I have been a FORD BOY for years and need to replace my tow vehicle for a big 5th wheel RV. Which is a better puller and all around driver. Ford Super Duty V-10 or the Silverado HD w/8.1 V-8. Mileage counts some too!

 

Im not sure about mileage. But fewer cylinders means fewer parts to break. Fewer plugs to change.

My brother had a 99 ford v10. It couldnt even lay rubber. Well ok maybe an 8 ft patch but it was pretty pathetic. Towards the end he was getting 7mpg, city driving not towing. Was on his 3rd tc. And complained daily that it was gutless. He just traded it for a hemi. I remember the old 4x4 magazine tests of the v10. This is what they said. " It was a v10???"

The dodge v10 has more power but I cannot say its a good buy. Dont know about how the tranny likes it. IF you had the 6 speed with the dodge v10 I think you would be styling.

Now that 8.1 is another story Its got *****. Friend of mine has one. Very impressive. His curb weight is about 12k and he still motivates quickly.

 

Well i'd say ya should go with a diesel if your towing a lot...deffinetly the most power and milage. But otherwise go test drive them. I've driven both and actually think the v10 is the better of the two...i'm not sure what was up with the one you had experience with but when i took a v10 superduty for a test drive last summer i not only layed a patch but got the thing next to sideways with not much of a problem.

 

Well, I hung out on the GM boards for a little while and they said expect to burn some oil, and 7-9 mpg of gas. So either way, crappy gas mileage, and chevy hasn't shown much longetivity I don't guess. I heard a lot of people getting about 12 mpg with the V10 and I saw them running through the mud boggs in Fla. and they ain't no slouch.

 

if u wanna quick towing vehicle get the new ford 6.0L powerstroke, i'd wait a lil while though..... but 320 horses? geez!

 

If you are looking for a brand new truck, I'd go with the Ford SD with the V-10. Better mileage and reliability, BUT if you are looking for a truck that is a few years older, I would seriously consider a F-350 with a 5-speed and a 460. 4:10's. That is an awesome combo. Go with 3:55's for mileage with the 5speed. Either way, you're looking around 10-12 mpg. and 460's are very dependable.

 

If you buy a GM 8.1L, be prepared to get about 6 or 7 mpg towing and burn about a quart of oil every 3k miles.

It's really hard to compare the 6.8L V10 to an 8.1L. It's in a different displacement class. Of course the 8.1L is more powerful-it's 20% larger. Ford's V10 gives near big-block torque and gets you small block mileage and badly out-torques a GM 6.0L or Dodge 5.7 Hemi at much lower rpms.

My V10 gets 11 to 13 mpg unloaded and will spin the tires too easily if you want to waste your tread. Towing 5K lbs interstate gets me 10mpg. If I needed more power, I'd skip the 8.1, spend the extra $$ and get a diesel. That way at least it will be normal to burn "oil"!!

 

The V-10 is am awesome engine, and I love mine. I get 12.5 around town and anywhere from 14-16 on highway. But, if I was gonna be pulling a big trailer, I would go for the diesel. I would get the new 6.0 Power Stroke! It beats the snot out of Chevy's and Dodge's diesels!

 

man, im just having a hard time seeing a brand new engine (besides a diesel) burn oil.

 

Vortec 8.1 V-8--Gas Hogging, Piston Slapping, Oil burning hunk of scrap metal

Triton 6.8 V-10--Reliable, More Economical, overall, a better made engine with the exception of the spark plug blowouts

Magnum/Hemi 5.7 V-8--High RPM Screamer

Magnum 8.0 V-10--Gas hog (big time), not very reliable, oil burner

7.5 EFI V-8--Reliable power, could use a little help with gas mileage, and a little help with attaining more horsepower (legally)

 

I am going to have to disagree with you on your analogy there. Don't get me wrong, im ford all the way, but you also wont see me putting other brands down because I always think what I have is the best. Although this isn't the matter of the original post, The magnum V10 is NOT an oil burner, it does NOT get bad gas mileage, and it IS far more reliable than any of the other engines you named, including fords V10. In fact, I would label this engine the best big block gasoline engine to date. This thing is built from the ground up for serious duty use. The short block is literally indistructable. You can do pretty much anything you wont to it and not worry at all. Yes, I do happen to own one of these rigs, after seeing for my self the unbelievable performance and reliability they produce. Very few V10's ever need service. In fact, Mopar has a special warranty particulary for the V10 that surpases its other engines because of its known reliablity. Oil burner? Not hardly. Granded, my rig only has 40k on it, but because of were I work, I get to talk to guys with alot of different setups every day. Guys come in with over 200k on the clock on their magnum V10 and say its as strong now as day one. My truck gets an honest 11mpg in town, 14 on the highway. And that 14mpg is whether im doing 55mph or 110 (verified). There is not to many big blocks that will do any better. And talk about torque, there is no comparison(the 8.1 might be able to keep up, never drove one however...certainly not the ford v10). This is a FORD forum, but lets not put down false acqusitions. I have talked to only a few 8.1 owners. Not all of them satisfied, but never heard of the oil problem. However, never talked to anyone with over 30k on the clock!! maybe something that progresses with age.

 

I would agree with Gamehunter. I had a 97 V10 Magnum, and until I went and messed with it by putting a supercharger on it, it was VERY reliable. It never burned any oil between changes, and got about 10 mpg frittering around town. I miss that truck, and that engine. Of course, with the new Hemi outpowering it, Dodge is basically killing it off. Non-enthusiasts don't seem to understand TORQUE!

Yes, it did mysteriously use coolant. Dealer could never figure that out. It is possible that that may have been a problem down the road, as some of these engines, to my understanding, had some porous head castings. There have also been sporadic #7 cylinder failures, but these are far and few between; I don't think this engine has any more issues that others.

While I've never driven one, the GM 8.1 is one badass beast, so I read. The Triton V10 is a good one too.

Basically, you can't go wrong with any of these.

 

I didn't say what I had was the best. If I did have that, I'd be driving a Diesel.

My comments about the Dodge V-10 came from a friend I know that drives them at the local state owned dairy farm. He told me that one there had only 75k on it when it blew while towing a fully loaded cattle trailer and the dealer would not even replace it, even with the extended warranty. He was also the one that told me how much oil the 2 Dodge V-10 trucks there would go through too and also they were consistently running at 8 mpg unloaded. I have no Dodge V-10 experience my self, although before I got what I have, I was looking at one, and I asked him for some advice since he drives just about every type of truck at his job there. That info was what I have been told by someone who drove one daily at his job.

 

well unofficially the 8.1's are having problems with rings. GM won't cover it casue supposedly its not a problem.

 

The two folks I know with Dodge V10's never see 10mpg unloaded. One of them owns a dually and I talk to him all the time. He could care less about his mileage but it's often down at 8 or 9 mpg. They both have been dependable so far as I know-at least the engines have been.

That Dodge V10 only produces 15lb-ft more torque than the Triton V10-pretty shabby for being about 19% larger in displacement. Five years ago it was ok but I would think it's a bad deal now. The rumor is that Dodge is coming out with a Hemi V10 in a year or two that will get in the area of 500lb-ft, so I'd hold off buying a Dodge V10 unless you get a bargain on one.