v6 vs v8

[bestinbmore]

Someone told me that v8 engines last longer and have less problems is that true?

[UncleBob]

this would be simular to saying all fords are more reliable than all chevy's. Its a gross generalization that might have a grain of truth to it, but would be impossible to prove.

You could argue V6's are more reliable since there's less parts that could fail. It would be just as valid an argument IMO

[INF3RN0666]

For the average consumer, NO. For commercial use, yes. Let's say your car is part of the police force. If it's a V6, the constant demand on the engine will be overwhelming. If you have a V8, the power is distributed amongst 8 cylinders, and you're less likely to have complete engine failure, but you also have more valves & springs that might need replacement at high mileage. As a general rule (not always true though), V8 deliver more power. More power means that you'll be red-lining the engine less often to accelerate at your desired rate. If you're driving a V6, you'll need to floor the gas further to get the same acceleration. So as you can see, you're placing more demand on a V6 compared to the V8 --> more failure rate. This also depends on the engineering of the engine (no doubt about it).

[GreyGoose006]

but, if the cop has a v8 instead of a v6, he would still accelerate as hard as the engine would let him.
its not like he would limit the acceleration to the capabilities of the v6 if he has a v8

there is the other problem of comparing two displacements
you could have a 4L v8 and a 4.5L v6
it all depends
there are too many variables

[KiwiBacon]

Originally Posted by bestinbmore

Someone told me that v8 engines last longer and have less problems is that true?

No it's not.

[bestinbmore]

well i was thinking if i was going to buy a car even though i would like to get the biggest engine i dont need it because it would cost more and it would most likely use more gas. So ill rather get a v6 now.

[Hudson]

Originally Posted by INF3RN0666

For the average consumer, NO. For commercial use, yes. Let's say your car is part of the police force. If it's a V6, the constant demand on the engine will be overwhelming. If you have a V8, the power is distributed amongst 8 cylinders, and you're less likely to have complete engine failure, but you also have more valves & springs that might need replacement at high mileage. As a general rule (not always true though), V8 deliver more power. More power means that you'll be red-lining the engine less often to accelerate at your desired rate. If you're driving a V6, you'll need to floor the gas further to get the same acceleration. So as you can see, you're placing more demand on a V6 compared to the V8 --> more failure rate. This also depends on the engineering of the engine (no doubt about it).

I don't see your argument. If an eight-cylinder engine could take abuse longer than an equivalent six-cylinder engine, then why are all over-the-road trucks six-cylinders? I don't believe that the number of cylinders has much at all to do with the durability of the engine, so long as the engine is designed for the abuse it will receive.