Best Engine Offered In Australian Car?

[ehast13]

The clevo (4v) was good in the xw, xy and first xa's. They didn't have the low down torque of the same sized windsors(ports so big), but they revved harder (advantage of big ports). They were a lot heavier than the windsor. The HO engines rate pretty well but most aussie cast 351's were a bit weak as they were strangled by ADR's and emmissions.

Barring the HO engines, I would rate the windsor as the better street engine. Torquier down low, more economical.

As a race engine - the clevo breathed better and revved harder.

As such, I think for the clevo to rate as a top engine we must specify which variation.

1). The phase 3 - torquier than a phase two, more reliable
2). Phase 2 - awesome rush as that cam came on song - needed a rev limiter!
3). xw/xy gt - 300hp, 520nm (gross figures) - low fifteens all day on crap tyres with two passengers on board.

Interesting to note that holden never produced a 350 powered car that matched a stock xw/xy gt (let alone a HO variant) in a straight line.

How good was the phase 4? I've never driven one. May have been the best clevo of them all.

I think the stock 340 v8 fitted to some valiants was a better engine than a non-HO stock 351 clevo.

a bit controversial perhaps, but we often think of moff's xc or dick's tru blue xd when we think of clevo's but if you have ever owned a standard xc or xd with a 351 you would be disappointed.

If you have ever driven an xy phase 3, you would be surprised that FORD AUS could produce such a thinly veiled race car. AWESOME!

Same applies to hemi, e38, 49, FG F6

[Scott]

I6T - BFYB & 1/4 smasher by a mile..... followed by a healthy... no, angry 265.

Holden reds are noteworthy too, hearing one at 7000rpm screaming down the front straight at Oran Park is one of those little suprises I enjoyed. Driving it was another...

[SVD]

Originally Posted by GTP290

how would the VL turbo 6 rate? You can get them to go very quick on a budget, but it seems Fords mighty Aussie T6 has blown the little jap engine out the water, but Im sure many would debate this statement!

Think about this though, once you chuck the RB26 head onto the 3ltr bottom end you come up with a lethal combo, plus the turbo 3ltr for back in the day was pretty damn good, even in NA form, as long as it wasnt in a VL.

In the end though, what motor keeps on coming back for more and is know a Major part in Aussie performance cars...The I6, i mean imagine a twin turboed version so you could have a small turbo spool for low end power and then a larger one once you get into the rev range, it would be a lethal combo! the V8's are great, but the I6 is really starting to stick it to em...

[gtfpv]

this one is easy .
IT'S THE NA I6 REFINED OVER 30 YEARS AND STILL IN VEHICLES TODAY . TODAYS VERSION HAS 195 KW'S NVH LEVELS EXTRTEMELY LOW . AND THE ECONOMY OF A 4CYL ENGINE . WITH 600 000KMS ACHEIVABLE WITH EASE .

FARC THE REST I KNOW THE TRUTH ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[GT0132]

The Chrysler Hemi 265 in E37 config

[Redrum]

Hands down winner Turbo 4.0 L I6!

[Powdered Toast Man]

Originally Posted by Fairlane

Third is probably the Toyota 3FR-SE or whatever it is in the aurion, sure the car is crap but the engine is grouse.

I was waiting for someone to mention the Toyota V6, seemed it was nearly forgotten. I have to agree the 3.0L backed up by the 6spd auto is a surprisingly quick ride. The Aurion's accelleration had me dumbfounded stepping out of my slighlty modded 3V 4spd. Would definitely surprise many members on here I reckon. No turbo 6 or boss beater mind you, but smooth and quick.

I would also probably say the latest iteration of the turbo I6 is the best overall followed by the LS3 (thats the latest one isnt it?) and the best old school would probably be the Hemi 265.

[XR6_190]

Hang on this is a question that actually had to be asked?

Falcon I6 by a long shot, yeah sure a 351 clevo is a great engine, but how thirsty is it, yeah sure a Hemi 6 is a great engine too, but how often do you have to tune it to keep it that good? would any of the other engines be able to make as much power and torque as the I6 and average 10.1L per 100Km while lugging around over 1700kgs. Not to mention the fact that they can do this for nearly a million Kms without a rebuild and I could go on and on, but I don't need to, you all know this anyway.

[PALE ALE]

351 cleveland,turned the Australian car market on it's head, when it was released. And there's a bloke on the network 54 cleveland forum(winkmiester) who leaves the line at 8800 rpm and shifts gears at 9000 rpm, factory crank, rods,heads,manifold and autolite carby

[PALE ALE]

Hemi 6 is a good strong motor as long as you dont want to rev it over 5000-5500, then you will have oil pump dramas.As for the I6 doing a million kms without a rebuild, how many heads to do a million kms ?

