Why do Ameriacn cars have big engines ?

They may be nice big V8s but many with stone age technology. No variable valve timing, less than 4valves per cylinder, push rod valve train.

Generally speaking, power and torque is reduced compared to equivelent sized modern engines with all the above features while fuel consumption is higher.

listermint

cancan wrote: »

Conversly, why do European cars have such small engines?

Most people think that a VR6 golf is some sort of performance car in europe, where as in america, a vr6 golf is a girls car.

If you take the punitive taxation system out of the equation in europe, people would drive big engined cars too. Does anyone really grow up dreaming of a 320d, or a 1.4 econobox?

I

I agree that the Tesla there is fantastic engineering, great find. But im still not sure where you are coming from. Do you really believe that we should all have larger engined cars just like the majority of the driving population in America?

Max_Damage

They may be nice big V8s but many with stone age technology. No variable valve timing, less than 4valves per cylinder, push rod valve train.

I remember hearing a reason for this, it's that many Americans still like to do DIY work on their cars (fair play to them I say), and these engines are generally far more user friendly to work on. The same can't be said about a modern Mercedes or BMW engine.

Max_Damage

listermint wrote: »

Do you really believe that we should all have larger engined cars just like the majority of the driving population in America?

I myself believe everyone should be entitled to drive whatever they want, and not let the government or anyone else tell us otherwise.

listermint

Max_Damage wrote: »

I myself believe everyone should be entitled to drive whatever they want, and not let the government or anyone else tell us otherwise.

Im not emplying legislation or anything. Im stating that is a good thing that in europe it turned out that the manufacturers make cars that do better mpg. Ok hypotheically how long do you reckon the resources would last if all of europe was juicing up their cars with "gas" and then god forbid the Chinese/Japanese and other Asian countries made cars like they do in America. Then we could all have a jolly old time.

Drive what you want. im just happy its not the norm over here:rolleyes:

cancan

listermint wrote: »

I agree that the Tesla there is fantastic engineering, great find. But im still not sure where you are coming from. Do you really believe that we should all have larger engined cars just like the majority of the driving population in America?

People should be able to buy what they want, and tax the fuel that drives them.
Then, someone doing 50,000 miles a year would pay more in taxes than someone doing 10,000 miles a year.

Economy standards would improve greatly, and it would be a global and much simplified system.

listermint

cancan wrote: »

People should be able to buy what they want, and tax the fuel that drives them.
Then, someone doing 50,000 miles a year would pay more in taxes than someone doing 10,000 miles a year.

Economy standards would improve greatly, and it would be a global and much simplified system.

Agreed!:D

S.I.R

green123 wrote: »

what is the point / advantage of such huge engines ?

maybe more pulling power ? but we seem get by here without these huge engines ?

from another thread on here

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/Cadillac/DeVille/4-door/972682/

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/Dodge/Ram/RAM-SRT/815309/

Back i nthe good ol' days in america, rather then tune an engine with better arts and such its cheaper to just makle them bigger...


the only people who actually ever made a differance when the company dodge made the hemi.... basically a boxer V8... Now theres some Trivia...


heres some facts: American engiens have being getting smaller and small, most of which is due to metal/gas costs meaning cars like the mustang have a bass-line v6....

Max_Damage

S.I.R wrote: »

the only people who actually ever made a differance when the company dodge made the hemi.... basically a boxer V8... Now theres some Trivia...

The Hemi only means hemispherical combustion chamber.

Teh Russ

Max_Damage wrote: »

The Hemi only means hemispherical combustion chamber.

Yep. I can testify to that... there's a car downstairs in the garage with an original 427 cu.in. (7-litre) Hemi. It's just a regular big-block V8 with differently shaped combustion chambers.

The car it's in ('70 Plymouth 'Cuda) also goes like **** off a stick. Shame it only gets about 8mpg...

Captain Slow IRL

JimmyCrackCorn! wrote: »

There is no replacement for displacement:D

There is - it's called volumetric efficiency:D

But bigger displacement makes a nicer noise!

Max_Damage

Teh Russ wrote: »

Yep. I can testify to that... there's a car downstairs in the garage with an original 427 cu.in. (7-litre) Hemi. It's just a regular big-block V8 with differently shaped combustion chambers.

The car it's in ('70 Plymouth 'Cuda) also goes like **** off a stick. Shame it only gets about 8mpg...

Pictures?

Hell, my Micra could be considered a hemi, as it has a hemispherical combustion chamber!

Stephen

pictures +1 please

Teh Russ

Only image I could find quickly...



It's the Plum Crazy Purple one on the left with the bonnet up. My father-in-law's pride and joy.

I think he took the shaker off for that pic... I'll have to find a better one.

unkel

mike65 wrote: »

There's no substitute for cubic inches they say

Indeed. The one thing automotive the Americans got damn' right. I've two V8 petrol cars on the driveway myself

peasant

unkel wrote: »

Indeed. The one thing automotive the Americans got damn' right. I've two V8 petrol cars on the driveway myself

Personally, I prefer cubic meters (of usable space) to paltry cubic inches or centimeters ...but each to their own

Max_Damage

peasant wrote: »

Personally, I prefer cubic meters (of usable space) to paltry cubic inches or centimeters ...but each to their own

Heh...

challengemaster

Max_Damage wrote: »

Because Americans aren't screwed for tax like we are I reckon.

