4.3 V6 gone in 2019?

michigan2500hd · March 28, 2018

I think they should keep the V6. It's not for me because i tow and like the performance of the V8 but it's fine for 75% of the truck buyers who don't work their truck hard.
I have a v6 loaner right now and it's really loud..louder than my 6.2 with a Magnaflow by far. It's buzzy also but not too bad on power for regular driving.
What they should do is get rid of the stupid itty bitty diesel they're making. It needs to be at least a 4.5 liter. It doesn't make sense at all. These little diesels can't do anything better than a big gas engine.

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Loco-diablo · March 28, 2018

1 hour ago, michigan2500hd said:

I think they should keep the V6. It's not for me because i tow and like the performance of the V8 but it's fine for 75% of the truck buyers who don't work their truck hard.
I have a v6 loaner right now and it's really loud..louder than my 6.2 with a Magnaflow by far. It's buzzy also but not too bad on power for regular driving.
What they should do is get rid of the stupid itty bitty diesel they're making. It needs to be at least a 4.5 liter. It doesn't make sense at all. These little diesels can't do anything better than a big gas engine.

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I kinda disagree. I don't 'work' my truck hard. I use it for household stuff, but I appreciate the power and performance the 5.3 V8 when I want/need it. It gets 20 mpg and has towing capability should I decide to tow something. i'd bet 90+% of the ones sold have V8's in them.

The V8's of today are very economical compared to V8's of the past. No need for the V6 with today's V8 mpg numbers.

Donstar · March 28, 2018

Need vs want comes to mind. The V6 has less moving parts and less expensive to buy and operate. To many, the initial savings at purchase means little and a small difference in fuel economy isn't enough to justify owning a V6. I fully understand and appreciate the logic. To me, the saving is a bonus. I spent a lot of time behind the wheel of trucks far less powerful than today's base engines and enjoy the extra power of the 4.3 I am often entertained by some of the suggested needs for the new V8's. GM has made a wise marketing decision to keep the V8's in their new trucks. I believe DFM will make any perceived differences between a V6 and a V8 moot.

Grumpy Bear · March 28, 2018

12 hours ago, Colossus said:

it's not hate, it's common sense. There is no need for the 6 cylinder. What can it do better than the 8? Fuel economy? nope.

Interesting lack of logic. My now 57,000 mile life time hand calculated average is a bit over 26 mpg. Even in the winter I did not burn a tank that was under 23 mpg. When you say, "There is no need for the 6 cylinder", you mean YOUR NEEDS? Right? Wow, I think my argument holds not only water but is commonly sensible.

What can it do better. Your frame of reference is skewed by your prejudice. Your comparing the V-6 to the V-8 when what should be compared is either motor to the owners needs. It need not be more than HIS personal need. You have nothing to do with it save telling others what you feel they deserve. I just love it when someone tries to tell me what I deserve. What I deserve is what I want, not what you wish to give me for whatever reason you can dream up.

12 hours ago, Donstar said:

Interesting use of logic. I would argue there is no need for 8 cylinders but I respect the longstanding reverence for the V8. Isn't the RAM diesel in their 5th wheel pulling 1 tons running on 6 cylinders? I pulled my family's travel trailer in the 80's with a V8 producing 50% of the horsepower of my current V6. Really this isn't a case of common sense.

Agreed! And once again the V-6 crowd give reverence to the V-8 boys while they continue to disrespect those whose need is less great. Atta-boy Donstar...well said. It isn't a case of common sense It's a case of need and maybe desires or even personal situations and goals. I'll hang with the selfless over the selfish every time.

KARNUT · March 28, 2018

I don’t know about disrespecting. The money difference between a V6 and V8 and very little fuel mileage difference. You add in 50-80 more HP. I’d be questioning someone sanity if everything else was equal for choosing a V6. I have nothing against a 6 or 4 even l own all 3.

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Campier · March 28, 2018

Does anybody on this forum tow a travel trailer or any tall trailer with the 4.3 liter V6?
IIRC, that 4.3 liter V6 had the same torque and power as the 4.8 liter V8 that it replaced.

Donstar · March 28, 2018

2 hours ago, KARNUT said:

I don’t know about disrespecting. The money difference between a V6 and V8 and very little fuel mileage difference. You add in 50-80 more HP. I’d be questioning someone sanity if everything else was equal for choosing a V6. I have nothing against a 6 or 4 even l own all 3.

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At first I thought you were questioning a person's sanity for choosing a V6 but I think your point is that if everything was the same, then you'd pick the more powerful engine. That makes sense but paying more money to get something you don't want or need makes little sense. The old Ford 4.9L engine was the gold standard for 1/2 ton pickup engines, imo. I owned four trucks with this engine and put an average of 100k miles on each of them. This was my opinion until the new generation of GM's 4.3 came along. It has 2.5 X the horsepower and consumes about 30% less fuel. Why would I pay $800 + for "50-80 more HP"?

