Quote:
Originally Posted by fielderLS3
You make plenty of very good points. But the point still remains that in the last several decades, engines have indeed gained a lot of power, they have not gained that much torque. The net result is any horsepower number that is advertised has to be taken with a grain of salt, because something similar with what happens to currency through inflation is happening to horsepower ratings.
Basically, today's 300 hp engines aren't as strong as a 300 hp engine from 10 years ago was. I'm not saying today's DOHC engines are necessarily weak in absolute terms, but 300hp and 325tq is simply not the same as 300hp and 275tq. Run a 5th gen V6 against a "less powerful" 05-10 4.6L Mustang and see what happens. Or, alternatively, ask yourself what you would rather have, the 5th gen's V6, or the 4th gen's LS1?
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You own an Alero, which makes up to about 200 ft-lbs of torque (unless you've got a 4 cylinder) from a 3.4L engine -same as my Grand Am, and we can now get V6s slightly larger with 1/3 more torque. How is that not a big improvement in a decade? The V6 in the Camaro makes almost twice as much torque as its counterpart from 30 years ago. Has torque progressed as quickly as power? No, because its easier to make more power than it is to make more torque. But that doesn't mean there haven't been big improvements made.
Is a big older V8 more stout than a modern medium sized V6? Sure. But that doesn't mean that these V6s are 'weak'. Its like saying that a pro-athlete is weak because they're not a powerlifter. No, they're still plenty strong -just not freakishly strong.