4 bangers- Love'em or Hate'm?

[Kestas]

My first 4-banger was an 82 Omni. I relished the savings on fuel costs. The car did it's job at a time I was trying to save money. Gas prices were at their historic high back then (adjusted for inflation). Before the Omni, I was getting only 13 mpg from the V8 dinosaurs, which were plentiful. Plus, with FWD the car could crawl it's way out of the neighborhood better that the RWD dinosaurs.

That car didn't need a gas pedal... I could have run it with an on/off switch.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I thought I'd never go 4-cylinder again, after my boring little Ford Escort. Ninety HP, if that; you had to get out and push to merge on highways.

Then came my Mercedes C230. The 4-cyl. M111 engine w/ 148 HP is widely hailed as one of the best and most reliable designs MB ever put in a production car. Smooth and quick, it nevertheless gives me about 25 mpg combined in everyday commuting, and I saw 32 at least once on the open road (with 1 passenger and 2 loaded cat carriers aboard, and with the A/C on) when I fled from Katrina.

Okay, it's no ripsnorting V-8 or stealth I-6. But if I need a little extra grunt, I drop the 5-speed autobox down to 4 -- or 3 on a steep ramp -- and it leaps from 30 to 65 in no time. That, not 0-60 times, is the true measure of a modern city car: how fast it gets you up to speed with the crazies who are already flying down the highway.

It insists on premium, though. I tried a 50-50 mix of mid-grade/premium once, and my gas mileage dropped. But gas cost is only a small percentage of the total cost of running a car. (Or so I keep telling myself . . .)

-- Paul W.

 

[widman]

I have 1 6 cyl Mitsubishi truck (turbo) and everything else is 4 cyl.
1 mazda on Compressed natual gas
2 fords - gasoline
1 chevrolet - gasoline
2 Toyotas - gasoline
2 Toyotas - diesel
1 Toyota - diesel/turbo
1 nissan - diesel
1 Mitsubishi - diesel
My favorite is the 3.0 Turbo diesel 4Runner. As long as you watch the rpm's it can climb mountains with the speed of lightning. I just hate to accelerate from a total stop on a steep hill at 16,000 feet above sea level. (16 * 3% = 48 % power loss)

 

[Gary Allan]

It's got some things going against it. The jeep runs the front axle full time. It disengages at the transfer case. Quite literally ..you can slow down when coasting downhill. The TJ has the aerodynamics of a chest freezer. The 2.5 has no hp ..which is exacerbated in an automatic. It has no cross flow head. Like its big brother, I think that a great deal of the energy produced is there whether you want it or not. That is, there's two modes ...max fuel consumption ..and max fuel consumption lite. For example, I put a lock out kit on the wife's jeep. You could feel the "liberation" of all the eliminated drag. It yielded and inconsistant 1.5 mph.

This is typical for this engine/trans combo. If I had bought it with a 5 speed, I would probably routinely break 20 mph. With these hp demanding issues (aerodynamics and drive train drag) the highway is not your friend for fuel economy. I did a long trip out to wester PA via the turnpike. @ 65 mph ..my yield was 16.5-17. I can do much better @ 45 going up and down the rolling hills for a consistant 20.X.

Like I said ..a trophy for smallest gas guzzler.

 

[ALS]

I've owned 3 of them since 1981 and always thought they did their job just fine. A 2.1 liter, and two 2.3 liter Volvo Turbo's.
I own a I6 Dual OHC and it's nice but I like my 2.3 liter I4 Turbo more.

 

[OriginHacker21]

Parents have a 4 cyl Honda Accord that I drove 30k miles. VTech is awesome and it was fun racing/driving in that thing to school everyday.

Now I have a 2.2L Ecotec (4cyl) and that thing is fun! Although I don't much care for the car: Pontiac Sunfire - the engine is fun and fast and I can get 38mpg on freeway trips and 30mpg in city.

For my next car I wouldn't mind something bigger though... I guess it all depends what you started driving with.

 

[addyguy]

They're all I've ever owned/driven. Its weird - I've always wanted a 6, but when it comes time to buy a car, I've always gone for a 4....I'm more comfortable in small cars, so that is part of it, and I've always bought cars specifically for the type of car, not what engine it has.

I've had some good ones, and some not so good ones, but overall they have served me well. My most recent one, a GM 2.2 OHV in a Cavalier is one that has impressed me - old design, not very sophisticated, but very solid, smooth and fairly powerful under 4,000 rpm. Gm does know how to build OHV engines of all sizes....

