Best 8 cylinder engine in the world

Ive never stated that it was the bet engine!!!!!!!!! However I disagree with people saying that pushrod and LS engines are garbage. Ive proven several times in my posts that you can extract plenty of power and torque from pushrod engines. I have also stated that these engines are reliable, cheap to produce and maintain, light and fuel effecient.

So far no one has produced any specs of other engines that would challenge this. Im sure that there are better and more powerful engines out there but as a package the LS engines are hard to beat.

My two posts above is a direct reply to Melanic1981's post (#128), which questions americas ability to compete with the world on challenging circuts (non 1/4 mile).

Look at my post above (#127), where I compared the award winning BMW M5 engine to that of the LS7. The power figures for both were/are not at the weels but fly, not only was the ls engine more powerful with more usable torque but is also cheaper than the super exotic M5 engine. Yet because of peoples perception that anything pushrod = ancient and cr@p the LS engine never recieved its bue acolades. Racers, dragers on other high performance guys on the other hand all agree that its a great engine.

jeeez monarocountry

dude your still going on ?? lol

That list doesn't prove anything, I can still see more M3, EVOs, STIs an 911s than any other original american sports car. Same thing is in rest of asia and europe, so globaly USA made su#ks

Think about the location of the track. Many european manufacturers would call it their home, same as holden calling lang lang proving grounds their test track and bowling green (?) for the vettes its test track.

Other american cars that made it into that list include:
7:42 - Ford GT - 2005
7:42 - Mosler MT900S Photon - 2004
8:10 - Chrysler Viper GTS - 1997

All these cars have a very rich history, far richer than the almost mythical japanese brands. Take for example the ford GT, the original was designed to beat ferraris in europe. This was after Ferrari (in financial troubles) refused Fords offer, which would have made Ferrari a ford brand. The GT did this successfully beating ferrari and all other cars convincingly several years in a row (24hr races).

For one country america have produced many cars, and sportcars. I would say that america has produced far more worthwile supercars than Japan (no I dont regard the GTR, 300zx or supra a supercar; even the NSX is at best a borederline supercar (IMO only)).

Just to give you some examples of american sportcars.

AC Cobra (all)
Panoz Esperante GTLM
Cadillac CTS-V Racer (CTS-V is aimed at BMW)
Cunningham C7
Fisker
Ford Mustangs
Shelby Cobra
Ford Cosworth
Saleen S7 Twin Turbo
SSC Aero SC/8T (this cars extreemly amazing 1234kg and 908bhp/1045Nm designed to beat the F1's speed record of 240mph)
Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZO6
Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Chevrolet Corvette C5-R
Dodge Viper
Dodge Charger SRT-8
Chrysler ME Four-Twelve

These cars are americans, I havent included american subsidaries in europe and asia.

gotta love this thread...

the pushrod design actually has some very worthwhile packaging advantages over the ohc designs in V-configuration motors. there was a picture floating around a while back showing a LT1 v8 next to some ohc mustang motor, the small block looked around 30% smaller. what they may lack in efficiancy, they make up for in compactness. in summary, light weight and high output equals good platform imo.

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Originally Posted by monaroCountry

For one country america have produced many cars, and sportcars. I would say that america has produced far more worthwile supercars than Japan (no I dont regard the GTR, 300zx or supra a supercar; even the NSX is at best a borederline supercar (IMO only)).

Just to give you some examples of american sportcars.

AC Cobra (all)
Panoz Esperante GTLM
Cadillac CTS-V Racer (CTS-V is aimed at BMW)
Cunningham C7
Fisker
Ford Mustangs
Shelby Cobra
Ford Cosworth
Saleen S7 Twin Turbo
SSC Aero SC/8T (this cars extreemly amazing 1234kg and 908bhp/1045Nm designed to beat the F1's speed record of 240mph)
Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZO6
Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Chevrolet Corvette C5-R
Dodge Viper
Dodge Charger SRT-8
Chrysler ME Four-Twelve

These cars are americans, I havent included american subsidaries in europe and asia.

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LOL, what makes these cars supercars are the chassis and CF shell over them. Look at the S7. If you take off the body and chassis, it's a pretty normal engine. Those are nice cars, but they don't seal in the Best Engine winner. Even the Viper. The engine is 1/2 a truck engine block. How can that be the best? I think you cannot determine best based on an overall standing. You have to have categories to define the best, otherwise there will never be an agreement.

My categories:
Best power output per litre
Best fuel effeciency
Best price
Best drivability
Best size
Best durability

Then it is easier to determine which is the best. And I'd put in the LS series under best fuel effeciency, price and size.

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My categories:
Best power output per litre
Best fuel effeciency
Best price
Best drivability
Best size
Best durability

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Ok I agree that its very difficult for one engine to have all those categories. However you must also admit that the LS engines are a) efficient b) less costly c) a great price especially when compared with engines of similar power (near unbeatable actually) d) drivability of an engine??? Well torque throughout the rev range = better control e) its very small and light (the LS engines have been put in many different cars i.e. MX5, 300zx, RX7, 240z etc) and f) durable (able to handle major power reliably).

Again I question the worth of “power output per litre”. A smaller engine would need to work harder and in under a lot more stress than an engine of larger capacity. PROOF? travel at 100kph on a 5.7 or 6.0 v8 and your rev would most likely be just above 1300rpm (basically idling), try doing this on a 1.5L car.

