4.0L OHV vs. 5.0L

[MyExpWork]

I have a 91 with the standard 4.0L with 160,000 miles and do some moderate towing.

How much difference could I expect if I bought a 1996-1999 v-8 explorer? I might buy another explorer next year, but was considering the V-8.

I have found the hp and torque ratings but wanted some real world feedback.

Thanks.

Brian

 

[yob_yeknom]

It'll be like night and day. If you're going to spend the money for a new truck, go ahead and get the better engine.

 

[DarkFox1]

I haven't driven an OHV 4.0.. but the SOHC 4.0 is just as fast if not faster than the 5.0 in both throttle response and overall acceleration. the 5.0, or at least my 5.0 takes 14-15 sec. to get to 60, avg mpg 9-15. It SOUNDS good, but is slower than most vehicles on the road. I have a hard time getting up to speed with mine. I'm not trying to scare you away, mines probablly a lemon.. but these are what I've found.

 

[MikeTEC]

I own one of each..a 93 4.0L OHV and 96 5.0 V-8. The 5.0L is definately has more upper end hp and will pull more. But the 4.0L is also a strong, torquey little puller on highways without long grades. It really depends on what size/weight/frontal area of trailer you are pulling. Not much difference in gas milage towing between the two. Mike

 

[aldive]

I really like the performance of my SOHC, however, if I were to do any amount of towing, I would go with the V8.

Good luck......

 

[jjue]

If you do any towing, get the V8 since it comes with a more solid 4R70W transmission. Plus, it's got lots of low end torque. Some of my Chevy friends swear that I'm gonna kill my '97 Mountaineer using it like a Super-Duty, but then my Ford friends laugh when they give one of two rebuttles:
1. "Let's see, wasn't it a Mercury Mountaineer that pulled you out of that last stuck?"
2. "What? A Z-71 couldn't pull a forklift out of the mud, but a Mercury Mountaineer did? Hahahahahaha!!!!"

Never underestimate the power of a small-block Ford engine (the old pushrod V8, not the new modular V8).

 

[SaleenEXP]

5.0, the ohv has good low-end for a v6 but can't come close to the 5.0 (effortless). Mad props jjue, I also have seen V8 Explorers pulling big a$$ trailers that you normally see hooked on a fullsize ford or chevey. I pulled up to a light next to an 5.0 Explorer that was towing a tripple axle trailer with a 29ft boat and I acclerated like I normally would between 2-3000 rpm and he stay almost dead even with me untill about 45 where he stayed at.

 

[MikeTEC]

My 4.0L reaches its maximum torque at 2400 RPM. My 5.0L reaches its maximum torque at 3250 RPM. Both have 3.73 LS axles. I tow at 60 mph, which equates to about 2800 RPM. When it comes to pulling, useable torque, not horsepower, rules along with proper axle ratio. That is why diesals, which reach their torque at around 1800 RPMs, are kings of towing. If you want more power to tow a larger trailer up grades and mountains, by all means choose the 5.0L engine, with its stronger tranny as was mentioned above. If you have a choice of axles, strongly consider a 3.73 or 4.10 for towing. Always check Ford's tow ratings for your vehicle and never exceed the maximum. Good luck and happy towing! Mike

 

[DarkFox1]

I can't say anything about towing, in all honesty I dont see where the 5.0 even has that much torque. I tried offroading.. once.. I got stuck in not even 1 minute, with a limited slip..

2-3k is NORMAL? for me thats slllloooowwww

from what I've seen, the OHV v6 X is faster than the 5L and can easily tow as much

but I agree, if the v8 is working properly, its SUPPOSED to be an allaround better engine for accelerating towing pulling through debris.. but not for gas mileage

 

[james t]

from what i have seen, the OHV 4.0 is as fast or faster than the 5.0 and tows just as much...

that may be true for your 5.0, but not others. nothing against the 4.0's, OHV or SOHC, but there is really no comparison against the 5.0 when towing. darkfox, there is something wrong with yours. as far as gas mileage, mine gets 19-20 on trips not towing running 75 mph with 3:73 gears. and as far as towing, i have towed my early bronco on a home-made lowboy that is made of oil field drill stem pipe and has mobile home axles. seriously overloaded, and mine did just fine. and as far as the 5.0 taking 14-15 seconds to get to 60, well, like i have said before, there is something wrong. sorry dude, but yours just doesnt run right. mine could get to 60 in 15 seconds WHILE towing a medium sized boat. the 4.0 OHV is quite torqy for a V6, but for alot of towing or towing something rather large, go with the V8. and i also agree with the tranny statement. 4R70W is a d@mn good tranny, and with proper fluid changes and a big aftermarket cooler, you will proly not have any trouble out of it.

 

[MyExpWork]

Thanks for the info. For the most part my 4.0L doesn't even really notice what I tow around town. I have two jetskis, which when fully loaded with camping equipment, fuel, etc is probably about 2500 pounds. Even on the freeway I average about 70-75 mph and not feel that I am pushing the vehicle.

BUT, when going on a ski trip with my uncle, he has a 94 F-150 v-8, he left me in the dust going up a grade. He was towing about 3000-4000 pounds. He said all he did was take it out of OD and the cruise control took him up the hill with A/C on at about 70mph. And sometimes left me playing catchup on some of the smaller hills. I am pretty sure we both have the same gear ratio. I tried to keep up but couldn't.

