Previous threads have mentioned that an car engine that is working harder will not last as long as one that is not. Makes sense. My question is this: The car I just bought has two available engines, both 1.8L, 4 Cyl… One is rated at 140HP, one at 180 HP and said to be “high revving”, whatever that means. Which engine is working harder. I have to assume that they are the exact same motor, one just detuned or something. Also, how would they get that much extra horsepower out of the same basic design?
1.8L 4 banger, hopefully one of the import gurus will know the engine, honda im guessing.
the 180HP engine is working harder, from the same displacement youre getting an extra 40 horses. the “high revving” (which likely means it is tuned to run through a larger RPM range) indicates that the rotating assembly will be moving faster and therefore doing more work.
That’s what I assumed, but I wasn’t positive. I thought maybe more horsepower meant it wouldn’t be working as hard. BTW, it’s in a Pontiac Vibe, so it’s a Toyota engine and transmission.
I think that you need to define what you mean by “working harder.”
Assuming that engine weight remains the same, both engines will be ‘working equally hard’ when the car is going the same speed or accelerating at the same rate, regardless of the engine in that the work required will be the same. A heavier engine will, of course have to work a little harder since it’s moving a little bit more weight.
On the other hand, one engine may use more fuel per horsepower at a given RPM. I’d guess that the best way to estimate that would be by seeing which engine gets lower mileage (sorry, I did a quick search for Vibe mileage, but didn’t see comparisons between engines.)
As NevarMore said, the higher output engine can produce more power, but whether it is more efficient at producing this power depends on whether any improvements in intake/exhaust flow and cylinder scavenging offset the added load of turning at higher RPMs.
Not being a real car person I was defining working harder as which engine is more likely to fail or run into problems sooner. I don’t remember the exact numbers but the higher horsepower engine gets about 2 mpg less on both highway and city. I am still interested in knowing how you can tweak and engine to increase its HP by about 40% (I was wrong, it is 130 HP vs. 180).
I don’t think that dauerback is talking about gas mileage, but talking about engine longevity.
I’m guessing you’re talking about either the Matrix or Celica 1zz and 2zz engines (1.8 L 140 and the other is a 180 HP engine [2zz]).
In terms of working harder? Unless you’re always in lift the 2zz engine is the same as the 1zz. The 2zz is reinforced with a “matrix mesh” or something from yamaha allowing it to withstand the 12.5/1 compression ratio.
If you guessed it, I have the 2zz in my Matrix XRS. It’s more expensice to fuel (because it uses premium) but much funner to drive.
Sheesh, sorry. I see you mentioned the vibe…same as the matrix.
Both engines are solid. The 2zz is from the 2000 celica and I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. The 140 engine is the standard small car engine being used in the celica, corolla and the matrix/vibe.
For long term durability, I think it’ll end up the same. People might push the 180 HP more (because of the super high redline [8300 rpm]) but if you run it normally 80% of the time, it might end up the longer lasting engine of the 2.
Reread *cornflake’s post. If both engines are driving the car at the same speed, and the cars are identical in all respects then both engines are working equally hard. The fact that one has the potential to put out more power doesn’t mean a thing.
And the more powerfull engine isn’t necessarily heavier. You can get more horsepower by ‘shaving’ the head to get a higher compression ratio, boring out the cylinders to increase the displacement, or putting in a longer throw crankshaft to both increase displacement and raise the compression ratio.
Hey everyone, thank you very much. I think I understand things alot better now. I guess, basically, the 180hp engine has the higher compression ratio, giving it more power. It’s funny, but I bought my daughter a 2002 Celica GT as a college graduation gift and now I am buying a less sporty car that has the same engine as the GT-S as best I can figure.