Opinion: Ford V8 engines are better
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Joined: December 17, 2012
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From: Western NC
Opinion: Ford V8 engines are better
After 55 years of driving I am of the opinion that Ford V8 engines are better than the competition. I've owned enough of the Big 3 V8 powerplants to safely say I prefer Ford. From the 351W in my old 1975 Bricklin to my current 5.0 Coyote in my 2014 GT I really have no complaints. My 5.0 in my 1982 GT had zero issues and my 2007 GT/CS had none either. They took us all over North America.
I have had no longevity issues with my GM engines but noise is a factor in the LS engines. The 'sewing machine' ticking is expected in the LS1 but until the car warms up, it sounds like you have bad gas in it or something knocking. Once it is warmed up, it's quiet. 20+ years of listening to that vs the quiet sound of the Ford engines. I will note that I have about 500,000 miles of driving Chevy engines in the 80's 90's (patrol cars) and they were solid with very few issues. Hard, abusive driving and they lasted really well!! On the other hand, the 1982 crossfire engines in the Trans Ams were in the shop more often than on the road.
On the Mopar front, I never felt as comfortable with them. both in the past and currently. My 383 was basically 'done' in my 1971 Satellite Sebring Plus after 80,000 miles and today the 'Hemi tick' scares away many folks even though it is extremely overblown. It does exist so you have to be aware of the signs. My 2020 R/T has been perfect so far.
With my Ford engines, just turn the key and don't think about a thing.
I have had no longevity issues with my GM engines but noise is a factor in the LS engines. The 'sewing machine' ticking is expected in the LS1 but until the car warms up, it sounds like you have bad gas in it or something knocking. Once it is warmed up, it's quiet. 20+ years of listening to that vs the quiet sound of the Ford engines. I will note that I have about 500,000 miles of driving Chevy engines in the 80's 90's (patrol cars) and they were solid with very few issues. Hard, abusive driving and they lasted really well!! On the other hand, the 1982 crossfire engines in the Trans Ams were in the shop more often than on the road.
On the Mopar front, I never felt as comfortable with them. both in the past and currently. My 383 was basically 'done' in my 1971 Satellite Sebring Plus after 80,000 miles and today the 'Hemi tick' scares away many folks even though it is extremely overblown. It does exist so you have to be aware of the signs. My 2020 R/T has been perfect so far.
With my Ford engines, just turn the key and don't think about a thing.
My 2003 Crown Vic Police Interceptor with 2 valve 4.6 had 222,000 miles when I bought it,and about 333,000 when I sold it.It still ran and drove fine.
In the mid-late '80's I had a '78 T-Bird with 351 Windsor 2 barrel that would start up instantly after sitting for a couple weeks in sub zero farenheit temps.I never could get it to run just right at any time though.
Seemed like it was the same with all my old Fords.They'd always start right up under any conditions,but I couldn't get any of them to run really well.
'77 Lincoln Mark 5 with 460 I had back then I thought just needed a tune up,but turned out I had to replace the timing chain.It still ran kind of badly till I replaced the carb.It had a 750 dual feed Holley when I bought it.I tried to rebuild the Holley but couldn't even get the car started after that,so I got a stock Autolite carb at the junkyard.Didn't do anything to it,just removed from the junkyard car and slapped it on the Stinkin' Lincoln and she ran fine after that
In the mid-late '80's I had a '78 T-Bird with 351 Windsor 2 barrel that would start up instantly after sitting for a couple weeks in sub zero farenheit temps.I never could get it to run just right at any time though.
Seemed like it was the same with all my old Fords.They'd always start right up under any conditions,but I couldn't get any of them to run really well.
'77 Lincoln Mark 5 with 460 I had back then I thought just needed a tune up,but turned out I had to replace the timing chain.It still ran kind of badly till I replaced the carb.It had a 750 dual feed Holley when I bought it.I tried to rebuild the Holley but couldn't even get the car started after that,so I got a stock Autolite carb at the junkyard.Didn't do anything to it,just removed from the junkyard car and slapped it on the Stinkin' Lincoln and she ran fine after that
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Joined: July 7, 2013
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From: Idaho
I agree with the GM longevity comment... Seems like GM likes to experiment with some of their builds and most if these "experiments" do not work out in the long run. Years ago I decided that GM is not for me. Love the vehicles, how they they look and drive, but everyone I have ever owned (not just V8s) has had some kind of issue with the engine after it gets into the higher miles and I am very locked in to maintenance on a regular schedule. Could be just me, but that is my experience.
Only Mopars I have had are Jeep (1 Cherokee & 4 Grand Cherokee), so far those have been very good to me. But my latest ones are only in the mid 60's for miles.
I did have a 1999 Expedition with the Triton 5.4L V8... At under 31k miles Ford had to replace that engine with an new version because the piston skirts were designed too short and it was causing cylinder wear. Got a new built motor from the factory for free on that one, as well as new 17" tires at about the same time because of the Firestone tire fiasco. Bought it new and kept it for 13.5 years and 99k miles. That was probably my lowest ownership expense rig mainly for those two warranty/recall fixes. Just serviced regularly and drove it. Guess not counting the 13-14 mpg city and maybe 16 mpg highway (usually closer to 15 mpg). That thing seemed to be pretty indestructible. And it did not care what grade or quality fuel I ran. Pretty consistent on the mileage as well.
Only Mopars I have had are Jeep (1 Cherokee & 4 Grand Cherokee), so far those have been very good to me. But my latest ones are only in the mid 60's for miles.
I did have a 1999 Expedition with the Triton 5.4L V8... At under 31k miles Ford had to replace that engine with an new version because the piston skirts were designed too short and it was causing cylinder wear. Got a new built motor from the factory for free on that one, as well as new 17" tires at about the same time because of the Firestone tire fiasco. Bought it new and kept it for 13.5 years and 99k miles. That was probably my lowest ownership expense rig mainly for those two warranty/recall fixes. Just serviced regularly and drove it. Guess not counting the 13-14 mpg city and maybe 16 mpg highway (usually closer to 15 mpg). That thing seemed to be pretty indestructible. And it did not care what grade or quality fuel I ran. Pretty consistent on the mileage as well.
Last edited by shaneyusa; Oct 2, 2025 at 09:13 PM.
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Joined: May 11, 2006
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From: Carnegie, PA
And yet back in the day, all the GM fanboys would always rag on Ford's breaking down with their immature fix or repair daily or found on road dead remarks...
Meanwhile, I would always notice how many GM vehicles were sitting off the side of the road, broken down...
Perhaps the GM fanboys were either just jealous or in denial by not being able to face reality regarding just how superior and reliable Ford's V8 engines truly are over GM....
In the nearly 40 years of owning Mustangs and other Ford models, I've never encountered a major engine issue with any of my Mustang/Ford vehicles...
Meanwhile, I would always notice how many GM vehicles were sitting off the side of the road, broken down...
Perhaps the GM fanboys were either just jealous or in denial by not being able to face reality regarding just how superior and reliable Ford's V8 engines truly are over GM....
In the nearly 40 years of owning Mustangs and other Ford models, I've never encountered a major engine issue with any of my Mustang/Ford vehicles...
Last edited by m05fastbackGT; Sep 29, 2025 at 02:42 PM.
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