Looking at a used 06' silverado with the 4.8 vortec. 4x4, crew cab. My dad's had a
couple of 5.3's and they've been very good. I don't know much about the 4.8 though.
I've been told they get better mpg's, and under normal driving they have enough power.
I would suppose towing heavy you would notice the difference. Are they reliable? Been told the tranny is the same as the 5.3. Any thing else or tips would be appreciated.
Would a k&n help with the power issue? Thanks.

 

the 4.8 will get better economy, but not really by much. maybe 1 mpg, maybe. as for towing, probably wouldn't go much more than 3k or 4k pounds. have the truck equipped with a good trans cooler too. i recommend the duramax diesel if you plan on towing. has the power, still gets good mpg's while towing, and way better mpg's just every day driving.

 

I really don't tow much, not more than 15-30 miles at the max. Semi's have replaced
pickups on the farm for the hard work. It would basically be when the snow gets deep, and
dropping the kids off at school. I have an old impala with the 3.8 i use for highway driving.
For a farm truck i've been using a 98 tahoe (beat to crap!) with the 5.7. It has plenty of
power, but is so rough looking, the kids won't ride in it. Or the wife! It's time for an upgrade, had it since 2000.

 

Hi jondoe28,

Welcome to the Chevy Forums.

My GF has a Silverado with the 4.8L, we love it. She doesn't do any towing, however.

 

if you will be using it on the farm after the tahoe dies (im sure you will, nothing goes to waste on a farm) i would be looking at a 2500HD myself, it would handle the $hit and abuse the farm dishes out on a pickup and those come with 6.0L standard and duramax optional (id go with the max) but if you are intent on a 1/2 ton i would go with a 5.3 you will need the power to take off in the deep snow, the 4.8 has it's place and it isnt at the farm in my honest opinion

 

Hey JonDoe,

I have an 08 Crew cab 2wd with a 4.8L with the 4 spd tranny, 3.73 locking rear end and tow package. Everything is stock. I love this truck.

Reality,

I wouldn't take this truck and run it down the drag strip. But it does get out of it's own way when needed.

I just got back from a camping trip in the mountains of N. Carolina. Didn't tow anything, but I had it loaded down. I had NO problems going up and down the mountains. And let me tell you, I didn't stay on the beaten path. The truck went up the entrance to Grandfather Mountain with NO problems (One of the steeper hills was the one Forrest Gump was running on - the tight uphill turn. On longer, steep trails, while going slow (10-15 mph), I noticed the coolant temp went up slightly and my tranny fluid temp reached a high of 212 degrees. Not sure what is an acceptable temp range, but the computer didn't give an error, so I figured it was within a safe range.

I went a total of 2100 miles during that trip and used approximately 124 gallons of gas (approx 17 mpgs) during the trip (from Florida). I would have no problems taking a light trailer (5000lbs or lower) back up there.

I also towed a ford taurus on one of those car dollies for approximately 30 miles in Florida. I used the towing mode and didn't go over 65 mph. The truck had no problems towing the car. The truck's computer showed I was getting 14 mpg towing the car. The truck seemed to want to go faster and I kept the speeds down due to the type of towing. Also, I was able to use the overdrive gear (Florida is pretty much flat) during the tow with no problems and no downshifting.

Hope this helps

Eric