G. David Felt

How about a write up of how you would change a specific auto to be best in class. Example: Contest competitors, use the Chevy Cruze and do a write up on how you would change this car to be best in class. Be specific on what you would change out and why. That would be a fun competition.

WOW, I cannot believe someone would want to buy this rusted out bucket of bolts. Sad as from a distance it is a sharp looking truck.

Ok, let me try to explain it a bit better... (1) A SOHC I4 with 2-valves per cylinder has all the frictional benefits over a Pushrod I4 with 2-valves per cylinders. In fact, it has two additional benefits -- the valves can more easily be made opposed as opposed to side-by-side and the absence of pushrods makes the sprung mass lower allowing slightly higher revs although this is probably not useful. (2) The SOHC head is taller than the pushrod head. However, it is not any wider unlike a DOHC head. The additional height is traditionally handled by slanting the I4 to one side in RWD applications or reclining it in FWD applications. This allows the engine to be no taller than a Pushrod I4 while the addition in width is also essentially zero because the exhaust manifold would have projected sideways by approximately the same amount had the engine been upright anyway. To put some numbers into the discussion, if GM ditched the 1.4 litter turbocharged DOHC-16v Inline-4 for a 2.3 liter SOHC-6v line-3 running on an Atkinson intake cam, the Cruze would have have superior MPG numbers while delivering approximately the same output of 140 hp. Specific output should not matter. That 2.3 liter engine would only make 140 hp should not be embarrassing, if one understands that it weighs about the same as the 1.4 turbo (with its forced induction hardware), while delivering better fuel economy and a similar output. Have you checked out the Katech V4? This engine puts the SOHC or DOHC to shame in a very tiny package with awesome power outputs. I think this engine shows that you do not need the complexity of the SOHC or DOHC to get the Mileage or power out of an engine.

Wonder if we would ever see anything like this incorporated in a modern take on a Chevy or Buick since Pontiac is a dead line. How would people respond to it?

Beautiful restored Model A Ford at the local car group meeting this morning on my way to the park and ride. Always love it when they get together for breakfast at the local Denny's and you have a who's who of American Steel. A couple of old Chevy Belairs in various stages of restoration, a very hot 69 Corvette. A lovingly cared for mint El Camino and Ranchero side by side. You could tell the owners clearly loved their car/truck auto.

:sign0072: :sign0072: Have an AWESOME DAY!!!

While I love the drive train and the crazy high Gas mileage, I find this body style of the XL1 to be a total failure. Reminds me of the first Insight Hybrid that Honda did, butt ugly in my personal opinion.

Na, if anything more gears allows for less overall torque. I would normally agree with you except that I have experianced auto's that went into limp home mode and if they have more gears like this and if the tranny is not able to go into the bottom gears for a solid limp home mode, then your left with an auto that really will not move due to the lack of torque and yet the crazy gearing. I might be one of the rare exceptions to have this happen to, but I have had it happen enough to have decided I would rather give up gas mileage and have more power and especially Torque.

I always found NAPA to have quality rebuilt parts for things like this.

No No No, Electric cars are a commuter inner city auto only. They cannot work in the real world of the suburbans or as a travel trip car. Pushrod V4, 6 & 8 have us well covered with some amazing advances with our computer capability that will allow us to have some amazing engines.

I think there are some great mid size sedan choices, just wish they would give these mid size sedans the ability to get a torque monster diesel besides the Passat TDI unless I have missed some others in our US market.

I agree, waiting 4-8 weeks for your custom ordered auto is nothing compared to the years you will live with it. I think more people need to stop thinking instant gratification and order up what they really want. Far better way to go for an auto purchase.

Sweet looking little ride.

I wonder how a 9 or 12 speed tranny will do with the smaller engines that have high horsepower but pathetic Torque much like the asian auto makers or european makers that build the pathetic DOHC Revers. I would think that the 9-12 gears would be optimized for fuel mileage and yet you would want a torque monster engine to allow those gears to really do their job.

