Differences in 4.8 and 5.3

Performance wise what kind of differences are there between a 2007 reg cab silverado with the 4.8 and one with the 5.3? Is the 5.3 a better choice?

well, being the only one that voted so far...i can say from driving trucks with each engine, the 5.3 is the best feeling power wise. the 6.0 seems kinda weak, but will really go....main thing i like about the 5.3 is the feeling you get when you get on it a bit. of course not to say that you can't get a 6.0 and do a few tricks on it to make it wake up.

Get the 5.3 if you're choosing b/w it and the 4.8. All I had on my '99 was Borla so that didn't really add much power. People were very impressed with it's grunt and get up and go.

Haven't driven a 6.0L though, so I can't talk about its performance.

Meh, it's not a good question. Which is better?

How? Power? MPG? Longevity?

Which "better" do you want?

That, and how many people have much, if any experience with ALL engines listed in the poll? I've got a 5.3 in my silverado, and my sister has a 5.3 in her Suburban, and those are the only two I've driven.

I voted 5.3

I've went head 2 head with a 5.3 with the same bolt-ons as me minus the electric fans. Each time off the line he jumped on me a bit but i reeled him in and got him by about 1 1/2 lengths. From a 25 roll I would get him every time.
I do have different programming than he does, but the big difference I can see between the two is the torque.

haha!!! yeah i wonder if the 6 liter is slower because they typically are in heavy duty trucks and whatnot... my dad has a 2500hd and one time he let me go around in it a few years back with my buddies and i powerbraked it and that posi got both wheels spinning and i was in second gear with the speedo saying 70 when i was doing maybe 15 or something when i pussed out and let off the gas... never did that again cause it aint my own shit to break lol

I drove a 6.0 recently and I agree it seemed kinda weak but so did my 2000 5.3 until I started doing things to it. The 6.0 was in a 2500HD so it had a weight disadvantage from the start. It would be nice if they had a 6.0 in the 1/2 ton line (not the 1500HD).

taken from Chevy's web site
4.8L 285hp @ 5200 rpm 295ib-ft torque @ 4000 rpm
5.3l 295hp @ 5200 rpm 335lb-ft torque @ 4000 rpm
5.3l ho 310hp @5200 rpm 335 lb-ft torque @ 4000 rpm
6.0L 345hp @ 5200 (345hp@ 5200) rpm 380 lb-ft torque @4000 rpm

We just received 5 2007 2500hd 4x4s at work and 1 3500hd cab and chasis all with 6.0L they might be lacking in the inital take off but are set up to work not play. I wish I could buy one off state bid I think we payed like 17,100 each for the 2500's.

I drove a 6.0 recently and I agree it seemed kinda weak but so did my 2000 5.3 until I started doing things to it. The 6.0 was in a 2500HD so it had a weight disadvantage from the start. It would be nice if they had a 6.0 in the 1/2 ton line (not the 1500HD).


They do. Look up VortecMAX or VHO

I drove a 03 1500, 4.8, 4x4, ext cab short bed for 1 week, as a rental, and then had the option of buying a 2000, 1500, 5.3L, 4x4, ext cab short bed. After the first test drive I decided I was not buying the 4.8 L. I believe it is underpowered for that truck. It may be a work motor, but I wanted a little better take off. My dad works with several guys that have the 4.8 L in their truck and I get just as good or better mpg as they do with roughly the same truck setup. I have not driven an 6.0L so I have no input on that. My vote is the 5.3L. Good luck...

I have a 5.3 and it moves pretty quick.
Although I really want to drive the SS with the 6.0L

Have you guys looked that the chevy page lately?
The trailblazer SS with 395 HP!!! that is insane! they need to put that into the Silverado SS

they need to ressurect the old school smallblock and make a 383 that goes into production cars. you can easily make a towing grunt out of one of them, with over 500 lb/ft of torque, or set it up for racing and make over 500 horsepower instead of the torque lol

well, for a 383, you could take the 5.3(327 roughly), and tweak it yourself. would be a real kickass motor for sure.

as for the trailblazer ss, it has the same 6.0 the trucks and suv's have. now for a real scorcher, take the 6.0 from the c-6 vette's, and put that into an SS pickup or something and it would really kick ass!

