Originally posted by: stnicralisk
Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Originally posted by: Aharami
Originally posted by: Don_Vito
Good luck competing in that market with a V-6 and FWD-based drivetrain! The projected next-gen M45 actually looks really nice, and will stomp this car to smithereens.
well if they can get the same power as a V8 from a V6, why not? also, V6 will be better on mileage
Not if it makes the same power. An S2000 gets about the same mileage as a Camaro Z28. Neglecting the insignificant increase in frictional losses that come from the V8's two additional cylinders, the V6 will need the same amount of fuel to make the same amount of power. Gasoline has a specific energy density. A V6 does not magically get more energy from the same amount of gasoline.
ZV
Youre both wrong and right.
The difference between the V6 and V8 that make the same power is that the V6 is doing it at a higher RPM. It IS TRUE that while the V6 is making the same amount of HP as the V8 it is using near the same gasoline.. HOWEVER you forget that while the V6 is in the lower RPMs making far less HP that the V8 in low RPMS where vehicles usually are.. unless its a track car.. itll use MUCH less gasoline.. also a V6 weighs less than a v8 and it will take less power to overcome inertia.. therefor using less gasoline...
PWNAGE!
My V8 car cruises at 75 mph at 2,000 RPM. Comparable V6 cars I've driven or ridden in tend to be spinning between 2,800 and 3,000 RPM at 75 mph. Fuel mileage for my big (by modern standards) V8 at a steady 75-80 is 26 mpg. V6 cars are almost always geared such that the engine is always spinning faster than a V8. You are correct in theory, but not in practice.
The extra weight of a V8 is negligible at best. Unless you're considering old fashioned cast-iron pushrod V8's, which don't really count in these applications because they also lose efficiency in other areas (such as combustion chamber design, limited by valve placement because of the pushrods). Modern aluminum V8's do not weigh very much more than V6's with comparable per-cylinder displacements.
Again, the S2000 as a complete package, performs about the same as a Camaro Z28 and gets about the same gas mileage. Barring some very complex technological adaptations (such as a hybrid drive), if two cars have similar performance, they will have similar mileage. Gearing plays a role, but if cars are geared for similar acceleration in all gears then mileage should also be similar.
ZV