# Someone Please help MOPAR **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 29, 2004, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-please-help-mopar/252673 "2004-06-29T05:53:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![qcomdrj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/a6a055/32.png) [@qcomdrj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qcomdrj)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-please-help-mopar/252673/1 "2004-06-29T05:53:11Z")
Is it just me, (apologies if this has been discussed, I couldn’t find it), or does Dodge advertising think everyone is a retard. Point A) “This new Durango has a dvd!” said with glee. I could make an 84 Citation have a Dvd, they cost $4.88 at Wal-Mart. DVD player you mean? Little difference. It’s like calling it a VHS instead of a VCR. Point B) “And it’s got a Hemi” Yes. It has DaimlerChrysler’s trademarked name for the cylinder head shape almost every engine uses. That would be like Chevy patenting “smallblock”. Point C) Really, does anyone haul a surfboard, an amp, and a guitar at the same time as their ladder and 2x4’s? I don’t care if the Magnum can haul them, nobody says “Dude, after surfing, lets go by Home Depot and then jam. Let’s race an old Lotus while we are at it” I could find more, but I leave it to the rest of you to do so. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-please-help-mopar/252673/2 "2004-06-29T07:07:13Z")
And this differs from most other advertising how? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-please-help-mopar/252673/3 "2004-06-29T11:47:17Z")
> [@](#): > > “And it’s got a Hemi” Yes. It has DaimlerChrysler’s trademarked name for the cylinder head shape almost every engine uses. That’s not correct. If an engine has any more than two valves per cylinder it is virtually impossible for it to be a Hemisperical head engine due to the weird geometry it would take to make that work. [Explanation of a Hemi engine](http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hemi2.htm) > [@](#): > > One thing that a hemispherical head will never have is four valves per cylinder. The valve angles would be so crazy that the head would be nearly impossible to design. Having only two valves per cylinder is not an issue in drag racing or NASCAR because racing engines are limited to two valves per cylinder in these categories. But on the street, four slightly smaller valves let an engine breathe easier than two large valves. Modern engines use a pentroof design to accommodate four valves. ---
**Author:** ![qcomdrj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/a6a055/32.png) [@qcomdrj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qcomdrj)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-please-help-mopar/252673/4 "2004-06-29T14:43:27Z")
Airman Doors, Sorry for saying most. However, a vast majority of GM V8 engines (not the northstar models) are 2 valves/cylinder. I guess I was implying most V8’s. In the interest of fuel economy, etc, most engines are 4 or even 5 (Ferrari) valvles per cylinder. The Hemi was widely copied when Dodge first came out with the engine. And it still is synonymous with “small-block” or back then even “unleaded gas only”. ---
**Author:** ![GaWd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-please-help-mopar/252673/5 "2004-06-29T17:12:39Z")
> [@qcomdrj](#): > > The Hemi was widely copied when Dodge first came out with the engine. Yes, lots of car manufacturers have copied the hemi chamber design, most notably Ford who ran an engine in competition almost identical to the Hemi for many years. > [@](#): > > And it still is synonymous with “small-block” or back then even “unleaded gas only”. Huh? Dodge made small blocks, of which Hemi is not one, but Chevy would be most synonymous with “small-block”, over all other american auto manufacturers who made a smallblock. Not sure what you were getting at… Sam ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-please-help-mopar/252673/6 "2004-06-29T17:21:27Z")
Waitaminnit…are you saying that DaimlerChrysler cynically copyrighted the term “hemi” and is now misapplying it to wedge engines, i.e., “the cylinder head shape almost every engine uses”? Or are you saying that at some time when I wasn’t looking the automotive industry dropped the wedge-shaped combustion chamber and adopted the hemispherical variety? If the former, that would be way worse than Chevrolet copyrighting “smallblock”. That would be like Mazda copyrighting “Wänkel rotary” and then slapping a “Wänkel rotary” advertising sticker on their piston-engine automobiles. If the latter, …when did that happen? If I hoist the hoods of a dozen randomly-chosen recent-vintage cars, will I see spark plug wires going down through the valve covers? I did have an old Toyota Corolla ('73ish) whose 1600 cc engine was indeed a hemi, but I thought they were still kind of rare and unconventional. ---
**Author:** ![qcomdrj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/a6a055/32.png) [@qcomdrj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qcomdrj)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-please-help-mopar/252673/7 "2004-06-29T18:42:39Z")
The hemi is not synonymous as small block. Stamping “hemi” on the side of the car is synonymous with stamping “small block” on the side of a chevy. Yes, you’ve now informed me that that car has an engine. I could infer that from the exhaust pipes. Diesels rattle more, so I assume it’s gas. Hemi’s are more rare now, because there are much more efficient engines, but it is useful for torque. That’s why lots of trucks use them. I really should try to be more clear. ---