Very cool, reminds me of the 1976 Olds Delta 88 station wagon with the third seat that I grew up in. Loved that ride. It was totally awesome.

Too bad Seattle does not have more quality auto shows / car clubs that put things on like this.

Naw your not Old and Crabby, that is just fall creeping into the bones and telling you that you are alive and well in this great big blue marble we live on.

The GTO's just Rock Period!!! Very nice Sweet Ride!!! Loved the purple outside/inside! was a husky college color!

Have a contest that covers auto history. Name the failed car company's of the last 50 years. Name the failed tranny technology of the last 50 years. Name the most exciting changes in auto history for the last 25 years. Name the car company with the most recalls for Transmission issues for the last 15 years. Name the Car company with the most Paten Filings for new Technology in the last 10 years. Name the top 5 car lines with the lowest defect rate for the last 5 years. Hopefully you can see my thought process, I think people should be given the chance to use their auto knowledge or their ability to Bing/Google it and search for the answer. Then for multiple correct answers you do a blind draw for who ends up with the actual prize.

Sticky

Think if this had a lite weight 185HP Katech Pushrod V4.

So they have a stupid high HP motor with no Torque. Another ugly design like the Honda S2000. I see no purpose or use for cars like this other than stupid young people driving them with no skill causing more accidents. If they actually put some style into it like the Supra had from the 80's it would be far better, but the outside is a jelly bean to me which I hate that look and the inside is a blah layout. For having gone to college in Japan, I have seen much better auto's on the street over there compared to this. I do not understand why they think the American public is freak-in conservative in willing to deal with new technology and pushing the style envelope. Sadder yet is that the American car companies seem to ignore building a solid light weight commuter car that can have style and speed. Perfect option would be for Chevy to build the 130R with a Katech 285 Push rod V4. This would rock everyone's world.

H'mmmm I wonder just how far before friction renders the additional gears to be a moot point. Yet if it truly can handle the torque and move with greater fuel efficiency then more power to them.

Well, that makes me feel better about it. Truly it will never make everyone feel better, but we have to accept the fact that a global economy will always change things and some of our favorite things will disappear.

Pushrod I4s never made sense -- there is no packaging or efficiency advantage over an SOHC I4. The reasons for DOHC small displacement engines have been more than adequately covered in the thread. As far a the Ultra V8, I do not believe it is necessary or a good investment. At the end of the day luxury buyers are not acronym buyers by and large. If you have the right output, the right refinement and right MPG numbers, it won't matter if you have a pushrod engine or 2-stroke engine with no valves. The direct injected Gen V in a 6.2 liter trim delivering between 450~500 hp will be a more than attractive engine for Caddy's V8 needs if it gets MPG numbers in the 15~17/24~28 range in a 4000 lbs car. If GM wants to build an exclusive, premium engine for Cadillac, the money is better spent on an over-the-top 7.2 liter V12 based doubling the LFX 3.6 V6. Such an engine will deliver about 640hp / 550 lb-ft in normally aspirated trim, rev to 7000 rpm and if turbocharged for special applications yield a 1000hp powerplant. Development cost will be relatively low given that it is not a ground up architecture -- the valves, lash adjusters, pistons, sings, bearings, rods, combustion chamber modelling, injectors, cam phasers and many other parts will come directly from the LFX 3.6's parts bin. Only the block, crank and camshafts will be unique. And, given that the bore size, spacing and bank angle are identical to the 3.6 it can be made on the same assembly line and with the same tooling. I totally disagree with your first statement that Pushrod I4s never made sense -- there is no packaging or efficiency advantage over an SOHC I4. The reasons for DOHC small displacement engines have been more than adequately covered in the thread. While this thread started off with why GM should not build a DOHC V8, I feel that there is more than enough justification to prove that DOHC is OVER RATED! Katech has proven that you can get very powerful efficient engines without all the extra complexity of the DOHC small displacement and loss of torque. To me, the research and history has shown that while marketing did a great job to convince people that they needed to move to DOHC small engines it is not due to better efficiency or gas mileage improvements.Change for change sake does not always make things better.