grimsbylander Posted January 7, 2014 Report Posted January 7, 2014 Lots of talk about what will pull the boat but that's only part of it. You have to stop it too and do it in an emergency on wet pavement. You also want highway speed stability. I had a V8 explorer and now have a V8 Silverado for pulling a 20' Ranger. The biggest difference is how the boat can't 'push' my Silverado around. Does the trailer have brakes? Single or tandem axle?
Gerry Posted January 7, 2014 Report Posted January 7, 2014 A Ranger R80 with a 150 Opti isn't too heavy so any full size pickup with a V6 will handle it adequately. Before buying my 2012 F150 5.0L, I test drove the Ecoboost and I was impressed with the power. The boosters don't make it more efficient, in fact the opposite is true, but the power they provide to a small block is awesome. The torque felt the same as the V8. I didn't buy it only because they wanted $2K more for what I felt was no advantage over the V8.....same gas mileage.....from what I hear from friends who have them.
Sinker Posted January 7, 2014 Report Posted January 7, 2014 I never understood the eco boost. Adding a turbo to anything is never good for fuel economy, and in general, turbo's lead to trouble. I'd get a V8 for sure. If your towing and driving a truck, your going to burn gas. Period. S.
GBW Posted January 7, 2014 Report Posted January 7, 2014 I just got a NEW TO ME 2007 Ram 1500 quad cab SLT (SLX duno just under fully loaded pkg) 4X4 for under $15K from a dealer. Love it but with a RAM's there is a little downside, they RUST quick. The 5.7 HEMI has the power to do anything (inc go fishtailing up the road) but also offers the 8,6,4 CYL step down for fuel consumption when en route for HWY and so forth. NOT a Ford fan as I have had them and I could have picked up a 2005 F150 for $5K less than my Ram and still couldn't do it. Even with an extended warranty from the dealer for everything. If I could look at a Toyota FJ or Tundra for all my needs in the right price range then that would have been on the top of my list; Toyota that is...
Sharkbait22 Posted January 7, 2014 Report Posted January 7, 2014 To a very large degree its the mass of the vehicle that determines the fuel consumption. It's physics. In most cases the bigger engine makes sense particularly on longer hilly drives and passing transports etc. Driving habits being equal a large engine will add some weight but it's small e.g. 1 mpg. Most truck these days are big. Even the Toyota Taco is big. Where did the small trucks go! Saving on weight (fuel) is more easily done by getting out of a truck based SUV but then many of those can't tow more than 1500-2000 lbs safely. Got a big boat or a large family then you'll likely need a big vehicle. If driving short a distance to a decent ramp than you could get away with a smaller vehicle. 99% of the time you'll be towing nothing.
WeedLine Posted January 7, 2014 Author Report Posted January 7, 2014 The truck I have now is a 2001 GMC Sonoma. She is a work horse. I've killed this truck and towed a 16ft aluminum Sylvan every week for 5 yrs. She will pull the Ranger but I could feel her pulling uphill and the boat is hard on the truck's brakes. It has a V6 Vortec 4.3L engine. It works everyday doing demos and renos and is driven primarily in the GTA. I'm sad to get rid of her but it's time to upgrade.. Thanks for all the input guys!
Old Ironmaker Posted January 7, 2014 Report Posted January 7, 2014 Numbers are very important to us all, we live and die by them. But remember the difference of 2 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers is about $2.50 over 62 miles. I don't know about you folks but I know guys that will stop twice for a $2.00 coffee in that time, or smoke that much or more in cigarettes in an hours drive. V8 over a V6 in my opinion for all the pro reasons stated above. I really like Grimsbylanders point, beyond the pulling power, stopping power and safety to me is more important than saving a few pennies on fuel. Penny wise pound foolish.
mike rousseau Posted January 7, 2014 Report Posted January 7, 2014 It's funny.... When anyone asks about getting a 90hp outboard or a 125hp almost everyone on this site will say go with the extra power.... Not much talk about gas When it's a car/truck it's a different story... Lol
kickingfrog Posted January 7, 2014 Report Posted January 7, 2014 In many cases an argument can be made for a turbo for fuel economy. Yes, some have had durability issues, but the same can be said for cars/trunks in general. If you don't jump on the gas after every red light the engine is fuel efficient, but does have the power to get up and go if you want to pass or what not. The idea for a tow vehicle with a turbo makes a lot of sense in theory, admittedly some applications have had problems. You have a "fuel efficient" vehicle for day to day use but the power to tow as well. If you mostly use a vehicle for towing then having a bigger engine is likely better then the smaller engine with a turbo but every situation is different.
