4 cylinders or 6 cylinders

M

Mcfly

New member
if you were driving long distance, you would want a car that doesn't eat as much gas, hence you would want to go with a 4 cylinders. however, would it not be better to drive with 6 cylinders if driving long distance? say on a hot day where you use the ac or cold day where you crank up the heat. Would a 6 cylinder engine be better than a 4 cylinder engine driving long distance in these conditions?

what factors would drive a person to choose a 4 cylinders over a 6 cylinders other than:

4 cylinders offer better gas milage and 6 cylinders obviously is more powerful.

Thanks.
 
Well, for a commuter car, I would just be looking for fuel economy, probably the Civic or Corolla.



However, if you are going to be travelling with a lot of people or stuff, the extra power offered by the V6 might be helpful.



You pretty much nailed it, though. 4cyl=economy and 6cyl=more power:)

Question is, how much fuel economy are you willing to sacrifice for more driving pleasure on the backroads??:D
 
Heh, with gas costs these days I will sacrifice all my driving pleasure for economy. More power to people who can afford a Lambo or something and the gas to go with it, but honestly for the average American commuter a 4 cylinder engine is MORE than capable. Problem in this country, and the reason we use so much damn energy in this country, is that we don't want to admit that. We all still want the 60s with cheap gas and mega HP engines.
 
I would go with the 4 cylinder. The 4 cylinders of today are far more advanced and powerful than those of past years. Look at the engine in my car for instance. its a 2.4 liter 4 cylinder that pushes out 160 horsepower and 163 ft/lbs of torque. That's plenty to give you a kick in the pants when you step on the gas but its also good on gas. I regularly get 23-25 city (more if I would drive like a grandma and not go over 2.5-3k) and over 30 on the highway (I have to be doing 70 or below though... the car has short gearing and revs pretty high on the freeway). I feel that a 4 cylinder is certainly capable of handling whatever you want to throw at it as an engine in a commuter car.



if all else fails, find one of those v8's that cuts fuel and spark to half the cylinders when cruising :D
 
adept said:
well bmw doesnt even make a 4cyl anymore.. so im going to have to go with 6 cylinders being better :-p
Click to expand...



Sometimes you suck so bad at something that it's a good idea to quit!:D :woot2: :spot :chuckle:
 
Neothin said:
I would go with the 4 cylinder. The 4 cylinders of today are far more advanced and powerful than those of past years. Look at the engine in my car for instance. its a 2.4 liter 4 cylinder that pushes out 160 horsepower and 163 ft/lbs of torque. That's plenty to give you a kick in the pants when you step on the gas but its also good on gas. I regularly get 23-25 city (more if I would drive like a grandma and not go over 2.5-3k) and over 30 on the highway (I have to be doing 70 or below though... the car has short gearing and revs pretty high on the freeway). I feel that a 4 cylinder is certainly capable of handling whatever you want to throw at it as an engine in a commuter car.



if all else fails, find one of those v8's that cuts fuel and spark to half the cylinders when cruising :D
Click to expand...



I gotta agree, I feel 4 cylinder cars are pretty advanced these days. My car is also 4 cylinder, 2.0 liter and has 160 hp also, and I feel its more then enough for most people. VTEC also helps for the times when you need passing power or your getting on a highway. :D



Even a couple people I know who only drove V6 sedans, mostly Pontiacs, we're quite surprised and impressed by some of the newer 4 cylinder cars. They aren't as weak and underpowered as you would think.
 
I wouldn't be so sure about six cylinders being more powerful than fours. With modern turbochargers these days, you can have 400 hp and get 30 MPG! I don't know much about the newer cars, but the example I just told you is from an old 2.3L Ford. Now if you want mileage over anything, check into the VW TDI series. You will be quite pleased with the mileage at the sacrifice of performance. Good luck with the search.
 
