Help with chevy s-10
 

Hey guys I was just looking for some advice and some direction when buying an s-10 I have never owned one nor do I know anyone persoanlly who has one.I am basically looking at getting a pick to pull a small boat and the s-10 seems like one of the best trucks. I have done some research on the net but have only found so many different pages with different info, the most important being fuel economy. The 2.2 having no power what so ever and the vortec 4.3 are 2 difrerent worlds . Basically what I wanna know is how bad is this thing on fuel and is there anything else out there that anyone can recomend looking into thats compar or maybe even better ????
thank for your help
Adrian

If you get a older 4.3 model they are not as efficient as the vortech 4.3. Your best bet is to find a s-10 with the vortech they are a solid motor and tow no problem. Keep in mind the 4.3 is a 350 with 2 cyls chopped off. Many 350 parts bolt on. You cant buy a truck and expect gas mileage. But the s-series are some of the best. You should be able to get at least 20mpg on the highway.

plus i founf the 4 cly to be harder on gas when under load then the 4.3 due to the fact it is working so hard to move the truck under load......deff i would go vortec 4.3 with tuned port...more efficent and can pull nicly plus the mid and late body style looks sext with a envoy clip bagged on 20's and 18's in thye front :smilie_da

look up http://www.fueleconomy.gov and search for the year S10 you're thinking of. (or just a random 2nd gen year). Of course 5 speed will be better on gas. Another thing to consider is rear-end ratio. a 4.10 will suck the gas back like nothing else on the hwy. A 3.42 will be much better and unless you're towing a yacht you should be fine even with those gears. My truck with the 3.73s and 205/50/15s spins 3000RPM at around 90-100km/h on the hwy...you can imagine my hwy gas mileage blows ass.

Also...may I suggest you check out http://www.s10forum.com

And while Naystyzed is right that the 4.3 is a 350 with 2 cyls missing, however, MOST parts WON"T fit...you MIGHT be able to fit the pistons and the rods, and that's it.

4.3 is a solid motor and good for towing somethings nothing to big my blazer 4.3 tbi 91 has horrible gas milage but thast cuz right now its running like balls go chev man you'll love em. definently go to s10forum.com really knowledgeble guys there

i have had many s10s and they're not bad on fuel my buddy has one for sale a '94 that has a new engine (80k) and a 01 front clip on it for sale right now for 4 grand ;) So you can get them cheap if you look :)

pretty good trucks i have one for sale 3000 with 350 v8 decent gas mileage cause its not working as hard pm me if interested

S10 4.3 TBI models are preaty good on gas, i found that my 88 S15 pickup got the same milage as my 84 Monte carlo with a 305 4BBL carb :smilie_d0

might as well drop in a small block in these things, its relatively cheap, and u'll never go back to a 6cyl lol

I`m pretty surprised to see people say that 4.3 Vortecs are actually good on fuel, because the honest truth on that fact is they are #$# pigs on fuel, your better off with a full size sierra and a 350 vortech for fuel economy, no kidding. 4.3`s are awful but,.... they`re bullet proof tough engines that are almost impossible to kill, just like the old 3.1`s and 2.8`s. Don`t even look at a four banger to pull anything with as you will quickly regret it. However if you can afford to buy a truck strictly for towing something you really shouldn`t be thinking about the gas mileage anyways.

I drive a 4.3L with a 5 speed in a 2000 sonoma, there decent trucks, yes its a lot more motor than the 2.2 but there slow as hell either way without a lot of modification. The 4.3 isnt great on gas but the first time you fill it you think you did well. I believe its around a 45L tank so its cheap to fill but your at the gas station every 2 days. I dont hate the truck but every time i highway drive it i want a vr6 golf. S10/sonoma's arent exactly performance built.

I had a 92 Nissan with the 3.0 V6 it had plenty of torque and wasn't too bad on gas either