Difference between 175 hp on I4 and 175 hp on V6/I6?

[DriverEnthusiast]

Basically, is there any performance difference? Will one type of engine invariable have higher torque, or perhaps greatest HP at lower RPM? If you had to choose between the two engines, which one would you take?

[BeEfCaKe]

I4 is probably going to be more fuel-efficient... and I would think it would be on a lighter chassis also compared to the V6/I6 car.. Torque-wise.. I would think V6/I6 would have advantage? Maybe someone could explain... I don't feel like typing =\

[PWMAN]

It depends on what size the engine is, and who makes it.

[SaabJohan]

Torque-wise there are no difference between the two types of engines. The V6 are however, in general, smoother but the I4 are probably lighter and consumes less fuel.

[PWMAN]

Originally posted by SaabJohan
Torque-wise there are no difference between the two types of engines. The V6 are however, in general, smoother but the I4 are probably lighter and consumes less fuel.

How can you make that statement? If you had a 1.6L I4, and a 4.9L I6, which do you think is going to make more torque? Even if they made the same HP the I6 is going to make loads more torque. The larger the displacement the more torque and engine makes, but there are some variables that can differ that like cam selection.
Your whole post is way off base, V6 is smoother? How can you say that too? I guarentee that I4 in my mom's integra is WAY smoother than the V6 is my Grandma's Chrysler Sebring. They both smooth to my standards, but I'm use to the rumble of a V6. My mom's integra you can't even feel or hear it running at an idle.

The question is what size are the engines? Are they both the same displacement? How heavy of a car is it in? There are too many variables to answer this question properly.

[DriverEnthusiast]

No particular engines I want to compare, just wanted to know what advantages a V6 has over an I4 if the HP numbers are identical.

[PWMAN]

There's no way of answering that accurately without more facts. Like what size are the engines? Obviously if you are comparing a 1.6L I4 to a 3.2L V6 the 6 is going to have way more torque. Generally speaking, the more displacement the more torque an engine will make.

[darkaccord]

A "V" can generally rev a bit higher than an inline.

[PWMAN]

Originally posted by darkaccord
A "V" can generally rev a bit higher than an inline.

Tell that to a person that owns a GSR integra...
8200 RPM, stock. Most get aftermarket ECU's that let you rev to 9K. Insane huh?

[SaabJohan]

Originally posted by PWMAN
There's no way of answering that accurately without more facts. Like what size are the engines? Obviously if you are comparing a 1.6L I4 to a 3.2L V6 the 6 is going to have way more torque. Generally speaking, the more displacement the more torque an engine will make.

Yes there is, I just did it above. When comparing two engine types you suppose that everthing else is equal.

A 6 cylinder engine (4 stroke) will give 6 power strokes per 2 revs, while a 4 cylinder will make only 4 per 2 revs.
In a four cylinder engine the secondary reciprocating inertia force isn't balanced, while on a 60 degree V6 it is.

darkaccord: A V engine cannot rev higher because it's of V-type.

[darkaccord]

Originally posted by SaabJohan
A V engine cannot rev higher because it's of V-type.

A "V" engine can rev higher because the movement of the pistons counteract each others inerta better than an inline.

[ivymike1031]

A "V" engine can rev higher because the movement of the pistons counteract each others inerta better than an inline.

*cough* bullshit *cough*

[jhillyer]

The peak horsepower figures have been given: 175hp, so matters not if a v6 could spin at a higher speed than a i6.

I'll consider the i4 is not the same displacement as the v6, perhaps i4 at 2.0l and v6 at 2.5l and the i4 has reached some 8000 rpm to deliver what the v6 does at 6000rpm

I would choose the v6 over the i6 if I noticed the v6 were designed allowing the cylinders to be mounted closer with a shorter crank than that of the i6, creating a shorter block much like the VR6, ignoring other traits.

Normally breathing, for the same displacement between 4 and 6, I would choose either of the 6 over the 4, if the materials and stroke geometry were similar, for smaller but more frequent piston pushes per crank rotation and less effective loading per stroke. If I wanted simpler intake and exhaust plumbing, I'd choose the inline over the vee.

(to be continued)

[burly]

Something else to take into account are the power and torque curves. Even if the V-6 has similiar torque peaks, the torque curve is probably fatter than that of the I-4. It also probably comes on at a lower RPM. Usually the low RPM torque on V-6s (partially due to the increased displacement) is higher than a I-4 at the same RPM. Same goes for HP since torque is a factor in the HP equation.

A good real life comparision is the 350Z's 3.5L V6 and the S2000's

The 350 Z's engine specs:
3.5-liter DOHC 24-valve V6 engine
287 hp @ 6,200 rpm
274 lb-ft @ 4,800 rpm

The S2000's engine specs:
2.2L In-Line 4-Cylinder
240 HP @ 7800 rpm
162 lb.-ft. @ 6500 rpm

Performance wise on the track, the 2 cars put out very similiar numbers. HP wise, the engines are similiar. However, the I-4 must be kept running at a much higher RPM to produce similar HP numbers as the V6. What this translates into, is drivability. Around town the V6 powered car will accelerate with much less pedal effort and probably a lot smoother than the I-4. On the highway, the V-6 may not have more passing power, but it can do it with either no downshift or just single gear where the I-4 would have to drop one or more gears and rev much higher to deliver similar passing power. This is why expensive luxury sedans often use smooth V-8 engines that deliver good torque and a smooth powerband - power for 3/10ths - 7/10ths driving with minimal drama.

[SaabJohan]

burly, jhillyer
You're making many assumptions, for all we know the I4 could be the one with the higher displacement. Or perhaps it's the one that is turbocharged.

Maximum power output at high rpm isn't equal to poor driveability. Driveability has more to do with the power/torque curve, and notice that I wrote curve, the values themself are not that important. Then driveability for racing and daily driving differs, most manufacturers of F1 engines will probably say that their engines has good driveability, putting one of those engines in a normal car and give it to a daily driver and he will most likely not agree. A racing engine usually delivers a smooth curve in the upper part of the rpm range and the engine for the daily driver delivers a smooth curve in the lower part of the rpm range.

Most car manufacturers are trying to make cars that during daily driving can be driven with more "pedal effort" as this will reduce fuel consumption.