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Originally Posted by LordSludge
Heh -- what is all this about quieter engines being higher performance??? Too funny...
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Amazing how many just know without first learning numbers. Higher performance engines are the quieter ones. This demonstrated in places such as Indy and Formula One racing.
In many preceeding posts in this thread and in previous threads, some here just absolutely denied that Horsepower per Liter (HP/liter) was a relevant engineering concept. Yes, many just know without first learning facts. This from the Cover Story for this year's Philadelphia Auto Show (
www.phillyautoshow.com) entitled "A Big Story on the Show Floor"
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... what Honda calls i-VTEC, a combination of VTC and VTEC. Add a six speed manual transmission with limited slip differential, and you have what is basically a sporty version of an economy car; it tops 20 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway, but it also revs to 8,000 rpm and spins nearly 200 horsepower out of just 2.0 liters.
The magic figure of 100 hp/liter used to be an unattainable goal engineers dreamed about. That standard has now been approached by several engines and breached by one or two - and they are installed in compact cars, not specialty racers.
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When I started driving, most everyone drove 300 cu inch or larger engines. These engines produced about 140 to 180 horsepower. Today we call that 5.0 or 5.7 liters. Today there is little reason for any passenger vehicle to have more than 3.0 liters. Just another reason why performance - Horsepower per liter - is an important number to those who design - where the real beauty of a car resides.
There are bean counters - those trained in communist concepts - who stifle. Then there are patriots - the product people - those who promote innovation. Bean counters will look at shiny paint to see a pretty car. Product people will look at the numbers and what is inside to really appreciate what is beautiful - and what makes America great: innovation.