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Aaron Clinton

Greatest Passenger Car Engine of last 25 Years

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I wanted to see what we think are some of the greatest motors of recent history. Keep in mind, just because it was a big motor with big horse power, does not mean its a great motor. Things you need to take into account are longevitity of usage, horse power/litre, durability, amount of different models powered, quality of design, ground breaking technologies, efficency, and performance of course. So post up a motor or two you think should be included in the upcomming poll for people to vote on the Greatest Motor in the last 25 years, and what about it makes it a good canidate. (and dont just say toyota 4 cyclinder or chevy small block give more detail than that)

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Ok I will start with a few.

1. Audi 1.8T, excellent motor with very high HP capability with minimal modifications, used in numerous applications. A light motor in weight and small in size. (technically still in use in europe, along with the USA but bored out a little to the 2.0T)

2. BMW 3.0 I-6, it saw the most work in the previous generation M3, one very smooth motor with very good power delivery and drivability. It got decent milage for the power out put. Very flexiable motor, that is tourquey enough for all needs, being used currently in 530i.

3. Mercedes Kompressor V8, being used in numerous applications. Highest HP version is mass produced at just shy of 500hp. Instantly changed the reputation of Mercedes, and catapulted the E55 to supercar status (wait a sec it has 4 doors?).

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Chevy 5.0L V8

227k on mine, without a rebuild. And there has to be atleast one chevy, and I hate GM. It's been in a crap ton of cars.

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how can u not include the small block chevy? proabably the greatest motor of all time considering all of ur factors...and i'm not saying that because i'm a chevy guy...i'm saying that because it's the truth...

ok...

ford 4.9ltr inline 6......they should have never went to a v6. sure the gas mileage wasn't the greatest, but if u were pulling something, u knew it was there. IMO, the best standard motor put in a ford truck...

ford/international powerstroke... need i say more?

dodge/cummings diesel...see above..

chevy/isuzu duramax...again, see above...

diesels rule!! and i don't own one yet.. :(

mazda 13b rotory....awesome, screaming engine. hp potential out the ass, though it lacks on torque. had early reliablity issues, but once the 13b hit, most were resolved. loves to be turbo'd!!

chrysler hemi, the old school version....when all top fuelers still use the basic head design of the 60's...what more can u say?

ford flat head....it started it all. nothing more to say.

while i don't think any of those will qualify, IMHO, those are some of the greatest ever. all of them have redefined teh automotive world at one time or another...and as such, should be on everyone's list....

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee :slayer:

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Chevy 5.0 and 5.7l-Both blocks have been used in chevys lineup for over 50 years. Very dependably, with plenty of power torque capabilities. Switching from carb to Injected in the early 80's added to power, torque, fuel effency and dependability.

(Dont kill me for this one guys..) Ford 300cu.in. inline 6.

This motor was used in most fo the light to medium duty ford trucks in the late 70's to the early 90's. Extremly dependable motor with tons of torque. Easily matched up to the fod 4 speed manual with granny low (dont remember the model) made for an excellent towing/hauling truck. EDIT: damn you Kent for beating meon this one. :lol:

Not a motor but the car in general...The Honda Insight. First production hybrid. Opened the door for the future of all vehicle travel for the future.

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Kent I did not say do not say the small block, I am just asking for more detail, there has been numerous versions of it, and the old school hemi is not in the last 25 years silly goose

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Kent I did not say do not say the small block, I am just asking for more detail, there has been numerous versions of it, and the old school hemi is not in the last 25 years silly goose

yeah, but the small block chevy ranges from the 265 all the way up to the 400....but the most popular is the 350. and from a reliabilty/modification stand point, none can really compare.

well, the flat head isn't either, but they should still be on the all time greatest list for what they did for the automotive world.

lol at justin, but at least we agree...

and should also toss in the ford 302. with the new mod motors, this is getting to sbc status..kinda.

speaking of mod motors, the DOHC 4.6 used in the lincoln and cobra deserves some shout.

as does the 6.0ltr motor found in the corvette...but then again, this can be added to chevy's long line of small block success's....

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee :slayer:

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LS7: 427 out of a small block, 400-500hp (i forget) with still pretty good fuel economy, 20+ mpg

someone has to say it... the Civic engine for reliability, remember the video where one runs with water instead of oil?

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Buicks Turbofied V6 - dated technology my ass, who else can get such amazing performance out of a V6, no one. And yes I realize that this engine requires mad mods to get cooking but the thing that speaks volumes is that the platform can take all those mods.

Chevy's rule - to be specific the LS6 - but actually more important is the fuel injection which allows a monster to get a real (from my friend who owns a new vette) world 19mpg city.

Fords 308 5.0 liter Mustang engine. Never has there ever been a sweeter sounding engine that can do rediculous power like a modded stang. And don't tell me about it's the exhaust because I have never heard another car sound like a stang no matter what exhaust was put on it.

Honda's B & H series engines - 110+hp per liter stock is fricken rediculous.

Now if we could just get an American car company to make a 3.0 liter V8 with tiny pistons rockin at 12K+ rpms with that intoxicating F1 sound then we would really have a winner.

