15th Feb 2003, 02:48
The only muscle cars that deserve any respect are from the seventies and have been highly refurbished and modified. '80's muscle cars were a joke, and they still have the same trashy appeal today. Off the line, the wide, grippy tires of muscle cars do provide superior torque, but it's only because American car companies can't do anything, but dump about 6 liters and eight cylinders under the hood. There's a total lack of efficiency and ingenuity. The concept they are employing has avoided progression for decades - "bigger equals faster." It's a novel idea, but when Honda/Acura and Nissan can rip the internals out of the super-heavy muscle cars with only 1.8-3.5 liters, you have to ask yourself, is the horrible ineffieciency and behemoth size of a muscle car worth it any more?
25th Mar 2003, 07:01
I bought a 91 honda accord and dropped a v10 Viper engine into it and beat a Z28...
EVERYONE SHUT UP. I hate people who buy a car and then modify it to hell and then think its the best cause they can beat other cars that are stock...cmon, once you drop a new Type R engine into a civic, its no longer a civic is it?So there's no point comparing apples and oranges people. I hate people who bad mouth American Muscle just because they have big 5.7L engines...listen, if I want to buy a car with a 5.7L engine, and can afford to put gas into it, that's a statement in itself.
I drive a modded 2000 Ws6 Trans AM convertable that's pushing approx 420 hp (care of a supercharger, cold air, exhaust etc). But I'm not gonna sit here and brag that I can dust a Type R or Rx7twin turbo or Mustang Cobra blah blah blah unless that car too is heavily modded.
Basically, I could of bought a Type R, I could of bought a RX7, I could of bought a Civic and changed the engine etc etc, but I chose to buy a big ass muscle car sounds better, looks better and sucks gas like its going out of style! Anyone who bad mouths a Z28 or Trans Am hasn't driven one... and being in a convertable is a world all its own...
SO before you start bragging that your import can be modded to smoke cars with big engines, think about what your saying cause it goes both ways... the cars with the big engines can be modded to smoke imports (which they do stock already)...the fastest cars in the world all have big engines..there's obviously something to it.
The big engine serves a purpose... its BIG to make a BIG car move FAST. If I want a small little car to take on a rally track, OK ill buy a nice Type R or WRX... but if I want a big mean looking car to cruise around town in, which is all anyone does anyways, I want the BIG car with the soft top...
Anyways, to sum up, don't bad mouth cars you don't understand... Muscle cars are for people with muscles, keep your dull looking, dull sounding, under-torqued imports... ill keep my T/A and all of its 420 horses.
All you guys bragging that import engines are better cause they're smaller and more realiable are just showing that you can't afford the good stuff. If you could, you'd buy a car with a big ass engine and love it.
...I've never seen a Ferrari with 1.8L engine... have you?
27th Mar 2003, 16:47
Why do most people in the Import and Domestic crowd even compare a low displacement 1.6, 1.8 liter 4 cylinder to a high displacement 4.0, 5.0 V8? The real question everyone should be asking is this. How come Ford, GMC, and Daimler Chrysler can't make a low displacement, naturally aspirated 4 cylinder, that will compete with a Si's B16A2, GS-R's B18C1 or Type R' B18C5? Notice I said Naturally Aspirated. For all you that don't know, that means not using Nitrous Oxide, a Supercharger of any kind or a Turbo. Honda and Toyota are the only two manufactures besides the exotics, Ferrari etc. who can build an engine with such technology as variable valve timing lift electronic control that has the tolerance to handle 8500 to 9000 rpm on stock engines for under $30,000. Japanese engines are just built better and last longer. I own a 94 Acura Integra GS-R with 143,000 miles, never have I blown a head gasket, spun a valve, had the crank walk, over heated the radiator or had any of the pit falls of a high mileage car. Especially one that redlines at 8,000 rpm. And to be honest to both sides, I have spent quite a bit of money on basic and preventative maintenance. However, being 9 years old, the car still pulls hard to redline everytime I ask it to. I'm happy with my car, the best advice I can give, is to compare consumer reports for both Domestics and Imports. Good luck car shopping.
28th Mar 2003, 04:04
For the last comment, comparing a F1 engine to any road engine isn't a comparison at all... sure F1 engines have a somewhat small displacement (3.0 or less) and put out way more power than bigger engines such as the 5.7L LS1 engine, but F1 engines rev upwards of 19000rpm and only last about 300km before they need replacing. It's a completely different type of engine... not to mention a completely different price range than anything we're talking about here... so I really don't think that comment has any use here.
28th Mar 2003, 04:07
How can you compare a F1 engine to anything on the street, c'mon now...
Anyways, I would have to agree with the March 25th post...I've driven many Integras and many muscle cars including Mustangs Trans AMs and Camaros... the bottom line is preference. The type R is a fun car to drive that can be made to be quite fast, but don't bad mouth big engines just because they're big. They get the job done, and they get it done stock.
Basically when it comes down to STOCK engines, the bigger engines with more cylinders and more displacement out perform the smaller ones... and like the other guy said, once you modify your car it's apples and oranges.
That Viper engine in a Accord comment is giving me ideas... ;)
29th Dec 2002, 22:40
Well myself being a sports car ethusist I would have to say that when comparing sports cars that have been around for quite some time to smaller cheaper imports... well I really don't have to say much there. The Mustangs and Cameros have been around forever and I don't know one person who said their Z28 or GT/Cobra was crap. For one you have 2 auto makers who know how to build a sports car. I mean sure a light 4 or 6cyl may be quick and turn good hp, but not so good in the torque range. I like my engines with a nice V8 burble and a good cloud of smoke as I open her up and see the competition in the dust.