Towing with the ford 5.4 v8 any reviews?

[Pinnacle Campers]

Regarding GM AWD vans, they only get the 5.3 liter, they also don't get the 6speed trans in the 2010 and newer vans. They are not much for towing. IIRC the tow rating is 6900lbs.

I have similar wants/need as the OP, I have been looking for the "right" van since 2007 (lol, it doesn't exist).

That said, the v10's are harder to find than the diesels. Especially if you want the 5 speed auto and no roll stability control (that's two years of ford vans 05-06).

 

[draaronr]

Yeah always a unicorn. I'm happy with towing 7k periodically. What's the non roll? Never heard that before

 

[plumber mike]

My 99 e350 5.4 would tow anything. Really it would. Full throttle kills mileage however. The five speed auto really changed the useable power, as I found out on my 5.4 box truck. Good motor to pull the van, but anything hooked up felt like it was suffering. I really feel Chevys 5.3 has a little better power and mileage given the similar size. My v10 has been a good motor. Mileage sucks all the time, but power is always there....for a gasser. The v10 uses oil at highway speeds.

A chevy 6.0 would be my vote.

 

[WILLD420]

It's really all about the gears and letting it work.

A ton of the V-10 Ford F250/350 trucks came with 4.30 gears. When you specced them with 3.55 gears they sucked fuel and had no power either. The 5.4 is the same animal, it needs to wind up to work, just like the 5.3 and the Dodge Hemi. The good part about towing with the smaller engines is that they usually still get 10-12 plus mpg towing whereas the V-10 will get 8-10 towing and 12-14 empty on a good day. The 5.3 Chevy my dad has still gets 14-15 towing a 3500 lb trailer. The preference is really what you like, what you can afford and what you are willing to put up with.

If you tow more than 3-4K lbs regularly, I would buy the V-10. If you only do it 2-3 times a year on trips less than 500 miles, then go with the one that will get you the MPG on your normal trips and live with the substandard towing capabilities of the smaller engine. If you are towing 8K or more lbs, then go with the big engine.

I've lived the life of towing with sub-standard trucks all my life, to include 3/4 ton Cummins trucks. I've learned how to deal with some things, and am now tired of building it to do what a Diesel Dually would do without any hassles. If I were going to pick a Van to tow anything heavier than 10K lbs, I wouldn't do anything except a V-10 or Diesel and I would figure out a way to add dual rear wheels to it. That way my weeble wouldn't wobble all the time...