Can't decide between 5.3 or 6.0

[sqrlnts]

Originally Posted by Houston Ben

Here is my 5.3 with 6L80 I just got running, not the fastest thing in the world but it gets up and moves....and I still need to get it dyno tuned!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WONDIfhAOiI

I would be quite happy with that. I would like to think that a cam'd 5.3 is somewhere in my future. Seems like a great economical starting point to me.

[Billett]

I planned on a 5.3 for slightly better economy and a way better price point, but the 6.0 sort of fell into my lap. It's awesome and don't let anyone tell you different.

Plenty of people buy 5.3s and wish they had a 6.0, but I've never heard of someone with a 6.0 wish they'd bought a smaller engine...

That said, a 5.3 is still plenty of power for any car let alone your first car. I started with a 4.3 v6 and still got into plenty of trouble.

[ivorton74]

How much horsepower does a 5.3 from 99 chevy make?

[BR3W CITY]

Originally Posted by ivorton74

How much horsepower does a 5.3 from 99 chevy make?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_LS_engine#5.3_L

[71K20chevy]

Originally Posted by ivorton74

How much horsepower does a 5.3 from 99 chevy make?

Enough to blow my dad's 4L60E up twice. It definitely moves his truck pretty good, even with 250K.

[BigRed76]

I put a stock '00 5.3 in my '71 c10 and it's got plenty of power for a DD. It'll roast the tires anytime I want. And I'm averaging 18 mpgs, with no dyno tune...yet.

[71K20chevy]

Originally Posted by BigRed76

I put a stock '00 5.3 in my '71 c10 and it's got plenty of power for a DD. It'll roast the tires anytime I want. And I'm averaging 18 mpgs, with no dyno tune...yet.

That's what I like to hear. I think I got so hung up on having a lot of power that I forgot that my truck will be my DD.

[71chevystep4x4]

I ended up with a 5.3L out of a 99, not knowing it had less HP than 2000 and up, and it runs better than any of the previous 292, 350, and 402 that where in it. It's 4x4 with 33's on it, and it was PERFECT for what I wanted (fuel efficiency and reliability). Only problem being the 4 speed manual tranny really sucks with this great running modern engine.

[BigRed76]

Yeah I don't regret going with the 5.3 at all.

[71K20chevy]

Yeah, my truck is 4X4 with 33's as well. I THINK that the HP differences throughout the years would have been just in the tune. What kind of mileage are you getting?

[71chevystep4x4]

I really haven't checked my mileage, I just know it's WAY better then the big block it replaced, which rendered it useless and unaffordable to drive, and just ended up sitting uninsured next to the house.

[ivorton74]

270hp from a 5.3 is more than enough I guess...I would want more though...i'll probably add a nice cam and headers later after I get it running

[softballnrd27]

I went from a 305 to the 5.3 and don't regret it at all. Truck ran a high 17 sec and dropped down to high 14s with just the engine swap. Ran the same trans and rear end from the 305. I should drop to high 13s with a trans and gear swap actually a full rear end swap.

[sqrlnts]

Originally Posted by ivorton74

270hp from a 5.3 is more than enough I guess...I would want more though...i'll probably add a nice cam and headers later after I get it running

Perfect route to take.

Its crazy to think that in all, over 90,000,000 small-blocks were built from 1955 to 2003. Wonder how many Gen III engines they will end up making?

[BR3W CITY]

If you factor in that there are more cars produced today by scale, then it would be MORE...but if you factor that GM has 3 less model lines, and of those model lines, even fewer use the LS across the board (the way gm would put variations of the small block in almost every staple car). ...then its fewer.

Get out the Excel, and start getting some numbers. We can extrapolate them.

[softballnrd27]

According to my MPH and 1/4 mile time I am pushing right at 300 to the wheels with my 5.3 w/243 heads and small cam

[71K20chevy]

Originally Posted by softballnrd27

According to my MPH and 1/4 mile time I am pushing right at 300 to the wheels with my 5.3 w/243 heads and small cam

That's not bad. Headers or stock manifolds? I like the second line of your signature by the way

[Billett]

Haven't had mine tuned yet, but I just got 14mpg with my 6.0. Problem there is that those numbers are: without TC lockup connected, small leak in one of the fuel lines, small vapor leak into the cab, bad radiator. The upside to that is: even with all of those problems and a larger displacement it still did better than my 350 ever could.

I'm expecting 16-18 once I fix the leaks and get it tuned. It really isn't hard to drive it nice because it has so much power you don't need to step on it to get up to speed. That and 4-corner drums keeps me cautious haha