Favorite Engines/Transmissions

[homeforsummer]

Why wouldn't it have a higher redline? Just about any 4 cylinder will rev above 6k. Especially a turbocharged one.

That's total conjecture. There are plenty of 4-cyls that can't rev past 6k (I've owned two of them - an old pushrod Ford and my flat-four Beetle - which makes peak power at lower revs than most diesels) and turbocharged engines are even less likely to rev to high numbers because the turbocharger allows greater power at lower revs. I guarantee that on average, naturally-aspirated engines rev higher than turbocharged ones. And I'd wager that a lot of turbocharged cars on sale today make peak power lower than 6k rpm.

Ford Small block: Can't say they are particularly brilliant in any way; they aren't particularly smooth, and not very much set up for racing as stock... But they are full of character, sound great, and can make some pretty spectacular power.

Quite keen on those myself, since they've gone in some of my favourite American pony cars.

 

[eight6er]

4 cylinders do sound like crap

I picked a 4 cylinder as one of my top 3 engines, mainly because it's my favourite sounding engine.

 

[Nicksfix]

,
mated to an A833 4spd.

,
mated to an M22 Rockcrusher.

 

[Slash]

Ford Small block: Can't say they are particularly brilliant in any way; they aren't particularly smooth, and not very much set up for racing as stock... But they are full of character, sound great, and can make some pretty spectacular power.

They make amazing power for a budget engine, anyone will tell you that. For under 2k you can have a 750 horsepower engine, and with slightly more money I've seen SBF's doing over 1000 horsepower (again with the proper setup, like an SVO block etc.). Great low end torque and high end horsepower depending on your setup.



Favorite Engines:

Ford 351W (Best if punched out to a 454). Low end torque and the high end horsepower are great for 4x4's. Bad on gas, depending on setup can get you between 3 and 12mph. I'm currently getting 3. LOL
Ford 429 (500+ horsepower stock, was the king of the road in it's day)
Ford 460, basically a bored and stroked 429 (Best if punched out to an 806c.i., aka 13.1L). Great for trucks. Twin turbo and everything your looking at around 2k horsepower lol. Of course, if you want to spend 50K on an engine lol. A stock 460 will get the job done.

If I HAD to pick one more I'd go with a Supercharged 427 from the GT500 Eleanor, 827hp =P




As far as transmissions:


Ford C6 3spd Auto/Manual - No preference between the automatic or manual here, but I hate shifting so if I had to pick I'd go with auto. Will handle 600+ horsepower easy with no mods, not bad for a tranny that came out in the mid '60s eh?
Ford E40D - Great tranny but unfortunately the computer always goes cabluey in these ones. Pretty much a computer controlled C6.
Ford 4R100 - Updated E40D.




If you couldn't tell I'm a Ford fanboi =P

 

[Vnod]

My Honda b18b4 lsvtec
Spoon b18c
Toyota 4-age 20v

 

[rb26x]

I can't pick just three
One is my username, the Nissan RB26DETT
Toyota 2JZ-GTE, indestructible
Honda F20C, amazing power to liter ratio, 246hp at 2 liters NA
Chevy's entire LS-series, lightweight, simple, reliable V8s for the modern world
Nissan VG30DETT, insane amounts of power put down with this engine

As for transmissions, I'm not as familiar, but the S2000s is ridiculously precise, and the shifter in the RX-8 feels great. All I know is the Borg-Warner T5 in the F-body V6 Camaro is clunky.

 

[ozyran]

You forgot that is is also ugly sounds like crap and is most likely slow. I like turbos and what not but gm just doesn't do a turbo four quite right, aside from the new 2.0l 260 horsepower one.

I wasn't going anywhere near build quality, I know better than that when it comes to the Vega. I've read horror stories...

 

[Tornado]

a vega with a small v8 is a better car

 

[Rotary Junkie]

They make amazing power for a budget engine, anyone will tell you that. For under 2k you can have a 750 horsepower engine, and with slightly more money I've seen SBF's doing over 1000 horsepower (again with the proper setup, like an SVO block etc.). Great low end torque and high end horsepower depending on your setup.

Under 2k? 750hp?

From a small-block Ford? Not really, no. Maybe if you don't mind blowing it up every 3rd run. A Teksid block 4.6 can come close to that though (Cobra rotating assembly, '96-8 Cobra intake with shortened runners, add boost, done) very easily.

And still idle perfectly because the heads don't suck and so it doesn't need a madness cam.

Favorite Engines:

Ford 351W (Best if punched out to a 454). Low end torque and the high end horsepower are great for 4x4's. Bad on gas, depending on setup can get you between 3 and 12mph. I'm currently getting 3. LOL

Bad on gas? Not always. I'd bet a relatively small headed 351W could knock down 20-25mpg on the highway depending on gearing in a car while still doing 12s all day every day.