For that reason engine sizes for performance cars have gradually increased. The problem with SOHC and DOHC etc is that its very difficult to increase displacement.

Also do smaller engines = better fuel economy, more reliable, and lower production cost, given the same power output? From all indications I would say NO. Take for example the legendary rotary which is very small- very thirsty and more prone to failures. For a small engine to match a larger engine, they would (usually) need some form of forced induction like turbo or a supercharger; or have a higher state of tune.

As for deriding the viper for its truck engine block…………..that’s really funny. Many performance enthusiasts actually love using truck engine blocks. Those things are usually built to withstand extreme conditions and in most cases withstand greater power increases. Even the 300zxTT has a truck based transmission (from the Nissan Patrol), and is regarded by many as a very sturdy unit.

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Originally Posted by monaroCountry

Ok I agree that its very difficult for one engine to have all those categories. However you must also admit that the LS engines are a) efficient b) less costly c) a great price especially when compared with engines of similar power (near unbeatable actually) d) drivability of an engine??? Well torque throughout the rev range = better control e) its very small and light (the LS engines have been put in many different cars i.e. MX5, 300zx, RX7, 240z etc) and f) durable (able to handle major power reliably).

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Yup, I agree the LS series is the best in those categories. I like the LS series because it brings the V8 experience to those who cannot afford to splurge over $100,000 on a car. Of course, for now I don't need V8 because of petrol costs, but next time when I have money to spare, I might pick one up for the experience.

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Originally Posted by monaroCountry

Again I question the worth of “power output per litre”. A smaller engine would need to work harder and in under a lot more stress than an engine of larger capacity. PROOF? travel at 100kph on a 5.7 or 6.0 v8 and your rev would most likely be just above 1300rpm (basically idling), try doing this on a 1.5L car.

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Power output per litre is like bragging rights. You could say it is the snobbish factor. Isn't it nice to boast that your engine has over 100hp/litre? :) Just like saying you have a Ferrari just for the brand name.

If you are comparing 100km/h speeds, then it doesn't matter. At anywhere below 4000rpm, modern engines can survive that and well exceed the lifetime of the chassis it is in (i.e., if you only stay at 4000rpm, your chassis will rust before your engine will fail). But if you are extracting peak power all the time when you drive at 7000rpm, of course it will fail quicker than if you drive around at 5000rpm. It's not a linear relationship.

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Originally Posted by monaroCountry

For that reason engine sizes for performance cars have gradually increased. The problem with SOHC and DOHC etc is that its very difficult to increase displacement.

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You can, just that not many car manufacturers have bothered doing a large V8. It's similar to a DOHC V6 setup where you have 4 camshafts and duplicated valvetrain on each bank. BMW has their 4.0L V8, Mercs and Lexus/Toyota too. It's just that the market for cars with these kinds of engines are way up in the affluent range. If I had to pick between a 530i V6 and 540i V8, I'd go for the 530i because I don't need the V8. But for those with money to spare and status to hunt, then they'd go for the 540i. This brings us back to the LS being good because they bring V8 to those who can't afford expensive cars.

But yes, pushrods only need 1 camshaft and all valve control is transferred through the use of pushrods. Quite an elegant method of controlling a V8 with mechanical simplicity, I'd say.

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Originally Posted by monaroCountry

Also do smaller engines = better fuel economy, more reliable, and lower production cost, given the same power output? From all indications I would say NO. Take for example the legendary rotary which is very small- very thirsty and more prone to failures. For a small engine to match a larger engine, they would (usually) need some form of forced induction like turbo or a supercharger; or have a higher state of tune.

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You cannot compare a rotary with a 4-stroke piston engine. Totally different concepts. It's like comparing your internal combustion engine to that of a fuel-cell electrical engine. They are both engines but work differently. If you compare a toyota/honda 1.8L Inline-4 to the LS1 5.7L V8, of course the smaller one is going to consume less fuel in normal driving. Of course, if you give full throttle all the time, then they consume more fuel. The B18C7 consumes about 40 L/100km when on Tsukuba. That's more than the LS1 under normal driving conditions. Do you know of anyone who measured the LS1's fuel consumption when on the track? It would be interesting to compare figures.

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Originally Posted by monaroCountry

As for deriding the viper for its truck engine block…………..that’s really funny. Many performance enthusiasts actually love using truck engine blocks. Those things are usually built to withstand extreme conditions and in most cases withstand greater power increases. Even the 300zxTT has a truck based transmission (from the Nissan Patrol), and is regarded by many as a very sturdy unit.

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Nope, not deriding the viper. I was just using it as an example that if there was only an overall best V8 category, then engines which are derived using older technolgies have difficulty winning. BTW, the Viper has a V10. ;)

And transmissions are a different matter. They come from different manufacturers. And from your example, does the 300ZX TT have the low range gears that the Patrol has?

audi RS6, if you never heard one of these track one down and somehow manage to drive it or get a ride

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Originally Posted by muli

audi RS6, if you never heard one of these track one down and somehow manage to drive it or get a ride

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Let me find my spare $200,000 first. I think I left it next to my box of minties. ;)

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Let me find my spare $200,000 first. I think I left it next to my box of minties.

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Hey ive got a spare 200K...............:):):).