I'm sur this topic has been beat to death on here so I'm sorry for bringing it up again, but I searched and can't find what I'm looking for. I'm lookin at gettin an 06-08 F-150. I'll need it to pull my mustang (3000lbs) and a trailer, I've been told that the 5.4 was worthless and the 4.6 is the way to go. Any input would be great. I'm lookin at a Super Crew 4x4. Thanks

 

if the 5.4 is worthless... and the 4.6 is the way to go, then one could presume the 4.2 or smaller, would be even better??

The truck in my signature, pulls the race car in my signature, in the trailer in my avatar... It can weigh in loaded about 12500. My set up works for me, but some argue diesel, or V10. I have never heard anyone argue 4.6 though...

I think someone is pullin your leg.

 

I'd also be curious why the 5.4L is "worthless" the 3V's had been out for 3 model years by '06 and most of the bugs worked out, the heads were the biggest problem and the 3V 4.6L will have the same ones, or you could look for one with a 2V 4.6L and then it truly will be worthless in those heavy trucks.

 

maybe i'm warped but , bigger is always better in a big truck , and i drive truck for a living and i'm not inclined to go deisel , or a weird sounding v-10 in my personal vehicles { a v-10 sounds like an old heavy milk truck in need of an exhaust system to me , kinda like the tuners and their mufflers sound like an angry but dying bee to me ! }. so as it's the biggest it's the 5.4 for a new one . nothing like the sound of a v-8 under load through duals ...........................oh and why would it be worthless ???? anything can be made to run or work ... you wouldn't believe some of the mean things i've made my flathead powered 53 do in the name of daily usage , and it done it with flying colors , so a 5.4 should well outperform it !!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I think someone has the engine sizes backwards. The 5.4 is a very capable engine for anything you want to do. The 4.6 is sluggish unless you regear it. I own both, a 07 5.4 and a 07 4.6. Even though the 5.4 has 3.55 gears , i'll still take it over the 4.6 any day. Dont get me wrong, the 4.6 is a nice engine for somethings. But power isnt one of them. It will get you up the highway at a reasonable pace and pull recent but nothing compareable to the 5.4. Enough said.

 

The guy I talked to has an 02ish f-150 with the 4.6. He drove is friends 5.4 f-150 and said his truck was a lot more responsive... I'm sure they have refined the 5.4 and 4.6 since 02. Just wondering. I kinda figured the 5.4 would be a better motor... Thanks fellas

 

I have 05 5.4 with 3.73 gears in it and is far from worthless it will pull anything behind , drove to texsas pick up a uhaul trailer an hauled a 95 full size 4x4 blazer back and never missed a lick ,I know that blazer is more than 3000 lbs.

 

more engine means less work for the towing. less engine means more work for the little engine that can't. the 4.6 has a hard time moving my e 250 with a couple thousand pounds in it for work. . i cannot imagine towing with it in an f 150 a trailer and a car. go the 5.4 route.

 

5.4L for towing. Very long stroke which equals better towing torque.

 

I think this tells the tale. IMO, this sound like a classic example of bragging up your truck. Had he been the owner of the 5.4 he would've been talking down the 4.6. But, I've been wrong before

I'm somewhat in the minority in the Super Duty crowd in that I think my 5.4L does the job just fine. Seems like it would do even better in a much lighter truck...?

 

i owned a 2002 4.6 prior to buying my 07s. I can say that the 02 did have some pretty good pep in it. But the truck was lighter back then too. I have a 4.6 in my XLT and a 5.4 in my Lariet. I can say the 5.4 is much better in the newer trucks.

 

By who? I tow with my 5.4 and have driven it against a 4.6 F250LD. The owner of the 4.6 wished they had my 5.4. Talk is cheap but facts are hard to beat.

 

You have to ask why the person telling you the 5l.4L was worthless was telling you that. Was it because of the 3V plug "stuck in the head" issues?
Was it the 2V plug "blows out of the head" issues?
Many times the facts are mixed up with the myths that are spread like a bad case of the flu.
I owned a '98 4.6L F150 Supercab 2WD Lariat. It was an excellent truck,and did everything I ever asked it to. I regularly towed a 2000 lb car trailer with my 3600lb Thunderbird on it all over the place. I also towed a 30ft travel trailer that weighed approx 6000lbs all over the place. It didn't have a problem with either one of those, never broke down when towing either one of them,and never let me down. Just lock out OD and go for it. It got 17-19 mpg unloaded, 12-13 when towing the car trailer, and 9-10 when towing the travel trailer. My dad now owns that truck and he drives it all over the place.It's up to around 250K miles on the clock now,and still runs like the day I bought it.
Basically,a 4.6L will do the job no problem. A 5.4L will do the towing slightly "better" if you want to call it that,but it's not a "must have".
JL

 

hmmm... I had a 4.9 straight six in an F-150 that pulled a 10,000 trailor from TX to AL while already over-grossed in the bed. Not too peppy but it pulled liked a locomotive all day long and never quit. Long stroke and more cubic inches always gets the hauling done. My current 4.6 is fine for me now but I don't drag race in it.

 

just from my experience if you are looking for response usually the smaller engine is the way to go. but if you want power you want a bigger engine. you see it in cars all the time. most 4cyl. engines will beat a v8 or v6 off the line but they lose in a short time. my 5.4l has pulled an excess of 15000 lbs behind it. (complained a bit but being over its tow rating it was to be expected but did it.) my landlord had the 4.6 used it to haul his trailer around and he didn't have that truck long before he killed it. ( lot of hills in our area.) I would say your friend is basing his truck on the smaller engine off the line responce not the larger engine power capabilities.