KARNUT · March 28, 2018

At first I thought you were questioning a person's sanity for choosing a V6 but I think your point is that if everything was the same, then you'd pick the more powerful engine. That makes sense but paying more money to get something you don't want or need makes little sense. The old Ford 4.9L engine was the gold standard for 1/2 ton pickup engines, imo. I owned four trucks with this engine and put an average of 100k miles on each of them. This was my opinion until the new generation of GM's 4.3 came along. It has 2.5 X the horsepower and consumes about 30% less fuel. Why would I pay $800 + for "50-80 more HP"?

People pay more than that for a tune and less HP. Same with many performance parts. Most of those use more fuel. A good negotiator probably get the V8 for free. And then there’s resale. And if you’re into exhaust the sound. I have a high performance car with a V6, love it. Unfortunately an 8 added 12K, if I could have gotten it for 800$ hell yes.

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Grumpy Bear · March 28, 2018

You can buy whatever you wish. That isn't the point and it seems the point can't be made.

For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible.

(Stuart Chase)

Imcrazy · March 28, 2018

Point is: just like most automakers now just give you power windows on all cars because it's more cost effective to the automaker than having a separate line to make cars with crank windows, it would be cheaper for GM to consolidate engines from two (4.3 & 5.3) to just the 5.3 because they real world 'advantages' of the V6 are almost negligible and good luck towing up hills with the 4.3, that thing made it tough to merge onto some up hill on ramps with my truck unloaded.... It's similar to when GM went from 4.3, 4.8 & 5.3 down to just 5.3 & 4.3.... I'm not sure why the 3.6 wasn't used in the Fullsize trucks as it really seems to move my Colorado much better than the 4.3 or even the 5.3 did in my big trucks...

'01LS1 · March 28, 2018

20 hours ago, Donstar said:

Interesting use of logic. I would argue there is no need for 8 cylinders but I respect the longstanding reverence for the V8. Isn't the RAM diesel in their 5th wheel pulling 1 tons running on 6 cylinders? I pulled my family's travel trailer in the 80's with a V8 producing 50% of the horsepower of my current V6. Really this isn't a case of common sense.

Forums can debate cylinders needed, turbos, naturally aspirated, who can pee farther... But we got to draw the line between what fires them. Gas & diesel engines are entirely separate segments.

Campier · March 28, 2018

On 3/27/2018 at 5:54 PM, Grumpy Bear said:

I find it interesting that it isn't enough for the V-8 crowd to be happy that they have their little pets. They go the extra mile to lobby for the death of the V-6 as well. Why hate like that?

I am going to guess that the Silverados with a V6 did not attract a lot of buyers. Every month a truck sits is another month of interest that the dealer has to pay. It's called "floorplan".

HondaHawkGT · March 29, 2018

On 3/27/2018 at 9:41 PM, Imcrazy said:

I've had a 2014 Sierra w/ a 4.3 , a 2016 Silverado w/ a 5.3 and now a 2017 Colorado with a 3.6 all have been 4x4's.. The quickest has been the Colorado, the Sierra was under powered even while unloaded for my taste but, I have a strong peference for the quickest engine my budget will allow for... Hoping for a 6.2 Sierra or Silverado for my next truck...

There is no financial argument that can be made for GM making the 4.3L V6 in this next gen, the 5.3 gets the same MPG, practically speaking - my 2014 4.3 & 2016 5.3 got the same MPG within less than 1 mpg and honestly GM could be more profitable by making less engines and just dropping the cost of the v8 a little bit, I mean it's what $800 up charge for the 5.3, when you're talking 1-2% of the total vehicle cost when expressed as a percentage of the sales price on a 30-50k truck, it's peanuts unless you're a fleet buyer.

In closing if I could have got a 5.3 in my Colorado I would have, so you can see I am biased towards lager power plants...

If GM could sell a Colorado with a 5.3 or 4.3, you can be sure they would. GM knows that there little difference in fuel consumption. The major issue is emissions. An OHV V8/V6 is superior in size, cost, and reliability, but cannot compete emissions.

DONWT15 · March 29, 2018

Following the news on the 2019's, it does look like the 4.3 has been dropped. I would guess the idea is to push the diesel.

As far as the 3.6 V6 I have concerns about using it in a full size truck. Engines where the horsepower number is higher than the torque number tend to be high rpm and "busy/noisy".

Ford and RAM have similar V6's to the 3.6 and theirs have the same type of rating, high HP, lower torque. Don't see a lot of them around here though. Lots of Ecoboosts and Hemis.

Torque is what gets the work done and for that, the 4.3 has the rest of them beat.

Yes, I have the 5.3. Mostly because the truck I liked happened to be built with it. I do like the power, I have to admit.

L86 All Terrain · March 29, 2018

Love everyone calling the V6 little or weak. 300hp and 330tq @3800rpm on E85 is nothing to laugh at. My 2010 5.3L barely made that and probably felt more gutless with a 3.08 gear anyway. Getting anywhere around 300tq below 4,000rpm is a remarkable achievement for a naturally aspirated V6 platform. A little bit of aftermarket love and it could probably drag most stock 5.3L's down the street. My friend has a WT reg cab long bed V6 and he pulls a car hauler with 3 ATV's and can stay right with my 5.3L on hunting/fishing trips.