FORD E250/E350 Van Engine sizes mountain capabilities.

[depark]

I have to agree withe the consensus that there is nothing wrong with the 5.4. I live in the mountains of BC and my 5.4 with 4.10's on 33's works just fine. I have a 5star Tuner and love the 91 Performance tune. I tow 4500lbs regularly and it handles the hills fine, just slower than a big diesel. If you find a good one jump on it.
Cheers
Darryl

[shenrie]

We have the 7.3 and love it other than the noise. Just seems counter active to our goal of getting out into the sticks for peace and quiet, lol. That said, I was shopping around for a passenger van for a mt bike shuttle rig and drove a few older 5.4’s. Was pleasantly surprised with the pep of one of them. Felt like if I wanted to I could light up the tires from a standstill on command. Not sure if it was the gearing or what, but it was pretty quick. Before we found our van being that we had looked so long for one, we dropped all our previously set requirements and said that the first 4wd van we found that we liked we would get it. Now I would have no problems with the 5.4. Main reason we were looking for the 7.3 was we had planned on towing a car around to events.

[Smoker]

We have a 5.4 EB, on 35's, 4x4 with 4.56 gearing. We don't tow and have a moderate build at this time. Loaded with 4 guys and gear it has adequate power. In terms of fuel economy, I suspect it's on par with a V10 since regeared. Ultimately a few mpgs difference was not a top concern. I would have liked a 7.3 or V10, but couldn't find one at the time. Rather than waiting we pulled the trigger on the 5.4 and have no regrets because the memories created have been priceless and worth the trade-off in power. I'm getting old and can't get back that time. If I were 20 years younger I might have more patience to wait and search for the perfect rig.

[Flux]

Whatever gas motor you get, put a 5 star tune on it. Win.

[86Scotty]

I agree ^^^^^

After reading a million posts on this subject I've come to the conclusion that for most people, the one you have is the best. The rest suck.

After reading a million posts on fuel mileage I've come to the conclusion that everyone is a liar and everyone else gets better than me, so I lie too to outdo them. Hey, if you can't beat em......

After reading a million posts on gas vs. diesel (which were officially banned here a few years ago BTW, which I'm mentioning only to point out how bad they were) I've come to the conclusion that nuclear power is really the only way to go. Gas and diesel......gutless. Get some real power already.

[JWA]

^^^ Yes the beauty of the internerd huh?

I TRY to express myself in terms of what's worked (or not) for me, if its purely emotional or factual that also tries making into what I spew. Citing things always work (or not) and everyone should/must be on-board with me never works--too many laying in wait to derail me!

Before I too would abandon a 5.4 I'd run a 5 Star tune, one personally tweaked by Mike (owner/creator) to suit my needs or wants. The one huge advantage of Mike's tuning system is they're completely reversible in a very few sweatless moments. This is one product where a 99% approval by users simply can't be wrong.

[Flux]

Benefits I noticed on the V10 tune which I am sure would be similar on the 5.4l:


Improved Shifting, higher shift points.
Less downshifiting going up grades and maintains speed better
Generally more power.

1 mpg mileage gain.......which is not insignificant considering how heavy the van is.


And I do own all three of these motors in one platform or another. F250 6.0l, Expedition 5.4l, and the V10 Van

[Komrade]

Having recently shopped for a van, the V10's are harder to find.
We wanted ours to be able to tow and got a v10.
The gearing can be looked up by Ford VIN sticker, and from what I was told is not that difficult to upgrade.

[maxacceleration]

IMO the V-10 is a pig of a motor. And it has to work hard for the size it is.
Our V-10 E350 with 33.5" tires & 4.56 gears and 8600 lbs does get the job done though.
Just put the 5 Star tuner on it (87 octane tune), Magnaflow muffler and K&N intake on it. All together a nice substantial improvement. So far the fuel mileage has dropped with the 5 Star tuner. I have to make sure to keep my foot out of it grabbing that extra power.
If you can afford the extra maintenance of the diesel, I would look for one.
Low end balls rules. Wish I had the diesel.

[b. rock]

Currently doing the same evaluation (aka, banging my head against a wall). Also would be a high top 4x4. My thoughts:

-Test drove a later PI (post '00) V8. Already gutless at altitude in 2wd form.
-Test drove a 6.0. The clear winner in the power category, but that engine bay gave me nightmares should I have to work in it.
-Test drove an early non-PI V10. Not significantly different from a later V8.
-Can't find a later PI V10 to test drive.
-Can't find a 7.3 to test drive that isn't an ambulance.

After dealing with a Land Cruiser and a Vanagon, my patience for doing 50-55 up the passes and topping out at 70 on the flats is behind me. I'm leaning toward a V10 or 6.0 just for the transmission. The extra low 1st gear means you can get away with taller gears in the diffs for highway cruising, but keep the low crawl ratio for offroad control. Also the easiest to convert to 4x4. However we also want to use it in the winter, so the V10 has an edge for cold weather starts.

Edit: Also in my mind the 7.3 vs 6.0 is largely a wash. Factor in the price of a new trans for the 7.3 vs EGR + studs for a 6.0, it's the same in the end. Course the first tow due to a bad FICM would likely change my mind.