Who gives a rats ass when it drives the wrong pair of wheels.

 

 

FRM,
It

 

I think this stat is another useless geek quotient. A quote from your link: "It can be said a high BMEP and a low rpm, or a low BMEP and a high rpm, can equal the same power."

I don't even care if an engine is NA versus FI. The point is how they feel and perform in terms of throttle response, power output, weight, gas consumption, and durability. Packaging is important to a particular body size/style but is otherwise just a compromise (6's should be straight, V's should be 90 or 180 degrees, ...).

 

FRM - I could be wrong but here's a pretty general rule of thumb. Any formula that contains: HP/Liter is useless for comparing street cars.

 

Great post Rockville!!

 

rockville,

The LS1 is popular in engine swaps. The Corvette V-8 family offer good power-to-size ratio. However, you did not mention the negative impact of a 500-lb engine on a small car

 

Valve-gear Design

Engine size is important for front-engine cars.
DOHC is the way to go for Inline-engines. V-engines have several options.


Push-rod OHV [eg Corvette LS1 V-8]
Pros: compact size (V-engines only)
Cons: limited to low rpm (heavy valvetrain), poor airflow (2 valves per cylinder)


DOHC [eg Acura NSX V-6]
Pros: allows high rpm (light valvetrain), good airflow (4 valves per cylinder)
Cons: large engine width (V-engines only)


SOHC [eg Acura TL V-6]
Combines the advantages of OHV and DOHC (V-engines only).


Acura TL V-6 cutaway view

http://www.vtec.net/articles/view-article?...ticle_id=132588
Click on image to enlarge.

 

FRM,

You are correct, the Miata V8 engine swap is a good way to add some pounds to the front of the car. Then again who was the crazy fool who first thought

 

rockville,

VW may be the king of the most displacement per space under the hood, but their W-engines are disappointing.


Acura TL V-6 vs. VW Passat W-8

BMEP
Acura TL Sedan V-6: (270 * 13000) / (3.210 * 6200) = 176 psi
VW Passat Sedan W-8: (270 * 13000) / (3.998 * 6000) = 146 psi

Cost - Base Price
TL: $33,195
VW: $40,735

0-60mph Acceleration
TL: 5.8 s
VW: 6.7 s

5-60mph Acceleration (driveability test)
TL: 6.5 s
VW: 8.1 s

EPA City Fuel Economy
TL: 20 mpg
VW: 17 mpg

http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?se...3&page_number=1


The Chevy Malibu OHV V-6 is an iron block engine. It has a low power/weight ratio.
The best GM engine will appear in the 2006 Corvette C6 Z06.