new saab motor for 9-3 series

Just curious, What 'sounds great' about a larger displacement, thirstier, more complicated, difficult to service configuration (v6 in transverse installation) engine that puts out the same HP as a FPT 2.3L I4? I just wish the marketing wags would spin 'better' as opposed to being 'me too' with a v6. The new 'global 4' with 2.2l displacement and a turbo can easily go north of 280hp + 250 ft-lb (better head design than a B235, flows better) in FPT configuration. The bigger problem is a transmission that can take it!

KeithG

Nicky Serfl> 2.8 lt v6 with 250 ps.

WELL, there is no V6 for the 9-3 SS series. That's the news, mate!

"KeithG" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:j snipped-for-privacy@wideopenwest.com...

Saab and V6 engines have not done well in the past. Any reason to think this would do any better?

you never know! maybe there were problems in the past. but maybe the probs aren't there in the future.

The V6 is an inherently unbalanced design for an engine, and adds complexity and fuel consumption for little to no benefit. The only people who care about a V6 are those who want to count pistons instead of learning about why engine management and control is more important than the number of spark plugs you have.

In other words - the only people who want a V6, are those who don't know enough to know it's a step backwards.

"Dave Hinz" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@individual.net...

i don't know much about engines, but i really like my turbo saab. if the ng says, v6 ain't that good, i do believe you. but is it with the bmw v6 the same?

cheers,

nicky

I don't know, but there are a couple of guys here who know the BMW line well. It's not "avoid the Saab V6" that I'm saying, it's "V6 is for people who value piston count over engineering", as a general statement.

yes, thinking that "more is better"...

see

so do I

with what?

-- MH '72 97 '77 96 '78 95 '79 96 '87 900T8

Well, BMW has never made a car with V6. I certainly hope never will.

BR:Z

OK, I'll bite...

Not sure about unbalanced. A six will always be smoother than a four pushing out the same power - smaller bangs and more of them.

I'd always seen increasing the cylinder count as a perfectly sensible way of increasing the displacement whilst keeping the cylinders reasonably small. Going from straight to V does add a lot of components though. There's plenty of straight sixes about, but they're a bit long for most applications.

Steady. I was quite fond of my V6 Alfa...

If you want an engine over about 2.5 litres, your four-pot options are virtually non-existant. As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't have anything to do with the number of pistons. It's all about the age-old displacement vs. turbo debate...

Cheers,

Colin.

There is no BMW V6 - it's an I6. It works well in a BMW because it's mounted longitudinally, and set well back into the bulkhead. A transverse mounted I6 is near impossible, and a transverse mounted V6 is a real pain in the arse to work on.

What's more, the GM V6 has many notorious weak spots - on an absolute scale, it just isn't a good engine. Now take that and compare it with the long established, well developed Saab I4, there is just no competition.

To be fair to 6 cylinder engines, there is a noticeable difference in smoothness between a 4 and a 6 - but that in itself doesn't make a good engine, there are lots and lots of other factors.

How can a newly developed engine have "many notorious weak spots"? I would think that the engine must be in production for a couple of years before any weak spots can be called "notorious".

Inline engines tend to be smoother and generally produce more power than the V configuration engine of the same displacement. Saabs have inline

4s and BMWs have inline 6s. With that said, since Saab is owned by GM, where do you think Saab is going to get its next V6? GM has announced it is going to use as many common components as possible to save money. They further announced they believe no customer is going to care what components are in the cars, that they will only care about the [Saab] marque.

Is it a totally new engine? I understood it was just an updated version of the current GM V6 - please tell me if this is not the case.

The new Saab V6 engine for the 9-3 SC is based on the new all aluminium/aluminum GM Alloytec engine manufactured in Australia, but with turbo adaptions by Saab. The engine has variable cam phasing/timing and a turbo with a dual scroll turbine.

< >< >

I stand corrected - thanks for the links.

Here is a (long) link to yesterdays press release from GM:

"GM's Global V-6 Family Expands With New 2.8L Turbocharged Engine"

< ?domain=74&docid=11994> < ?domain=74&docid=11994 >

Actually, there is one HUGE benefit to a V6 engine. It is short (only

3 cylinders long) making it very compact and easy for designers to fit it in a small engine compartment. This is the main reason it is such a popular design.

-Fred W

Yes, that's an entirely different beast from a V6, and doesn't suffer from the inherent cooling and balance problems that a V6 has.

Only half of it...

Dave Hinz