And can someone tell me with the GM LS series of engines , if you do cook it, and it does blow a head gasket, will you possibly have a warped deck face as well as a warped head face, that will need skimming

[mcnews]

The E49 Charger engine was without doubt a mighty donk. I once covered 800 miles in a weekend in on one which included winding country roads with 'spirited' driving followed by drags at a country airstrip, a motorkhana competition, a navigational rally then the drive home again and over the whole duration, competition included, the car averaged 15.2mpg.

As for tuning. I never had to touch the Webers on my car. The fallacy about them all going out of tune all the time is just that. The people with those dramas did not have the original Weber set-up that was developed especially for the RT's after over 11,000 miles of testing around Italy. They have a mismash of stuff from other cars mocked up to look like the originals. The intake roar was huge, especially from the passenger side. As for revving them, this engine was all about big torque, it would pull top gear from 1000rpm without a grumble or snatch. I never even dreamed of owning a Hemi six, I was a V8 man through and through, then I drove one.... Next day I went down to the see the bank manager and bought one.

I have had stroked V8s and still have one, many Mopar V8s, a couple of 351s, and still have an F6. And I can tell you hands down for an overall driving experience nothing comes close to the visceral pleasure of punting an E49 in anger.

Funnily enough the original owner of my E49 Charger had traded a Phase Three HO in to buy it. A doctor from Kalgoorlie no less, I bet his house calls were the quickest in the land, lol. He also reflects on the E49 as the best drive.

[tex]

Long live the I6T, I believe they are a great engine.

If I had the $$$$$, I would have an FPV 6 as well as the GT, but because I could only afford one of them - it is the BOSS.

Still makes me laugh that the yanks back in early 2000 said that those Aussies would not be able to get the truck block to work with the quad cam heads. Hahaha, we well and truely proved them wrong. Their arrogance still amases me often - they could learn so much from their 'poor' Southern cousins.....

Here's a thought - now that the I6 is here beyond 2010 - stick the f6 engine in a 'povo' pac Mustang, instaed of that V6. The thing would be an instant performance bargain. They'd love it if you could get them to actually try it.

[Rev28K]

Originally Posted by peachey80

The best V8 to come out in a Aussie car and you come up with a P76 V8... :

My vote would go to a relative of this engine.........the 1966(?) Repco Branham 3 litre. Based on an Oldsmobile stock block with a lot of Aussie development it went on to win the Formula 1 championship (the other teams were trying to be too clever with their engines).

It's always hard to evaluate old engines when placed in a modern context but all of the usual suspects have already been covered. Hemis, Windsors, Clevos, 202's, etc. I'd like the modern I6T better if it was happier at high revs and was more linear with it's throttle response.

[Bluehoon]

There is one interesting reflection in this thread. The level of acceptance and praise for the I6T.
4 years ago everyone bagged it and the Turbo vs V8 thing was rife but looking through here and seeing some of the players that were around in those days, it's in interesting reflection on the comments now placed here.

I for one am with Tex, that motor in a Muzzy would be a weapon, let FPV have the Muzzy and Falcon variants with the F6 motor and watch it fly. With confidence Nice thought and arguably crystal ball stuff but a sweet thought none the less.

Long live the I6/T and may it's boosted bliss path it's way to U.S. mainstream.
I believe the engine can easily surpass M3 / E63 levels of performance. Recent motor comments indicate it has the driveline, just not the chassis. To compare a 65k F6 with 150k prize Euros is legendary in itself.

Best engine in Aus would have to be I6/T, no other motor will do 1 million kms effortlessly without having the rocker cover off. No other motor unopned with bolt ons will crack 10s and no other motor would ever push such envelopes and boundaries when pegged against conventional performance.
I fail to see any other engine that would reduce grown men to tears of joy.

[Ricks_Xr6t]

Originally Posted by rosco426

Hemi 6 is still infront.

I would say that the i6T would slightly be infront of the LS because it is more sensible to drive. It isnt all about power. Its a smooth, quiet comfortable car aswell as being able to overtake easily at 100k's.

slant6 was a direct copy of a BMW engine which was only a 2.5ltr and chrysler did a good job with it yeah but had to make the capacity twice the size to get equal power.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by tex

Here's a thought - now that the I6 is here beyond 2010 - stick the f6 engine in a 'povo' pac Mustang, instaed of that V6. The thing would be an instant performance bargain. They'd love it if you could get them to actually try it.

It would probably show up their V8's and they wont like that.

I thought this thread was about modern motors. So for old school the Hemi 265 is also on my list.

