Agree. Prince George BC is truck city Canada WAY more trucks than cars and they are used as trucks for the most part. Snow, slush, logging roads, hunting, fishing and everything else. Gotta love it when the millionaires drive a Super Duty pulling a jet boat as opposed to a BMW sport ute

 

The 5.4 is not lacking torque, but it is lacking hp and a descent set of gears to put it to the ground (1/2 tons that is). If the 5.4 had 300+hp this thread wouldn't exist, I think it would be the perfect mid-sized V-8.
By the way Cougar Guy, hello from Vanderhoof.

 

260hp is nice, IMO. WHen you race people anyways, you have alot of torque, so you're off the line ALOT quicker, and by the time it takes em to catch up, the race is over

 

Hey hoseclamp,

Nice to have another Northern BC'er hanging arounf the boards!

 

BrotherDave, Mine is a 2WD so I have a coule hundred pound 'advantage over a 4WD Expy. I also have 3.73 Limited Slip Rear end and still have the OEM 255/70-16 (30.2" diameter - small dia = better lauch gearing) which also helps. The car rag you mentioned 'tested' a 4WD Expy with 3.55 gears and the optional 265/70-17 (31.7" diameter) wheels. Your 97 5.4L is down on power (stock vs stock) from your '01 screw.

Now don't get me wrong, I know she is still quite the heavy weight and slow by 'car' standards, but she does surprise a few folks.

BTW, the 4WD cheby tatoe is a couple hundreds pounds lighter then my 2WD Expy but I think it could be close between us, but go ahead and spank the camery with your cheby.

BTW II, I was in Houston for my wife's High School reuionion last summer and look around at jobs and houses, never know . . .

 

petro.. i would have to get real creative on what to tell the wife.. i am taking your car to race some guy after t-ball practice tonight,

i think ford and chevy sale more truck in Texas than any where else and over half of them have had nothing in the back but groceries or the typical house hold stuff. the soccer moms drive crew cab dually hear and my f150 supercrew is the smallest vehicle at some of our social events. ever here of an suv, do you think they sale a few of those and do you think people buy them for work?

 

I've noticed up North, the majority of the trucks are purchased for either hauling or for 4WD to get around with during the winter. For this reason, it seems like in general that a much higher percentage of trucks up North are purchased to work in for there funcionality (the ability to haul for work or the ability to get traction in the snow.)

Down here in Texas, it seems like there are probably more 2wd pickup trucks running around than just about anything else. (I'm sure there are many many more tucks and SUV's than cars nowdays.) Since we do not have the harsh winters they have up north, there are many more 2wd trucks down here than 4wd, with the majority of them never doing any real 'work' other than the occasional trip to the hardware store. I'm sure we have as many or more people working in there trucks down here as anywhere else, it's just that there are sooo many people ontop of that driving a truck strictly for the desire to sit higher and be in a 'truck' that at this point they easily outnumber those who actually need a truck to work in many times over. With this being the case, BrotherDave's makes a good point. I'd emagine atleast 4 out of 5 truck owners would be better suit for a 'modified' car engine than an engine setup for 'true' work.

 

ok I hate to bring up an old subject but there are some things in this topic that are the fords with a little less hp to the chebies is not much if any slower then the 5.3's to give you true honest numbers in 88deg. heat, with about 8-12mph head wind, 275-60-17 tires, 100+lbs of tool box, 1/2 tank of 87 octain, and my 350lbs. rear siting in the drivers seat ran 16.213@ 84.543 mph, at Ennis this past sunday for fun ford, with stock paper filter with 9000 miles of dirt in it, 100 percent stock, with the 3.55s. I know this is not a lightining type run, but for a truck that can pull a 3450lbs. race car on a 1600lbs. trailor, with a 800lbs ATV from Dallas to Houston Raceway Park ,for fun ford down there, like nothing to it, low 16's is awsome. Given cooler weather and less head wind are high 15's out of the question? I dont think so. Not for a 1/2 ton pick up that if you look in the owners manual says can tow up to 8600lbs like a shortbed reg. cab 5.4 is rated in the owners manual. I will say one thing for the chevies, if you want the most potental hp from a truck that is the way to go cause all the ls1 head cam packages bolt right on. But, then when it breaks down you have to call your ford buddies to tow you home.
LOL
P.S. how do you change your signature I want to update the track times for my truck& car

 

Another Northern BC Ford driver here, and I thought I would jump in on this. I have to agree with Hoseclamp.
While Ford trucks outnumber other brands here by a good margin, it's a commonly held opinion here in the oilpatch that the 5.4 is too small for a superduty.
My family and friends buy Ford's for many reasons, but their awesome power isn't one of them. Many people I have talked to, if they could change one thing about their trucks, would increase their low end torque and horsepower.
Every truck here is a 4x4, and most have several hundred lbs of stuff in the back normally, and more when they are actually "loaded". I suspect these factors, perhaps combined with our weather and roads, might cause us to have a different opinion than our friends to the south.
I sympathize with hoseclamp on his engine dilemma. I am personally waiting for the 2005 f-150's, when they come with a 4.5L diesel option. Then I will have to decide between one of those, or a superduty with the 6.0 litre, though I would prefer a gasoline engine if Ford made one that had better low end grunt.

