Definitely get the 5.4. My 4.6 is very marginal for towing. I tow a 4000 pound trailer with it and acceleration is very bad. It will tow it but sure would be nice to have a little more ump especially on grades and of course acceleration.

I drove one of the new Chevys with the 4.8 and I can tell you it has a lot more hp than my 4.6. And the spark plugs are removeable unlike my 4.6.

 

I've got a 97 F-150 with the 5.4 liter engine and a 97 Expedition with the 4.6 liter engine. The 5.4 is a lot stronger than the 4.6. I bought the Expedition first and then got the truck used and was amazed at the difference. I also work with 3 different guys that use their 4.6 liter F-150s for towing and every one of them (myself included) would buy the 5.4 rather than the 4.6, especially if you will be towing anything with it.

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1997 F150 Lariat, Supercab, Shortbed, 4x4, Black w/Gray Leather, 5.4 liter, 3:55 ls, 4 speed auto.

Mods:
Powerdyne SVO Supercharger. Autometer Boost Guage. Dynomax Catback Exhaust. Rancho RSX 5000 shocks. Custom Superchip. Century 'Cargo Cover' (Hard Tonneau). NR Automotive White Guage Faces

Pictures of my truck

 

Larry,

You have 3.08 gears right? Those are terrible for towing. And yeah, the 4.8l has more hp, 270 to be exact. But it doesnt match torque. 285 compared to 290. And who wants the torque the 4.8 has at 4000rpm? Not me!

 

the chevy 4.8 has 255hp and i drove it and it has less pickup than my 4.6. The only way
it has power(the chevy 4.8) if you mash the gas and get the rpm's up. My ford 4.6 is faster than my former truck a 97 yukon with a
5.7 V8 I've never driven the 5.3 270hp chevy

 

Weapon14,
I don't know if you are aware that FORD has 3.9 % financing on 3 yr loans and 4.9% on 4 yr loan. Check out what your payments are on the used truck before you decide. Also go to:
http://auto.priceline.com/
to get cost quotes. Hope this helps.

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'00 WHITE/GOLD F150 LARIAT FlareSide SC 5.4 Auto 3.55 LS
Black Westin Nerfs, White Prime Design BugShield,
White Vtech Taillight Covers, K&N Air Filter,
Leather Captain's Chairs (like a screen door in a submarine!),
and all the Lariat goodies
SOME SHOW and a LOTTA TOW
My am E, Fl *** Member of ??? Ford Group

 

lsu,

The 4.8l has 270hp. Your thinking of the 5.7 liter [pre-99}which has 255hp. The 5.3l has 285hp. This is for 2000.

[This message has been edited by fast46triton (edited 01-12-2000).]

 

Weapon14,

Get the 5.4L with the captians chairs.
Captians chairs rock!

 

fast46triton,

Yes, I have the 3.08 gears but I do leave it in 3rd when towing. This is a fairly low gear and I wouldn't want any low or the rpm would be too high. I turn 2400 rpm at 65 mph with the 3.08. That's pretty high. If you need lower gearing than this to get enough power to tow then you need more hp/torque. If you tow at too high an rpm your efficiency goes down.

You guys are right about the torque of the 4.8 Chevy coming on at higher rpm. I guess I was just comparing the hp at full throttle. My 4.6 just may have more torque than the Chevy at 2000 rpm but still not enough for towing a 4000 pound load.

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97 4.6 F150, 1/8 = 10.885 @ 64.10 mph, 88 5.0 Mustang 1/8 = 7.409 @ 93.72 mph

 

Larry,

You have 5 more ftlbs than the Chevy which is kinda funny. They have 'supposedly' 50hp more, but what happened to their torque

 

LArry,

Based on your 10.885 1/8mile run, Ive come out with 16.95 with a 1/8 to 1/4 conversions. Thats pretty good for a 4.6l with 3.08 gears.

 

Just for information 3.08 gears is NOT a low rear end ratio. For towing our dealership recomends the 3.55. The peak torque of the 4.6 is around 3,200 rpm witch puts it closer to its power band at 65 mph........ so this gear ratio is perfect for most light to medium towing. The 5.4 with the same gears will tow even better cause it's bigger, has more cubes and more toqure.

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97 F-150 4.6 auto, 4x2, 3.55 LS, WMS Velocity tube, K&N, Dynomax Super Turbo exhaust with Echo tube.
Oh yeah, it's Oxford White with crome wheels, Legacy shell & custom grill!

 

Please delete this. Thanks

[This message has been edited by LarryS (edited 01-14-2000).]

 

fast46triton,

Your calculations are very close for my 1/4 times. I ran a 17.05 during et racing and came out of the throttle just before the finish line because I was ahead of the other truck. Did not get another run that night as I broke out on that run. The only reason I was running my truck is because my Mustang was misfiring that night and I wanted to race something. I don't normally race my truck.

mlaugh,

3200 best towing rpm.....too high! Get a bigger engine if you need that kind of gearing. And don't believe everything your dealer tells you.

 

Given the track record of the 4.6 , I would lean that way instead of the 5.4
As an owner of both I feel that the 4.6 is the better value of the two. Sure, the 5.4 is quicker but not by much. So far I am underwelmed with my 5.4. I guess I was expecting too much. I haven't towed yet with my 5.4 but will soon, so can't comment on towing performance. I think (hope) that this is where the difference between the Tritons will become apparent.

------------------
99 2wd S/C s/b XLT 4.6 Triton auto. w/3.08
BONE STOCK...for now
and
2000 Lariat SC 5.4 4x4 3.73 LS

 

LArry,

Mlaugh works at a dealership.