How much horsepower/torque do you need?

[phantom564]

First of all let me say that I LOVE my 1996 K1500...and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

But since its getting close to its 10th birthday and gas prices have been staying above $2.50/galllon where I live...I started thinking about the next truck I'll have to buy (hopefully not for a while though)

My question is: when looking for a new truck, how much horsepower is enough to do the things a truck was made to do. I mean, one of the things I love the most about my pickup is that it's versatile. I can tow, haul, use 4 wheel drive in the snow, carry a bed full of stuff and not think twice, etc.

But then again I only get around 12 mpg in the city....so does anyone know the magic horsepower number that would allow me to do all of those things and still get decent gas mileage? My 5.L V8 is a little on the beefy side for city driving and I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the new Silverado Hybrids. Are they worth the extra sticker price because of the better gas mileage?
Would a V6 be just as good at towing/hauling as my 5.7L?

I've only owned one truck, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[67malibu]

From the criticism I've read, the new hybrids just aren't worth it. If you look at the actual numbers (even those claimed) the mileage is only a fraction better (~10%.) You can gain at least that with exhaust, induction and electronic mods on a regular truck (I went from 13/17 mpg on my '88 to 16/20 in legal form.) How much horsepower is needed? Not much actually for a truck to work. The old 305's were 160 horsepower and we've used them to pull things they weren't supposed to (12,000 lb ditch witch for example.) My dad put 272,000 miles on that abused 305 ('81) and it could have kept going but he saw the cheap targetmaster 350s and wanted one (the '96 and '02s he owns also factored into that.) Today's V6s will do what a 1/2 ton truck is supposed to be able to do. Sure you won't win a drag race but trucks don't "need" stump pullers, even though we all crave them. Acceleration with a load could be dissapointing but you'll get there. As for gas mileage, trucks have to weigh so much in order to tow. That extra weight costs you in gas, simple fact. Do what you can to optimize the mileage within reason and that's about all you can do. It's the price we pay to drive what we want (I'm of the there's no replacement for displacement crowd personally.)

[Elbert]

Originally Posted by phantom564

First of all let me say that I LOVE my 1996 K1500...and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

But since its getting close to its 10th birthday and gas prices have been staying above $2.50/galllon where I live...I started thinking about the next truck I'll have to buy (hopefully not for a while though)

My question is: when looking for a new truck, how much horsepower is enough to do the things a truck was made to do. I mean, one of the things I love the most about my pickup is that it's versatile. I can tow, haul, use 4 wheel drive in the snow, carry a bed full of stuff and not think twice, etc.

But then again I only get around 12 mpg in the city....so does anyone know the magic horsepower number that would allow me to do all of those things and still get decent gas mileage? My 5.L V8 is a little on the beefy side for city driving and I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the new Silverado Hybrids. Are they worth the extra sticker price because of the better gas mileage?
Would a V6 be just as good at towing/hauling as my 5.7L?

I've only owned one truck, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

the short answer is no....a v6 is not as good as a v8 in towing or for that matter, much at all on a full size truck. If you want a full size truck then get a v-8. 200HP would be a minimum value.

If gas milage is your concern your best bet is to go with the smaller trucks.

[heavyredchevy]

Originally Posted by Elbert

the short answer is no....a v6 is not as good as a v8 in towing or for that matter, much at all on a full size truck. If you want a full size truck then get a v-8. 200HP would be a minimum value.

If gas milage is your concern your best bet is to go with the smaller trucks.

I’m not so sure I agree. Today’s V-6 's will put out 245 Hp.
Then again, im a firm believer that Trucks should have engines bigger than a 2-liter soda bottle.

[v10_viper]

The newer 5.3's are enough to pull most everyday stuff. We've pulled our 11,000 pound camper with the 6.0 somewhat easy but the thing's such a drag at highway speeds because it's 11 foot tall. Just make sure you get the right gearing, cuz our truck has the 3.73 rear end with oversized tires, with 4.11's it would pull worlds better on the highway.

[67malibu]

The V6 will do O.K. for most things, but having already had a 350, you WILL NOT be happy with it, or at least most of us wouldn't.

[jveik]

actually, nowadays i bet it is safe to say that the current v-6 engine option or options in new chevy trucks are probably more powerful than the 350 was, at least until they put vortec heads on them anyways lol... i was bored once a few years ago and looked up my dads truck specs on the internet and they rated the 350 he had at 210 horsepower and i dont recall, but probably not much torque either... basically, the v-6 of today is pretty much the v-8 of 15 years ago... even the 454 from the late eighties and early nineties only made 245 horsepower i believe. granted once they added vortec heads it probably beefed it up significantly, but still, theres a point to be made lol

[jveik]

however lol... to dispute myself... the old 350 has more potential than todays v-6 engines, with only a couple of thousand dollars, you can build a 350 just like chevy hi performance magazine did that has 416 horsepower at 5700 rpm and 423 lb/ft of torque at 3700 rpm i believe... the only problem is the cam that makes most of its power above 2500 rpm, so i would put a smaller cam in it... you can google it and put in "Goodwrench Quest" and also put in 416 horsepower and 423 torque and it should bring it right up lol

[phantom564]

It's really nice to hear both sides of the V6/V8 debate...I'm not sure I'm completely convinced that I should buy a V6 for my next truck quite yet, but it's good to know that if I do get one I should be OK for the most part.

While we're on the subject of truck options, what do people think about bed covers? I have a fiberglass tonneau and it has really worked out well for me but the one HUGE drawback is that it's about as permanent as they come. It takes a lot of work to remove it and it also limits the height of the stuff I carry a little. I love the security though. I can lock my long guns it in when I go to the range and not worry about someone cutting the cover open and taking them. I also don't ever worry about rain or snow. Do any of the new hard foldable covers even come close to this?

Also, do people that have truck boxes think they are a good option?