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Re: Audi stuff in "Automobile"



Hi Ti,

> Before you make simplistic judgements based upon the horsepower
> figure, check out the torque curves of the two engines.  The Acura
> may have 170hp, it needs 8000rpm to get there.  Way down low where
> most people do their real driving on the street (say 2000-4000rpm),
> the story is not so clear-cut... I bet the Audi 20V 4-cylinder
> would have more oomph than the Acura.
> 
> Audi 20V 1.8L Four non-turbo
> ----------------------------
> 125 hp @ 5800 rpm
> 128 lb-ft @ 3950 rpm

> Does the Acura engine achieve 128lb-ft below 4000 rpm?  I doubt it.

No flame here, amigo, but 3950 ain't a whole heap of revs lower than 4000...

> So while the Acura driver is numbing his/her hearing trying to
> rev it up, the Audi would already be pulling ahead...

and this ignores the time it takes to get to 4000 rpm.  I'm not knocking Audi
in favor of Honda, but my observation is that this is a classic euro design,
great for running all day at over 100 mph, but, by virtue of being *small*
displacement and having 5 valves/Cyl, would be sheer *misery* to drive
under most normal conditions in the good old US and A.  The Acura, using
variable valve timing, would probably be a bit *less* so...

But that's just my opinion, and you know what opinions are like...(hint,
everyone's got one, and they all stink...)

Cheers,

Bart Chambers
Frau, Dora
'77 Feline Varmint, Felix, Gray
'86 Carrera Cabriolet, Indischrot
'87 Syncro (Stealth Quattro) Alpenweiss