toyota, honda must fess up to less vroom

No one really gives a crap. What they give a crap about is that an 8 year old HonToy has less defects than a 3 year old Ford. And that the vehicles have resale value while GM/Ford only have salvage value.

Sorry, BGM, when was your first clue?

But, even the Honda engines, which generally do porduce more HP than a similar sized Toyota engine do so at a price. Honda, Nissan, Mazda and Subaru squeeze some extra HP at the cost of an Interference head. Very few Toyotas have Interference heads. I'll give up 15 HP for not having to replace the top end and maybe a couple pistons if the belt blows.

I never bought a Toyota expecting it to outrace other similarly sized cars. I bought them because they were smoother, quieter, and built with more quality craftsmanship than other cars I had owned. My first Toyota was a 94 Camry with 60K miles on it and it was way more polished than the new cars I was looking at then.

Or you can use a chain like Nissan does in many of their engines and never have to worry about a belt.

Nirav

Now, perhaps. Check out the Recall for the 1989 240SX. The 1990 had the same exact problem and was NOT issued a recall! At about

Just the amount I sold mine for...

Note the Disclaimer:

What's also a bit of a moot point is that most manufacturer's have alread gone back to chains. So, the whole belt thing in the first place goes back 3-5 years. And what's not 'modern' about the 2.4l engine in the 240SX. Very little has changed since it was introduced. The biggest difference (on cars or trucks where it is still in use) is a twin-cam design (instead of the SOHC/3 valves per cylinder) with a...you guessed it: belt. Most of the 'modern' differences occur in the ECU, not in the engine itself.

Most if not all Toyota and Honda 4-bangers currently in production are chain-driven.

Thats good to know. I don't follow most manufacturers as closely as I do Nissan. I have both a Nissan and a Toyota. I have no complaints about either. The Toyota is a 97 Corolla and the Nissan is a 96 Maxima. The VQ is a marevellous engine and has a reputation for being bullet-proof. The 7AFE 1.8L engine in the Corolla has been wonderful as well.

Belt replacement is a relatively minor issue IMHO - my local Toyota dealer does it for $199 and given that the Corolla is driven lightly, that amounts to a 6-7yr replacement interval for me - so it's not a concern whatsoever.

Back to the topic on hand - at the end of the day, the slight decrease in ratings via the new SAE measurement is hardly anything to get overly concerned about. IMHO HP numbers should be one of the lesser factors considered when comparing two competing vehicles, e.g. Accord vs. Camry vs Altima (just an example). The exception is when you are comparing what are supposed to be "performance vehicles" and the HP one of the most important selling points (e.g. the whole Mustang HP rating fiasco).

Just my 2 cents ;)

Nirav

Have I not been telling you, for some time, that Toyotas are generally overpriced and under powered? ;)

mike hunt

You forgot to say in my opinion ;)

mike

One should prefer some torque, so the vehicle can get out of its own way when needed. What good is HP if one needs to wind up the engine to get to it and then there is no torque left to do the work when you need it? ;)

mike hunt

Why would you want to polish a new car anyway?

mike

Isn't it true that 'generally' cars with interference engines use chains and those with non-interference engines use belts?

Reason being that interference engines 'need' the protection of the more reliable metal chain due to the consequences of a belt/chain break?

The answer to your question is yes, but keep in mind that 'generally' is not 'always."

There are interference engines that have timing belts instead of timing chains, i.e. Honda and Nissan. It is not so much that interference engines need the protection of the chain. Timing belts are used because they tend to be quieter than metal chains.

My Echo has balls o'plenty for my taste...

:-)

Natalie

He exaggerated, presumably for emphasis, but it's all fact-based and doesn't really qualify as "opinion," especially in a Toyota group, where the endorsement of Toyotas is a given. You can look it up at KBB, JDPowers and Edmunds.

Toyotas have plenty of torque and accelerate just fine. On public roads, you're not going to get anywhere any faster than a 2.4L Camry, at least not without risking a ticket.

And we'll cruise right by while the cops write it up.

Yep. You have a perverse dedication to being wrong.