4.8 vs 5.3 NNBS?

[coles1189]

Looking at buying a nnbs tahoe within the next couple weeks...
Trying to buy something that is already a little done up: lowered, wheels, etc.

Been searching a lot and found a good deal on an 07 tahoe but it ends up being the 4.8l motor

Obviously the 5.3l will do a lot better, but is the 4.8 that bad?
Hopefully going to test drive some local ones before I go check out the one for sale, but any help or opinions!

**I won't be towing anything, and its lowered with 24s so I don't need to be hauling ass anyway.

 

[Conor]

I thought the only NNBS you could get a 4.8 was the base model LS's?

 

[bigblue]

If I was knowingly buying the vehicle to drop it and put bigger wheels on it, I would buy the one with a 5.3l. I have a 4.8 with 26 inch wheels and I wish it had the 5.3, I get 17 mpg with the 26s and a black bear tune. But I drive mostly all highway. With a 4.8 your are going to have to have a tune. It really woke mine up

 

[blueflamed03]

do the 5.3 now, or you'll regret it later, IMHO

 

[SLT Kon-Man]

I'd go for the 5.3L if given the option to choose...

 

[R.Beezy]

ya id go with the 5.3 also. unless you dont really care about the performance, just the looks

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

5.3L all the way unless you can find an 09 with the rare 6.2L then I would go for that!

 

[baron]

I can't say how the 4.8 works in the Tahoe, but I know my grandpa has it in his Sierra and likes it a lot. This is a guy who pulls heavy ass tractors with a huge goose neck trailer. He says it's not quite the same as the 5.3 he had in his last truck, but that he really doesn't see a huge difference. Of course, he's not changing any driving dynamics of it by putting on different wheels or suspension, so I'm sure that has an effect as well.

 

[Jay]

The biggest difference I personally notice between the 4.8 and 5.3 is where the power is at. In the 3500-5500rpm range they feel the same to me, with the 5.3 having a very slight (almost unnoticeable) advantage.

Under 2500rpm the 5.3 dominates. It just makes a LOT more grunt down low and it much more responsive to pedal input especially when pulling a boat or something. Kinda makes sense because they have dang near the same cylinder heads and cam, just a good difference in cubes.

I'd take the 5.3 all day long. The new ones have AFM which might actually give it better MPG than the 4.8 (which was never offered with AFM. Soap box: What the heck GM? Stick an AFM 4.8 in the hybrid tahoes/yukons instead of that gas hog 6.0 and get 25mpg+ on the highway and 23 or better in the city!). I can tell you my 07 5.3 yukon has consistently gotten 21.5mpg on long trips at 70mph. I don't think the 4.8s would do that in the same application. Not without AFM anyway.

 

[2drhoeon4s]

i used to have a new body style silverado with the 4.8L I liked it.... I could barely tell the diff during a test drive between the two engines... although once i put 20s on it, I couldnt get the 4.8L to break the tires loose for anything. no low end torque

 

[blueflamed03]

4.8's like to rev to make power....I so need gears

 

[Jay]

By the time you buy gears and pay someone to install them you could drop in a low-mid mileage 5.3 or even 6.0. Those motors go for cheap in the salvage yards.

 

[blueflamed03]

I can get gears for $230, and a drag racing buddy install them. IMHO even the 5.3 could use some gears, with a 31" tall tire. 3.42's suck in a 5500 lb truck.

 

[Jay]

Well, I have to agree. My 07 yukon 5.3 has 3.42s and they're great for cruising down the highway but sometimes when pulling the boat or camper I wish 3.73s or 3.90s were back there. I only pull with the yukon about 10 times a year so I'd rather have the 3.42s anyway. I don't race it or care about speed though... this thing spends 90% of its life hauling my offspring.

Might be trading the camper for a 5th wheel next year though. I smell a duramax coming my way

 

[blueflamed03]

gonna say, better have the funny smelling exhaust tow hauler for that

 

[Danny_Z56]

"**I won't be towing anything, and its lowered with 24s so I don't need to be hauling ass anyway." - coles1189

In that case the 4.8L should be just fine for you.Keep in mind its sill a V8,so you will still have that nice V8 torque and punch.If we were talking Fords than i would tell you to go for the bigger motor,as Ford trucks and SUV's really lack bottom end grunt.GM V8's seem to be very torque friendly through out the power/RPM band.

Need proof of this? Test drive a DOHC V8 Cadillac and a DOHC V8 Lincoln,nuff said...