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Buicks Turbofied V6 - dated technology my ass, who else can get such amazing performance out of a V6, no one. And yes I realize that this engine requires mad mods to get cooking but the thing that speaks volumes is that the platform can take all those  mods.

Chevy's rule - to be specific the LS6 - but actually more important is the fuel injection which allows a monster to get a real (from my friend who owns a new vette) world 19mpg city.

yep..the 3.8ltr GN motor! while i think it's a mad motor straight outa the box, ur correct about the mods it can take...

and i agree again with the fact u can have a car that does 186mph, and return 19-20mpg (more if he stays outa it, i'm sure..lol) during more normal driving...

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee :slayer:

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being a Chevy kinda guy, it kills me to say that the Toyota 22re for longevity and maintainence is hard to beat. The Nissan k4 (hardbodies late 80's early 90's) is a reliable, buildable, and mine did 0-100 mph in four short shifts, 5th was engaged at 120. Headers, custom exhaust, MSD, and ported and polished heads made mine a real sleeper. Oh yeah, traded in at 249,000 miles. I now drive the GM 5.3 liter small block, no mods, and in 11 months I have put 60,000 miles on this one, will keep this one till it dies. No issues to date, and 19-20 highway, lovin it.

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Gm Smallblock agreed. May be broad, but it's usefulness and longevity is just as broad.

The Ford 5.0L. It paved the way for today's performance market when it was almost lost due to economy cars becoming the norm. It's stout and powerful and takes very well to modification.

The GM 3.8L and 3800 of today and the last 25 years. I have experience with this engin and it is a tank. It will last for quite some time even when neglected.

I'm going to stop there. There's really just too many good engineering marvels to count.

Let's not forget all the old Auburn/Cord, Duesenburg, Benz, etc, inline 8,10, and 12 cylinders from YEARS ago. I know that's past 25 years, but those are tanks as well.

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Gm Smallblock agreed.  May be broad, but it's usefulness and longevity is just as broad.

The Ford 5.0L.  It paved the way for today's performance market when it was almost lost due to economy cars becoming the norm.  It's stout and powerful and takes very well to modification.

The GM 3.8L and 3800 of today and the last 25 years.  I have experience with this engin and it is a tank.  It will last for quite some time even when neglected. 

I'm going to stop there.  There's really just too many good engineering marvels to count.

Let's not forget all the old Auburn/Cord, Duesenburg, Benz, etc, inline 8,10, and 12 cylinders from YEARS ago.  I know that's past 25 years, but those are tanks as well.

how awesome would it be to have an I-8, insomething like a CLS or M3, hehe

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Anything inline over a 6 makes for an ugly a$$ car (excluding of course classics like Dueseys). Stretchs the hood line more than half the total length of the car. And tire you forgot to mention not only were they tanks but they were well ahead of their time....for instance, dueseys had dohc's.

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Porsche's flat-6 ... Capable of extreme amounts of power, most successful engine ever in endurance races, smooth, powerful, been around forever.

Nissan VQ30DE/VQ35DE ... Been in production for almost 12 years, well-documented reliability, extremely versatile (available in pretty much every Nissan in production), and still one of the best engines in its class.

Viper V10 ... 450/500 hp engine developed with Lamborghini in the late-80s and little has changed since. Still a very respectable engine despite it's size, weight, and lack of modern technology.

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ok so we need a top ten to vote on

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i think we need to have 4, 6, and 8 &up catagories..

4cyl...

toyota 22r,re

suburu 2.5(?) flat 4

6cyl..

ford 4.9ltr

gm 3.8ltr (mainly the gn motors)

and i second jmac.s mention of the porshe box 6..

8cyl...

gm small block. if specific is needed, anything vortec or ls

ford 4.6 dohc modular (sorry ryan, i like this over the 302)

and no cyclinder....

teh mazda 13b rotory

those are the ones u'd find on my top 25.....

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee :slayer:

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good idea kent, we can do each category seperate

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ford 4.6 dohc modular (sorry ryan, i like this over the 302)

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee :slayer:

I like mine better than the 5.0 also. It doesn't have quite the following or reputation yet though.

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I will agree with the small block gm..

Also I really adore the 5.0l Ford 302 in my grand marquis

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ford 4.6 dohc modular (sorry ryan, i like this over the 302)

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee :slayer:

I like mine better than the 5.0 also. It doesn't have quite the following or reputation yet though.

but it's growing..and rightfully so...(god, i hope ppl who know me don't see this..lol..other then u forum guys)

it's quite capable of developing a tremendous amount of power...and it's proving itself in the relibilty department as well...

factory, i think it lacks in the torque department (my mominlaw as a mark8 with the dohc 4.6, not a hard launcher, nor is it great for midrange pucnh passing, but being NA probaably has a lil something to do with that as well as the heavier car) but the potential is great for these....they really love forced induction...

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee :slayer:

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ok so do we have a good list of 5+ 4 cyclinder motors to vote on?

I will make the poll as soon as we do, then when that is over we can vote on the 6's and 8's etc

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u'd the boss...

lol..

u've got my nominations....

but where is the rotary going to fit?

wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee :slayer:

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thats a good question

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