 

I was at the local dealer today discussing the gearing/tire choices with the S'crew. The dealer offered me a swap, my 17"/LT radial combo for a set of 5-spoke 16" w/255/70-16's. With 3.73's and a lower tire I'm sure this combo would pull great and hold OD on many more hills. It would cost me a $200 Canadian, and would have 8-ply BFG A/T's, I think this would be the best combo for me so far. Maybe good enough I won't have to buy the Gale Banks Intake/header/exhaust package...... but I'm sure I will anyway!

 

Sounds like this might be just the answer you've been looking for Hoseclamp, and a good deal to boot. What is $200 Canadian now . . $60 just kidding

Your effective gear ratio from the wheel & tire change alone would be like going from 3.55 to 3.73 gears as the 265/70-17s are 31.7" dia and the 255/70-16s are 30.2" dia

At least you were stating out with the 3.55 gears and not 3.08

 

I have to agree 100% with "hoseclamp", the 5.4 engine really needs more power. 260hp for a modern, 5.4 liter, overhead-cam, V-8 is really unimpressive. There are already quite a number of V-6 car engines that make that kind of horsepower.

I know that a lot of folks are going to make the tired old argument about low-end torque, blah, blah, blah. While it is true that low-end torque is desireable in a "working vehicle", what's wrong with a little more horsepower?! Typically, with more horsepower also comes a bit more torque. In this day and age, an engine that makes less than 50hp/liter is nothing worth boasting about.

 

Picked up a Motor Trend today, had a comparison between 4 trucks, including a F150 sc 4x4, 5.4/3.55/17", a GM 1500 sc 4x4, 4.8/Gears unknown/16". Well, I was pretty choked, but not surprised. The Ford gets the GM off the line, but loses a hair in 0-60mph and 1/4 mile, and the results get worse with 1,000lbs in the box. Makes me sick. Ford needs 50 more hp, and some descent bloody gears for once. I need to be at 2,000rpm at 62mph in OD while towing, not 1,600rpm. And a first/second gear shift at almost 50mph is completely useless too.
265/70-17's, with 3.55's, in OD, are 1,656rpm at 62mph. Garbage. Same tire with 3.73's is 1,735rpm. 255/70-16's with 3.73's= 1,829rpm. Better but still needs to be lower IMO. 300 plus hp is a must.
Talk about frustrating or what.
The 5.4 may have torque, but it's proven a motor with less torque will pull better with a descent set of gears, so why not match and raise the bar for once instead of staying just out of reach.

I'd like to drive a truck for once that not only just looks better, rides better, will work harder and longer, but also has the strongest V8.

 

HMMM...here's an idea------> GET a STICK!!!! Keep the rpm where you want it. YES auto's SUCK.....you've answered your question....it all in the drivetrain. Nothing wrong with the engine .....how many times have you run 3000rpm or more in your truck? Unless you drive a chevy it should be almost never. Keep that 5.4 in the 2000 to 3000rpm range and it will do all you need to do I promise you that. You guys kill me when you say the 5.4 is underpowered. Do you remember trucks in the 1960's and 70's and we worked with them and they got the job done. Please go buy a chevy and put it to "work" oh yeah....keep those mags under the front seat so you can read them while you wait for a tow

 

A stick just won't do, had enought of those in my first couple vehicles, and with the hills around here I'd get sick of rowing back and forth all the time pulling a load. I do spend alot of time above 3,000rpm, since it's a weeeee 4.6 under the hood, that's where all the power is in this truck.
As far as "need" goes, I've been getting by with a 4.6 for 5 years, but I "want" more, an engine that compliments the truck, and the current 5.4 doesn't do it. A nice day, no traffic, give the pedal a stomp, and yawn.
A 5.4 will work, but guess what, you just got passed by a 4.8 with the same load.......
Work a GM and it breaks all the time? C'mon, you have to be realistic, there's Dodges, and yes, God help me for blurting such sacrilage, Fords hanging off the tow truck also. I've seen more Fords take massive amounts of abuse, more than GM or Dodge combined up here. This is Ford country, but I hardly would call them invincible.