Re: "Smooth" VR6

[Eliot Lim <eliot@u.washington.edu>]

On Tue, 14 Nov 1995, Jeremy R King wrote:

> I, for one, think pretty lowly of the VR6.  Everybody rants and raves - 
> what the heck is the big whoppin' deal?!!!  
> I drove a '95 Passat GLX and hardly heard 
> anything 

ok, so because the passat is too heavy for the VR6, the VR6 is junk?
did you try a passat VR6 with a broken in engine?

> The VR6 has ABSOLUTELY NO TORQUE.

as in 0 foot pounds?  :)

>  I was far more 
> impressed with the BMW 318 (yes, read 1.8 litre 4 banger).  Jeez, how can 
> you even compare the VR6 in the same sentence with the 2.5 Bimmer?!!

have you driven:

1) corrado VR6
2) golf VR6
3) bmw 325i?

and comparing the 318 to passat is totally dumb.  what kind of weight
differences are we talking about here?  

i drove all these cars that i talk about, and i express my opinions
about them.  you don't have to agree with me at all, but at least
drive the cars if you want to extrapolate your limited experience.

>But I'd have 
> to say that the VR6 SUCKS in the Passat. 
> I'm sure it's a good motor for the Corrado.  

now you're getting somewhere.  it sucks (according to you) in the
Passat, you can only speculate that it will be ok for the corrado.
why don't you go drive it and then decide if its the engine that sucks
or if it's the body that's overweight.

>But give me a 2.226 I5 for the Passat, the A4.  Heck, you 
> (eliot, I think) talk about wanting the VR6 for any car under 3000lb.  
> Get a clue - that's perfect territory for the ole I5. 

the I5 is dead and buried.  live with it.  after 20 years of development
it has reached it logical end.  

> You want 
> character, torque, power - it's hard to outdo the I5 for all this AND 
> character.  

the I5 is easy outdone by most sixes.  it is not going to defy any
laws of physics.  odd number of cylinders is never going to be as
smooth as even.
 
> And what's the deal with all the WUSSES out there that want a quiet 
> motor?!!  Heck, I turn the radio off to hear my motor very often.  

now now, let's not start name calling, shall we?  :)

>I wonder how many race car 
> drivers complain that their engine isn't quite smooth enough.  

it goes with the territory.  if a racing engine is not smooth, it
will generate so much vibration that it will self destruct at
racing speeds.  plus, energy that is used to generate vibrations
will be energy lost towards propelling.

racing engines are loud, but that is because of the open exhausts.
they are very, very smooth.  they have to be to run at 16000 rpms.


eliot