Ford 429 (500+ horsepower stock, was the king of the road in it's day)

Erm. 500+ for the Boss 429, sure. Short of that? Pig.

Ford 460, basically a bored and stroked 429 (Best if punched out to an 806c.i., aka 13.1L). Great for trucks. Twin turbo and everything your looking at around 2k horsepower lol. Of course, if you want to spend 50K on an engine lol. A stock 460 will get the job done.

A stock 460 is also a complete pig. Even in their best days the factory heads were terrible. Lots of torque, sure, but that's a function of displacement.

If I HAD to pick one more I'd go with a Supercharged 427 from the GT500 Eleanor, 827hp =P

I'm not up to date on my movie car knockoffs, is that a proper 427 (FE) or a punched out small block?

The FE was easily the best of the bunch at, well, everything. Lighter than the 385, more power than the Windsors thought of (as well as the Clevelands for that matter).

Not to mention they still grow on trees even today and the worst heads are still pretty damn good.

And then there's the sound. The FE sounds like it's going to kill something, probably you.

As far as transmissions:


Ford C6 3spd Auto/Manual - No preference between the automatic or manual here, but I hate shifting so if I had to pick I'd go with auto. Will handle 600+ horsepower easy with no mods, not bad for a tranny that came out in the mid '60s eh?

Manual C6? Ahahahahhahahahaha. No such thing. The C6 is an automatic transmission no matter how you slice it... Putting a manual valvebody in it != making it a manual transmission.

Also, transmissions are not rated for a given horsepower figure, they're rated for a torque figure.

Ford E40D - Great tranny but unfortunately the computer always goes cabluey in these ones. Pretty much a computer controlled C6.

Pretty much a computer controlled C6 with different gear ratios, you mean.

The C6's 1st-3rd ratios can be used in the E4OD/4R100 but no E4OD came with them.

If you couldn't tell I'm a Ford fanboi =P

If you couldn't tell, I legitimately bleed Ford blue.

Edit: @Vega stuff: For a bit we had a '76 we got for free. Cleaned the contacts on the fuel pump, cleaned the carb, cleaned the plugs, switched the alternator belt and from there on it'd fire on the first turn after having sat for 6 years. Had no balls at all, but that's an automatic Vega for you.

 

[savage388]

That's it just a picture? I expected more of an argument from you

 

[Cano]

I legitimately bleed Ford blue.

hahahahaa, I was going to, but you beat me to the punch and with class. Way to go, bud.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

^I've noticed on a few occasions that when someone replies in response to a comment of yours, you're suddenly not allowed to have an opinion.


My picks:

1. Toyota 1UZ-FE
2. VW VR6
3. Nissan SR20DET

1UZ-FE Selection makes you cool, a V8 that is light and can make great power if built up right.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

They make amazing power for a budget engine, anyone will tell you that. For under 2k you can have a 750 horsepower engine, and with slightly more money I've seen SBF's doing over 1000 horsepower (again with the proper setup, like an SVO block etc.). Great low end torque and high end horsepower depending on your setup.



Favorite Engines:

Ford 351W (Best if punched out to a 454). Low end torque and the high end horsepower are great for 4x4's. Bad on gas, depending on setup can get you between 3 and 12mph. I'm currently getting 3. LOL
Ford 429 (500+ horsepower stock, was the king of the road in it's day)
Ford 460, basically a bored and stroked 429 (Best if punched out to an 806c.i., aka 13.1L). Great for trucks. Twin turbo and everything your looking at around 2k horsepower lol. Of course, if you want to spend 50K on an engine lol. A stock 460 will get the job done.

If I HAD to pick one more I'd go with a Supercharged 427 from the GT500 Eleanor, 827hp =P




As far as transmissions:


Ford C6 3spd Auto/Manual - No preference between the automatic or manual here, but I hate shifting so if I had to pick I'd go with auto. Will handle 600+ horsepower easy with no mods, not bad for a tranny that came out in the mid '60s eh?
Ford E40D - Great tranny but unfortunately the computer always goes cabluey in these ones. Pretty much a computer controlled C6.
Ford 4R100 - Updated E40D.




If you couldn't tell I'm a Ford fanboi =P

I know a thing or two about SBFs....

+ many more

By the way, no production Boss 429 ever made as much as even the factory claims probably. Throw in a better cam and headers, and you're getting up there though.

 

[Zenith]

By the way, no production Boss 429 ever made as much as even the factory claims probably. Throw in a better cam and headers, and you're getting up there though.

