The Chevrolet Silverado 4.3L LV3 small block V-6, driven by editor Tom Murphy, is one of 44 contenders for the 2014 Ward's 10 Best Engines competition.
Just picked me up a 2015 double cab 4.3v6. It came with a 3.5” lift on 33’s it has plenty of power and pulls trailers and bed full of bricks with ease. I’ve added K&N cold air intake and exhaust.
i have a 2016 gmc sierra 4.3 ecotec3. its a single cab so obviously there is a big weight cut there compared to the crew cab or the full sized trucks. this 4.3 has been my favorite because i feel like having the single cab lest you get the most of the v6. i will admit there is a a 2 second delay when you want to gas it, i have spoken to the service manager and he told me that there is a new factory tune. hopeful that this will tighten up the throttle response. now when it comes to the v4 switch, that all depends on the roads you travel. the more down hill or decline you come across this feature becomes more useful in the sense of efficiency. now just like any vehicle, the way you drive it is up to you. but if you are like me you want the most out of the pretty penny you spent on each gallon of gas.... you tend to baby the gas petal. i abuse the luxury of cruise control and as soon as i get to 65 mph i turn it on and be on my way. the best mpg i have gotten was 35 mpg. if you want performance just go for the dam v8.
Why get a v8 4x4 lift, and tires if all your going to do is go to the super market and back. The v6 looks good, it pulls well, and saves money. Simple.
Very true. Save the v8 engines for those who actually need it and will actually use its power more often. This new v6 is comparable to the old lm7 power output. Very impressive. Fuel economy should do better though. If you buy a fully loaded crew cab, consider a v8.
I wonder how this would do in an old 4th gen Chevy Caprice. The Police variant used a 262 L99 4.3 liter V8 with only 200HP. With this pushing 80 more horse power, 50 more ft/lbs of torque, and being all aluminum instead of iron; I can't see any disadvantages especially with some tweaking.
Here’s how they sold me one..they didn’t tell me it had a v6. I didn’t ask because it was a 20 foot long 4x4 with a tow package. I was unhappy at first and almost turned it in but it pulls our 4000lb boat with ease. Also, I always drive in trailer mode to help throttle response. Still, I’d rather have the v8. When she’s 20 years old I wonder if I’ll still have 305lbs of torque. Although adequate now, anything less would be a problem.
Perhaps it's cheaper on the price tag? Just because it's a V6 doesn't mean it's less of a truck. If it has the power of a v8 I'd say that a good surprise to go home with. Less moving parts means less to break down and have to fix later so I'd take it as a win
I've owned my 2014 silverado 1500 wk regular cab long bed since it was new. My fuel mpg is 20.5 running I 40 in TN up and down steep hills and flats. Like you it is a little weak on take off only if you use low octane gas. The manual says use 90 octane or higher for best performance. When I run E85 my mpg drops to 16.9. Same if in city or open road. But the horse power goes way up from the 285 hp to 325. 0 to 70 is about 12 seconds. 1/4 mile is 105 on E85. I just wish Chevrolet still made an extended cab instead of a 4 door. I have pulled a 4,000 pound twin axle log trailer with 5,000 pounds of logs up and down back roads. Great pulling power if you run the right fuel.
DBW coupled with a truck that is twice the size of one built 20 years ago is where you get that lag. 285hp in a 94 Silverado/Sierra is 95hp over the 94's 350, 30hp over the 96 350. If you want fuel mileage, don't buy a truck. 15-17mpg was par for the course in an Ext Cab Z71 with a 350 and a 4L60E 20 years ago.
The throttle drive by wire means the position of the gas peddle sends a signal to the computer, and then the computer communicates to the intake. This is BAD BAD BAD cause GMC's computer is not to spec and already outdated before this truck even hit the assembly lines !
Gm should of also included port injectors for wide open throttle operation / high load to help clean the valves…. Instead you gotta disassemble and walnut blast intake valves to remove carbon build up…. I would not pay for any vehicle with that engine design flaw… just another way GM saving on production cost knowing you will need to pay thousands in service /walnut blast after 100-140k miles….
This is what most people DO NOT understand. I have 2 engines of the the same cubic inch. One is a v6 and the other a v8. What is better? Answer carefully.
Good truck,5.3L is much better,and 6.2L is best. It's a full size truck,not a Honda Civic, it ain't a gas sipper. Right after I bought my 2016. 5.3L Silverado,I took a 4 hr highway trip and averaged almost 25mpg, driving between 70-80 mph the whole way,so that was very impressive
It's wild to me how GM keeps merging old and new technology. Pushrod engine with a single cam phaser and high pressure fuel pump on it. It's like an Amish horse buggy with led lamps. Lol
Well, you know, it's not a sports car, it's a pick up truck. I still wouldn't pay that much for a 1/2 ton pickup, no matter what engine it had in it. But still, I'd rather have a Chevy truck than a dodge any day, regardless of cost.
I had an 07 Silverado with the 4.3 best truck I ever had, currently in a 5.3 suburban but that lag in response is the same in my v8 I'm actually looking for another 4.3
didn't notice much lag there oh well I'm not too picky, it moves like a truck, you need a ford lightning or gmc syclone to start shaking off that truck feeling
His quote of about $45,000 dollars is the MSRP sticker price. I bought a 2018 LT, 4 Wheel Drive, V-6 , All Star edition package, trailering package, locking differential, Touchscreen, and all of the power options you would expect with back up camera. I paid with destination $33,100 before tax, a $10,485 savings off my list of $43,585; so this guy is misrepresenting things a bit. There are multiple times of year you can save over $10,000 dollars off of MSRP. There are even other requirements that can save you a a thousand or two more. With 900 miles on it and a very cold winter which effects MPG and 98% city driving I am getting just under 18 MPG. If you do a lot of trailering go for the V-8. I haul stuff in the bed which works out just fine.
Wow! 45 grand for a v6 with some crappy Rancho shocks,and a couple of thin sheet steel plates on the under carriage?...! I think you got ripped off. I bought a 2016 5.3L 2WD double cab LT which had every option inc.18" wheels,except leather and I only paid $31500 . With the difference between my 5.3 and that v6 I can get a Borla exhaust,intake , tuner, and upgrade shocks to Bilstein 4600's and still pocket several grand.
It makes 0 sense for more V6 motors to show up in full size trucks soon, since they don't get better fuel mileage than V8's most times, and sometimes even worse. You need torque to move these trucks...
