i'm booting around the idea of getting a new to me truck. i've been eyeballing the mid to late 90's silverado 1500 4x4 with the regular cab, short box. i'm a single guy and rarely take more than one passenger. i'd be using it for daily driving as well as fishing and hunting. it would probably get delegated as a bush truck once i can afford a much newer daily driver.

my biggest question with them is which engine is the best all around? the 4.8L or the 5.7L? since it would be a daily driver, i'd want to be able to juice as much economy out of it as i can. i know it's a V8 truck and won't be great, but i may as well maximize what i can. however, i also want decent power for the mountain roads, towing a boat, and ****s and giggles factor as well.

i've heard that the 5.7L has a lot of after market options for it, more so than the 4.8L. what kind of stuff can/should i do to the engine to maximize performance?

thanks in advance from a chevy noob.

 

go with 5.7 extended cabs are nice even if you haul with one person you can put thing on the back seat.

 

my current truck has an extended cab. i've found it just becomes a mess with all the crap that ends up getting tossed back there. the other reason i was looking at the regular cab is the shorter wheel base. a shorter truck is better in the bush. as long as i can slide a rifle or small fishing rod in behind the seat, i'll be good. i plan to get a canopy for the box, so my other stuff can go there.

 

The 4.8L is nice but is under powered for a full size truck.......the 5.7 is the way to go.

 

5.7!!!!!!!!

 

Hey chevy noob

I have a 94 Chev k-1500 5.7 L Ext. cab 4x4, and she is a nice truck. I would suggest the ext. cab because it is a lot roomier, and you can put your seat back and relax if you want.

Just my $0.02

 

thanks for the info folks. what kind of upgrades can i do to the 5.7L to increase performance? can that age of silverados be chipped? what kind of fuel economy can be expected from a stock 5.7L, assuming 65mph on the highway with cruise control and gentle driving in town?

 

Well MPH depends on several factors.....I can go from here to Des Moines Ia on about a half a tank in pretty hilly countryside in my 97 Suburban while pulling a trailer. Mind you my Suburban takes 42 gal to fill. so 247 miles and about 20 gals of fuel while pulling a trailer. For me its about the same with out the trailer also becouse I drive faster with out the trailer..lol

 

well you mentioned the 5.7 or 4.8, those would be in two different body styles. the 88-99classic would either have a 5.0 or a 5.7. if you are going to go with that style truck, i would go with the 5.7. its a proven motor with good power and decent mpg. the company truck i use to drive around would get about 14mpg, but that was a 3500 series truck with 4.10 gears.

if you are looking into the 99-07 classic body style, you would be looking at either a 4.8, 5.3 and in 06 you could get the 6.0HO. if mpg is a big concern, i would go with the 5.3. more power than the 4.8 and about the same mpg. i test drove a bunch of 4.8's and 5.3's before buying my first 06 and the 4.8 was a weak pos. my 06 with the 5.3 would get about 14-14.5mpg in the city but that was mainly because of the crappy 3.42 gears.

if performance and towing are important, the look for a 2006-07 vortec max with the LQ9 in it. it is so much better than my previous 06. it does only get about 12-12.5 mpg in city with the 295 tires im running.

i would also suggest, as others have, an ext cab. they are quite a bit more comfy, though the reg cabs arent too bad.

96+ vortec trucks can be "tuned" or use a programmer, they are not chipped. i would suggest staying away from handheld programmers, they are junk. instead use a tuner such as justin at blackbear performance or if you are interested in learning to tune yourself, use efi live or hptuners.

good luck with your purchase.