IIRC, the factory claim wasn't even 400hp. Even with crappy heads, I'm pretty sure the BOSS 429 made more than that. Obviously not as much as some people would like to believe (we're talking 60's manufacturing here), but it's generally accepted that the engines made more than they were rated for.

EDIT: And as said before, the 429's were hugely under-carbureted and had extremely restrictive heads. You could gain hundreds of horsepower by simply opening up the Venturi with a Holley Dominator and changing out the heads.

 

[Tornado]

EDIT: And as said before, the 429's were hugely under-carbureted and had extremely restrictive heads. You could gain hundreds of horsepower by simply opening up the Venturi with a Holley Dominator and changing out the heads.

The IROC Camaro school of engine tuning, then?

 

[YSSMAN]

I'll honor some of my favorite, non-high performance powertrains...


General Motors LY5 V8 - 5.3L - 320 BHP
As the entry-level V8 in most of the truck line at GM, the LY5 is a cost-effective small-block that offers a good amount of power without having to suck down massive amounts of fuel. The power band is as flat as the Nebraska prairie, and even in stock trim, manages to produce a sound that is as iconic as any of the other high-performance LS V8s. I've always wondered why GM has been so reluctant to use the LY5 in any other application aside from the trucks. The power curve would be great for a sport sedan or sports coupe, the price would be right, and getting fuel economy that would easily start in the mid 20s would be worth it.

Toyota 5S-FE I4 - 2.2L - 135 BHP
As Toyota's workhorse engine of the '90s, there isn't anything particularly special about it. It saw duty in everything from the Camry to the Celica (of which I've owned one of each), and although it won't win any awards for performance, the reliability of this unit is beyond belief. I'm entirely convinced that the 5S-FE could be placed on a similar pedestal as the GM 3800 as an engine that simply refuses to die. It may not run well... But stop running? Never. Did Toyota produce better options at the time? Most-certainly. But that doesn't mean they're a favorite.

Honda K24 I4 - 2.4L - 166 BHP
Basically, I'm in love with the entry-level four cylinders done right. What a sweetheart of a bread and butter setup. As one of the first major shots in the four-cylinder horsepower wars, almost everything about this engine demonstrated that Honda knew how to keep the performance in the mainstream vehicles, while still delivering a product that kept NVH down at the same time. Perhaps it is the magic of the K-series engines in general, but the K24 seals the deal for me. Matched to the manual transmission offered at the time, pure magic. Torque everywhere, power when necessary, fuel economy otherwise. Fantastic.

 

[mustangGT90210]

Modular ford V8's, SBC, and the B/K series hondas for engines

Tranny:
Anything manual

 

[CodeRedR51]

I don't feel the need to type out a whole post like the one above mine, so I'll just do this:

1) Nissan SR20
2) Ford Coyote 5.0
3) Toyota 2ZZ
4) Nissan VQ

Don't know trans codes, but the only one that sticks out in my head as being any good was the 5-speed in my Miata.

The transmission in my Cobalt sucks donkey.

 

[savage388]

Being that almost no one has strong opinion on there favorite trans, how about the tremec T-56. It's been used in everything from camaros to Aston martins and shifts nicely, while still being able to handle very high torque numbers.

 

[Zenith]

Being that almost no one has strong opinion on there favorite trans, how about the tremec T-56. It's been used in everything from camaros to Aston martins and shifts nicely, while still being able to handle very high torque numbers.

Yup. The Borg-Warner T-5 is a versatile transmission family for mid size cars. Makes it easier to add power without worrying about breaking your drivetrain.

 

[marluxiaXI11]

General Motors LY5 V8 - 5.3L - 320 BHP

They made this engine for trucks and so it will only go in trucks and isn't designed to fit in cars.

 

[RedTransAm]

Engines:
Chevrolet gen I SBC
Chevrolet gen III+IV (LS based)
Cadillac Northstar
Pontiac Super Duty engines
Buick LC2
BMW S62

Transmissions:
Borg-Warner T56
Tremec TKO
S2000 6 speed
ZF S6-40
Muncie M-22 (I've driven every trans above, but not this one. It's on the list just because it's nickname is "rock crusher" and that's just BA.)

 

[JER_CREST]

Chrysler/Desoto/Dodge/Plymouth/Jeep 318 cid 5.2L V8 with any manual transmission that the Chrysler corporation mated it with.

I drive a 1978 Dodge D300 Truck with the 318 cid engine in it and I get 20mpg in it.

 

[Tornado]

They made this engine for trucks and so it will only go in trucks and isn't designed to fit in cars.

Er... It's a SBC. GM could put it in whatever the thing would fit in (which is basically everything bigger than the Cruze), they adapted the last generation Vortec 5300 into the LS3 for use in FWD cars (changed the heads and changed the block material, basically), and the current generation Vortec 5300 already comes in some models with an aluminum block.

