Guys, I'm collecting material for the article. In a nutshell, What separates an inline from a v8? Is it the low end torque? Ease of working it, mileage? or just looks? Tell me.

 

To me, it's both the low end torque and ease of working on it. I'm not one that has to have the fastest truck around, so the 6 is a no-brainer. The fact that I can do a full tune up, and replace the water pump and t-stat in about an hour, without breaking a sweat, is just added bonus......

 

all of the above

anyone mention durability? how many v8s are used in industrial applications that require 24/7 service...ever done an oil change on an engine while its running? LOL good ole inline 6

big rigs use the inline 6 to tow 100,000 lbs down the road in all conditions because they are reliable, serviceable, and simple...theres less **** to break which means less downtime...they are known to far outlast v8s on average

 

Well they are just the every man working motor. They work real hard, as you can go into older threads and read about(might put your waders on ahead of time). Anyone who knows Ford knows about the durability of the 300. They are easy to work on, when they need it. They are very forgiving to young or bad drivers(idiot proof). They have plenty of power, and respond well to upgrades.

Did I mention they have a long service life. The 300 Ford was never installed in a ugly vehicle(lol). There are a lot of people who like to be different, and when it comes to trucks differnt means a six cylinder, and the 300 is the one six that works as hard or harder than the V8's.

 

Here's the best part of all. Even die-hard chevy nuts (you know, the ultra anti-ford anything ones) will most often admit that the 300 ford is one of the best engines around, for all of the reasons listed above.

 

I-6 makes more peak TQ than simillar displacement v-8? myth

I-6 gets better mpg than a v-8? myth

I-6 is more durable or will last more miles without needing major repair as compared to a v-8? myth

The I-6 typically makes a more flat TQ curve as compared to a v-8 (not always true though) which is great for a work truck where mid to upper rpms are not important, which is why the I-6 was used as such, and put in fleet vehicles and other commercial applications.

If you want a truck that hauls more *** than wood, then its just not the ideal engine.

If you want unique, then IMO, a modified six banger is the way to go. Everyone and their brother owns a pre 97 ford with a 300 engine or v-8 but few have a 300 thats actually been modified.

 

Just because.OBCB

 

The I6 design is lighter and easier to work on than a V8. The low end power helps make up for lack of overall power.

The 300 itself is a good every-man's engine. It has fuel economy potential but decent power to work. This means your 300 powered F-150 can get you back and forth to work at 17 to the gallon but still pull your boat on the weekends.

A 302 could do the same thing, though.

The 300 is a good engine. It's not the best and it's not better than a V8 - but, it does have it's pros's. As already said, they *can* gt decent mileage for pushing a full size pickup truck down the road, they are simple and easier to work on, and of course they have the *cool* factor going for them.

There is nothing about the I6 design so outstanding that you could talk someone into it over a V8 design. But.. for the guys like me, the I6 is the better choice. You can beat on her and she'll still bring you your steak.

 

Myth 1: Correct. The I6 just makes it's torque at much lower RPM than a typical V8 of similar displacement.

Myth 2: Somewhat true. Similar displacement engines will usually acheive similar MPG. However, an I6 *can* achieve better MPG, when it is used in a manner that takes advantage of it's lower RPM torque, rather than trying to use the higher RPM HP.

Myth 3: Mostly correct. There's a few less parts that could cause a failure to occur, but any engine will last longer if it is properly maintained. The I6 can last longer than a V8, when used in a manner that takes advantage of the lower RPM torque, but only because it's not being wound as high, reducing the overall friction and wear.


Aside from those minor details, I totally agree with everything you stated.

 

I think we are all talking mid 90's and older engines. So I will say the 300 does get better gas mileage than the (Ford)V8's of the time. There are no 18 MPG 302 or 351's around here(even 2wd get 13). We do have plenty of 15-20 MPG 300's though.

 

Well, I dont want this to become something more than its intended purpose but I do love a discussion.

Your myth 1: 300 does make its TQ down low but thats not to say it makes more Tq than your typical v8. Again the only advantage to the six banger, is the fact it makes a flat tq curve...but no suprise, so do many v8 engines...really depends on the camshaft selection, induction.


