Chevy 8.1 vs. Ford V10?

[Shallow Minded]

Hey Guys,
Looking at a new tow rig (I want to stay with gas) and was curious what anyone thought about these two engines. I really like the body style of a Ford, but I've heard Chevy's 8.1 will outpull the V10 any day.
I'll be buying used, so any feedback on the '01's thru '03's would be appreciated (maintenance issues, mileage, overall ride, the Allison Tranny in the Chevy, etc). Thanks.
SM

[IMPATIENT 1]

Hey Guys,
Looking at a new tow rig (I want to stay with gas) and was curious what anyone thought about these two engines. I really like the body style of a Ford, but I've heard Chevy's 8.1 will outpull the V10 any day.
I'll be buying used, so any feedback on the '01's thru '03's would be appreciated (maintenance issues, mileage, overall ride, the Allison Tranny in the Chevy, etc). Thanks.
SM
i can give ya info on the 8.1(i'm gm master tech) and the allison.the v10 is a good motor but prone to constant maint..i really like the 8.1 because i hardlly work on them.seems to be a great pullin motor with the allison behind it.the allison can't be beat for pullin because that's what it ws designed to do.barelly has any scheduled maint. requirements too.just my .02

[Beer-30]

I have driven a 32' motorhome with a 8.1 / Allison, with a 21' Malibu tourney boat behind it. Let me tell you, I was impressed. My opinion from towing is anything over about 26' should be a diesel. That thing got no MPG, but it didn't seem to labor at all. It was better than I expected.
I have a friend with a V10 1-ton that pulls a 30' regular trailer house. He says pound for pound, 8.1s do pass him on grades from time to time. He feels the 8.1 has a better torque curve.
I can tell you that the 8.1 is more mod-friendly, if that is important to you. Putting headers on a V10 requires lifting the motor up (during install). Also, V10s will always have that "different" sound out of the exhaust. Things to keep in mind if you tend to change things in the future.

[jmherbert]

I've heard Chevy's 8.1 will outpull the V10 any day.
SM
You heard right... I don't have boat pulling experience with the v10, but a 12000 LB skid loader pulled by the ford v10 did worse than a '88 chevy with the 454 (7.4) I can only imagine that the extra displacement and vortech heads would make that difference greater.

[Speedin' Ian]

I have a V10 in 01 F-250 and I am happy with it. I pull a 25' Commander and a 28' fifth wheel and it does fine. I suspect the 8.1 probably does have more torque, it definatley has more displacement and a longer stroke, so it would make sense. I believe the V-10 gets a little better mileage.
Impatient 1 what type of maint. are you talking about? I have over 70k on mine and have had to do nothing. It is an overhead cam motor but it uses chains rather then belts so those don't need to be replaced. Other than that what would you have to service?
Also I am almost 100% sure you do not have to raise the motor to install headers, I don't have any on my truck but I do know a few guys that installed them and none of them mentioned anything about that.

[XTRM22]

I have 92,000 miles on my F350 V-10 and it just went into the shop fo rthe first time last week (non engine issue). I don't know what prone to constant maintenance entails, I have change myoil and filter every 3000 miles but that's about it. I highly recomend the V-10, my boat only weighs about 4200-5000 including trailer but I have towed up to 9-10,000 with it. Check with Shadow, he's a Ford mechanic, and his Excursion has alot of miles on a V-10. I can honestly tell you that at highway speed not towing I get about 12.5-13 mpg towing it drops to around 9mpg. When I towed a 29 Mach back to Tucson, I got around 7.5mpg towing at close to 70mph and thats a fairly heavy boat,8-9000lbs with trailer, I'm guessing. The only reason Id get rid of my V-10 would be if I ever got a big enough boat to justify the diesel (not gonna happen living here in Havasu where my tow is only 4 miles). Good luck with it, and by the way I think the V-10 has a cool sound when set up wit the right exhaust. I've got 3" magna flow from the cat back.
Chuck

[Shallow Minded]

Hey Impatient,
What type of mileage (realistic, not sticker...) can I expect with the 8.1? I've heard 8-10 MPG with no load.
And is there anyway you could look up the towing spec's on this VIN? I'd really owe ya...it's an '02 2500 HD with the 8.1 and Allison Tranny.
1GCHK29G52E191073
----Everybody else, thanks for the input, I really appreciate it. Keep it coming. I pulled my boat (about 7,000 lbs w/ trailer) once with a Suburban and the 8.1 and it hardly even downshifted. Curious what the V10 would act like.

[Speedin' Ian]

The V-10 is going to shift when towing a load like that, it's a smaller motor. I can pull my 25' Commander in OD on the flats, on moderates hills it drops down to drive and on steep grades it drops into 2nd, but I also have stock gearing with bigger tires.

[Beer-30]

Hey Impatient,
What type of mileage (realistic, not sticker...) can I expect with the 8.1? I've heard 8-10 MPG with no load.
And is there anyway you could look up the towing spec's on this VIN? I'd really owe ya...it's an '02 2500 HD with the 8.1 and Allison Tranny.
1GCHK29G52E191073
----Everybody else, thanks for the input, I really appreciate it. Keep it coming. I pulled my boat (about 7,000 lbs w/ trailer) once with a Suburban and the 8.1 and it hardly even downshifted. Curious what the V10 would act like.
You can expect that with either one. 3+tons and lots of cubes takes a lot of fuel to move and run. That is just a fact. I have seen 12 out of my Vortec 454, but that is tailgate down, no load, and driving it easy. I was surprised to get that. I, for one, don't mind if it gets 3 mph, as that is not what I bought it for. If you do want mileage, diesel is the way to go. I get about 7.5 pulling the boat (about 7800lbs) when I have checked it, and that's about where it should be. I would suspect the same or maybe a little better with a newer-tech motor as a V10 or 8.1 is. Not much, though. I get about 9-9.5 around town.

[JAY4SPEED]

Hey Impatient,
What type of mileage (realistic, not sticker...) can I expect with the 8.1? I've heard 8-10 MPG with no load.
And is there anyway you could look up the towing spec's on this VIN? I'd really owe ya...it's an '02 2500 HD with the 8.1 and Allison Tranny.
1GCHK29G52E191073
----Everybody else, thanks for the input, I really appreciate it. Keep it coming. I pulled my boat (about 7,000 lbs w/ trailer) once with a Suburban and the 8.1 and it hardly even downshifted. Curious what the V10 would act like.
I can help you with that info. This particular truck had a transmission put in on 8/03 at 18473 miles. :idea: You may want to check into that. The only info I see on it is GVWR is 9,200 lbs.