I'm relatively new to the "car scene", in that only with my most recent car have I taken an interest in how they work. Since I'm usually working on and learning about my little 2.0, I don't get to hear much about other important or historic engines that changed the world, introduced new technologies, or just sound so damn badass you can't help but love them.
So what are some engines that every noob should know about? What made them so great?
The "SBC" (Small-Block Chevy) has got to be up there. It has been around in some configuration for the past 50 years. It's compact, lightweight, reliable, easy to maintain, and (relatively) fuel-efficient.
█♣█ + ███ | FireVortex | Sunlight on chrome, the blur of the landscape... every nerve aware | T'aime, Cocotte
The 1.8t and 4.0 will be covered extensively in this post, so I'll leave them out of it.
Here are my two contributions:
- The Wankel Rotary -- Only Mazda still builds rotary-powered road cars. References to "12a," "13b," "16x" and "Renesis" are to rotary engines. - The Ford 260, 289, and 427ci V8s -- the V8 family that lead to the defeat of Ferrari at Le Mans.
Quote, originally posted by VarianceVQ »
More and more evidence is piling up that Europeans are nothing more than Americans with more colorful money and funny accents.
B18C5 - high revving, N/A, 4cyl, All aluminum, a hair under 200hp, can be run to 200k + miles and still be strong. In the right chassis is oodles of fun.
the 4g63 has been utilized in many many different cars throughout the years, but is a very reliable engine that loves to be boosted. its seen 1g, 2g dsms and evo's to name a few.
Fernando Alonso/Ferrari in 2010 - 'This one is for you, Flavio! '
Also, lern yoself sum rotary. Go to http://www.nopistons.com and lurk like a motherhumper. DO NOT listen to anecdotal tales of woe. Stuff like "Well my best friend's cousin's case-worker had an RX7 and the apex seals blew if you left the turn signals on for too long. Also, i think it kicked his dog once." is pretty common fare and should be ignored like a stepchild's requests for fewer beatings.
Modified by jackboots at 3:16 PM 11-6-2009
Quote, originally posted by Blackballed »
If opinions are like a**holes, then some of you have really, really bad a**holes.
"whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it.. when a long train of abuses, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. "
VAG-COM key programing, skc retrieval, immobilizer work I work on cars cheap!
The Voss Nose Haupt/Grandmother V12. At over 19,000 long tons, it was the most economical power-plant built in the undying forges of the Voss Nose Fancy Juices Division. First fitted upon the '96 VN Box Box, it was used in over 84 different models, finally being summarily canceled in 2011 after it became hard to find loopholes in pedestrian safety laws large enough for the Haupt/Grandmother V12 to pass through, because it would occasionally electrocute the pedestrians with its prehensile spark plug wires. Nevertheless, the engine's fame was such that the fan club eventually became a full-blown cult, whose practices are seen above in a rare engraving from Il Boticelli's 1511 "Codex Holy Balls." Modern dietitians are unable to determine whether the bleating flock of Haupt/Grandmother disciples in the illustration are bowing or pooping.
遠慮せずに食べてください。| Interested in the Stanislaus Octopian?! It is only natural. | Mind the Keeler Gap!
Great stuff! Wikipedia will be seeing a lot of me over the next few days. I've always liked the concept of the rotary engine, and I'm happy to see the nevArLose, 4.0, and 2JZ (with Nas) made it in here.
Why has the "Hemi" such a big deal for Dodge? Is it still a relevant platform, or was the recent flood of Hemi cars just a marketing hail-mary?
BMW M20/M30 inline sixes Ferrari Columbo-design V12 and spawn Ferrari flat-plane V8's Porsche aircooled flat six Mazda/NSU rotary Audi inline five Honda VTEC four
Not the most powerful things in the world, but they sure have potential, and they're about as indestructible as a 4.0. Seriously. I drove mine for an unknown number of miles down the interstate with a broken oil cooler (the engine was pumping all the oil out), came off the interstate, drove through a town, drove several miles down a rural highway, and it died at a stop sign. The entire back of the car was covered in oil and the engine was empty. The next day I took off the fan shroud, found the oil cooler problem, got the flange welded back on, and drove it 6 hours at freeway speeds to get back home. I drove it for quite some time after that, until I parked it due to rust, but the engine was still strong with good compression when I parked it.
Edit: Now that it's in my head, I keep thinking about it. To the OP's point, for someone who wants to know about engines and how they work, the ACVW engine is particularly noteworthy because of how it's built and when it was designed. It's truly an awesome engineering feat, even if the inner workings are '30s technology. Three different metals (heads are aluminum, cylinders are cast iron, case is an alloy with a high magnesium content), with different coefficients of thermal expansion, and bolt them together into an opposed engine that doesn't even have head gaskets, but is extremely reliable and durable. I can't think of another manufacturer who built the same basic engine for as many decades. The SBC probably comes close, but even that has seen more redesign than the Beetle engine, I think.
Modified by blue70beetle at 8:15 PM 11-6-2009
Quote, originally posted by Slump »
It's the American way: privatize the profits, socialize the losses.
"The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money."
PinkSockDubz #1 The Minivan I only replied twice, now three times, to this thread because I have a chronic disease called PWS (postwhoresyndrome) which causes me to post many times per day, It's at the point where I can't even control myself anymore, any computer I'm near I steal so I can post in TCL
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