It was after this trip that I wanted to get the v-8. That and the fact that both my uncle and wife made fun of me.

Thanks again for the info. I think the V-8 is for me.

Brian

 

[MikeTEC]

Amen to what James said. Both of mine are driven by me and my wife daily, sleep in the same gargage together and I will assure you there is no comparsion in speed. The 5.0 will win hands down and probably run, with proper modifications, as fast as you care to take it. Believe it is more kin to a Mustang than a Ford 302 truck engine however. As I remember the torque curve on Ford's 5.0 truck engine was either 2400 or 2800 RPMs (My memory fades with age) If you don't believe torque is important when it comes to pulling, take a look at how many Toyotas or Nissan Suvs are towing trailers. Practically none. They reach torque at very high RPMs. Plus you don't see too many 18 wheelers with Toyota or Nissan engines crusing the superslab! Mike

 

[mikeresin]

its a big difference.
especialy if you want to mod the 5.0

i sold my 4.0 ohvsport and miss the truck. im thinking about saving some cash and buying a 96-00 5.0 explorer.

i could interchange parts between it and the mustang

bottom line though, it takes alot for an explorer to be fast. i would be happy if the next explorer i own runs 15's

but man was the old explorer fun to cruise in. everyone loved it who saw it. wasnt that fast but it had class.
even my die-hard chevy friend who hates fords loved the explorer.

i miss the car

 

[MikeTEC]

Towing aside, I believe if I had to pick one of the two to go off road in, in stock version, I would pick my 93 with its dependable OHV. My 93 OHV will edge out the 5.0L in gas milage at slow speeds and probaby back in the woods/mountians that would be a big factor with no gas stations around. Not much gas milage difference between the two at highway speeds however. My 93 seems happiest bouncing along a country road between 15-35 mph! My 93 has never let me down and believe me, I have towed 500 plus miles in 105-108 degree heat, A/C on, family, gear and towing a 2500 lb pop-up. It has never once whimpered! Mike

 

[mikeresin]

the only time my 95 ohv felt more "weak" then normal was going to lake tahoe in the middle of the summer.
steep upgrades for miles on end. in high altitude.

the ohv had horrible altitude sickness

 

[DarkFox1]

now I can give my car this.. I can climb a hill with it so slow that the speedometer doesn't even register w/o spinning a tire. My friendt tried it with his S-10 and spun, another tried it with his '93 GMC Z71 and failed (and hes 4wd) and my dads k10 even spins doing this I'm sure it'd be nothing for any of yall offroaders, infact ,it IS nothing.. just a hill up to the garage. 3:73 LSD 8.8 I gotta admit I love it. Every truck I get from now on if I can.. will have a limited slip

Well, my friends try to tell me my grille guard and system is slowing me down. I can understand the stuff may take... 1 second off a normal 0-60 at the most, I mean what could that stuff possiblly weigh? maybe 300 pounds at the most, its like hauling a heavy weight passenger. I would think the torque would make up for this, could they be right?

 

[snooper0069]

i have a 93 with the 4.0 pushrod. i tow an 18 ft. camper which weights 3200 pounds. it pulls this camper great with power to spare. iv never driven one with a 5.0 so i cant speak for them. if i was going to get another one tho,id be the 5.0. i love v-8s

 

[SaleenEXP]

DarkFox I think every time you post someone tells you there's something wrong with your truck lol! We were talking about that in that other thread. There is something seriously wrong with your truck, your like 7 seconds slower than a normal V8 Ex/Mounty. Don't trust your dealership. If you want I'll explain to our dealership (Holman Lincoln Mercury) your problem, they take care of all our cars and grandparents cars, there awsome. Put it this way the only major thing I had to get replaced were the axle bushings and some other little things, came out to almost $600 and the dealership told us not to worry about and paid for everything. So give me a list/or explanation of your problems and I'll take it too them and see what they would recomend on what to do or check.

 

[DarkFox1]

cool, thanks, I would do this stuff myself, but you know, all the shops here just want my money. They want $50 just to look at it, the dealership is the only one that looks at it w/o charging me, and they say its fine.

ya, sorry about that lol, it seems every time I read a thread about a 5L I have to chime in about mine being slow, I've gotten a few threads off topic I think, SORRY GUYS! I guess I shoulda started my own, but I know yall are probablly tired of hearing me complain.

 

[Leucoandro]

I would say that if you are going to be doing a good bit of hauling get the V-8, but if not my V-6 OHV works fine. I took it on a 1500 mile round trip to florida hauling a trailer with 6 sets of dive EQ, 4 persons duffle bags, and 4 people. It made the trip there and back fine, although I averaged about 13-14 MPG with the trailer attached. I also use my truck for fairly often trips hauling a couple jet ski's to the lake and back that is up in the hills, it also does that fine. So really it all depends on how much you haul and how often as to if you want to get the V-8. Also probibly most important is that you get what you want cause if you dont you wont be happy with it. A plus to getting a V-8 also is you can put some pipes on it and make it sound really good, I dont really have that option. I will say I would love to drop a V-8 into my sport, but with the cost I can say that isnt too likely. I would really be happy just to be middle of the road with a straight 6, but I also dont really have that option with any practicality. Now a Q about the Tranny. I have the 5R55E and I was told that was the best and toughest tranny I could get on an explorer. I also have the 3.73 gearing. Is the 4W70E better?
thanks