 

[Captain Howdy]

I'm pretty happy with both of our 4-cylinder Nissan Sentras. The QR25DE has plenty of power and the QG18DE isn't to shabby either.

 

[speedtc]

Captain howdy.... watch the butterfly screws in the intake.

 

[Matt89]

I'm a big fan of the inline 4 now...since they are so much more powerful and smooth than they used to be.

 

[Mitch Alsup]

I have nothing against 4-bangers, however, I serisouly dislike front wheel drive {massive understeer, torque steer, and a general inability to steer with the pedal on the right.)

 

[Whimsey]

Ok, I have an "old" 4 cyl. It's a 1996 Ford Contour with the 2.0L Zetec and 5 speed manual tranny. I believe the key to true happiness with 4 cylinder is a MANUAL TRANNY! Auto trannies seem to suck the life out of a 4 cyl. I drove auto tranny versions of my car and it was like night and day. With a manual tranny you can get the most power/torque out the engine. My woefully underpowered 4 cyl(125hp:130ft/ftlbs torque)is still responsive due to the 5 speed manual. It has a wide power/torque band and a high redline that allows easy revving and power from the engine. With the wide factory aluminum rims and factory profile spec'd tires it handles and drives like a POOR man's BMW

. Ok, a low powered BMW

.

Whimsey

 

[crw]

I agree completely with the manual tranny statement.

This was my lineup until recently:

Suburban V8, auto (of course)
Mustang 4.6L V8 - auto
Ford Truck, 5.0 V8 - 3 speed

There I had three old tech american V8s. With the
price of gas and the wife running constant taxi
duty in the Suburban, I decided something had to
give. I got rid of the truck, and in it's place
is a:

Mazda Protege, 1.5L DOHC with 5-speed, 138K miles!

This little car doesn't have the power like the
others, but it zips from point to point and gets
great mileage. It's satisfying to drive in it's
own way.

 

[BrianWC]

I thought you needed a manual too for happiness until my most recent saab (which is the first auto car I've owned). Unlike in the manual 900 I had, the autos keep the boost going between shifts. It makes acceleration a lot less peaky.

 

[TallPaul]

My dream 4 banger is a Ford 460 V8 block with one cylinder bank cut off and obviously custom crank and camshaft. Just imagine, a 3.8 liter pushrod 4 banger. I'd drop it in a Ford Ranger pickup and have me a real tractor!

 

[sdude2k2000]

LOVE 'EM!

I have a 2.3L Mazda 3 and I love it!!! And no, this isn't the Ford Duratec engine, it's the Mazda MZR engine (the most Japanese you can get).

 

[speedtc]

sdude2k2000...it is the same engine as a duratec d23. The only difference is the mzr head has variable valve timing. Other than that they are the exact same thing. That same engine is used in the fusion, mazda 5, ranger, focus, mazda3, and mazda 6. It was a ford engine first that was released in 2001 for the ranger. I'm sure you know that ford has controlling stock of mazda.

 

[Vilan]

Who needs 4 cylinders when you can have 3?

My Geo Metro doesn't look like much but it easily zooms along in the fast lane. No engine trouble so far, though it does drink a fair bit of oil. Took a trip up to the Yukon last year, 3000 miles in a week, 120 km/h most of the way, no problems at all.

 

[Hirev]

In 1980 I drove a 1968 Z/28 with a 302. Soon I swapped in a L88/427. I soon realized I needed a economy car to drive back and fourth to work. That L88 was real thirsty. So I bought a 1975 4 cylinder Chevy Monza to drive back and fourth to work.

Stepping out of the a 427 Camaro with a 4 speed and 4:11 and into the 87 horsepower 4 banger Monza was like stepping on to another planet. I still own the same Camaro with a SBC in it these days. The 4 banger Monza is long gone. Never once missed that 4 banger.

 

[Sumerduckman]

I have driven four bangers since the early 70's, mostly Volvo, Toyota, and VW, and have never worn one out. I drive the 86 Volvo 240 now, and the wife person gets the 2003 Camry SE 4 cyl w/5spd. Super nice four cyl in the '03 Toyota, smooth, quiet, plenty of get up and go when mated to the 5 speed manual trans, averages 28mpg and no stikin' timing belt to change. Very impressed.