Fatal said:
I wouldn't be so sure about six cylinders being more powerful than fours. With modern turbochargers these days, you can have 400 hp and get 30 MPG! I don't know much about the newer cars, but the example I just told you is from an old 2.3L Ford. Now if you want mileage over anything, check into the VW TDI series. You will be quite pleased with the mileage at the sacrifice of performance. Good luck with the search.
Click to expand...



Only if you're totally happy with having no torque. :grinno:
 
I believe they have somewhere in the ranges of 175-200 lbs ft of torque (on the 1.9's). It's a diesel, after all.
 
Well this question hits home for me. I traded my 5spd Maxima (3.0L V6) for a 5spd Protege (1.6L I4) this past summer. I definitely feel that I made the right decision, because the Protege is more than capable getting me to/from school, and when I drive back to visit family, it's 105 miles of almost all county/state highways. My cruise control is on more often than not.



The only thing I really miss about the V6 is passing power. But as long as you know how to pass, you can do it in any car. I watch the oncoming traffic, find my opening, speed up 4-5 seconds ahead of time, and then move over right after the last oncoming car passes. This gives me a good 10-15mph head start before I even move into the oncoming lane. Using this method, passing is not a problem. Obviously if you like to follow closely, this won't work, because you don't have room to get a head start. But if you enjoy collecting stones from the car's tires in front of you, go for it.



My next car will probably be a 4cyl as well, but it will be a more powerful one. And I might be tempted to throw a turbo on it or something as well. :)
 
adept said:
well bmw doesnt even make a 4cyl anymore.. so im going to have to go with 6 cylinders being better :-p
Click to expand...



SpoiledMan said:
Sometimes you suck so bad at something that it's a good idea to quit!:D :woot2: :spot :chuckle:
Click to expand...



Uh, BMW still makes 4-cylinder engines for the 318i and the 320i.
 
SpoiledMan said:
Sometimes you suck so bad at something that it's a good idea to quit!:D :woot2: :spot :chuckle:
Click to expand...



haha funny, but im going to have to disagree of course. :D the last highly produced 4 cylinder they made was in the 1989 m3... which was a really fast car.



merci said:
Uh, BMW still makes 4-cylinder engines for the 318i and the 320i.
Click to expand...



oh yah, whoops... but those arent shipped to the US.. so i forget about them. was the e36 318i a 4?
 
HomicidalSloth said:
4 cylinders or 6? Easy. Neither. Give me 8, in a V shape. :)
Click to expand...



Truth.



I'd have thought this site, being fanatics about clean cars, would have more of an enthusiast bias towards it. Guys that would sacrifice a few MPG for a lot more fun.



My Firebird may seem like a "typical 60s high horsepower gas sucking monster", but in reality, I get 18-20mpg putting around town, and at least 26 on the highway, upwards of 30 if it's an extended trip. Only if I beat on it hard does the mileage drop down, and at that point, I'm spending more on tires than gas anyway.



My best friend's same year Prelude (a few hundred pounds lighter and a LOT less power,) as an example, barely musters 2-3mpg better in the city, and he doesn't do any better on the freeway. And when I say a lot less power, you're talking 324hp to the wheels in my car, and maybe 160 in his, not even mentioning the torque difference.



The SVT Focus my mother drives does slightly better, but still...20-22 city, 28-31 highway. Not a huge difference, and that's a 170hp engine in a 2,900lb body.



Some of you guys say that we would be surprised by the capability of today's 4-cylinders. On the other side of the spectrum, maybe you guys would be surprised by the versatility of a modern V8, especially when mated to a manual transmission.
 
I echo GTO Pete, but then my car is as much a form of entertainment as it is a transportation instrument. My current car is a BMW 550 which is a V8 with 360 HP and 360 lb-ft of torque. Maybe this is a midlife (hopefully not end of life) crisis, but I just love power and speed, though I rarely exceed speed limits.
 
adept said:
haha funny, but im going to have to disagree of course. :D the last highly produced 4 cylinder they made was in the 1989 m3... which was a really fast car.
Click to expand...





Mass produced? I'd like to think that they made and sold many more of the 318's back in the 90's than they did the M motors.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top