hmmm...I am buying a 99'-01' F-150 and wanted to know what engine I should get? Which is the most reliable out of all the engines that come with the 150's? I do wheel pretty hard at Pismo and Hollister hills ORV and I also have a tandam axle trailer that im pulling with a bronco (351 V8) . Im thinking the 5.4 but whats your opinion? Gas milage? anything?

DO they make manual tranny for the 5.4 because that would be awesome! I plan on putting a 5" RCD and 35 BFG M/T's also!
Thanks!

 

F&J,

I'm very happy with my 4.6 in my '98 E-150. It gets the job done with ease. You say you're going to tow? Go for the 5.4l !

The differance in gas milage is almost nothing (from what I've read on these boards some 5.4's do better than some 4.6's)

If you WANT horsepower for FUN and you NEED torque to TOW. " Pay the man" and get the 5.4l.


Bill

 

Going from a 351 to a 4.6 will dissapoint you. The torque just isnt there in the 4.6. I think you already know the answer, you just want me to tell you

 

I love the 4.6 and have had great luck with it. But ...... if I had it to do over I'd get the 5.4 just for the extra displacement.

I see it as an investment in the long run. Imho options like tow package, limited slip, and the larger engine are cheaper to get from the onset as opposed to tryng to switch later on. If you get the 5.4 you'll prolly also get the bigger axle and trans too.

Ya ever read any threads about people wanting to swap out their 5.4 for a 4.6? How about converting from a LS differential to an open type?

Good luck.

 

With plans for large tires and towing, think 5.4L. If you do not plan to change the axle ratio, then try to find a non-piston slapping 99 5.4L that has the 3.73 gears. 2000-later have the 3.55 except the '03 Supercrew. The 5.4L is not availible with a manual trans unless you go with a Super Duty

 

you can get 3.73s on a 7700 gvwr F150. If you towing, this may be the option you want, or step up to SD.
Autos only with the 5.4L in the F150

 

If your going to be pulling a big boat, trailer, etc, get the 5.4. If youregetting a truck to use as a normal truck with some towing, get the 4.6 I really like my 4.6 and for the work i do with it, its great. I hauled 6, 500 pound wrestling mats on a 18 foot trailer on a 2 lane road for 50 miles about a year ago for school. Clicked her out of OD and had no problems whatsoever. Pulled like a champ

 

The 5.4 definately offers more torque and more horsepower. The 4.6 on the other hand usually gets a couple more miles per gallon (I'd say overall average in the city would be 15 vs. 13.) Unfortunately if you want a stick you'll have to go with the 4.6 since the 5.4 is only offered with an automatic. Since the manual transmission looses less horsepower, stock atleast the 4.6/Manual will out accelerate a 5.4 with the automatic. On the other hand, with the 5.4 you get the larger rear end, which may be nice to have since you plan on putting on larger tires. In general, if you just want to haul tail in a light truck, I'd go with the 4.6/Manual. If you want to tow or plan to get a heavier truck such as a SuperCrew I'd go with the 5.4/Auto.

 

I'm very happy with my '99 Lariat SC 4.6 3.55LS. Esp. the 18-20mpg I get (21-22 all highway). Pulls my 4000lb boat w/ no probs. A 5.4 would have been nice, but overkill for my needs.