Best, or just sweetest 4 cylinder engines?
Discussion
biggbn said:
Honda four pots? The old Fiat Twin Cam was a lovely old unit. And I have a massive sof spot for the VAG 1.9 tdi. Most influential engine of the 20th century?
Well yes, that 1.9 diesel made it's way into many a car and was tuned mercilessly and often mapped to oblivion. Taxis to boy racers used them in big numbers.I'd probably say the most influential engine could also be argued to be the pushrod American V8?
I would suggest:
Honda v4 in the RC30/45. I still want one now. Will never be able to afford one.
The cross plane Yamaha R1 engine - not terribly reliable as it turned out, but they sound ace.
Subaru flat 4. I was the right age to be impressed by Colin Mcrae!
VAG TDi 1.9. Just does what it's supposed to do.
Left field - Land Rover 2 1/4 petrol (as in the Series 3). I was surprised how smooth they are when tuned properly, and impressed by their ability to still run with a knackered head gasket and no compression on two cylinders.
Honda v4 in the RC30/45. I still want one now. Will never be able to afford one.
The cross plane Yamaha R1 engine - not terribly reliable as it turned out, but they sound ace.
Subaru flat 4. I was the right age to be impressed by Colin Mcrae!
VAG TDi 1.9. Just does what it's supposed to do.
Left field - Land Rover 2 1/4 petrol (as in the Series 3). I was surprised how smooth they are when tuned properly, and impressed by their ability to still run with a knackered head gasket and no compression on two cylinders.
I had a couple of Golf GTi Mk1s which were an absolute joy at high revs. This was the earlier 1.6 litre solid tappet engine, redline 6,700 and they had this lovely smooth metallic hum over 5,000, never got coarse or thrashy. For a mass-market workhorse engine they were a lot better than they needed to be. Then VW brought out the 1.8 with a longer throw crank and hydraulic tappets, and Golf GTis were never quite so much fun after that.
Honda K20s are used a lot on the racing scene, in fact all Honda four pots including the earlier ones- B16 I want to say, errr, I may be running out of knowledge. Anyway, I had no idea I could be outdragged by the little buzzers in a 300hp Jag until I started racing them, bloody hell they make good power.
I had a ZS120+ with a K series, it was a sub £1000 shed to run with my Cerbera. Couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed it, standard intake but the induction noise was awesome and a decent exhaust made it really viscerally satisfying even if it wasn’t very fast. Totally changed my perspective having never enjoyed a 4 pot before. Taken too soon by an engine loom fault which swallowed too much diagnostic time and money to justify for a cheap shed, now I really miss it.
I had a ZS120+ with a K series, it was a sub £1000 shed to run with my Cerbera. Couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed it, standard intake but the induction noise was awesome and a decent exhaust made it really viscerally satisfying even if it wasn’t very fast. Totally changed my perspective having never enjoyed a 4 pot before. Taken too soon by an engine loom fault which swallowed too much diagnostic time and money to justify for a cheap shed, now I really miss it.
drmike37 said:
Left field - Land Rover 2 1/4 petrol (as in the Series 3). I was surprised how smooth they are when tuned properly, and impressed by their ability to still run with a knackered head gasket and no compression on two cylinders.
It's a shame so many were thrown away and replaced with diesels. A good one is really rather lovely in an almost vintage way. It's a very old fashioned engine, weighing about twice what it needs to and with far too many bolts holding it together. You can see why the old Rover company went bust, but all that metal seems to just absorb a lot of the noise and vibration.2.0 Duratec HE in my Fiesta is nice, smooth and light feeling, and comes with a nice noise
Used in the a number of motorsport vehciles and the caterhams.
I always liked the noise of the 1.4 Abarth Engines but not sure how they feel.
I have a NC30 with the Droner firing order (like the RC30) that’s very different.
Used in the a number of motorsport vehciles and the caterhams.
I always liked the noise of the 1.4 Abarth Engines but not sure how they feel.
I have a NC30 with the Droner firing order (like the RC30) that’s very different.
230TE said:
drmike37 said:
Left field - Land Rover 2 1/4 petrol (as in the Series 3). I was surprised how smooth they are when tuned properly, and impressed by their ability to still run with a knackered head gasket and no compression on two cylinders.
It's a shame so many were thrown away and replaced with diesels. A good one is really rather lovely in an almost vintage way. It's a very old fashioned engine, weighing about twice what it needs to and with far too many bolts holding it together. You can see why the old Rover company went bust, but all that metal seems to just absorb a lot of the noise and vibration.It’s a good example which is surprising given it was a trials car and has been thrashed for years in competition use.
Maybe that’s what’s kept it happy all these years…
Had a integra dc5. The K20 engine in that was the best four pot I’ve ever driven. I used to wince ringing it out to the redline and was convinced it would grenade itself every time but it never did.
My mum had an Astra GTE with the Vauxhall red top engine in it. That probably comes a close second.
My mum had an Astra GTE with the Vauxhall red top engine in it. That probably comes a close second.
A.J.M said:
I’ve a 2.25 in my 80” and it’s a lovely engine, it revs cleanly with no issues, on tick over its smooth and quiet.
It’s a good example which is surprising given it was a trials car and has been thrashed for years in competition use.
Maybe that’s what’s kept it happy all these years…
The LR 2.25 is a good call for 'surprisingly sweet' found pots. I suppose it's because they're from the era when Rover over-engineered everything, but when they're in good internal condition and in proper tune they run incredibly smoothly and quietly - on a really good one you should really only be able to hear the distributor drive, the fan belt and the dynamo bearings at idle. Ridiculously tough, too (comes from sharing a lot of its design and parts with a diesel, I guess). I once saw a SII Landy with a 2.25 petrol get stuck in a mudhole at a crazy angle of lean that was enough to put the oil pressure light on. The engine had to stay running to power the capstan winch and it was like that for nearly an hour by the time we'd jostled it out. No ill effects whatsoever.It’s a good example which is surprising given it was a trials car and has been thrashed for years in competition use.
Maybe that’s what’s kept it happy all these years…
Staying with the Rover theme, the original square-stroke 2.0-litre OHC engine in the P6 is another one that's often unappreciated. Again, very smooth and free running and (apart from the thin side plates that rust out...) very well made.
The short-stroke air-cooled flat four in the Citroen GS should also get a mention. Extremely smooth, very low NVH, very free-revving and a nice soundtrack (combination of exhaust note and air-cooling noises). Just the problem of very little torque and quite thirsty for its size.
2xChevrons said:
Staying with the Rover theme, the original square-stroke 2.0-litre OHC engine in the P6 is another one that's often unappreciated. Again, very smooth and free running and (apart from the thin side plates that rust out...) very well made.
That's a forgotten engine for sure. I remember back in the 1980s people were putting them in old Land Rovers and claiming to get 30 mpg out of them. I wonder if there are any of those conversions left: I've been fettling old Land Rovers for a "living" (Ha!) for twenty years now and never seen one. Main problem IIRC was the unusually high compression ratio, one of very few engines that actually needed five star petrol.Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff