Greatest Automotive engines ever made?

[DSMdude]

I'm utterly shocked nobody mentioned this. The best four-cylinder, power wise, in my mind is the 4G63. Specifically, the Sirius II series of 4G63. What other four-cylinder can you just throw PSI at like it's nothing and it'll take it like a champ? It can rev up high, the aftermarket support is unbelievable, the platforms they were put in (matching them up to AWD and whatnot) made for truly amazing rally cars. I don't even have a 4G63, I have a 4G64, and I can throw 20psi at it like it's nothing, spin it up to 8k (though I don't for my own concern on my build), and I have no problems whatsoever.

Inline-six? 2JZ without a question.

V8? Tie between the LS1 and the Ford Coyote 5.0. The LS1 and all LS-series motors are just the pinnacle of development of modern OHV motors, they can hit very high numbers with forced induction, and support is very high. The 5.0 has less support so far, but, in my opinion, is a true V8 laced with the modern technologies and designs you see in well-designed, Japanese four-bangers: VVT, DOHC, etc., just needs direct injection.. Put it this way, break it up into two 2.5L four-cylinders and you're making about 205-210hp each, N/A, stock. The Impreza's 2.5L N/A Boxer makes 170hp. The brand-new Altima coupe's 2.5L only makes 175hp. And that's for the new gen, three years newer than the Coyote 5.0.

[Kev2442]

Oh man, I've been through this topic and I'm surprised nobody said :
THE FREAKIN' HEMI !!!
This is hell of an engine. Back in the sixties, it was a monster which could go beyond 700hp. Still used in drag races btw.
I heard that it also was quite indestructible : lifetime-lasting engine ? Oh yeah !
I'm not a Mopar-fan though. If I could choose, I'd rather have a Pontiac T/A Firebird SD-455 from 1973.
Other good engines imho :
- RB26DETT (Skyline GT-R engine)
- 2JZ-GTE (Supra Mk. IV engine)
- Of course, the Ford 427 and Chevy small-block
- And still "of course", the Porsche flat-6s !

EDIT : oh, and the Ford Modular was quite effective : Lincoln Navigator up to Ford GT through the Mustang Cobra R...

[darkjedi]

Mainly because they weren't the greatest engines. they were large , heavy and undepowered. on the other hand jaguar, aston , porsche and mitsubishi made great use of hemispherical chambers in the 60s and 70s.
and example of great engines would be the f20c and f22c from honda or inline 6s compliments of porsche, BMW and mercedes, even nissan. and these are production units. if we we look at what ferrari, lamborghini, aston and others it's even more impresive.

[Kev2442]

Well, I understand what you mean. But the Hemi was one of the most powerful engines back in its days. Even if it is waaay too heavy, it still packs the raw power that makes it a legend.
And for the other engines, they may not be the best ones, but they're powering great cars and are great basis if you want to tune them up. A Skyline GT-R r34 can make more than 1000 hp if given the right parts and tune. It already has been done.

I also like european engines, yes, but I think these engines, even if they aren't the greatest, deserve a place in the ranking. Not in first place, but they had an impact on current engines. Just look at the flat-6 : still used since more than forty years.

[darkjedi]

chrysler hemis were not great by a long shot , but were very sturdy and qithstood the test of time and their architecture makes them suitable for extracting huge amounts of torque by different mods.
any engine can be modified to produce large power figures, but these are just expensive versions of bikes, acceleration and no control. the supra suffered from this nonesense time and time again. that car was made with great ballance and handling in mind. and many people that got their hands on one installed rock hard sprins, 2 huge turbos and other things and compromised their best attributes.
6 cyl boxer engines are virtualy inline 6 engine with every other cyl on the opposite side of the crank. in inline 4 vs boxer 4 there is ballance advantage as well as lower center of G.
boxer 6 engines have thbe same ballane as an inline 6 engine, but are much shorter and have a lower center of G.

[Daffyflyer]

Well, when we're talking about the best ENGINES made, I'd say it doesn't really matter if a lot of the cars they came in didn't handle that well.

