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Originally Posted by gresch
They can rev higher and are one of the most mod-able engines in the history of the internal combustion engine.
GM small block V8s can be pushed 25-50% in HP via supercharging with only a very small decrease in MPG's.
That's not an option on a german engine as they're wound tight right out of the factory so you're not going to see similar gains in HP, especially not at a comparable price. It's not as common to mod a bmw engine, the most talked about mods on this site are running boards and bosch wiper blades  . By comparison, a Vette board's most visited sub forum is the engine mod section, that's one of the main reasons people buy a Vette, to get the engine and start modding away. IMHO, GM intentionally leaves room for owners to pump up the engines, it's what makes the car even more desireable to some.
It's just a different engine philosophy by different manufacturers. I could talk about it all day
But as Josh says, there just ain't no replacement for displacement
Google magnuson supercharging, Here's a blurb:
Magnuson Intercooled Supercharger System for 1997-2004 C5 or Z06 Corvette.
Gains 130 hp and 130 ft-lbs of rear wheel torque over stock.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm |
We're talking about what you get out of the factory. What one can/cannot do with mods is an entirely separate subject, and one that has nothing to do with the engineering from the manufacturer.
If the engine was good, it
would rev higher esp bc of it's titanium rods, valves and what not. Imo, GM had to use titanium for those components bc they couldn't get the engine to survive on normal materials. Not only that, this engine is oversquare/close to square, so it's cylinder filling abilities natural to this geometry
should allow the engine to make power at high rpm. So by logical reasoning, you should have the low-down tq you guys enjoy so much and power up high. Either GM wasn't able to make the engine withstant high rpm or they have absolutely no idea how to design/engineer a cyl head, or both.
You're only dissing GM by it saying intentionally holds back so that the owner can mod the engine. In any vehicle in any market, the % of engines that get modded at all from their og spec is very very low, and even less consideing the radical mods you're talking about.. So I doubt that is GM's philosophy. All in all, what you're saying reminds of the competitor that tells his opponent that he
let the other guy win after losing badly. It's quite a statement to make after arguing how good the LS_ engine is. This engine was fantastic..
40 years ago.
In any case, mpg increases/decreases are directly dependant only on the efficiency of the supercharger. And 130whp increase doesn't seem that impressive considering what fraction it is of the original power.
Once again, there ain't replacement for displacement only when you can't do any better.
Let's look at what are considered the
best vehicles/engines in the world. They have nothing in common with the LS_ other than that they are four cycle and use the 5 C's.
OT: I welcome any thoughts from you guys on why you think the push-rod/ohv design is better than the ohc design.