokee 4x4 with a 4.0 that was a goat and would tow anything, but had to replace it at about 260k miles.

btw we went with the 4.6 for gas mileage and dependability. haven't been disappointed.