V6 “good enough” in a Pickup?

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SumpyChumpy

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Apr 7, 2021
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Looking at a 2wd 4.3 v6 2015 Chevy silverado longbed with just 37k miles (old timer owned). $24k

Will the V6 be enough in general for this mild mannered 50 year old? (Me). The most I tow is a 1,900 lb vintage camper three times a year in wisconsin iowa and illinois.

Also, Any insights into the ecotec3 v6 longevity or things to look for pre purchase? (I mean specific to this engine or model. For example: 5.3s have the collapsed lifter sound to listen for)
 
Please make sure you inspect the brake lines/ fuel lines etc for rust if the vehicle is coming from Illinois. Purchased a Olds Bravada with 50k miles from a farmer in Illinois. The brake lines failed from rust at 60k miles. GM traditionally uses very cheap steel for its brake pipes, and people from the upper midwest are exposed to early brake line/ pipe failure.
 
I could pull that camper with my company Escape. A 2015 V6 powered Chevy will have no problem. Just inspect the thing as @GON recommended.

I did tree work here and there helping my friends company grow. One of his guys had an old Chevy WT1500. It had a 4.3L V6 and was a 2WD longbed. I can't tell you how much wood that thing would haul. It always arrived at the next site, ready to keep working.
 
Can’t speak for the 4.3, but in the Ram I find the 3.6 V6 to be perfectly adequate. The 4.3 has a good bit more torque (305lb ft vs 269) than the 3.6 Pentastar and about the same amount of horsepower.

It does have direct injection and cylinder deactivation though. Then again… it’s a 2 valve per cylinder pushrod engine, essentially a v8 with 2 cylinders chopped off. I’d happily drive one.
 
I have had my F150 3.7 v-6 for 6years now and have no trouble towing 3,000 # trailer, also better mileage. My brother has the 4.3 and sees even better mileage than I do. I think you will be happy with what you plan to tow.
 
Power on that 4.3 is 285 HP and 305 ft/lbs of torque. If you have access to E85 those power numbers go up to 297 hp and 330 ft/lbs

It wasn't that long ago when those power numbers would put that v6 solidly in the power ranges for the V8's

You will have no problem towing with that engine. You just wont spend much time in 6th gear. It's a solid engine.
 
I am a mild mannered 50 year old, and I have a 2wd 4.3 v6 2016 GMC Sierra. I tow a 4500 lb boat, handles that just fine. This truck has been absolutely perfect. I bought in 2018 with 18k miles on it, and have 63k now. The only thing I have done is replace the terrible factory tires and I just did the brakes for the first time and flushed the coolant (5 year interval) last month. The ecotec v6 has been flawless so far. I didn't even have a v6 on my radar when I was shopping, but read that the 2014 and later motors were a whole new ball game. Took one for a test drive, and I knew right away that was all the power I would ever need. Good luck shopping!
 
Tman220 said:
Power on that 4.3 is 285 HP and 305 ft/lbs of torque. If you have access to E85 those power numbers go up to 297 hp and 330 ft/lbs

It wasn't that long ago when those power numbers would put that v6 solidly in the power ranges for the V8's

You will have no problem towing with that engine. You just wont spend much time in 6th gear. It's a solid engine.
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I am in 6th plenty when towing with mine. And I'm actually surprised how much time it spends in 4 cyl... (yes, I put in "tow/haul" mode)
 
dadto2 said:
I am in 6th plenty when towing with mine. And I'm actually surprised how much time it spends in 4 cyl... (yes, I put in "tow/haul" mode)
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Results may vary. Around here if you're on a 55 mph road with the rolling hills you're better off leaving it in 5th.

We're talking purely subjective stuff here but it obviously depends on your trailer, rear diff (hopefully 3.42), and terrain.

My experience comes from a good friend of mine with a 2015 4wd silverado 4.3 with 3.42's in the rear. Towing a boat in the 2000 lbs range you really wanted to lock the thing out from going any higher than 5th due to the rolling hills around here it was always shifting.

I'm not knocking the 4.3 either but I do find it interesting the tow haul mode programming on the 4.3 trucks vs. the 5.3 trucks. I had a 2015 sierra 4wd with the 5.3 and just by selecting tow/haul mode keeps the transmission in 5th until 65-70'ish. Now I have a 2021 Silverado with the 5.3 and the same 6 speed transmission and tow haul mode locks you out of 6th until about the same speed. I actually prefer it this way because it's shifting a ton less.
 
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My father-in-law tows his 5,000 lb. travel trailer all over the place with a V6 truck.

Actually, he's had two. His first was a 2018 Silverado 2WD regular cab. He decided he wanted 4WD and an extended cab, so he replaced it with a 2020 Silverado. Stuck with the V6 though. He says it tows fine and why would he need anything more.
 
So long as you don't need to brag about acceleration times, HP, Torque, etc..., or care that it doesn't have the V8 sound, it will do a solid job for your needs. Our fleet is full of V6 powered F150's (among others) and they do their jobs just fine.
 
The last gen 4.3 is a really nice engine. You won't have any problems using that truck for what you want to do.
 
You'll be just fine. Back in the day a Vortec 350 had 210 horsepower....I think the latest Gen 4.3 is around 280, you'll be just fine.
 
The 4.3 has always been a reliable engine. They are noticeably more efficient than the V8s. I have a contracting customer with the 4.3 in an express and he has no complaints. The V6 should tow about 5000lbs off the top of my head. V8s are about 7k and max tow 6.2s are 9k ish.
 
We have a fleet of 17 3/4 ton Chevy/GMC vans , the newest 4 are the 4.3 V6 the rest of them are the old 4.8 V8 .
All vans are loaded with parts , tools , gear. The V6s are quicker than the V8s .
I was skeptical at first , but after driving them they are more than adequate for our usage.
 
avacado11 said:
The 4.3 has always been a reliable engine. They are noticeably more efficient than the V8s. I have a contracting customer with the 4.3 in an express and he has no complaints. The V6 should tow about 5000lbs off the top of my head. V8s are about 7k and max tow 6.2s are 9k ish.
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My 4.3 has the 3.23 rear end, max tow capacity is 6200 lbs.
 
Plenty enough power to haul 1900lbs around. i used to own a short bed 2003 single cab silverado but traded it in quickly since i regretted not getting the extended cab. That's the reason why i have the extended cab sierra now. If that Silverado was an extended cab idve still had that v6 truck since the power wasnt an issue.
 
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