My uncle & I are in the early stages of dropping a LS7 in his 99 sonoma scsb :bananasmi

That thing is gonna be so fun to drive.

well, for a 383, you could take the 5.3(327 roughly), and tweak it yourself. would be a real kickass motor for sure.

as for the trailblazer ss, it has the same 6.0 the trucks and suv's have. now for a real scorcher, take the 6.0 from the c-6 vette's, and put that into an SS pickup or something and it would really kick ass!

I know they are the same engine, but the HP rating is different between the two. The Silverado SS is only rated at 345hp The TB SS is rated 395HP
It may be different computer tunning, exhaust, etc...

I have an '06 with a 5.3.....I drove a 4.8 and didnt noticed a fairly decent gain with the 5.3......if I never hauled anything and just wanted a V8,then the 4.8 for sure but I do some minor hauling so thats why I didnt go with the 4.8.....I know the Torque from the factory isnt much different but it can definately be felt.....My :2cents:
Crazy4nitro

If cost is no concer then th 5.3 is a mighty fine propulsion unit.

But, if cost is a factor.... well, a few extra horses prancing under the hood are not important to me. So, the $900 or so bucks I save by grabbing the truck with the 4.8 vice the 5.3 was music to my old coot ears.

its not like pickups are for racing anyways... as long as they have enough power to tow more than the rear suspension can handle, then they have plenty

wanna bet? :D

Hehe, I voted 4.3 just because I felt sorry for it, though it is what is in mine. Darn good engine, just don't expect to tow too much. If all you need to do is have enough power to move the truck and maybe 2,000 extra lbs, it's perfect. It's all about need for me.

I think the 4.8 is a great engine and with the $900 diff over the 5.3 I rather spend that on tweaking it and get more power out of it. my 4.8 eats ford mustangs for lunch, nissan maximas and almost any ram expect the srt-10 that goes to my school. his truck might be faster but he couldnt keep up with my driving skills so he stayed a few cars back in the traffic.

4.8 is a realy good engine, can be modded.....but my vote is still the 5.3 for $900 more, i would gadly pay that...cause it can be modded too.

yeah about the trucks not needed for racing, i guess i kinda contradicted myself because i am actually building a truck for strictly speed purposes. it will have about 25 less horsepower than that dodge srt10 but its the 73-87 style that only weighs about 4000 pounds, so i bet the power to weight difference would make me spank the dodge in a drag race, all else equal. haha i bet the chinese aftermarket body pieces will help a lot also. my old doors needed 2 hands to carry around, but the new ones i could pick up with one hand. the only oringinal sheetmetal will be the cab and the front panel of the bed, though i might just get a new front panel to be able to say i replaced the whole bed. i wouldnt be surprised if there was a 300 pound difference in weight. that coupled with my posi 12 bolt should help a lot

by the way, i think the 4.8 and the 5.3 both are more powerful than the old stock 350's chevy put in their trucks for years. and those old 350's could take a lot, and i mean a lot more than people give them credit for.

Good luck to you.. let me know if you race a SRT-10 after you are done.

thanks, i dunno if there are any in my town (Omaha Nebraska) cause most people around here just have plain jane vehicles, but when i find one at a red light next to me and the drivers revvin it up i might give im a go. however that is a long way off in the future as right now i have around 300 bucks in the bank and the only parts i have for the motor is the shortblock 383 thats still sitting in a box on the floor of my garage. hopefully when spring comes i can get the rest of the parts and piece it together. im gonna use those new AFR eliminator cylinder heads so it should haul some ass.

I have plenty experience driving with all 3 engines in these trucks and I would say it just depends on what you use it for. If you use it for mainly highway use with light trailer towing I would defently go with the 4.8 with 3.23 in the rear. It gets up real quick with a light or no load and your rpms are very low at highway speeds increasing engine live and fuel milage. If your going to pull some modeately heavy loads I would go with the 5.3 or 4.8 with 3.73 in the rear. ( i really could not tell much of a difference in either engine getting on the highway with a 4000 lb load) and if your out to pull anything and everything i would go with the 6.0 with 4.10 besides, it comes with the 4l80e.

