Terrible US Engines
- Thread starter Eliot
- Start date
and by 5 litre you mean 4.999 litre?
And BMEP is a better measurement as it allows completely different engines to be compared. It also takes a lot of effort to get a high BMEP value, more so than just increasing the revs which helps power.
BMEP figures are just not readily available.
Well yes BMEP is better, but also takes more working out than the 2 second HP/L info.
While increasing revs helps, there is a limit to how far you can push revs on a production car due to reliability.
In an ideal world the EU would force manufacturers to release full engine dyno data for their engines after every revision they make, but they don't.
While increasing revs helps, there is a limit to how far you can push revs on a production car due to reliability.
In an ideal world the EU would force manufacturers to release full engine dyno data for their engines after every revision they make, but they don't.
Yeh the big services for engine and so on was every 100k odd but the onboard computer counted down to different smaller services it had 2 oil changes in the 1 odd years I had it. Its the one thing americans like to change often oil etc is so cheap. Guys on the caddy forums always on about checking and changing the oil.
Still miss the sound though this one was identical to my old one with KN
Only another 195,000 miles to go then for me. The engine and trans will outlast the rest of the Jeep easily
I quite like my I6 4.0. Its effortless driving and very smooth with the auto box. Personally, I don't think US engines are that bad at all. I would only replace the I6 with a US V8 anyway.
It doesn't take much more calculation, it's just a factor on the torque per cubic capacity. And both torque and capacity figures are generally available.
Adding reliability just makes things more interesting. On two otherwise similar engines do you use more rpm and hence power (and therefore better HP/L) or one with lower power but longer and cheaper service intervals (and probably a cheaper engine to manufacture). If the 2nd engine had a better BMEP I would say it was the better engine even if the HP/L was lower.
From the data I have available, the normally aspirated US petrol engine with the best BMEP fitted in a standard production car is the 3.6 DI unit found in the Cadillac CTS. It produces 304 HP and 273 lbf-ft from a 3564 cc unit. Coincidentally, I have driven a brand new version of that very car on a round trip from Detroit to Chicago. I would have never have thought is was the best I could get! 
By my calculations, the Cadillac 3.6L DI has a BMEP of 187.
The best the European manufacturers offer seems to be the 3.2L (3246 cc) 343 HP and 365 NM BMW Z4M engine with a BMEP of 205. Second is the Porsche Carrera S engine with nearly 202.
By my calculations, the Cadillac 3.6L DI has a BMEP of 187.
The best the European manufacturers offer seems to be the 3.2L (3246 cc) 343 HP and 365 NM BMW Z4M engine with a BMEP of 205. Second is the Porsche Carrera S engine with nearly 202.
So two expensive German sports cars have engines with better BMEP figures than a less expensive American sedan. Well, **** me sideways. I'm stunned.
Soldato
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I was just going to say just that 
I've just got back in so will browse this now slightly developed thread in a bit
I've just got back in so will browse this now slightly developed thread in a bit
But that less expensive American sedan is supposedly the best US engine with regards BMEP figures so if you go and pick out a nice expensive American sports car it'll only be worse anyway?
(all assuming PMKs data is correct and above board
)My exact point. The American "sports cars" aren't even in the runnings. The best engine in the US is the unit in the Cadillac CTS. There are dozens of European engines that better it, and the best of Europe is leagues ahead.