Originally I started a different thread asking about the merits of buying a '97 E150 Club wagon chateau with the 5.4. Since that time, I have found a '96 E150 conversion van, for the same price, equipped with the 351W (5.8).

Forgetting terms of miles, condition, options, ect. which would be the better MOTOR/TRANSMISSION for cross country trips with the kids and their junk, overnight concert jaunts, and the occassional towing of my race car and trailer.

Ultimately, I will be load up the kids and drive them 120 miles each way to where I race. My race car and trailer combined to just under 6000 lbs. I realize that I will have to add additional parts to either the 96 or the 97 for towing, such as an external tranny and oil cooler, electric brake controller, ect.

My last option is to try to deck out my '89 E250 Club Wagon, that is, to attempt to equip it like a Chateau, complete with nice high back seats, fold down bed, ect. For towing, this thing has it in spades, with a FI460, 3/4 ton chassis, and 4.11 gears with limited slip. But, the wife really isn't as fond of it like I am (my god, it doesn't have power windows or locks, egad).

So, the 5.8 or the 5.4??

 

Go drive the both. The 5.4 will have more power in the mid to upper range, while the 5.8 (351w) MAY have a little more down low but less in the mid to upper range. It's best to drive them both and see which one feels better to you. I think they'll both be adequate for what you want to do.

 

Well, after driving them both, I went with the 5.8. My reason was not just the motor, but the overall condition of each of the vans.

I could not feel any neglible power difference between the two, the 5.8 seemed less wound up than the 5.4, but as someone mentioned, the 5.4 seemd to have a bit more on the higher rpm side. The 5.8 seemed quieter, but could well have been because of the van it was in.

The conversion van was extremely well appointed and maintained. It didn't have any quality control issues that I had been warned about. It's just damn comfortable and moves up and down the grades rather well. It had about 30K less miles on it than the 5.4 Club Wagon and in reality, looked to have been better taken care of. Plus, the kids gave me the two thumbs up. And the wife, for the first time since she's known me, said "lets buy it". By contrast, the club wagon, although was clean, had more little flaws, things like trim pieces falling off, worn carpet, ect. It was obvious it had been used more for the family truckster than the occassional travel vehicle.

One of the things I did consider between the two was the cost of things like alternators, starters, and even a complete engine should the worse happen. Overall, the 5.8 is less expensive to maintain. Not by a huge margain for most parts, but a replacement engine was a low of $700 more for the 5.4 and some places wanted double the cost for a 5.4 than a 5.8. So, for me, the 5.8 came out on top.

Now, add a class III/IV hitch and a tranny cooler and I'm off to the races.

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That's cool. If you want a really easy MPG pick up remove the muffler and replace it with pipe. You'll lose a little low end power but I gained almost 2 mpg.