Re: alfa-digest V7 #918

["Rich Wagner" <drsavage@domain.elided>]

Don wrote:

>Have you looked at the torque
>figures for that wonder engine?  Yeah, sure they've got 200-odd hp, but
>about half that in torque.  If you've driven any of the Vtec Hondas,
you'll
>know what I mean.  My girlfriend has a Vtec Civic and it's a gutless turd
>below 5000 rpm.

So what's your point?  The Honda CBX didn't even begin to generate power
until somewhere beyond 6,500 RPM.  That doesn't mean it's a bad engine. 
The 200 cubic inch six in my dad's old Mustang generated maximum torque
from right off of idle.  Flat torque from 500 to 4,000 RPM.  Funny thing
is, I don't see any Formula 1 teams trading in their basically
equivalent-sized mills for one of those.  For Pete's sake, in the current
formula, their engines don't begin to generate power until they reach
12,000 RPM!  They can't even pull out below 4,000 RPM!!  800 HP, 3 liter
garbage, eh?  Well, I'll take some of that garbage any day.

As always, it's all about knowing how to use the car.  Lot's of American
big iron drivers look at our engines like they're garbage too.  "Imagine,
no torque below 2,000 RPM!  Italian crap!"


Rich Wagner
Montrose, CO
'82 GTV6 Balocco

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