dad's chevy K1500 4.3L 4X4

[87Jeffrey]

the only thing I know of that could get anything near that MPG is like foreign cars like the Civic and they are not big enough for a family of 5 plus luggage

[RustedRanger]

The 4.3L can get good mileage,I had a 86 Monte Carlo with a 4.3,the only thing I changed was to a K&N air filter,Bosch plugs,and Slick 50 and it had a little taller tire then stock on the back and I was getting 30 mpg. Back then I had a 60 mile round trip to work and each day and I usually just put in $2 in gas a day...of course thats when gas was 99 cents a gallon. The 4.3 is smaller than a V-8 but the V-6 has a better torque curve,it starts earlier and stays "fatter" longer. I don't know what gears it had but the RPM at 55 was only like 1600 or 1800 rpm...I can't remember for sure that was around 92 or so lol

[Will]

Originally Posted by 85_Ranger4x4

Odd, every vehicle I have been in gets better milage the lighter it is and the less hard the engine is working...

From what I have gathered V6's in fullsizes are a joke...

I don't know how to respond except to say that my experience is exactly opposite.

A V6 in a full-size isn't a joke. My dad has a 1500 crewcab Ram and I drove it around a while without knowing it was a 3.7 V6. It's stronger than the 5.7 2500 I used to tow my B2 to meets with. Gets a lot better mileage, too.

I've seen a lot of full-sizes with the 4.3. You can't tell by driving them. You open the hood and can't find the engine, that's how you tell. The 5.7 makes more power, but you won't notice unless you use it and then it will cost you.

[85_Ranger4x4]

When I am pulling a trailer, milage goes down. Everywhere on the internet they say to lighten your vehicle to improve milage. It takes more energy to move more weight, otherwise they would be putting little four cylinders in semi trucks...

Gotta keep the V6 to V8 comparisons relative to their period counterparts...

My cousin had an '89 1500 4.3 5-spd... it was a gas sucking pig. My dad's '92 1500 GMC automatic with a 350 would put down better milage and could actually get out of its own way... they didn't compare well at all.

The 4.2 in the F-150's is rated a measily 2-3mpg better than the 5.4... for what you are giving up in power that makes it a joke IMO. Same goes for the new 3.7 (which the local dealer has yet to sell one of) vs the new 5.0, a couple mpg and a much peakier powerband to save a grand... it is worth it to me to go with the V8. The Ecoboost V6 doesn't play fair at all however...

[chilsam]

The 460 in my 79 sno fiter gets WAAAAAY better mileage than the 351m I took out FACT!