BillM Posted January 7, 2014 Report Posted January 7, 2014 (edited) The only time a turbo should be mentioned when talking about trucks is when the word 'diesel' is behind it You watch how the new Ram with the 3.0 turbo diesel makes out, if VM Motori can actually keep the engine together, it will easily have the best mileage out of any of the fullsized trucks. Edited January 7, 2014 by BillM
Fish Farmer Posted January 7, 2014 Report Posted January 7, 2014 (edited) I tow with an f150... 5.4 liter 8 cylinder..... My 16 foot aluminum you can't hardly feel behind you.... My brothers ranger 620T with 115hp 4stroke... You really appreciate the power..... You boat would be in between these 2 for weight... So in my experience id go 8 cylinder.... Then you have plenty of power for steep ramps... Big uphill drives.... Etc... hope you don't have the spark plug issue with that Tridon. Just got rid of mine Mike. I went with a new 5 litre f150 I'd stick with a 8 for towing. but if Wynne is putting the gas up 10 cents . mite have to sell and by a bicycle and down-size to a canoe. or buy a fishing game for the TV Must have Perch and Sheephead in the game Edited January 7, 2014 by Fish Farmer
mike rousseau Posted January 7, 2014 Report Posted January 7, 2014 hope you don't have the spark plug issue with that Tridon. Just got rid of mine Mike. I read something about that.... Plugs breaking off eh? I changed mine when I had some recall world one....
aplumma Posted January 7, 2014 Report Posted January 7, 2014 I never understood the eco boost. Adding a turbo to anything is never good for fuel economy, and in general, turbo's lead to trouble. I'd get a V8 for sure. If your towing and driving a truck, your going to burn gas. Period. S. Both statements are old information and do not apply to today's turbos. Using a turbo allows the computer to adjust to a wider range of driving conditions than a non turbo engine. With a v6 turbo charged driven economically it will save you money in the long run. Ford lied, imagine that a car company exaggeration their fuel economy numbers. bad on them but look at how much metal they are moving down the road. Turbos sized correctly are bullet proof eliminating the main death of a turbo issue the bearing that support the shaft. The new generation turbos use ceramic nozzles that under pressure suspend the shaft in a field of oil elimination the wear associated with the older turbos. They also are now in some vehicles (Ford) are using twin sequential turbos that spool up at different rates one for low end torque and as the 2nd one builds in to supply midrange. If you spool up a turbo to 28 lbs you are at two atmosphere basically you need to add twice the fuel to keep the ratio balanced but it turns 3.7 into 7.4 liter motor. The trick is the computer optimists the ratio so you burn the least amount of fuel possible to keep 7.4 motor running clean and safely. Don't fear the turbo it is reliable and when driven correctly a money saver in the long run. Art
BillM Posted January 7, 2014 Report Posted January 7, 2014 The twin turbos on the Powerstrokes aren't anything to brag about, lol. Should have used a VGT/VNT like the rest of their competitors... Probably would have had a lot less issues with them exploding.
aplumma Posted January 7, 2014 Report Posted January 7, 2014 Nope the power strokes are not the shining star of turbo technology. The units were sequenced incorrectly and the results stressed them out and they blew. I think the flaw is in their design of the motor than the turbo components used. Art
Sinker Posted January 7, 2014 Report Posted January 7, 2014 Old information, but the turbo's still blow? Ok then. If you say so. I drive a turbo, and know how they work, and what they do. I'd take the V8, thanks. S.
MrSimon Posted January 10, 2014 Report Posted January 10, 2014 To the original question .... If its your daily driver first, and a tow vehicle second, you need to think primarily about what you'll be using the vehicle for on a daily basis. Do you need to carry a lot of people ... haul stuff ... drive long distances ... impress customers .... etc etc etc? Once you answer those questions, then you can start looking at vehicles that can also handle some weekend towing. You also need to think about what kind of towing you'll be doing. Long distance? High speed? Hills and mountains? Heavy traffic? Depending on all those things, you could be looking at everything from a mini-van to a diesel powered truck. I've owned and towed with a lot of different vehicles .... the one thing I found is that small to medium sized vehicles with mid sized V6s might be rated for up to 3,500 or even 5,000 pounds .... but they don't handle it very well. A V6 might have enough power, but the vehicle doesn't have the wheelbase, suspension, braking, transmission, or gearing to handle the load well. You can never go wrong with a Chevy/GMC 1500 with the 5.3L V8 ... you can get the pick-up or suburban depending on needs.
ch312 Posted January 12, 2014 Report Posted January 12, 2014 (edited) I just got a NEW TO ME 2007 Ram 1500 quad cab SLT (SLX duno just under fully loaded pkg) 4X4 for under $15K from a dealer. Love it but with a RAM's there is a little downside, they RUST quick. The 5.7 HEMI has the power to do anything (inc go fishtailing up the road) but also offers the 8,6,4 CYL step down for fuel consumption when en route for HWY and so forth. NOT a Ford fan as I have had them and I could have picked up a 2005 F150 for $5K less than my Ram and still couldn't do it. Even with an extended warranty from the dealer for everything. If I could look at a Toyota FJ or Tundra for all my needs in the right price range then that would have been on the top of my list; Toyota that is... The MDS in a Hemi switches from 8 cylinders to 4 cylinders and never operates on 6 cylinders and will engage during city driving once you learn how to accelerate slowly at a steady rate from a stop. It will start working after the engine has warmed up a bit and once you're going faster than 20km/h. It's extremely easy to rig up an LED which will let you know when the MDS is on or not and is a very valuable tool for teaching you how to drive to get the best MPG and also teaches you how cross winds, wind from other vehicles, and drafting makes the motor work harder/less. Here's a vid of an LED showing the MDS engaging/disengaging. Should work if you click on it... Edited January 12, 2014 by ch312
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