My contention with squeezing lots of HP out of little motors has always been durability. Let’s face it, the more stress you subject machines to, the quicker they wear out. The alternative is to use expensive alloys and polymers to resist the additional wear and tear. So far, to the best of my knowledge, the racing industry and high performance aftermarket autos are the only place these very pricy motors are used.
So, in 2010 when Ford wants me to by a 350 hp, F-150 with a V-6 in it, I will search around for the 300 hp V-8 and have confidence that I will still get 200,000+ miles out of it over 10 to 15 years.
....besides, you ever hear what those overjuiced squeaker motors sound like? Imagine pulling 4,000 lbs for 3 hours with the turbo whining to get every drop out of 3.3 litres of displacement.
I think not.
Again Audi, VW and Porsche are essentially doing the same thing with turbo and FSI and no one complains.
Interesting. One solution for the durability issue, of course, is diesels. But another non-solution is simply to accept the engine's limited lifespan, and balance the cost of replacement and labor against the fuel savings. This is what made American cars different from European cars in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Gas was cheap here, but expensive in Europe, whereas labor was relatively cheaper in Europe than here. The result was smaller high compression European engines that needed major service within 100K. That worked because what the European saved in gas was more than enough to pay Adolph to scrape the head after 60K. When the cars were imported over here, however, it didn’t usually work out to your advantage.
Hahaha.. .like you’ll have time to worry about the metal fatiguing... good one.
That timing belt (chains are less efficient and less smooth.. fuel economy you know) in that interference engine (since fuel economy is tops, non interference will go the way of the buggy whip for that extra 1-2 inches of compression) is going to snap and kill your engine long long long before the metal parts die from fatigue.
The “expensive alloys” you’re referring to are “steel” and “aluminum”. As opposed to the “iron” and “tin” the domestic makers all seem to like to use because they’re cheap.
In 1990 Nissan produced a turbocharged V6 engine that with one tweak to the boost, would produce in excess of 350 horsepower and would continue to do so for 250,000 miles plus. That engine was the VG30DETT in the Nissan 300ZX.
“Exotic” is relative. That very same engine, sans turbos (VG30DE) was used in just about everything Nissan made from trucks to sedans. And, as at least one other here can attest, they have no problems making it to 250K or more. What’s it made out of? A good grade of aluminum, good high-carbon *steel* liners that are not recycled truck springs, and a recognition that a good car starts with the engine and goes from there.
Toyota also has an inline six that can pull off the same feat. So it’s not “exotic” metallurgy, it’s just the willingness to actually spend a couple of bucks more on the metals you use.
If Ford offered you that truck with a 400hp Nissan VQ40DE in it, take it. It’ll still be running when you get too old to drive it.