After reading many hundreds of posts over the weeks i have found that there is a large engine bias on these boards. People are 99 times out of a 100 recomending going with the bigger engine. As far as i am concerned, the BEST engine is the one that is the most reliable, and the one that gets the job done. In fact i think the smaller the engine the better if the application gets done. If all things are equil mpg and reliablity and price then sure, go with the bigger engine, otherwise it is just an ego thing. One last thing, i rented a 1.2 liter diesel in europe over the summer, it got 60 mpg and was the most fun car i have driven in years. Driving at 90mph with 4 people to boot!! After that experiance i am now a born again diesel fan!!! Why every truck and suv is not a diesel is crazy, but i hear that once the sulfer content is lowered that may change. Just a few thoughts.....

 

It has been my experience that the suggestion to go to a bigger engine is usually immediately preceded by the question: "What should I do to my 360 to get more power?".

The fact is you are right. The best engine is the one that is just big enough to get the desired result. If that happens to be to out-accelerate some perceived competition then it is typically counter productive to go with a smaller engine.

Now there are certainly advantages to diesel engines, but there are also drawbacks. Please come to my town on a cold winter morning where about 60% of the trucks are diesel. The air becomes so acrid with fumes that it burns the eyes. I do hope that reformulation of the fuel helps.

That being said, I will be driving my 511ci 1000hp gas guzzler. Definately an ego thing!

-Scouder

 

Are you maybe 'making up' for something deficient..ahaha just kiddin...



Tim

 

It really has nothing to do with the boards, and has everything to do with testostorone. Ask any guy who's ever held a wrench and darn near every one of them will tell you that theres "no replacement for displacement". Like Scouder pointed out, most of the questions in any of the engine boards are either a) how do I fix it?, or b) how do I squeeze more power out of it? Its not a bias, its a way of life

 

Excellent, well said. Overkill as a way of life. Gotta love it.

-Scouder

 

Absolutely! I am making up for the woeful lack of excitement in modern trucks!

-Scouder

 

Scouder, let me know when you fire that up. I want to warn the seismology center at the UW.

 

When you see the recommendations to go to 390 from a 360 that is exactly the case. Through comparing real world experiences on the board the 360s and 390s get about the same fuel economy. The longer stroke of the 390 makes it a better truck motor because it produces more torque down low where it's needed. So if you're going to buy the fuel anyway, why not put in in the motor that will make more power for the same money?

 

Diesel's (YUCK)

And thats comin from a Trucker!! They stink....They sound like the rods are getting ready to fly out of the block...The pistons sound like there getting ready to swap holes!!!

And once you get that God awful smell on you..it takes a week to get the smell out!!

 

Diesel's yuck.

Thats what i used to think, but the modern diesel are a whole new deal and cleaner low sulfe fuel like in europe and you would be blown away. I would not even know i was drive a diesel if i was a passenger. No smell, no smoke, no noise, even at 80mph it was only somewhat noticable.

 

You may get a more positive response to this post in a Diesel forum. After all, this one is dedicated to a 50 year old gasoline engine, and frequented by afficionados of it. Whether you meant to or not, you have stated that we are an egocentric bunch, that gasoline engines should not even exist in trucks and SUVs, and that we should all be using the smallest possible engine that will accomplish a given task, with economy as the primary concern. Forunately, we have the option to include other criteria. Fun, sentiment, excess. I am amazed that the responses have been so light hearted.

-Scouder

 

well, i know in europe there disels are far superior to ours as there is a higher demand for them in europe. in fact about a year ago a german diesel company ( i dont remeber who) made a 210 MPG engine that had 180 horsepower! too bad it didnt make it here. gas is expensive there and disel is a lot cheaper there also i agree we should see more diesels in our newer vehicles these days because they are far more efficent, have less toxic fumes, and in genral are more reliable. however, i know i wouldnt want a diesel in my truck too heavy and not enough HP. i see your point but gassers are funner in older trucks. im not a big block fan myself i like the power small blocks make but i have nothing against folks who want a big block.

 

Besides glow plugs, the diesel engine relies 100% on compression for ignition to occur. Any diesel you will ever encounter worldwide can have annoying problems getting started especially after wear and tear causes the compression to drop below a certain level. The drop isn't really that much either. Now even with lots of miles on them, most gasoline engines still manage to start decently after the wear and tear and even more loss of compression.

If you want proof of the difficulty to start worn diesel powered vehicles just ask a truck driver or a diesel mechanic. They have seen how plenty of different diesel engines perform after the wear and tear has taken place. We keep cases of ether in the shop all year long.

I have noticed a particularly high amount a water with diesel fuel. After over six years of working on deisel powered vehicles and being around truck drivers I have to say that there is a major water contamination problem with diesel fuel. When the number of fuel filter changes are higher than the oil changes in one year then you have to realize there is a problem. The quality of the deisel used is the exact type you will encounter at the gas stations you go to every week.

I can't remember the last time anyone I know has had a problem with water in their gasoline. The last time I had any problems with water in my gasoline is never.

 

Oh I almost forgot. Almost every truck driver I know has personal vehicles powered only by gasoline engines. I'll take a poll and ask them why then report what they say later.

 

back to the original topic, and in defense of many of the people that frequent the FE Forum, this forum often reccomends staying with the smaller FE motor when asked to decide between the FE and a 429/460 upgrade.

That may just be logistics or because this forum is the FE forum. But, we're not above suggesting a 390 over a 460 :-)