Comparing a 2wd with a 4.6 and a 4wd with the 5.4 is comparing apples and oranges. The differences in weight and powertrain may make them "feel" similar, but the 5.4 makes much more power. The 4.6 in a 4wd screw is a dog, and wouldn't tow very well.

 

mjbesen310 - sounds like you are trying to convince yourself that the 4.6 is okay. The weight difference between the two trucks is only about 200lbs yet the 5.4 has an additional 69HP with 72 lbft of torque. More than enough to take care of the 200lbs.
All you did was ride in it, that has no bearing on the actual performance between the two vehicles. The numbers speak for themselves, both in the 1/4 mile and 0 to 60 times.

 

If it snows in your area your gonna be sorry you did not buy the 4x4 regardless of the engine.These trucks suck in 2wd in the snow.

 

I agree!

 

i was talking about it earlier but you need to put these things to work to notice the power. i brought 20 bags of concrete earlier today. loaded them up into my 5.4 4x4 supercrew and couldnt even tell i had over a 1000 pounds in the bed.

happens to the cars too same car models one with a 2.5 and one with a 3.5. only 20-25 diff. in HP but the 3.5 has more torque and i could tell a huge difference when loaded up with passengers.

 

I,ve had both and believe me the5.4 is better.

 

I too have had both. The 4.6 is a good motor, the 5.4 is better. Set your cruise control at 70 mph and find some long hills. See which engine constantly down shifts to make up for the lack of power. The 5.4 gets about .5 mpg less than my 4.6 did. Well worth it in my opinion. Just my 2 cents worth....

 

I wasn't sure if I really wanted to jump into this thread, it looks like mjbensen310 has stirred things up a bit.

I have a 2004 supercab with the 4.6L engine, and am quite pleased with it. Of course; it's not as fast or powerful as the 5.4L. The 5.4L has 0.059 HP per pound, while the 4.6L has 0.045, a significant difference in horsepower to weight ratio.

But; I do want to say the 4.6 is still a great engine, and certainly meets all my needs. The money I saved allowed me to buy a 2004 model instead of a end-of-year 2003. It definitely goes faster than I want to go, and I never expect to tow 6,300 lbs. It also has a strong reputation for reliability, having been referred to as "bullet proof" many times in this forum.

If I had intended to do any significant towing, or if bragging rights were important, the 5.4L definitely would have been the better choice. How I intended to use the truck was also the reason I got a 2x4. I just figured, with the 1/2" of snow Austin gets every 2 or 3 years, the extra $3,000 would be better spent upgrading to an XLT Supercab.

We all love our trucks, and use them differently. That's why Ford gave us so many choices. Maybe mjbensen310 was just trying to say he was proud of his 4.6L too, I know I am.

 

JohnBoy2, very well said. I have the 4.6, more than enough power for me. I sometimes tow around 3000 lbs. My truck does fine. I don't race my truck, every now and than maybe a young fellow in a Toyota Tacoma needs put in his place. My younger brothers have the 5.4 in their F150's (2001 model year), definately a stronger engine. I would have been happy with a 5.4, but my truck came with the 4.6. I really like the 4.6, love my F150, as all you do. What a great truck we have......

 

No one is bashing the 4.6, it's a proven power plant. It was not bragging rights just a perfomance debate.

 

I have a 4.6 DOHC 32v in my '96 Cobra and it is about the smoothest engine I have ever had before. The 5.4 in the S'crew I have now is just as smooth and I have yet to feel underpowered in my truck. Both engines make roughly 300hp at flywheel but seem worlds apart in their manners (obviously there are different packages around them). At the end of the day, I think FoMoCo builds some of the best V8's in the world today regardless of their application. The new Ford GT is a 500hp supercharged V8 for goodness sakes!

I say enjoy what you have for what they're intended for.

T

 

Well said.

I think that's what most of us were trying to say. They are not the same, but both have merits and are excellent choices depending on your needs.

 

A little off topic, but how come the two engines get the same MPG according to the window sticker?

 

Had a 97 SCAB 4.6 3.55 4X4 deffinately more peppy without my boat (3500lbs). Now with my 04 SCREW 5.4 4X4 I can pull the boat in overdrive and it never down shifts unless i am on a long up hill. Never could pull the boat in OD with my 4.6.

 

My 4.6 pulls my boat just fine in od without unnecessary shifting unless on a hill.