300-6 vs 302, big difference?
Junior User
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 74
Likes: 0
Hey My 1992 f-150 4x4 has the 302 and for a small block it gets the job done. I pull my 24ft Scotty Camper with it everywhere, and believe me when its loaded its heavy. I dont have anything bad to say about mine, Ive run the chevy 350 in silverados before and this 302 is just as powerful. Just my 2 cents!!!!
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,324
Likes: 4
From: Michigan
I pull a 24ft travel trailer with mine. It doesn't like it much. With 3.55 gears, highway driving is a little sketchy. I'd much rather use my Suburban to do the job. It's got a 350 with 3.73 gearing and has no problem.
Picking the right axle ratio makes all the differnce.
Picking the right axle ratio makes all the differnce.
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 122
Likes: 0
I have both the 300 and 302, both auto, I can tell that the 300 makes more tq down low, but if you gear the 302 right it will out tow the 300, not buy much.... and with at least 1000 more rpm, but it can tow great if you set it up right. My 90' f-150 302 auto pulls 5k lbs daily with ease. It is my truck of choice over the 91 f-150 300 auto.
Postmaster
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 3,529
Likes: 1
From: The Star-Club, Hamburg
My '88 F150 4x2 has the 300 Six/5 spd combo. I can tow with it and it will haul pretty much anything that can fit in the bed, and have absolutely no complaints about the power this engine puts out. I got this truck by trading in an '85 F150 4x4 with a 302 and AOD trans. The difference in these trucks was definitely noticable, even with the difference in transmission and 4 wheel drive. I also used to have a '91 F250 4x4 with the 351/AOD setup (my '96 Bronco has the same engine-trans setup). The power and torque in the 351 and the 300 Six were very comparable, in my opinion, and while I had no real trouble with the 302, after I got my '88, I was left wondering why I had not found one long before I did.
Posting Guru
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 2,246
Likes: 2
From: Hawkeye Country
i am a torn on this one, i love the 302 in my 96 f150. its peppy, gets up and goes and makes a nice sound doing it. it'll run circles around my 82 f100, 1bbl inline 6, but when the 302 is asked to work it begins to show its carlike colors.
my inline 6 is a dog, foot buried into the floor i'm lucky if i can hit 60 mph in 20 seconds, but it dosnt matter what its pulling or hauling it never gets any slower.
they're both decent motors in their own ways. but neither of them can touch my 86s 351, it easily pulls twice as strong through the whole rpm range. out does the 6 down low, and out runs the 302 up high.
i had a chance to race my buddy when i was helping him move, i was in my 96 he was in my 86. lined up side by side, i yelled go and floored it i got a pretty big jump on him but it didn't matter. he cought up and passed me like i was standing still.
my inline 6 is a dog, foot buried into the floor i'm lucky if i can hit 60 mph in 20 seconds, but it dosnt matter what its pulling or hauling it never gets any slower.
they're both decent motors in their own ways. but neither of them can touch my 86s 351, it easily pulls twice as strong through the whole rpm range. out does the 6 down low, and out runs the 302 up high.
i had a chance to race my buddy when i was helping him move, i was in my 96 he was in my 86. lined up side by side, i yelled go and floored it i got a pretty big jump on him but it didn't matter. he cought up and passed me like i was standing still.
Freshman User
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 43
Likes: 0
I bought my '88 F-150 4x4 4.9L T18/4Speed Short Bed brand new with the idea of lots of off-roading with occasional towing. Even with 3.55 gears it's absolutely awesome off-road (In 4LO and granny it'll crawl anywhere). But towing at highway speeds it's a dog. The 302 has more torque at higher RPMs, and would be better suited for towing at those speeds. One of these days I'll throw in a new roller cam to shift the peak a few hundred RPMs up, but I'll still stick with the 300. For my purposes it's just an awesome powerplant.
New User
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 23
Likes: 0
My current truck has the 302 in it marryed to a c-6 tranny and if will tow great! the olny problem that whe have had is with our well worn tires in the winter. it is a 1993 Ford F150 XLT 4X4 with 120,000 miles on it.
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalytic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?
Brett Foote
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,996
Likes: 9
From: Pittsburgh,Pa.
For my 2 cents I think a 302 is a great engine in something like a Mustang.They are gutsy and reliable in stock form and respond well to performance mods.For a truck though I'll keep my 300's.Along with daily driving chores both do a fair amount of hauling and I tend to run 'em fat (overloaded).My F150 has an E4OD with 3.08's and easily runs with traffic but will still climb out of the pit at the local slag plant with a couple tons in the box.My E250 has a C6 and 4.10's. Yesterday it crossed the scales at the scrap yard with 5300 lbs of cut up truck frame rails in it while pulling a trailer loaded with junk cabs that weighed in at 4500.Van isn't fast, it isn't pretty, but I've yet to put anything in it,on top of it or behind it that an oil soaked 200,000 mile 300 won't move.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Trucklover22
1973 - 1979 F-100 & Larger F-Series Trucks
7
Oct 4, 2016 12:09 PM