The milages i got from these different vehicles are:
2006 chevy 2x4 4.8 with 3.23 22 mpg max
2002 chevy 4x4 5.3 with 3.73 17 mpg max
2000 chevy 4x4 6.0 with 4.10 16 mpg max

I noticed that with a heavy load that the 6.0 will get better fuel milage than the 5.3 and 4.8 engines with the same load and same gear ratios. The mpg listed above is about 65 mph, not using ac and not flooring it and no loads.

fyi- I have made up to 24 mpg (usually 21-22 mpg) with the 4.8 with the 4l60e and 3.23 in the rear @ 60-65 with no wind. That setup would be my #1 choice if the truck is going to see more highway with no loads than any other one. But thats just my personal opinion. WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T GO WITH THE 4.3 V6, IT SUCKS. IT HAS ALOT LESS HP & TORQUE AND GETS THE SAME MILAGE AS THE 4.8 IF NOT WORSE.

WHY DON'T THEY JUST GET RIDE OF ONE OR THE OTHER 4.8 OR 5.3, I JUST CAN'T TELL THAT BIG OF A DIFFERENCE

by the way, i think the 4.8 and the 5.3 both are more powerful than the old stock 350's chevy put in their trucks for years. and those old 350's could take a lot, and i mean a lot more than people give them credit for.
I defently agree on this one with the stock 350 tbi in 87 1/2 to 95 putting out only 185 hp and right around 300 pounds per foot of torque with red line at 4 grand, they both beat it., But I wonder how well they will hold up for the years to come as the 350 tbi did. They must be doing well for gm to be putting them in for at least 7 years and keeping the same engines in the completly redesigned 07 modles. What ever happend to the 5.7 vortec from 96 to 99, was it just a flop???

the vortec 5.7l really wasn't that much stronger than the new 5.3l and w/ worse mileage it was easily replaced.

The 5.7 from 96-99 had 255 horses and 330 lbs of torque. Not bad engine, but the 5.3's are much better and lighter than the old 350.
I do agree with jveik, that the old 350 could take one hell of a beating. I know my 93 350 did :D

Mine is for racing, and I've shown plenty of srt10s my tailgate......on motor. :grinyes:

The 5.7 from 96-99 had 255 horses and 330 lbs of torque. Not bad engine, but the 5.3's are much better and lighter than the old 350.
I do agree with jveik, that the old 350 could take one hell of a beating. I know my 93 350 did :D

I have an old '77 3/4 ton with the original 350 in it that is still running strong!! 142,000 miles on it too!! The carb is not the original, but the AC still works, and it pulls like a freight train.

and if your out to pull anything and everything i would go with the 6.0 with 4.10 besides, it comes with the 4l80e.

That depends... the 6.0 1500 VortecMAX trucks (up to the 06; i dunno about the new ones) had a 4l65e transmission. The 4l80e doesnt come into play until you get into the heavier weight ratings on the silverado.

Mine is for racing, and I've shown plenty of srt10s my tailgate......on motor. :grinyes:
Kind of like how I've shown plenty of silverados my tailgate......motor off. :grinyes:

Hey Bleed,

I checked out the CarDomain page of yours. I really like the Mirada, especially with the Cragars on there. Man, I had completely forgotten about that car!! I always thought it looked somewhat similar to the Oldsmobile Cutlass of the '80's, which I loved.

Hey Bleed,

I checked out the CarDomain page of yours. I really like the Mirada, especially with the Cragars on there. Man, I had completely forgotten about that car!! I always thought it looked somewhat similar to the Oldsmobile Cutlass of the '80's, which I loved.
Thanks, I appreciate the kind words. I can't wait to take it out in the springtime. I didn't even put any real miles on it last year because the body was being redone and painted. I drove it back to the garage in the fall and it's been there ever since. I'm going to order some taller bias ply tires for the 14x10s on the back, put new mufflers on it and go for a cruise. I think it does resemble the cutlasses and monte carlos and grand prixs and regals of the day.

Watch for new pics by about May. I'm gonna take the t-tops out and go for a ride.

Heh... Yeah, I forgot about those, too. My dad's ex-wife had a Chrysler Cordoba that I had all but forgotten about... nearly identical cars, except that hers looked like ass. It was yellow on yellow.

The '07 engines are a lot more powerful than the older versions (i.e. '99 to '06). The 4.8L made a pretty big jump in power and is now pretty impressive little motor. I would still put my money on the 5.3L though. Unless you are towing something really heavy. If you aren't towing mmuch at all then go with the 4.8. My uncle had it in is work truck and didnt tow or haul much of anything in it and he got over 240,000 miles out of it and only went through 2 sets of brakes, 1 water pump, and 1 tranny.

That IS a sweet mirada, don't see too many of those around. Looks to be well looked after. I've got an '85 Cutlass Supreme, and I know what you mean about cruisin around slow with the windows down. Just today a guy bugged me at a light to sell it.

