Is it Time for GM to upgrade there V6 Engines?

Here we go again with the maxima bs... Ok first off you like everyone else cant seem to figure out that the maxima uses a 10 to 1 compression. That means it needs high octain gas just like the supercharged 3800! Does it sound so efficient now? If not read on.

Heres the facts:

Supercharged 3800

260@5200 hp 280@3600 torque 18/28 mpg 1 cam 2 valves per cylinder.

Maxima SL

265@5800 hp 255@4400 torque 20/27 mpg 4 cams 4 valves per cylinder.

Wow look at that worthless 4400rpm torque. Way up high where its not needed. The 3800 for being a push rod motor that has roots going back to the 60's I say its beating the snot out of that Nissan whatchamacallit motor that wont be around more than a decade. Plus if you go driving anywhere above sea level the forced induction wont wimp out. Perfect for mountain-ess areas like West Virgina. Thats just a few advantages for going with a 3800. The other is the parts can be had anywhere and everywhere for a domestic and the cost is often far less. Looks of the GP can be debated for years but not factual numbers. Not sure where you get the Olds styling at... To call the 3800 a slug is being ill informed. People buy HP but they drive with TORQUE!

Style is in the eye of the beholder but torque is measurable. And a plain old pushrod engine has plenty of low end torque, which is exactly where it is needed for driving in a typical American city. Not much Autobahning in Houston.

Bon-ne-ville wrote: Here we go again with the maxima bs...

LOL !!

A friend of mine in Ohio bought a used 1994 Maxima in 1996. When I saw him that summer he told me about this great car and I asked " Is that the Maximum or the Minimum you've got there ? "

LOL !

========= Harryface =========

1991 Pontiac Bonneville LE, 3800 V6 _~_~_~_~274,329 miles_~_~_ ~_~_

Paul mentioned that there is " Not much autobahning in Houston ."

You mean them thar Texacans ain't driving like mad men in their SilveRAYdo's with steer horns mounted on the hood?

========= Harryface =========

1991 Pontiac Bonneville LE, 3800 V6 _~_~_~_~274,329 miles_~_~_ ~_~_

Nah. Too much traffic. The big fad now is to have a large number of trailer hitch balls on the back bumper. And a couple on the front bumper, too.

department,

So you think the 3800 Na is a slug eh? Well compared to a wound up 4 cylinder it is! But compared to other 6 cylinders, well I don't think so..... My 92 Bonneville SE with the EGRless 3800 NA engine was fast enough to beat most cars around. ;)

It's a nice engine, I read somewhere that a F-Body with the 3.8 could keep up with or pass a Mustang GT.

The 3.8 is tried and true. It's a work horse, and has proven itself.

department,

Aint no way in hell unless its running on only 6 cylinders. Have you driven a GT?

Heres the numbers I could find for stock Stangs. 85-96

0-60 1/4mile 1985 Ford Mustang GT 7.2 15.9 1987 Ford Mustang GT 6.7 15.3 1988 Ford Mustang GT 6.4 15.0 1990 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 6.4 14.9 1991 Ford Mustang GT 7.3 15.6 1992 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 6.2 14.8 1993 Ford Mustang Cobra 5.9 14.5 1993 Ford Mustang GT(auto) 8.0 16.1 1994 Ford Mustang Cobra 6.9 15.3 1994 Ford Mustang GT 6.7 15.1 1995 Ford Mustang 3.8 9.9 17.3 1995 Ford Mustang Cobra R 5.2 13.8 1996 Ford Mustang Cobra 5.5 14.0

Couldnt find newer and 3800's were being installed in what, 1997 on f- bodies?

I couldnt find any numbers on a stock f-body with a 3800 but I know I heard they run in the mid to high 14's more than a few times from different sources. I kid you not. And with a 5 speed and the low sleak low lines of the firebird it gets great gas mileage. The only bad thing is insurance killed the f-bodies.

Btw if a Bonneville with an automatic can do this

1998 Pontiac Bonneville SE 7.3 15.5 A f-body can do it in the 14's for sure.

I love the 3.8 OHV, but I've met its limitations. Yet, overall it's an excellent engine. I also have an Intrigu with the 3.5 DOHC and love it too, but in a different way. Overall, I think that the 3.8 edges the 3.5 up. The new 3.6, my brother told me, has the best of both engines: strong low-end torque and thrilling high-end response. Definitely, variable phasing cams are a multi-valve engine's best friends. And the 3.6 manages 255HP with REGULAR gas!

The awesome 3.5 is gone with Oldsmobile and the legendary 3.8 is in its last few years of life, eventually the 3.6 and derivatives will be the work horse in GM cars along with the 3.5 OHV.

For myself, I can't wait when the Grand Prix sports the 3.6 engine...

Dunno about you but I hate 60 degree motors. I like my injectors to be=20 visable without removing the plenum thank you. 260hp and its reached its=20 limitations? I think not. =20

From

95 Base Cpe MT May-95 3.8 V-6/4A 0-50, s. 5.50 0-60, s. 7.40 0-70, s. 9.80 1/4 Mile, s. 15.70 60-0 Braking, ft. 143.00 Slalom, mph 66.00 Skidpad, g. 0.81 Idle, dBA 46.00 60 mph, dBA 66.00

I wonder how a manual would work out...

I believe that they started putting them into the cars around mid-year '95.

Well thats not fair, Ford motors only seem to have 40HP/Litre

A W-body with a 3800 can keep up with a Mustang GT.

The only Ford we've ever had an interest in is the Excursion...and we kinda figured at that size we'd expect NOT to move but have everything else move for us :P

I'd rather have a 60° engines which allow easy access to all spark plugs...

You got me wrong. I have a Bonneville with the NA 3.8, and on the highway going from 70 to 90 is more laborious than with the Intrigue. Of course, around town, even weighing over 200lbs more, the Bonneville is quicker.

Both engines are typical of their designs: the 3.8 is a fine OHV designs with an almost flat torque curve that yet recedes noticeably at higher RPM; the 3.5 is a decent multi-valve design with ecellent high-end torque.

I wish there were an engine that would unite the best of both. Right now, there's no car that I've driven with such virtues, but I was told that the 3.6 in the CTS is this engine. We'll see.

Yeah 95 sounds right. I might of been thinking of the grand prix or the=20 change over in pickups. The one with the 5 speed manual is the one that=20 will do 14's. Automatics kinda suck some of the power away. To bad there=20 arent any stick shift GP's being made anymore.=20

Oooo...no no no...on the earlier W-Bodies with the 60° engines the rear plugs are a PITA to replace.