4 cyl vs. 6 cyl

i'm looking to buy a car, and i'm not sure whether to get one with a 4 cylinder or a 6 cylinder. does the size of the engine matter really that much? what are the advantages of the 6 over the 4. i'm looking to race too, so i guess what i'm getting at is: is the 6 THAT much better than the 4?

It really depends on the car. Some cars function better with a 4 cyl than other 6 cyl cars because they are better designed and often cost more; so more money is available for development and quality of construction.
For example, few people would say that a 6 cyl Suzuki Verona is better than a 4 cyl Honda Accord; because the Honda is a better, and more expensive car.
However, generally, 6 cyl engines are usually in better, more expensive cars. Usually, but not always, they have more power, and are often smoother.

It really depends on the car. For racing, a 6-cylinder is generally better then a 4, but there are many exceptions. A turbocharged 4-cyliner (ie. Mitsubishi Evo VIII) can beat many 6-cylinders (ie. non-GT Mustangs). Even a non-turbo 4 can have more power output then a 6-cylinder (The Honda S2000 has 240 hp). However generally a 6 will be stronger then a 4 cylinder, and almost always has higher potential then the 4.

thanks a lot guys, i really appreciate it.

It really depends on the car. For racing, a 6-cylinder is generally better then a 4, but there are many exceptions. A turbocharged 4-cyliner (ie. Mitsubishi Evo VIII) can beat many 6-cylinders (ie. non-GT Mustangs). Even a non-turbo 4 can have more power output then a 6-cylinder (The Honda S2000 has 240 hp). However generally a 6 will be stronger then a 4 cylinder, and almost always has higher potential then the 4.

what if i were to put around 10 grand into the engine. would it still depend more on the car? or eventually if i modified it would it be irrellevant what size it were?

I would choose a V8 though

What specific cars do you have in mind? With $10,000 you can do a hell of alot with a car. The more and more money you have to put into the car it actually becomes more and more important what the displacement is. A 4 cylinder just doesnt have the potential of a 6, if you give me specifics on the cars your looking at I can help you more.

What specific cars do you have in mind? With $10,000 you can do a hell of alot with a car. The more and more money you have to put into the car it actually becomes more and more important what the displacement is. A 4 cylinder just doesnt have the potential of a 6, if you give me specifics on the cars your looking at I can help you more.

i've been looking at:
del sol si
integra gsr
civic
sentra se-r
gti vr6
jetta vr6

thanks

also, do you have any other somewhat low priced recomendations? thanks again.

Out of those, I like the VW GTis. Both the 1.8t and VR6 GTis are great cars with massive aftermarkets. The 1.8t can be easily modified to produce the power of the VR6 with only a chip. So with a more restricted budget I would recommend that. But with the $10,000 you speak of, theres a Twin Turbo charger for the 24v VR6 that gets some massive power numbers (between 400 and 500bhp). The VR6 is capable of alot.

I know a guy with a VW Jetta GLi VR6 and he loves it. Great car, not as fast as the GTi, but its a 4 door, and looks great.

thanks a lot man. you've helped me a lot.

defintely research though man, i have a 4 banger car thats supercharged, it makes around 200HP and my best 1/4 mile is 14.7@91MPH. Some 4 bangers respond really well to boost and make them in some cases better than a V6 and close to a V8. MY car gained about 50HP on 5 PSI of boost, its 1/4 mile time went from 16.1 to 14.7.

But its all about budget and what you want. If you want a sleeper car, get a 4 banger. If you want more of a hotrod car get a V8. If you want something in the middle get a V6.

if you dont mind the extra insurance cost and want to do some real racing, ditch the 4 and 6 cylinder cars and get a V8. mustangs and camaros of course are most popular and can be had for cheap. plus the hp potential is much more and if youre racing a lot, you need the torque a V8 produces, remember, torque is more important than horepower when you are racing. del sols, integras, civics and compacts like that werent meant for racing.

4 cylinders = gas mileage, for me, thats a good thing(i'd drive my 4 cylinder saturn over my 6 cylinder buick any day, plus i swear the saturn has a better feel)

I say there's no replacement for displacement use your $10k & look to buy a classic Corvette with a BBC.

+some i4 are lighter!

He wants to race. Racing and 4 cylinder dont belong in the same sentence unless you want to put 20K into the engine

He wants to race. Racing and 4 cylinder dont belong in the same sentence unless you want to put 20K into the engine

What about the Honda S2000, the Lotus Elise, Subaru WRX STi, Mitsubishi Lancer EVO... Those can all race pretty well...

What about the Honda S2000, the Lotus Elise, Subaru WRX STi, Mitsubishi Lancer EVO... Those can all race pretty well...


The S2000 is very overpriced. the others are all good cars but i assume he wants to drag race and if you want to drag, you need the torque of a V8. Plus, you can pick up a 98 or so Z28, SS, or mustang GT for around $10,000. The others will cost you at least 25K

The only 4-banger that can cost efficiently drag race against V8's is the Mitsu Eclipse GSX/Eagle Talon TSi.

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