[Wretched]

The Hemi 6, the Falcon I6T (in FG form) and the RB30 engine offered in the VL.

[Bossxr8]

I6 Turbo hands down, without a doubt. No other engine can match its economy, which can get well down into single figures during a cruise, its cheap power upgrade potential, its smoothness, bang for your buck, and the fact that in FG F6 form its the quickest Australian car you can buy, I still don't think any W427 has run faster than a 12.6 stock.

They are tough as nails too, how many engines can run 10's with standard internals, including valve springs. LS engines can't.

[LOCO XP]

Easy choice, Starfire 4cyl esp when fitted to a VB Commodore.

[devilcv8]

Originally Posted by Aeron

I much prefer to drive my LS2 powered SS because of its instant throttle response.

don't you mean your L98 powered SS? LS2 is HSV only, unless of course you've done an engine change.


on topic.

for a 6, the I6T is king,
V8 it has to be the LS1,2,3 and L98 family

[cs123]

Originally Posted by Biggav

orrite then Slant 6 to be absouletly correct then.

Wasn't the slant 6 from AP5/6 vintage, a bit older than the Hemi 6.

I think the point that was being made was that the Hemi 6 doesn't really have "proper" hemispherical chambers.

[ebxr8240]

The SS is all lag !!!

[EgoFG]

The 265 if we weight the results by year - it was sooo far ahead of the game.

But by the same token would we need to include the P76 alloy 4.4 v8 ?

[Escort_RPDriver]

Im going to say the 202 or the xu1 vertion to be exact that thing would pull my vb from 4th gear like it was a feather and sounded like a monster doing it.

but then there the hemi six it was great in stock form but there wasn't much power left to get out of it mabey 350hp max the old mans EH was quicker he know this becouse he was working a HM at the time of the HO's XU-1 and RT charger.

[4Vman]

Originally Posted by EgoFG

The 265 if we weight the results by year - it was sooo far ahead of the game.

But by the same token would we need to include the P76 alloy 4.4 v8 ?

Yet it never had any success on the track, in the ATCC, Sandown or at Bathurst...?? ,

Yeah.. miles ahead of the 351C or 308... :
Hell, even the 202 was a more successful engine....

[mcnews]

Oh my god, I have never read such crap mr Escort Driver. XU1s struggled to high 15s and in most tests could only manage 16s. Holden never made anything in the 60s or 70s that managed a 14 second quarter and all the models that Holden lovers crap on about struggled to mid 15s at best, even A9Xs couldn't crack a 14 downhill with a tailwind.

Not much left to get out of a hemi eh... There was one in Perth for years that ran low 11s.

[mcnews]

Originally Posted by 4Vman

Yet it never had any success on the track in the ATCCSandown or at Bathurst...?? ,

Yeah.. miles ahead of the 351C or 308... :

Selective results... They sent Moffat and the HO to take on the R/Ts on the more testing NZ tracks and they failed. You can't compare the efforts of Ford and Holden on the racetrack with the shoestring Valiant efforts in Australia. I think the Charger took something like 8 NZ Touring Car Titles in a row or something...?

[ebxr8240]

Originally Posted by Ricks_Xr6t

slant6 was a direct copy of a BMW engine which was only a 2.5ltr and chrysler did a good job with it yeah but had to make the capacity twice the size to get equal power.

Its ohv version of its side valve engine before it..
Was so tall thay laid it over to fit ..


The little boxer flat four EJ20 / 25 from Subaru, The SR20 from Nissan and lets not forget the Evo engines from Mitsi..Then the 2JGTET from Toyota, 1UZ from Lexus [Toyota].. The 2J is the engine doing quick times at present and in std form go o/k in Supra's...

yea I must say the Starfire takes some beating!! To think Toyota fitted these into their cars.. So they MUST be good!! hahaha
About as good as the P76 6 cylinder.."Lucky" we didn't get the Tasman and Kimberly here...

[4Vman]

Originally Posted by mcnews

Selective results... They sent Moffat and the HO to take on the R/Ts on the more testing NZ tracks and they failed. You can't compare the efforts of Ford and Holden on the racetrack with the shoestring Valiant efforts in Australia. I think the Charger took something like 8 NZ Touring Car Titles in a row or something...?

2 races in NZ and Moffats car quit while leading...
What about the 3 years prior in Australia on all our own bigger tracks? Dozens of races over many years.. nada, zilch...
Face it, the thing never won any title here,where car manufacturers cared, WHERE IT COUNTS, it was only around a few years so in my mind its just another "could have would have NEVER DID"...........

[Escort_RPDriver]

the xu-1 may have never ran quick time but it it won bathurst the hemi six never did

as for this 11 second hemi what was done to it to get it to run 11s