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i228/evansamms/OLDS.jpg

That IS a sweet mirada, don't see too many of those around. Looks to be well looked after. I've got an '85 Cutlass Supreme, and I know what you mean about cruisin around slow with the windows down. Just today a guy bugged me at a light to sell it.

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i228/evansamms/OLDS.jpg

Now that is a sweet car too!!! It looks to be pretty much stock, which is great!! I so love that body style. It is classy!! More pics please!!

Sincerely,
Matt

Yeah, she's bone stock. I picked her up off of my grade 1 teacher last fall. I fell in love with it in . .. . grade 4ish. . told her if she ever sold it, to let me know. She taught me. .. . .18 years ago, and sure enought, last fall, she got in contact with me (out of province, through my dad) and tol me she was thinking about selling it. Told her if she did, I wanted it. She bought it new in 85, and stored it every winter, undercoating it every fall. I replaced the original muffler this spring. Her husband was the kidna guy that if a wheel bearing looked at him wrong, he replaced it. Very meticulous with all his machines. She sold this baby to me for 900 bones. It's got a 305 in it, works like a top. 132k on her. Rides like a dream. I'll post a couple of pics here. They're the pics my father took before I bought the car. In the rain and the like, not real clean. She cleaned up nice after I got her, all the chrome trim came real nice with a mothers powerball, a couple coats of wax, cleaned the tires and stuff, shampooed the carpets, and she was like a new car. I'll try to take a couple of pics before i put her in storage the end of the month and post for you. I'm kind of a sucker for the 80's. The last pic is my 84 1300 Kawasaki Voyager. Old school in-line 6, fuel injected.
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i228/evansamms/olds013.jpghttp://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i228/evansamms/olds009.jpghttp://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i228/evansamms/olds008.jpghttp://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i228/evansamms/olds019.jpg
http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i228/evansamms/841300kawi1.jpg

You might as well have stole that from her Evansamms for only $900!!

i had an 01 z that had the 5.3 and it was a tough motor seein as how all of the hell i put it through. i had an hypertech programmer, which is for sale, and air-raid intake, 2/3-4 inch true duals, with dual 12 inch glass pack turn downs and 3.73 rear and front end which were locked up. she would scream! i wouldnt mind putin that motor in my 87`. i owned it for right at two years and i never once put it in the shop due to engine problems. i really wouldnt mind havin it back.

grey, how did the Power Programmer work out for you? I had thought about gettin one for my 2000, but always figured it wouldn't make that much of a difference. Figured a custom tune was the way to go (from reading here), and didnt really wanna put that much effort into it. And for curiousity's sake, how much are you looking to get for the tuner?

Evan

I owned both a 2001 5.3 and currently a 2000 4.8. Both are dogs on performance. They do however both pull loads well. I honestly can't tell any difference in the power using the towl/haul button. I DO know that the 4.8 gets better mileage on the highway but the same in town. The 4.8L downshifts a little more going up a hill or in a strong wind.

I also own a Magnum RT and the Hemi will eat a 5.3 for breakfast and lunch everytime regardless if it is in a truck or a Impala.

If Chevy could ever make a motor that smooth I would really be impressed.

I am a GM guy but the Hemi is a nice motor, car not so much, still a Dodge.

I've owned a 4.8L and now I own a 5.3L. My 4.8L was an extended cab short box, 4x4 lifted on 35s with 4.56 gears, cold air intake, dual exhaust, and blackbear tune and it still got better gas mileage than my 5.3L. My 5.3L is a regular cab short box z71 with 3.73s and 33s. Although i did just get a blackbear tune for my 5.3L and have only used 1/4 tank of gas in one week compared to my usual 1/2 tank +. And I must say that the 5.3L really hauls ass!

i have dorve the 4.3 and 4.8 and own a 5.3. never drove a 6.0 though. my opinion is that the 5.3 is the way to go. they have enough power to really make it scoot. i raced a 4.8 and it really wasnt close and they can pretty much tow anything you would want to tow with a 1/2 ton. all of the vortecs are reliable. i have seen 4.3's still rolling with over 400 grand on them and for a v6 those motors have some beans. but i love the 5.3l im getting 22-24 mpg and have all the power i want. that thing smokes rams and fords. and i have towed some large trailers 4000#'s + and it hardly flinches,