4, 6 or 8 cylinders, what's your preference?

2015-10-21T11:36:48-04:00

While I'm a Mustang fan, I recognize that one of the sweetest sounds you'll hear in your life is the idling of a Chevy 350, V8 engine. Only thing, engine wise, that would top that sound is a revving sweeter Ford 305, V8 engine.

With all the technology and engineering that have come through the years, new 4 cylinders cars run better than old 6 cylinders. 6 cylinders run better than old 8 and the new 8's are getting ridiculous. Except for the early 90s Supras, RX-7, 300ZX and 3000GT, those are still killing it nowadays.

I'll pick an 8 cyls. Mustang over any other muscle car but, further than Mustangs, Camaros or Mopar, trying to get us together for once, what's your preference in engines? 4, 6 or 8? The option "All of them" is for cars above 8 cylinders i.e. Audi R8, Dodge Viper, etc.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 21 at 2015 11:41 AM

2015-10-21T11:41:27-04:00

Current daily driver is a 345 Modern Hemi. Love all though

Response by TSgt David L. made Oct 21 at 2015 11:44 AM

2015-10-21T11:44:33-04:00

8, Chevy. V-8 all day long!

Response by PO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 21 at 2015 11:44 AM

2015-10-21T11:44:43-04:00

as long as its run. I am too old for "powerful" cars. I want a safe and comfortable car :) prefer SUV. FULL SIZE too lol

Response by 1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 21 at 2015 11:46 AM

2015-10-21T11:46:18-04:00

I love my Chevy Avalanche

Response by SCPO David Lockwood made Oct 21 at 2015 11:49 AM

2015-10-21T11:49:16-04:00

I prefer 6 cylinder. It has enough power but won't put you in the poor house for sucking down the gas.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 21 at 2015 12:03 PM

2015-10-21T12:03:25-04:00

Well I prefer 8 because every once in a while there is some jerk that you just want to put distance between yourself and them as quickly as possible. Plus you have the power to pull if needed provided you have the proper hitch and ball. 6 is probably the best because you'll get better fuel economy and still have some of the horsepower you need to get on down the road. 4 leaves you limited in your horsepower, towing capacity.... and they kind of sound like wind up toys but they're great for fuel economy. So it's all about what your lifestyle and your patience level is.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 21 at 2015 12:09 PM

2015-10-21T12:09:26-04:00

I love the sound of the early mopar hemis, but any V-8 tuned well sounds good. I'm a big fan of the Cummins turbo diesel 6 cylinder engines. They sounds mean and you can get crazy power out of them, and still drive them on the street!

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Oct 21 at 2015 12:42 PM

2015-10-21T12:42:51-04:00

I've gone thru stages, like we all do, but I'm really hoping for the development of technology that makes these middle east countries bankrupt. If they would invest 1/4 of the efforts into high mpg vehicles as they do into cell phone technology we would be making better progress in the middle east. I think the only way to defeat such evil is to dry up their banks. I feel the only way to do that is to develop vehicles that essentially neuter them as a threat. It's an unrealistic dream but one I hold onto. I have to vote for a hippy mobile. In my post-divorce financial nightmare, I'm grateful for the tiny 255,000 mile having Hyundai that my brother in law gave me for free. The funny thing is that in 2010 I had a new Camaro and a Ram 1500. Talk about hypocritical...lol.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 21 at 2015 12:51 PM

2015-10-21T12:51:57-04:00

8 Camero SS, I wish... Too old now. (-:

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Oct 21 at 2015 1:03 PM

2015-10-21T13:03:14-04:00

My choice is again missing. (What is it with these surveys?) I vote "NONE". I love speed and acceleration and nothing delivers that as well as an electric motor. Now, on the subject of gas mileage... The "boyz" at Top Gear pitted a Prius against a BMW 3-series fueling each with equal amounts of gas. The BMW traveled further proving that it's not so much what you drive but how you drive it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTDi4U6nBRA

Now this is real fuel economy, the kind that will leave the Arabs drinking their crude...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFyY7_hc-14

Fueled by the Future | Back to the Future | Presented by Toyota Mirai

Watch the future become reality as two Back to the Future icons see trash get turned into fuel for a car! Discover more at http://www.toyota.com/FBE #BTTF BA...