[Kev2442]

You said it ! And I totally agree with you darkjedi.
The problem is : what is a good engine ? Great potential ? Lots of power ? Lightweight ? What about torque ?
Some engines became known for the the car they fit, some of them for their competition use...
Tuning is revealing the true performance of an engine, but they're not good for an average use. As the definition of a good engine changes with time, (60's : power and torque / now : emissions and consumption)
We can't say which one is the best. Also, the technologies changed too, making some engines better than other thanks/because of this : If the classic Hemi was adapted with direct injection, would the Modular still be great ? What about the changes in history : the Oldsmobile 88 and Hudson Hornet are known for launching the american performance engines, while the Plymouth Roadrunner started the muscle car industry. And waht about the Ford 289 which powered the first pony car : the Mustang ?
So maybe this is not performance or handling, but the impact in the automotive history that matters ?

[darkjedi]

well i`d say the best engine is one that does the best job at whatever task is set to do and be very realiable. you can never pickone engine and say THIS IS THE BEST ENGINE. there are many engines that are notorious for doing a great job also keeping in mind the era and geographical location it was built in.
you said it: the impact on the automotive industry is what matters.

there is an engine that was best suited for racing and yet it only saw action in a handful of production cars: the wankel
smooth power delivery (in natural aspirated version), reliability and huge power to weight ratio.
unfortunately the large fuel consumption, oil consumption and complicated maintenance and operation saw its demise in the main automotive production.
it did see succes in naval , aeronautical and street racing apllications though

[Kev2442]

Oh. Well, that is interisting.
I knew it didn't sell for it's consumption or emissions, can't remember.
But I did not know about those facts.
By the way, how is Mazda going ? Any chance to see a RX-9 ?

[darkjedi]

no more RX-9. they could not make an ecofriendly engine and are not allowed to sell it , so the project was abandoned. a shame really.

[Kev2442]

It seems he iconic japanese sports cars are disappearing.
Even if they try to make new ones, there still won't be new Skylines, Supras and RX-7s.
I don't think ge Nissan GT-R is a real skyline. First, the V6 replacing the emblematic RB26.
Also, it no more feels the same. It's a great car anyways, but it doesn't look like a new Skyline. Maybe the front lights ? Maybe this strange spoiler ? Maybe the front bumper ?
I like the Concept more because of these. But it still didn't deserve the Skyline name.
It seems like Toyota, Nissan and Mazda are ashamed of their own legends. They no more use the names they used for what ? 20 years ? 30 ? Maybe 40 ?
It would be just like Ford discontinuing the Mustang, isn't it ?

[darkjedi]

they are not disappearing. other cars have taken their place: toyota GT86 wich is a great car, the MX-5 , nissan 370z, infinity g37, lexus is-f, lf-a, nissan silvia s15 , others will come as well. it is true that their not making as many as they did before. the reason for that is called demand and marketing strategy.
in the case of the new skyline (gt35) ; using a v6 allowed them to make a smaller size/larger displacement unit , resulting in better handling. make no mistake, the newer gt35 is ways better than the old model.

[xABSOLUTIONx]

R34 still looks better in my book

speaking of which, has anyone seen the new Type-R Civics? they don't look nothing like the old ones, which were light, compact and quite nimble and not to forget cheap as dirt

[Se7enUpMustang]

Ford Windsor
Ford FE big block
Crysler HEMI
AMG V12's made for Pagani for use in the Zonda
BMW's 4.0 Liter V8
BMW's I6's
Audi's 4.2 Liter V8
Alfa Romeo's Twin Cam I4
Alfa Romeo's Twin Spark I4
Alfa Romeo's V6 (2.0l-3.2l)

[Nickcannon413]

They made a 6.4L Twin turbo Power stroke from 2010-12 which is a bullet proof motor so he was technically not wrong and the 6.0l PS is a great engine after you replace the head bolts with ARP head studs and get an after market EGR cooler