Hi all

Which characteristic do we prefer from engines for day to day driving? A large capacity engine petrol engine with plenty of available torque or something with high revving horsepower?

My personal preference is a V6 or V8 with plenty of torque but reading the thread about Civic Type R versus BMW 330i it would appear that some people would rather have a car with all revs and no low down torque.

(As it's Friday let's try and avoid the physics lesson linking torque, horsepower & revs and stick to the joys of driving)

B_T_S

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There's no replacement for displacement

Twin Turbo 6 with lots of Torque and lots of Power please.

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and from the beginning think what may be the end.

Dinny_G said...

Twin Turbo 6 with lots of Torque and lots of Power please.

.... and no turbo lag

B_T_S

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There's no replacement for displacement

I think someone should lend me a V8 or V10 car for a month or 7 so I can give a proper opinion on this.

I prefer turbo'd 4s to screaming 4s and I liked my 6cylinder Volvos and Jeep but sportiest 6 I have driven was sadly a knackered 320 (B reg) or possibly Vectra SRI, both of which were far slower than the Leon/ Scooby or Saab.

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What would Daddy Pig do?

I had the engine out of a RT12s in mind Brian...

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and from the beginning think what may be the end.

I like big capacity N/A petrol engines. Something with a decent spread of torque and power so it'll cruise easily but will let you rev a bit when you want some fun. I like revvy wee engines too but I don't think I could go back to one as my only car now that I've driven a few decent big engines.

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bastard monkey hands

Well I went from a 2.4 Honda which was all revs and little torque to a straight 6. I loved the hyper nature of the Honda engine when pressing on, more so than the 6 but for everyday driving I prefer the 6.

In an ideal world a high revving n/a v8 would be nice.

Daddydadbo said...

I think someone should lend me a V8 or V10 car for a month

Loved the V10 Audi S6 that I tried last year. Sounded fab and had usable performance on the road. Just the financial ruin of engine or transmission failing that put be off buying one (went for sensible 5.5 litre V8 with RWD instead)

B_T_S

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There's no replacement for displacement

Big capacity V12 with lots of low rev torque as well as the ability to deliver even more power at high rev

Ideally I'd drive a Ferrari F12 day to day.

In the real world though I'd sacrifice high rev power for lower rev torque (which is actually low rev power).

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Pilouil
Citroen C3 1.4 HDI 69.0424 bhp

I'm yet to have the pleasure of owning a big capacity NA engined brute. I'm sure it's wonderful though!

In general I like both, so I'll have an engine that gives you plenty all across the rev range please.

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+ Non-limited edition of the Exige 240R
- Uninspiring soundtrack

Revving engines in S2000s, CTRs, Lotus etc are fine when you are in the mood and don't mind putting in the effort.

However, when you want that extra performance on your commute or road trip then a big lump of torque means you can just floor it at any revs and go. Especially useful if stuck behind a line of learner bikers

B_T_S

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There's no replacement for displacement

At least six cylinders, and enough low torque that it'll pull smoothly from <1k rpm.

If we're talking about everyday driving then being thoroughly practical would bring fuel consumption into the equation, and for me that rules out the big V8s (even though I love them).

Looks like the BMW 3-litre six is my sweet spot.

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I think my neighbour misunderstood when I said 'I can't wait for the next 911'

Both. I love the feeling of low down shove that torque gives, but at the same time I love being able to push the engine to it's 7K red line.

But if you held a gun to my head and said I have to choose one or the other, I'd probably say a high revving engine. Mostly because I love hearing an engine screaming at 7k+ rpm.

Updated January 11, 2013 at 11:35 AM

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Volv-oh

How good is an RX8? They have the worst of both worlds for day to day driving with low MPG and no low down torque.

B_T_S

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There's no replacement for displacement

Power and revs for me. So long as it has enough low down to cruise about, I have no problem stirring the box to make progress.

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Cheers

Rich

Depends on the car type.

A comfortable cruiser shouldn't require crazy revs, but a sportscar should encourage it.

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Impreza WRX STi Spec-C V-Limited Toshi Arai Edition/ GTR/ Panda 100HP Pandamonium/ Insignia CDTi 160

Both please.

A decent amount of low down power to be able to make good progress in a higher gear at low speed for minimal fuss and drama. Decent peak power well up the rev range as a reward for working the 'box properly and having some fun.

Peak torque at 3250, peak power at 7400rpm, 6 cylinder smoothness and the ability to get mid 30s mpg on a decent run.

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cheers,

Harry

Too many old sheds.

Sounds like the idea car is a 330i or possibly an e46 M3

Damn - shouldn't have sold my 330Ci by the sounds of it

B_T_S

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There's no replacement for displacement

For the day to day stuff frugality and adequate performance is what I want.

* awaits forum expulsion*

This should allow me the cash to have something with big power and torque for the weekend.

Alternatively, what the rest said.

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DeskJockey
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Now fueled by heavy oil...

Peak power somewhere below 30k feet and phat torque maintained across 3 or 4k of the rev range.

Updated January 11, 2013 at 12:28 PM

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