You're right...I wouldn't.
Mainly because the suspension, transmission, half shafts, differential, and chasis are not capable of taking on the stress and strains that towing/hauling puts on a vehicle, regardless of what engine/powerplant resides under the hood.

But to get back on topic...I love my 5.4L.

 

Hated the 5.4 in my '07 F150 and ain't afraid to say it. That is all.

 

No, No, No! The 5.4's problem isn't the bore spacing OR the long stroke, you do realize that the new 5.0 has the exact same bore spacing as the 5.4, right? I'm not sure if you're referring to bore spacing or bore diameter.

5.4 bore diameter - 3.552"
5.0 bore diameter - 3.629"

Both engines share 3.937" bore centerlines.

The 5.4 Triton's real problem is short cam duration and poor to mediocre head flow (170 cfm for 2V, ~225 cfm for 3V) in 2V and 3V iterations. The 5.4 NEEDS head flow to fill up those under-square cylinders.

This 5.4 doesn't have any problem making power with it's narrow bore spacing OR without a supercharger.

YouTube - ‪9500RPM Naturally Aspirated Mod Motor Dyno‬‏

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ORq_zuyzxI&feature=fvsr

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ApIYjTpWIo

Yes the smoke is from the tires, it broke lose on the dyno at 140+ mph, YES it's N/A, NO there is no N2O. The N/A 5.4 4V was making 750 HP in Trophy Truck when it was replaced by the 7.5L Boss, and the 5.4 (in 4V trim) HAS made 850 HP on motor. The performance capability is there! The 5.4 is an awesome platform with the right H/C/I, they are just handicapped in 2V and 3V forms with cams more optimized for 4.6s, lackluster head-flow, and long runner intakes.

If Ford would have taken the 310 cfm 4V heads/longer duration cams/better intake manifold/and Ti-VCT from the new 5.0 and dropped them onto the 5.4 everyone's opinion on the 5.4 would have been WAY different, that would have transformed the 5.4 into a Hemi/Tundra-slaying animal! To really drive the point home look no further than the 2000 Cobra R, severely underrated at 385 HP, when Motor Trend strapped their Y2K R to the dyno they saw 379 rwhp. These cars were making 5.0 Coyote power 11 years ago! No variable runner/plenum intake manifold, no VCT of any sort and a mere 9.6:1 compression. When the 5.4 gets a decent set of heads AND a decent intake manifold (the Navigator's intake was GARBAGE) they run their *** off, the 5.4 Tritons never had that benefit.

 

Well that would make a useless truck motor. It probably makes about 150lb/ft at 1500rpm Yes, I meant the bore is too small to run real sized valves so a more costly 3V and 4V design must be used. There is just not enough meat in the block to even go much more than a .020 overbore to add CI or rebuild if there is much cylinder wall damage. The 6.2L design fixed this. Jack Roush has a nice 7L version of the 6.2L that is N/A and runs on E85. Makes about 800hp with 2V heads.

The 5.4L was never really designed to make HP, it was designed to make torque with that long stroke and though, not real fast, didn't tow too bad for it's size.
As for gearing, Regardless of the number of gears, when having OD like most any modern transmission does, I will still stick with 3.73 or lower. Just takes strain off of the transmission in a towing situation regardless transmission ratios. I even run 3.73's my Mustang with a 26" tall tire and a .068 OD.
It's just personal preference.

 

I also have to say, I love my 06 F150 Screw KR, 5.4, 3:73. It tows my 6000lb boat with ease, not the best gas mileage but it's a heavy truck, I didn't buy it for that. Maybe the next generation F150 I'll look at the EB, right now just enjoying no payments.

 

I drove my buddy's 5.4 the other day and it has tons of power. I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised.

The only difference that is immediately noticeable between his 5.4 and my 5.0 is the gas mileage.

I know there are many other differences but the performance was very close.

 

I use to work for a Monument Company. We made headstones and things of that nature and put them in the cemetary or wherever asked to place them.

We had three trucks that we used for our work. One was a heavy duty 2001 Chevy 5500 Flatbed with a crane lift built onto the bed. The other two light duty trucks was a 2005 Ford F-150 Regular Cab Long bed with the 5.4L 3v and 4-speed automatic. And the other LD truck was a 2006 Chevy Silverado 1500 Regular Cab Long Bed with a 5.3L V8 and a 4-speed auto. If I remember correctly both of the LD trucks had 3.55 rear ends and were 2WD. Often times we would hook the light duty trucks up to trailers and load them down with whatever stones we were setting/concrete and tools needed for the job. In more than one case I can remember having both of those trucks pulling 8,000+ pounds of trailer with 1500+ pounds of concrete and equipment in the bed. Yes we did overload our trucks ALOT.