Your Myth 2: Simillar displacement engines have no reason to achieve simillar mpg, cause there are other factors to consider, such as head design, stroke, cam, compression, thats just scratching the surface. Best comparison here would be if I said, your 90 4.9 bone stock efi, should get the same mpg as my 90 4.9 bone stock efi. I have multiple real world examples from experience, that reflect a truck of equal or greater curb weight, with equal or greater v-8 cubic inches, can achieve better mpg than my 4.9 efi, which is on the upper end of what is considered good mpg for the 4.9 efi trucks (17 mpg average).

Your myth 3: I think the key thing here to say would be, any engine can last a long time, if used as its intended. Ive had first hand experience with different make and model v8's and the 300 engine, the only pattern I seen, would be, its the underpowered, low HP engines, that you beat the hell out of regularly, are the ones that keep on ticking day after day.



I know my responses to most would seem negative towards the inline engine but thats not true, its just reality overshadowing wishful thinking, cause even now, every time I think of a modified 4.9 engine, its gets my blood pumping a little harder and I become intrigued, but at the end of the day it is what it is....its like any engine, you own/modify it cause it feels right, not because its the perfect engine or makes sense.

 

I have seen some modified 351w get 18+mpg but overall, your right, out of the box they suck, with tuning, there is improvement to be seen.

I was thinking all v-8 trucks, not just ford.

Truth be told, if I had to pick a 302/351w or a 4.9, I probably would pick the 4.9. I never was impressed with the stock 302/351w in a truck, gas guzzlers for sure and the power was nothing to write home about, only advantage was if you hit the go pedal, you would get on the high side of 3k rpm in a hurry but soon loose the umph.

The v-8 equipped trucks that I spoke of, were not ford make, but did and still do, generate better mpg than my truck, in some cases they were 4x4, which only added insult to injury (mine 2wd), it kinda stings to admit they made twice the hp too. lol

Dodge never was king of mpg...or power (with exception of the diesel powerplants), they had some power during the muscle car days, but other than that, not sure what the hell they were thinking.

 

I like the I6 because of a lot of the reasons stated above.

My Bronco is my every day driver and I put tens of thousands of miles on it a year. I use it for the highway, around town, off-road, camping, exploring, etc. so it needs to do everything under the sun, and for that it doesn't get much better than the 300.

It's incredibly dependable, easy to work on, and can go anywhere and do everything I need it to. It may not be the most powerful or the fastest, but how often do I need that?

My brother has a similarly yeared Bronco with a 351 and there's nothing he can do or anywhere he can go that I can't. However, when he's getting 9 - 10mpg, I'm getting 15+. What am I missing out on?


Aside from that, it's fun to have something different. V8s are everywhere, and an I6 will make someone look twice because it's something they just don't see very often.


When I drive 20 - 30 miles away from civilization into the middle of no where to high mountain lakes, I like to be able to say, I trust my engine. That's more important to me than any 1/4 mile time, boat pulling ability, or otherwise that V8s brag about.

 

Just to clarify, I wasn't reffering to any particular I6 or V8 in my comments.
1. Generally speaking, an I6 will make torque at a lower RPM than a V8, even if the bore/stroke are comprable. This has nothing to do with total torque output of either, mearly the RPM at which it starts to develop torque.
2. A similar displacement engine should achieve similar MPG, when all driving conditions are the same, regardless of engine configuration. Flow characteristics of the engines being equal, then they should use the same basic amount of air/fuel at any given time, under the same conditions.
3. Under the same conditions and maintainence schedual, engine wear *should* be pretty similar. However, since a V8 will make gobs more HP at higher RPM, they typically get used for such and as a result tend to suffer fatigue quicker than an I6 that is kept in the lower RPM range to take advantage of the lower RPM torque. This results in the I6 giving the appearance of a longer life. In truth, it won't last any longer when used in the exact same manner as a V8. It's the stress and fatigue that ultimately cause failure, and the higher the levels of these any engine is subjected to, the faster the wear rate.


In no way am I trying to say that you are wrong. Just stating things from my perspective.
In fact, I believe we are sharing very similar statements, just a bit of difference in how it's wored.

 

Like OBCB...just because...I can. If I had a Chebby or Mopar I would still want an I6.