**Author:** ![qcomdrj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/a6a055/32.png) [@qcomdrj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qcomdrj)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-please-help-mopar/252673/8 "2004-06-29T18:56:37Z")
The crux is that naming engines now is stupid, what with there being 1/100th of the gearhead there once were. And the ones that are, work on Honda engines anyway. GM says Vortec, Ford, Triton, Toyota, i-Force. Dodge implies that their Hemi means something special, similar to VVT Hondas. It doesn’t, at least not anymore. That is all. ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-please-help-mopar/252673/9 "2004-06-29T18:59:47Z")
Yes, you really should be more clear, and what **AHunter3** said. Hemi means the engine has a hemispherical head design, and most cars have wedge heads. Hemi “technology” isn’t used on many cars. So I guess the real question is: Does the new Dodge Durango (and pickups) have an engine with hemispherical heads? ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-please-help-mopar/252673/10 "2004-06-29T19:05:41Z")
BTW, Honda engines (with the feature) aren’t just VVT: They’re VTEC, which varies both the lift and the durantion electonically. And the “real VTEC” acts on, I believe, both intake and exhaust cams, as opposed to some Hondas that only have intake VTEC. ---
**Author:** ![GaWd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-please-help-mopar/252673/11 "2004-06-29T20:09:56Z")
…and as far as I know, VVT was first used by BMW some many years ago to overcome the difference in gas quality regionally. Sam ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-please-help-mopar/252673/12 "2004-06-30T18:28:11Z")
I think their version is called VANOS, and then there’s “double VANOS” which I can only assume is intake and exhaust cam adjustment, but who knows. ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-please-help-mopar/252673/13 "2004-06-30T18:32:55Z")
C:\Pray for MOPAR. What the heck’s a MOPAR? ---
**Author:** ![qcomdrj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/a6a055/32.png) [@qcomdrj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qcomdrj)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-please-help-mopar/252673/14 "2004-06-30T18:34:43Z")
Old name for Chrysler MOtor PARts division. Like GM has Mr. Goodwrench, and Ford has Motorcraft. Probably not the most descriptive thread title, as I’m sure only a small percentage of Dopers are old gearheads and their families. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-please-help-mopar/252673/15 "2004-06-30T18:46:20Z")
It’s nice to know a Hemi owner will have something to sell after the rest of the car rots away. Chrysler throws out these cars (Viper, Prowler, PT Cruiser, Crossfire, etc) to take your minds off the regular crap they build (like the 10,000 Le Baron variants). ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-please-help-mopar/252673/16 "2004-07-01T12:39:47Z")
Maybe this was lost in the chatter, but Hemi’s are unique, and it’s a very legit advertising point for them, and a good part of the brand I.D. It’s overplayed, and is now annoying as hell, but Hemi’s are pretty unique to ChryCo. ---
**Author:** ![qcomdrj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/a6a055/32.png) [@qcomdrj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qcomdrj)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-please-help-mopar/252673/17 "2004-07-01T14:55:45Z")
You missed the point. No they aren’t unique. Or at least they weren’t. They might be more rare now, but they were quite common in the 60s and 70s. As an aside, there is an 87 Dodge Shadow convertible here with a “Yeah, its got a Hemi” bumper sticker. I’ve been driving around with my camera lately so I can get a picture of it, because it is fan-fucking-tastic, complete with extremely obese, unhygienic driver. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-please-help-mopar/252673/18 "2004-07-01T16:14:35Z")
> [@Necros](#): > > BTW, Honda engines (with the feature) aren’t just VVT: They’re VTEC, which varies both the lift and the durantion electonically. And the “real VTEC” acts on, I believe, both intake and exhaust cams, as opposed to some Hondas that only have intake VTEC. Nitpicking here, but new Honda engines are **i-VTEC**. The **i** means that the cam overlap can be changed too. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-please-help-mopar/252673/19 "2004-07-01T16:27:33Z")
> [@qcomdrj](#): > > Point A) “This new Durango has a dvd!” said with glee. I could make an 84 Citation have a Dvd, they cost $4.88 at Wal-Mart. DVD player you mean? Little difference. It’s like calling it a VHS instead of a VCR. Dunno about the rest, but this bit is incredibly lame - do you call the standard entertainment system in a low-end car a _radio_? Or do you call it by a more proper name, such as _Radio Receiving Appliance_? ---
**Author:** ![qcomdrj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/a6a055/32.png) [@qcomdrj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qcomdrj)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2004, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-please-help-mopar/252673/20 "2004-07-01T19:47:26Z")
I call mine an MP3 player. Lots of people say chomping at the bit instead of champing at the bit. Doesn’t make it right. DVD players haven’t been called simply DVDs yet. CD players aren’t called CD’s, and they’ve been around longer. Radio waves have been around since the big bang, and radio transmission for quite awhile, may make for the familiarity. But no, I don’t call it a Radio Wave Receiving Appliance. Maybe it’s her voice that sets me off. Plus she’s married to a big idiot in the commercial. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-please-help-mopar/252673.md?page=2)