But despite that, the 5.4L Ford always did its job with little complaint. Not once during my period of working there did the Ford have to go the shop for repairs. But the Chevy was in the shop at least once a month. The 5.4L Ford always pulled the trailer better than the 5.3L Chevy. The Chevy felt a little bit quicker unloaded, but hook them up to their max or better in towing weight and suddenly the cards fall in the 5.4's favor. I remember once I was towing a 7,200lb trailer down the highway with the Ford and my boss was following in the Chevy he was towing a smaller 5,900lb trailer, he called me on my raido and told me to slow down that he was holding the Chevy to the floor to maintain the speed limit (Which was 70mph), I remember laughing because he would fall waaaayyyyy back when we hit any hills, Of course I would floor the Ford as well to maintain speed when going up the hills. But that old 5.4L managed to hold the same speed going up a slight grade that the 5.3L Chevy struggled to hold on flat ground.

I left that job in late 2007 but still talk to my boss (also a personal friend) on a regular basis. He informed that the Ford is still in service and nearing 200,000 hard worked miles. The Chevy on the other hand has been put out to the pasture. The traded it on suprise suprise! a 2009 F-150 5.4L. He said that the newer Ford already has almost 50,000 miles on it and it pulls those heavy trailers even better than the 2005 F-150. And the old 5500 HD Chevy truck has also been retired. In its place a 2007 Dodge Ram 4500 Medium Duty truck with the Cummins Turbo Diesel.

But anyway, I thought that job made for some intresting (real world) comparisons between the 5.4L and the 5.3L.

But despite all of that I gotta say, (Even though I have not towed with it) no 5.4L has lived up the power my 5.0L is making in my 2011 FX4 Super Cab. And I'm getting alot better mileage than any 5.4L I ever drove as well. Best of both worlds if you ask me.

 

I have no complaints about my 2009 F150 FX4 with 5.4L and 3:73 gears. Granted I don't haul things on a regular basis but it will tow 1 dirtbike in the back along with 3 dirt bikes on a 3 rail trailer plus gear for all four riders up the mountain with ease.

 

I love my 2010 with the 5.4...Pulls in truck pulls, pulls trailers, and I still get 18.9 for mileage..apparently I got a good one..haha..but seriously, I made sure I got a 2010 before the 5.4s were gone, I didnt want a 5.0

 

Yea, and Ford has really gotten away from those "costly" 4V heads, haven't they?

Please, stock iron blocks can and are taken .080" over, .040" is nothing, .020" is really nothing.

Color me unimpressed with the 6.2's current feats outside of Trophy Truck. They haven't really accomplished anything even @ 400+ cid that the 5.4 4V hasn't at 330 cid. I'm also pretty unimpressed with the 6.2 in general versus the new 5.0 and EcoBoost in the trucks, poor mileage comparatively and they honestly seem no quicker from behind the wheel.

The day Ford fits the 6.2 with a "costly" set of 4V heads and Ti-VCT is the day I become a dyed in the wool Boss fan.

Negative, the 5.4 Tritons were never designed to make horsepower with their tiny cams and mediorce cylinder heads. When Ford tried to make HP with the 5.4, they fitted it with 330 cfm 4V heads and made 5.0 Coyote power 11 years earlier without ANY VCT and over a point less compression. The 5.4 has NO problem making HP, and despite it's "long stroke" would have been very competitive IN TRUCK DUTY if they chose to equip it with a top end similar to the new 5.0's.

The Europeans have been building high winding, high HP undersquare engines for YEARS naturally paired with 4V and 5V cylinder heads. Why? Because it works...well...even in trucks.

 

I bought mine new with 4 miles on it In November (my dealer is about 2 miles from where my truck was built here in KC) it has the 3:55ls axle and is a s-cab 2wd. I didn't start getting the 18-22mpg until summer blend gas hit our area (winter gas sucks!). And that was around 8500 miles or so...

 

Basically Ford gave up on the 4.6 and 5.4 platform for a reason. I owned a 5.4 and drove several 4.6 F150's and would never own another.

Ford polished those turds thru serveral upgrades during the livetime of those engines, but still ended up with turds.

 

Your entire argument is destroyed by the simple fact that the 5.0 is a "polished" 4.6, the 5.0 carries on the Modular bloodline.

Those "turds" also outlived your 6.0 in production time and will outlive it in service life too.

 

That turd of a 4.6L in my Expy gets me 20 mpg's on the highway and I'd take that motor any day and twice on Sunday over a 300 I-6.

 

That has to be one of the most ignorant comments i have seen in awhile.

As stated....The 5.0 is a worked up 5.4l/4.6l. engine. They are built with the same machines at ford even.