Why do American cars (generaly GM cars) have so much displacment?

[TheMan5952]

I love the sound of custom exhaust on a Big V-8. Can't wait till I get mine.

[Porsche]

672 cid? That thing must have paint can cylinders!

[flylwsi]

replace displacement with a turbo.
power to weight is not about a bigger motor.
its about using the power more efficiently.
in that equation, it is easier to just make more power to make up for the weight. hmm...
so, when you compare a 400 lb bike with a 120hp motor in it to my 89 prelude that weighs around 2650 with 140hp....
who is using the power more efficiently?
do the power to weight...
how can i catch the bike?
A> get rid of unnecessary weight
B> drop in an h22a with more power and vtec

b is a bigger motor with more power. so it is making up for the deficiency, instead of decreasing it...

this is the theory with american cars...
if you weigh alot, just drop in a bigger motor to make more power.

and dont tell me that the bike comparo is unfair, look at the power... it is very similar...
i have more hp so i should kill it right? almost...
just like a crx.
put the same motor in both cars, and the crx will kill b/c it weighs in around 2100 lbs.
better power to weight with identical motor... hmmm... see what i mean?

[Lizard King]

If GM or any other American manufacturer made Ferrari style engines then not only would the cars be much more expensive but they would be far less reliable.

Engines such as the LS1 and LS6 are really, really good engines. They are fuel efficient and can make as much power and torque as you could ever want. The Ferrari engines have nothing on them except 'wow' factor and they give you the knowledge that you have something exclusive under the hatch.

And few V8s are smaller than the Ford 302. Equivelent engines from Mercedes and other European makers are bigger and heavier.

Personally I find the Ferrari engine sound synthetic and too high-pitched. Give me and American V8 anyday.

[Hudson]

Originally posted by Lizard King
If GM or any other American manufacturer made Ferrari style engines then not only would the cars be much more expensive but they would be far less reliable.

Engines such as the LS1 and LS6 are really, really good engines. They are fuel efficient and can make as much power and torque as you could ever want. The Ferrari engines have nothing on them except 'wow' factor and they give you the knowledge that you have something exclusive under the hatch.

And few V8s are smaller than the Ford 302. Equivelent engines from Mercedes and other European makers are bigger and heavier.

Personally I find the Ferrari engine sound synthetic and too high-pitched. Give me and American V8 anyday.

I'll agree in general with the first point. The latter point is a bit odd.

Mercedes-Benz primary V8 is 4.3L. Audi has the 3.7L/4.2L. I believe VW's will be 3.7L. Jaguar's is 4.0L. BMW has the 3.5L/4.4L as their chief V8s.

Except for the larger (and less frequently used) V8s from Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and TVR, I can't think of many European V8s above 5.0L. And the smaller European V8s make more power than many larger American V8s and get just a good gas mileage (as the Ford 302 did).

That "synthetic" sound is what a racing engine sounds like. Not the NASCAR carbureted stuff that Americans like, but the real racing engines that need to go through the gears for corners.

[texan]

Hudson- I belive what Lizard King was speaking in reference to was the physical size of the Ford 302W small block, which is in fact dimensionally smaller than most other V8's (a shallow crankcase along with diminutive stroke and pushrod valvetrain will do that). For instance, the Jaguar 4.0L V8 you mentioned has a .385" longer stroke than the Ford 302, even though it has damn near 1L less displacement. However, due to the 302's cast iron block it is still heavier than some of those mentioned. And I won't get into the sound/performance of these engines, there's to much to discuss there and most of it would be opinion.

[Lizard King]

That is indeed what I meant. Few V8s are physically smaller than the 302. Lexus' V8 would be one that is.

When I was mentioning my preference for American V8s I wasn't thinking of NASCAR.

[flylwsi]

how about the nice loud v8s in the gt series on speedvision? or trans am.. they go through gears...
hmm... some people are biased i agree...
one thing to note is that few foreign cars have a higher tq # than hp, which american cars do ALL the time