Point/Counterpoint: DOHC v OHV

[Kevin]

Ok, both of you suck it up and move on, you're both in violation of forum rules and I'm not above putting you both in time out. Now either keep this on track or don't post. I don't really care either way but if you resort to personal attacks I'll just ban you both

[5ABI VT]

Dohc just looks prettier .. Enough for me !

[spork2367]

Originally Posted by Kevin

more reliable?

Was the LS more reliable than the DOHC Ford 4.6, probably. It kind of depends whether you're talking about the production line version or the hand built SVT version. More reliable than the single overhead cam three valve...almost certainly.

Originally Posted by edram454

why are there discussions praising ferraris and porsches in this forum. As a Corvette enthusiast, I hate Ferrari's and Porsches to death. I would never own or desire one. I would buy one just to resell it and make some money. Ferraris are buzz bombs and make their power in extremely high rpms and little displacement and now with multiple turbos, the porsches have that flat six with many pounds of boost.. they are refined but frankly bore me to death... dont like the sounds they make and the ridiculous price tags are staggering... some people just crap out money because they can... If I didnt have a Corvette I would not have another sports car period. That is just the way I roll...

ed ramos #3028

This was the post that started the mess. It's completely irrelevant to any of the numerous discussions at hand and certainly came across as you being offended that we were discussing technology and reliability in terms of other manufacturer's engines.

We could all bury our heads in the sand and pretend they don't exist, but those are exactly the cars that GM is looking at when they are deciding what changes to make on the Corvette to keep it competitive in the market. No one was telling you that you had to own one.

Corvettes are an amalgamation of high end European technology, European and American styling, and American brute force. I'll be honest in that I can't understand how you can love the LT5 so much without at least liking the engines that it borrowed technology from. If it weren't for them, the LT5 wouldn't exist. Even as it stood during production for the LT5, the crankshaft, pistons, rods, rings, liners, bearings, chain tensioners, and clutch were all made in the Uk or Germany.

I don't think my stance is rare in the automotive community. I just appreciate automotive technology. I own Land Rovers, Toyotas, drive a Dodge truck, wife drives an Acura, my plow truck is a big block Ford. Hell, I had a Toyota 1GZ-FE 5.0L V12 sitting in the back of my shop for a couple years.

Earlier in the thread you were just as happy to bash Chevy engines as well. The LT5 is amazing. That's why I have a ZR1 and why I'm rebuilding another LT5 engine currently. It just isn't the pinnacle of automotive technology. It wasn't in 1990 and it isn't now. It's just an awesome engine that broke the Corvette engine mold for 5 glorious years.

[BigJohn]

What happened to the 5.0L V12?

[spork2367]

Originally Posted by BigJohn

What happened to the 5.0L V12?

Sold it to some guy from Rochester who picked it up in his wife's minivan...lol.

It was a cool engine, but I didn't have the time to put it in something so I let it move on to someone who had the time. VERY cool engine. Dual computers and redundant systems so if one failed it would basically run like an inline 6 cyl. Continuously variable valve timing on the intake valves, variable length intake runners. 6 bolt mains, forged crank.

Best part....280 ft. lbs. of torque at 800 RPM!

[WARP TEN]

Originally Posted by 5ABI VT

Dohc just looks prettier .. Enough for me !

I agree--good looking engines that don't have to hide under plastic. Before my first ZR-1 in 1994, I owned a 1989 Ford Taurus SHO as much for the look of the Yamaha engine as for any slight performance edge it had. But in its day it was a great company car for me. --Bob

[John Boothby]

"my plow truck is a big block Ford."

Whats a "plow truck"? (ha ha") Us guys out here in the west want to know? (no snow here!)

Just kiddin

[XfireZ51]

Originally Posted by WARP TEN

I agree--good looking engines that don't have to hide under plastic. Before my first ZR-1 in 1994, I owned a 1989 Ford Taurus SHO as much for the look of the Yamaha engine as for any slight performance edge it had. But in its day it was a great company car for me. --Bob

Owned 4 of these. great car.

[spork2367]

Originally Posted by WARP TEN

I agree--good looking engines that don't have to hide under plastic. Before my first ZR-1 in 1994, I owned a 1989 Ford Taurus SHO as much for the look of the Yamaha engine as for any slight performance edge it had. But in its day it was a great company car for me. --Bob

I just flipped a 1998 V8 SHO with 173,000k a couple months ago. Had a check engine light because the little gear motor that opened the secondary intake runners had a broken gear. Machined a new gear and sent it down the road. Both SHOs were cool cars.

[5ABI VT]

Here's my thoughts on on high end exotic cars.. I absolutely love them and I'll try my hand at explaining why.

The big 3 are fully capable of producing a motor similar to the Ferrari v12 I mentioned earlier. Why don't they? Cost. PROFITS. They are making billions doing what they do and there simply isn't a need to design complex engines. Again, they are fully capable, it's not rocket science. Building cars is a business first and foremost and it's all about profits.

Ferrari on the other hand.. Sell their cars for what they do because that's what it costs to design and engineer their vehicles in low volumes at the limits of modern day technology and materials because that is a part of its appeal to its customer base. The latest and greatest in technology.

The ls7 for example is cammed with a fuel economy and emissions cam for torque from the factory. An equivalent 7.0L Dohc motor can make a ton of torque down low and make a ton more hp up top as well. Why do ferraris not cam for lower Rpms ? Because large amounts of torque down low simply isn't needed for performance. Gears can add torque , gears can't add hp. So they are cammed and designed for top end hp and torque.

To me engines are air pumps. Dohc trumps pushrod everywhere except cost and simplicity (and packaging). The high end engines are cammed and geared for top end and max speed.. They don't come with a .50 Prius 6th gear that we have in the ZF. They simply could do that if they wished but they don't.

I'm rambling here lol.