Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Wyndham
But even while road racing...more torque down low makes up for the less shifting with a high rpm engine. Check out the Head-to-Head M6 v A10 ZL1 lap...the LT4 make so much torque, it could just run out the gears, even at lower rpms.
C7.R does damn well in competition with a 6000-some redline.
Typically, high torque engines are larger displacement, and have a lower relative redline. And a low-torque engine needs to spin higher to make up the performance, like the Voodoo engine in Mustang.
The LS7 was that "sweet spot", balancing high RPMs, with high torque. There hasn't been an engine since then that could do the same sort of thing.
You'll rarely find both in the same package...would be wicked if this "Spin Tron" was reliable.  |
It's not really the engine size to powerband relationship, it's the pushrods vs dohc relationship. Dohc is better in every way to pushrods in regards to powerband.
It's not the powerband that makes the small block gm so legendary, certainly not.
It's the efficiency, cost, weight, size, reliability, and total hp. If you factor all those in you could argue it's one of the greatest motors ever created. You take the same size motor and make it dohc, it will wreck the small block gm in the power department and power band.
Also having owned a coyote, an l86, and renting a camaro ss, I can say without a doubt the coyote is the superior sports car motor in regards to powerband. The only reason the lt1 works so well is because the chassis of the camaro and vette does an amazing job of putting all that torque to the ground. The difference in traction between the mustang and camaro and what happens when you put your foot to the floor from a standstill is just amazing. The camaro pulls so much harder from a stop. Get out on the open highway though, and the mustang feels just as fast, by comparison it feels like the camaro has a truck engine and completely runs out of steam up top. IMO best mods you can do to the lt1 allow more breathing up top get rid of the downward torque slope from 4500+