Old member returning - maybe

[Bruce Branch 2]

Hey guys. I'm an old member from a few years back. I sold my 01 ST and bought a 4dr Jeep. BTW I sold it to a friend for his son, it had 120K miles then and he has since turned over 200K. But, I have had fun with the Jeep but I recently bought a pontoon boat and the Jeep just does not like pulling the boat. So I am looking to come back the wonderful world of Sport Tracs. My questions are:

Does anyone pull a pontoon with their V6 ST? How's it perform for you?

Would the folks with the V8 recommend them?

I guess it was late 07 when I sold my ST because I saw the V8 come out but never saw much feed back about them. I am considering a 08 or 09 V8 4WD, do you think the addition $'s are worth it or will the V6 pull the pontoon OK?

The boat is a 20 ft Sylvan, trailer weight of approx 2K lbs.



Thanks in advance for your opinions and I hope to see you around here more often in the future... again.

 

[Todd Z]

Honestly the Gen 1 or Gen 2 will do the 2,000 lbs No problem......



The v6 or v8 Gen 2 will too.......



I LOVE the v8 gen 2, its completly a different truck then the Gen 1.....



BUT i will never get rid of my gen 1 !!!



The only problem with the Gen 2 in the early years was the tranny downshift bump..... and some of the v8's are snapping exhaust manifold studs.....



Todd Z

 

[Robert Caffyn]

For the few extra dollars, I'd go with the V8. If you look at the mileage numbers, they are nearly the same. But you get an extra 100 ponies for what you pay. And, you get the 6-speed trans with the V8. Yes, the "trannie bump" issue is an annoyance, but livable. The downloads the dealerships have, seems to have minimized/eliminated the problem for some. I used an XCalIII tuner with the new trans program and it has been minimized. Completely flushing the trans(@35K) with new fluid really helped mine, but 30K later its starting to act up a little. All in all, I drove both engines, and preferred the V8. Smoothness, power and the quietness of the motor were big selling points. I also tow my boat(a Baja 21ft), total weight is about 3800 to 4000lbs. with no issues. It drives the same as any vehicle pulling that weight. So, the call is yours. If you can get one, go for it. Bob :supercool:

 

[Sean M 2]

My 02 with currently 112,000 miles pulls a 24 ft pontoon with no issues. I certainly know it is back there, but the 4.0 gets its moving just fine. Braking is another story, but overall, it tows pretty well.



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