truckdawg

false ... i have a 23 year old 1990, and still get 17 mpg , I'd say thats pretty good .. considering the age of my pickup and that it has almost 300K miles on it ... 300 inline is the way to go , never overrated ... best built engine ever by far

no doubt the 302 is a good engine for performance and power, but when i first had my truck back in '99 , i got a little brave and decided to take a 2001 mustang on at a stop light , had a low gear transmission in it so i had a good drop shot , i can honestly say that in my pickup i took a mustang AND a camaro off the line, granted they both had me in the end result, but i had the jump on both of them ... so for those that say there is no torque in a 300 , that is crap ...

all in all ... 300 is the longest lasting , most reliable engine ever built , and the best part is that they are so easy to work on

spareparts

Tough choice I've owned 2 302 trucks and loved them but was never unimpressed by the rock solid reliability and torque of the 300 i6 in my one friends truck. If I had to choose though I'd pick a 302

Forge-World-FORD

Personal preference, application, condition, etc. Etc. If you're buying a "new" truck I would take whichever is in the best condition overall. Both are easy to work on. Both have good overall power and potential. Honestly I think the 300 is the better choice for mpg, as far as everything Ive read the 300 gets the best by far with the right mods and driving. I'm a V8 man so when I got my truck I was looking for the 302 or 351 and the closest one to me that I could afford was a 302 so I got it.

Ive done my share of work since I got it, as have we all here with our trucks. This is about what you want though. What are you looking for, what are you planning for it, which do you honestly prefer, are you willing to sacrifice certain qualities for others?

ibd2328

iTrader: (2)

4.9 I6 rated 150 hp @ 3400 and 265 torque @ 2000
5.0 V8 rated 170 hp @ 3800 and 275 torque @ 2800

Think i'd go with the 300. Inline engines are physically more efficient and produce more power with less friction. Not to mention very very reliable.

mattq3567

Thanks guys i appreciate the info and i got a 1995 150 with a 5.0 truck runs great and sounds great with 170,000 miles on it and haven't had too many problems with it so far.

rotwiler

I expected my 95s 302 to be worse by what I read on here before buying the truck. But, it has plenty of power, smooth, and I get 18 mpg average.

memoniz

I rebuilt an 302 to a high performance 289 for an old mustang i had and it was a hell of a engine, but that was a car. I've owned two 300s in trucks and there no mustangs, but they went no matter what the stress. To kill a 300, you would have to do it on purpose. My 300 is at 276,000 miles and starting a third life in construction. I put on about 450 miles a week and it's running as well as it ever has.

brade07

Id say its a toss up, Ive owned a 92' 150 reg cab with a 302, and currently own an 85' with a carbureted 300. Mind you my current one is a 4 spd stick the 302 was a auto.

Power wise on the highway the 302 is hands down better for passing because it will rev higher and has its power more toward the top of the rev range.

But for reliability (300 hasnt given one issue, 302 had a couple but nothing major)the 300 is better, low end torque 300 takes it (even when not using the granny gear). I think the torque number on the 300 may have been a bit underestimated. Pulling power unless on an interstate the 300 takes it, fuel economy I get about the same on both truck 16-20mpg depending on driving (its a truck their all brutal if you want fuel mileage buy a focus).

The one thing I noticed, eventhough the 300 is older and carb, it idles smoother than my 302, if revs up smoother and the oil seems to stay cleaner longer.

If I was doing daily driving on the highway or pulling a trailer on a higway almost everyday I'd take the 302. Anything other than that Id stick with the 300, I wouldnt give it up for any other engine, regardless of size or horsepower. The 300 will still posi up and burn em' in second thats good enough for me.

GotTooMany

depends on application. daily driving, nice sound, maybe a decent performance build, id want a 302. it is a motor that has power in the higher RPMs, so for towing and hauling it is inferior to a 300. the 300 is a high torque, low RPM, extremely insanely tough, and will get better gas mileage towing and hauling than a 302 because it will operate at lower RPM. however, for daily driving it has slightly less oomph than the 5.0 for about the same mileage.
i will personally choose the 4.9 for my truck and 5.0 for my mustang anyday, and wont switch them around.

Bryson

300 is better for towing. But i think 302's are alot closer to straight 6 reliability. At least with my experience. My 302 tows pretty good, but then again its low geare