how do these cars with little 4 bangers go faster and have more power than a 4 banger ranger. the ranger doesn't weight that much more, does it?

 

prolly the gearing and the aerodynamics

 

Two main reasons, DOHC, and power to weight ratio.

Example: 94+ Integra GSR, 1.8L, I4 DOHC, 170hp. The car weights around 2700lbs, and revs to 8000rpm stock.

Ford 2.3L, I4 (single cam, either OHV, or SOHC) rated around 140-150hp in any Ranger (my 88' weights 3200+lbs) revs to maybe 6000rpm.

In general a DOHC engine is higher hp at higher rpm, and lower tq at lower rpm, than a single cam engine. This is also the reason why you can find Integras with some bolt ons and/or good driver that will walk on a stock 5.0 in the 1/4.

EDIT - Oh, and did I mention not to try this at home, but I have hit the top of the speedo in my Integra (145mph)

 

THats what i want to say. I lost to a 3.0 tauras, beat him off the start, then at about 60 mph, he started to catch up. Its all in the gearing. Plus a ranger sits up higher and is not as aerodinamic as a car.

 

i think it weighs a lot more than a little 4 banger just the frame itself has to be stronger for the truck. and bobs right the aerodynamics suck on a ranger

 

Guys, you are missing the point, the Ford 2.3L engine has neither the hp or the tq to do the job. If I could put the Ford 4 banger in the same car as a Honda, Toyota, or Mazda, 4 banger, the Ford 2.3L with get spanked EVERY time.

 

Yes, the 2.3L and the 2.5L are severly underpowered engines. Another thing to keep in mind, those little front wheel drive cars don't have nearly as much drivetrain to turn. Our trucks have to move our larger trannies, our long and heavy driveshaft, and then finally gets to the axles. Not only do our engines suck, but our truck's design sucks the power away from it.

 

its not really the design at fault....
its more of the nature of the vehicle at fault....

i dont know one single truck thats a fwd truck..

the fact that your ranger doesnt beat a car isnt the fault of ford... youd be hardpressed to find any truck from the factory, besides ones that are meant to be street trucks (like the ranger thunderbolt...) that will beat a car

theeeeeeen, the ranger motor isnt even designed for speed.... you could slap some new gears in it to make it go a little faster, but the fact is, its meant to be a truck, its limited at under 100mph.... its a truck...

now go load a civic with 2000lbs of wood, and load your truck with that, and see who wins that battle...

you bought a truck... go tow something, or go muddin'

 

For me it is not how fast you can go but where you can drive that other's cant

 

A Volkswagen Rabbit truck. Also could be had with a diesel. Unibody, but strong enough to load up a GSX-R in the back. (My buddy had one.)

Edit:

A few years back, I saw a fwd conversion in Truckin'. It was a Chevy 1500 with a Cadillac Northstar powertrain in it.

 

A friend of mine had a '78 chevy truck cab and flat-bed on a '78 Caddy frame...still front drive with the Caddy motor...cool truck!!! Had that awesome Caddy power steering and it would go like heck through mud in reverse LOL!!