 

[RedTransAm]

Yup. The Borg-Warner T-5 is a versatile transmission family for mid size cars. Makes it easier to add power without worrying about breaking your drivetrain.

Versatile? Yes. But put it behind an engine with any kind of power and it becomes a liability.

They made this engine for trucks and so it will only go in trucks and isn't designed to fit in cars.

5.3 is and LS based engine, same design as an LS1/2/6/etc, so it can easily go into a number of cars. It's an affordable and common swap and 5.3's LOVE boost

 

[Rotary Junkie]

Versatile? Yes. But put it behind an engine with any kind of power and it becomes a liability.

Indeed. A T5 behind a stock 5.0 or 305 is already a liability. More? Have fun shattering them constantly.

 

[savage388]

Yup. The Borg-Warner T-5 is a versatile transmission family for mid size cars. Makes it easier to add power without worrying about breaking your drivetrain.

No I was talking about the t56 not the t5. Big difference. As said above the t5 doesn't handle torque too well, they couldnt even use it with the 350 cubic inch 3rd gen camaro because it would leave pieces everywhere. On the other hand, the t-56 was in the 1st gen viper, enough said:tup:

 

[Murcie_LP640]

I'll honor some of my favorite, non-high performance powertrains...

Honda K24 I4 - 2.4L - 166 BHP
Basically, I'm in love with the entry-level four cylinders done right. What a sweetheart of a bread and butter setup. As one of the first major shots in the four-cylinder horsepower wars, almost everything about this engine demonstrated that Honda knew how to keep the performance in the mainstream vehicles, while still delivering a product that kept NVH down at the same time. Perhaps it is the magic of the K-series engines in general, but the K24 seals the deal for me. Matched to the manual transmission offered at the time, pure magic. Torque everywhere, power when necessary, fuel economy otherwise. Fantastic.

I agree with this to be honest; the K24Z3 in the Honda Accord Euro here with the Euro's 6-speed manual makes a beautiful drivetrain. i-VTEC, 204hp. Pretty spritely performance for a FWD sedan and yet it uses about as much fuel as, or even less than, my 145hp Accord VTi. Did I mention the Euro's manual 'box is absolutely fantastic?

 

[mustangGT90210]

They make amazing power for a budget engine, anyone will tell you that. For under 2k you can have a 750 horsepower engine, and with slightly more money I've seen SBF's doing over 1000 horsepower (again with the proper setup, like an SVO block etc.). Great low end torque and high end horsepower depending on your setup.



Favorite Engines:

Ford 351W (Best if punched out to a 454). Low end torque and the high end horsepower are great for 4x4's. Bad on gas, depending on setup can get you between 3 and 12mph. I'm currently getting 3. LOL
Ford 429 (500+ horsepower stock, was the king of the road in it's day)
Ford 460, basically a bored and stroked 429 (Best if punched out to an 806c.i., aka 13.1L). Great for trucks. Twin turbo and everything your looking at around 2k horsepower lol. Of course, if you want to spend 50K on an engine lol. A stock 460 will get the job done.

If I HAD to pick one more I'd go with a Supercharged 427 from the GT500 Eleanor, 827hp =P




As far as transmissions:


Ford C6 3spd Auto/Manual - No preference between the automatic or manual here, but I hate shifting so if I had to pick I'd go with auto. Will handle 600+ horsepower easy with no mods, not bad for a tranny that came out in the mid '60s eh?
Ford E40D - Great tranny but unfortunately the computer always goes cabluey in these ones. Pretty much a computer controlled C6.
Ford 4R100 - Updated E40D.




If you couldn't tell I'm a Ford fanboi =P

I'm not a fan of the E4OD. I feel the AOD is the better automatic from the time. Less parasitic loss, and it was all mechanical. To me it makes no sense to have a computer controlled transmission, when the computer in the truck can barely run a basic fuel map. And heaven forbid you add a hi-flow air filter.

That being said, if you've got an M5ODR2, or a ZF 5 speed laying around, I'll trade you my E4OD right now.

 

[Rotary Junkie]

I'm not a fan of the E4OD. I feel the AOD is the better automatic from the time. Less parasitic loss, and it was all mechanical. To me it makes no sense to have a computer controlled transmission, when the computer in the truck can barely run a basic fuel map. And heaven forbid you add a hi-flow air filter.

That being said, if you've got an M5ODR2, or a ZF 5 speed laying around, I'll trade you my E4OD right now.

In an application like your truck, the AOD is by far the better transmission...

But at the same time, you can make an E4OD hold INSANE levels of power when built right.