Tampa Racing - Best 4-Cylinder Engine Ever (Poll)

Tampa Racing (https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/)

- General Car Chat (https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/general-car-chat/)

- - Best 4-Cylinder Engine Ever (Poll) (https://www.tamparacing.com/forums/general-car-chat/348817-best-4-cylinder-engine-ever-poll.html)

not to start an argument but what does the availability of something have to to with it being the best ever?

What about the BMW M10?

The BMW M10/M12 was an I4 piston engine produced from 1961 to 1987. Displacement ranged from 1499 cm3 to 1990 cm3.
The engine was designed by Baron Alex von Falkenhausen, noted engineer and race driver. He was asked to design a small-displacement (1.3 L) engine, but felt that this would be insufficient for the company's future needs. Therefore, he designed a block that could be expanded to 2.0 L and delivered it at 1.5 L.
The design was very successful, with over 3.5 million produced, and it served the company for over 20 years.
The M10 engine is also one of the most successful engines in racing. Starting with the European Touring Car Championship, it was also used in Formula 2, then the Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft, were it was turbocharged by Paul Rosche according to FIA Group 5 rules.
The M10 block went on to Formula 1, winning the 1983 championship for Nelson Piquet and Brabham - something which very few 20 year old road car engine designs accomplish. The same applies for the rise in power, twenty-fold from 75 hp to about 1500 hp.
The BMW S14 engine for the first BMW M3 was based upon the M10 block. In the M3, the M10 is still winning races today.

Or the BMW S14?

The BMW S14 is a 2.3 L (2302cc) DOHC 16-valve I4 piston engine. It was used in the E30 M3. The S14 is essentially a BMW M10 engine block with a M88/S38 DOHC cylinder head (minus two cylinders). It has four separate throttle bodies. It developed 195 PS (143 kW/192 hp), or 200 PS (147 kW/197 hp) without a catalytic converter. A special tuned model, the S14 EVO producing 20 PS more. The 2.3 L version has a 93.4 mm bore and 84mm stroke.
Variations of this engine included a limited-edition 2.5 L (2467 cc) Sport Evo for motorsport homologation requirements, and a de-bored (89 mm) version for the 320is, a more affordable sports model made specifically for the Portuguese and Italian markets. The 320is can be quickly distinguished from the E30 M3 by the absence of flared wheel arches.

people have seen over 400hp n/a

too many to choose from... i have alot of different views on different motors

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graves (Post 3636306)

No love for the Ford 4cyl? They race the hell out of those old Pinto motors in the midgets. Then you can add the turbo 4cyl in the Cossies. Or the 2.5 in the new Focus..... The world isn't F&F you know.

+1 for cars

best 4cyc is in the bike world... the damn things are works of art.

Well only one of those engines holds the title as the most powerful production 4cyl engine, and that would be the ecotec...not my favorite, but i had to vote for it because it holds the record. SR is fun, 4g63 is a boost whore(love it).

I considered adding the Cosworth, but didn't really know much about it. As far as European engines, they don't seem to stick with the same engine for too long. Even the Cosworth has seen its age. Almost all of the engines I listed are popular engines to build without a swap, or to swap into other cars. The only exception is the Ecotec, which is a brand new engine, already making a hell of a splash in the performance category.
The 1.8T engine so popular in Volkswagens is undoubtedly well-built, but is oftentimes swapped out, and is rarely built to high standards and high performance, as the other options are.
As far as availability being a factor, you could ask Ferrari to build the greatest 4cylinder engine ever, and if they wanted to, they probably could. There would be 10 of them total and they would cost as much as an F430. Instead, look for an engine that is built to be a reliable motor with power potential, and just happens to be designed so that it makes power without relying on a pure race platform, and all while keeping within the company's design budget.
It takes a hell of a well-built engine to make power on a budget, which is the goal of the engineers that made them in the first place.
That's why the Civic is a great tuner car, why the AE86 is a great track car, etc. Cheap budget, priceless design.
Don't think I'm hating on domestics with this debate, but this is the 4 cylinder design we're talking about. The Japanese have RELIED on a straight-4 layout, and have since come to perfect it better than Americans. Same reason you wouldn't see much competition from Japan in the greatest 8 cylinder engine category, even with the JGTC motors having a stout history.

The BMW motors I listed are commonly swapped into other BMWs. The M10 was heavily massed produced and the S14 was produced in large numbers (over 15,000)

^I would add them as one motor together, but I don't think I can edit the poll choices, thought I could. :( I figured the 4G63 would take this, and undoubtedly so. It went from a crankwalk fiend to a MIVEC monster. Even as a company that had been near its demise, they continued to stick with the same engine for years, and it's certainly come a long way without showing its age.

no worries man, i just wanted to tell people about a pretty sweet motor that doesn't get a lot of recofnition

What is the 4G63 power record, anyways? Isn't it something like 1200? The SR has done just shy of 1000whp.

I see the ecotec is way at the back of the pack... Anything with aluminum sleeves should not appear on this list.

I've always liked high-strung l-4s, so I like pretty much everything on the list. Aside from the BMW s14, the other big one missing is the motor from Mercedes 190e Evo.

Hard to pick a favorite...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Epstein (Post 3637500)

What is the 4G63 power record, anyways? Isn't it something like 1200? The SR has done just shy of 1000whp.

I saw this motor up in Charlotte. Pretty sweet looking. Got the info from here:

GM - Powertrain - events & activities - Ecotec Racing

Quote:

Originally Posted by http://www.gm.com/automotive/gmpowertrain/events/racing/index.htm

The General Motors Sport Compact Drag Racing Program was kicked off at the 2001 International Auto Salon (IAS) in Long Beach, CA. During IAS, GM identified sport compact drag racing as the highest opportunity to gain awareness in the sport compact market. The first Chevrolet Cavalier and Pontiac Sunfire front-wheel-drive drag race cars were unveiled at the 2001 SEMA show.

In February of 2002, GM Racing made their competitive debut in Palmdale, California. Since then, the GM Racing and their supported teams continue to race their ECOtec-powered Chevy Cobalt race cars to multiple wins and record-setting performances across the country.

GM's Ecotec engines have proven to be a reliable and competitive engine for use in the Sport Compact Drag Racing Series. The Ecotec engine has a sound base engine structure, excellent airflow capability, easy serviceability, compact size and low weight. These qualities, along with the very successful race program, demonstrate the Ecotec is a driving force in the Sport Compact Segment.

Ecotec's outstanding feature to performance enthusiasts is it's impressive strength. GM Racing dynamometer tests confirm that major horsepower gains are possible with minimal modifications.

Generating up to a remarkable 1,450 horsepower from only 4 cylinders, the Ecotec 2.2L powers some of the fastest-accelerating front-wheel drive vehicles ever built. Many of the components used in these race engines are production based. The race effort showcases the potential of the production Ecotec to today's sport compact market. Even at the highest horsepower levels, the engine will still remain over 50% of its stock components.

The current 2.2L version of the Ecotec is available in the following vehicles:

2 Chevy - Cobalt, HHR, Malibu and Cavalier
2 Pontiac - Grand Am, Solstice and Sunfire
2 Saturn - Ion, L-Series, Sky and Vue
2 Opel/Vauxhal - Vectra, Zafira and Speedster.

everyone knows the best 4 banger is a 2J with 2 cylinders cut off.