Quote:
jerry83 said:
This is OT but I realized the 2006 bmw m3 has a 3.2L I6 with 333 hp output, while the 997 has a larger 3.6l f6 with 325 hp. Even if it may have a better exhaust system its still a much smaller engine with more power. does this mean the bmw has a more advanced engine than the 911?



No, it does not. You're comparing two totally different configurations, and leaving out fuel efficiency. Displacement and stroke and head/intake design and induction are all just ways of "getting the job done" but when it comes down to brass tacks, the real litmus of advanced and/or superior engine technology, is how much useable power you can wring out of a mill using the least amount of fuel, and also toss into the equation, the least amount of emissions...

The enormous 6.0 LS2 engine in the Corvette is actually a cleaner, and more fuel/power efficient mill, than the Porsche flat-6. Yes, it's using a ton of displacement, and an ancient basic architecture (but isn't the flat-6 fairly old-tech?), but it's the execution that counts. What really counts, no matter HOW you arrive at your power, since there's an almost infinite list of recipes an engineer can follow, is the power you get for the air and fuel you use, and how cleany-efficiently it burns that air and fuel.

I lose my mind when people put all their emphasis on how much power you can get from how little displacement. There's SO much more to the "goal" than that. What you're looking for is efficiencies in power and consumption and emissions, HOWEVER that is achieved, using WHATEVER combination of displacement and technology works best to achieve it. When I look at a Chevy 6.0 V8, or a Porsche 3.6 flat-6, or a Honda 4, I find myself immensely impressed by them all, as they are all achieving leading-edge results and ratios with completely different design approaches.