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 21 at 2015 1:20 PM

2015-10-21T13:20:10-04:00

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member Completely depends on the vehicle. I'm on my V-Twin most of the time.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 21 at 2015 2:26 PM

2015-10-21T14:26:39-04:00

I selected 8 because I currently drive a Powerstroke Diesel V8, but I do have a soft spot for 4 cyl "rice burners" because I drove imports for a while back in the day and learned a lot about B16, B18, H22, all K series, EF's, EG's and EK's. I really enjoyed my favorite EF I had with an LS Vtec in it, but after that I went to trucks and after driving a lifted 4x4 through rough terrain, I never went back.

Response by SPC David Hannaman made Oct 21 at 2015 2:27 PM

2015-10-21T14:27:38-04:00

I"m a torque guy. I could really care less when a television commercial says "More horsepower than our competitors"... So for me, an inline turbo Diesel (six or four) is a beautiful thing.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 21 at 2015 2:42 PM

2015-10-21T14:42:03-04:00

WELL, my car has 5 cylinders... and im a pretty big fan of it... VW for life.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 21 at 2015 2:58 PM

2015-10-21T14:58:45-04:00

I answer all of them, because I care about many aspects of performance that go beyond pure horsepower or torque.

Smoothness both at idle and under load. Low-RPM responsiveness and a linear increase in power and torque as the revs climb. Sufficient torque to pull tall gearing for quiet and economical cruising. Finally, it should sound and feel good.

My last truck was a 2012 Ram 1500 with the 5.7 Hemi and dual exhausts. It was smooth, effortlessly powerful and sounded great, but gulped fuel (as anything with 399 horses should). My current truck, a 2014 GMC Sierra, has a 5.3 liter V8 that is roughly 40 HP and 40 lb/ft of torque down on the Ram, doesn't sound as nice and has to work harder, but is quieter and more fuel efficient (about 4 MPG improvement on the highway despite adding 4X4 drivetrain that the Ram lacked).

You mention the Mustang in your post, and if I were buying a Mustang today it would be a very difficult choice between the 5.0 liter V8 with its glorious sounds and effortless torque, or the very modern 2.3 liter turbo four with its superior fuel efficiency and still effortless performance.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 21 at 2015 3:00 PM

2015-10-21T15:00:21-04:00

V-8 of course, my engines sound better than the 350 Chevy and the Ford 305.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 21 at 2015 3:10 PM

2015-10-21T15:10:06-04:00

Kinda depends on what were doing. My Harley has 2, it works ok... my daily driver has six and it gets me back and forth to work. My truck has 8 and runs like a scalded dog.

Response by CPT Jim Schwebach made Oct 22 at 2015 7:25 PM

2015-10-22T19:25:53-04:00

Had a '52 Bel Air with a worked over 292 six. Nothing can match the sound of a split manifold straight six at full cry.
Had an '81 Mazda RX 7 rotary that had a power band that ran from 100 RPM to explosion.
Have had a number of big and small block Chevy motored cars in Chevy, Ford and Pontiac flavored bodies. And a few Cadillacs and Olds' with both iron and aluminum V8s. Nothing matches the torque and top end of a healthy V8!

Response by SPC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 5 at 2015 4:01 PM

2015-11-05T16:01:47-05:00

I chose 6 even though I've owned a lot of 4 cylinders. I used to have an '86 300zx turbo. Beautiful car. But recently I've been bit by the Miata bug and am on my 2nd one. You can have fun in a 4 cylinder, just gotta keep that weight down.

Response by SGT Thomas Sullivan made Dec 12 at 2015 11:09 AM

2015-12-12T11:09:28-05:00

Im a big fan of Aston V12's and Ferrari V8/12s nothing sounds sweeter.