40k of a 60k car(here) is tax? jeez..

RobAMerc

S.I.R wrote: »

the only people who actually ever made a differance when the company dodge made the hemi.... basically a boxer V8... Now theres some Trivia...

???

A boxer V8 ???

Ferris

One reason that american cars are cheaper is that they're a lot cheaper to make. This makes them, in general, less well engineered and and cheaply built(interiors usually). For instance Ford cannot afford to sell the Mondeo in America as they can't make it for less than an american is prepared to pay. Volkswagen will sell the mk6 golf with a less advanced rear axle set up in the US too.

Good point on the maintenance aspect. The Rover V8 was originally a Buick V8, it was a good engine for its time but its aluminium cylinder head needed special antifreeze in comparison to the Iron heads on most other cars. Americans who bought buicks used the antifreeze for iron engines and the buicks started overheating due to blocked and corroded cooling systems. Buick discontinued using the engine, the ford chairman saw a discarded one in an american boatyard and the rest was history for Ford.

E92

Ford's Mustang has a 4.0 V6 that manages 210 bhp, and probably does no more than 25 mpg. Audi's latest 2.0 TFSI has 1 bhp more, and averages 43.5 mpg in the A4. If you want V6 thrills then Audi's latest 3.0 TFSI will give at least 290 and up to 333 bhp, but averages 30 mpg. How is the American way better here?

The reason American cars have such big engines is because they're ignorant.

I like big engines as much as the next, and I fuppin hate the way people go for 1.6 BMWs or 1.4 Focus probably more than anyone else here, but what's the point of having a 4.0 V6 with less power than a turbo 2.0 4 banger?

Still though, I wish we could fart around in V6s and especially V8s like they can. American V8s make a most spectacular sound. The one good thing America has done for the Automotive industry:D! I'm also impressed at the way they've been able to effectively ban diesel from cars.

What we need are more cylinders, not more cubic inches:D!

Max_Damage

One vehicle in particular that has an amazingly large engine is the Ford Econoline van (basically an American version of the Ford Transit). You can get one of those vans with a 6.8L Triton V10 engine, which gives out up to 310bhp! :eek: That's more power than a Ferrari 348!

astraboy

Max_Damage wrote: »

One vehicle in particular that has an amazingly large engine is the Ford Econoline van (basically an American version of the Ford Transit). You can get one of those vans with a 6.8L Triton V10 engine, which gives out up to 310bhp! :eek: That's more power than a Ferrari 348!

Drove a large 14 seater one several times on road trips during the last 2 summers, surprizingly cheap to rent when you have 10 people! I had the 5.4L version with the engine from the F150, it can move very swiftly with a full load of people and gear on the highway, the engine has LOADS of low down grunt and just keeps going.

@E92, I too hate the Irish 1.6L specials on forecourts! On a side note I used to "fart around" in a 3.1L v6 chevy lumina on my internship om the US a couple of years ago. Fairly fast, huge car by Irish standards, but handled like a barge. I loved iit!

Max_Damage

American cars kick ass! I just like their 'political incorrectness'!

Ah-Watch

chickenhawk wrote: »

I'm delighted that you live in a place with such great public transport.

I lived in Florida for most of last year and public transport doesn't exist there. Everyone has a huge car which was grand last year cause petrol was cheap. Different story now.

As for one off housing. In towns around me there is no public transport so why should I build a house there? I would have to own a car anyways. So I prefer to build a big house out off the way and use a small car for work and travel.

i actually noticed that in florida that public transport was almost non existant!

unkel

peasant wrote: »

Personally, I prefer cubic meters (of usable space)

Usable space? This isn't a forum about caravans, dude. Oh wait, we have some subforums for that

Personally, I prefer poke. Good old V8 petrol poke. The like that comes with rumble. Even when just starting the engine

Teh Russ

The other reason American cars have big engines is that most Americans never learn to drive cars with a manual gearbox, and automatic transmissions and small engines don't mix very well, effectively making a small car even more underpowered...

Also, a manual transmission doesn't go too well with the American car culture - you need that extra hand free for talking on the mobile, drinking coffee, smoking a fag, putting on makeup, eating McDonalds and all that other stuff they do while behind the wheel.

Stephen

California banned the use of mobiles while driving recently, and I think they are the first of the US states to do that. The amount of bitching about it is epic.

Teh Russ

Stephen wrote: »

California banned the use of mobiles while driving recently, and I think they are the first of the US states to do that. The amount of bitching about it is epic.

It's been banned here in New Jersey since last year... it wasn't a popular decision, but it looks like everyone's gone handsfree now - you see a lot more people with silly Bluetooth headsets than you used to.

Eoin

E92 wrote: »

I like big engines as much as the next, and I fuppin hate the way people go for 1.6 BMWs or 1.4 Focus probably more than anyone else here

Why? Some people (rightly) just couldn't care less about the performance. It means zero to them for dropping the kids to school, or for doing the shopping.