RE: Engine design question

[Peter Henriksen <peterhe@microsoft.com>]

Not always - marketing and sales plays a big role. You don't want to
cannibalize your more expensive (usually == more profit/unit) models.

Take Porsche's 944 as an example. There are 944 Turbos running around
with supposedly very streetable 400+hp for about $5K-$10K modifications.
On a car which can now be had for $10K, that's one heck of a deal. Why
did Porsche not make this car themselves? Because it would have
cannibalized their darling flat 6 911. As the 911 went up in power so
went the 944, ending up at 247hp (stock) for the turbo. (This is all
freely after this month's issue of ec.)

Too bad the marketing people usually win out, but in this particular
case (no DOHC/16v) it could be an engineering consideration too. The 30v
head was not ready and the SOHC/12v engine is proven, reliable and good
enough for most people.
- peter, peterhe@microsoft.com, issaquah, wa, usa
  91 200qw
  94 acura legend gs
  80 mazda 626


>-----Original Message-----
>From:	Achille Riviello [SMTP:acriviel@mailhost.ecn.uoknor.edu]
>Sent:	Tuesday, October 01, 1996 7:33 AM
>To:	quattro@coimbra.ans.net
>Subject:	Engine design question
>
>I have a stupid question:
>
>Why, when designing a new car or engine, don't the engineers make the engine
>the most it can be?  (humming the Army recruiting tune while writing
>this...)  It just doesn't make sense.  For instance, my new A4Q has a 2.8
>liter V6.  Ok, ample HP and torque, right?  Well, at 172 HP (5500 rpm) and
>184 ft-lbs of torque (at 3000 rpm), it it only ample.  The engine is SOHC
>and only 2 valves/cylinder.  Why didn't the designers make it DOHC and 4
>valves/cylinder?  I would have happily paid $2000-$3000 more for that
>engine.  The HP probably would have been up about 300 with torque better
>than the M3.  So what gives?  Why not spend an extra couple thousand and get
>what we really want?
>
>Achille Riviello
>acriviel@mailhost.ecn.uoknor.edu
>83 4000s, 200+k miles
>96 A4Q, 114 miles
>HK USP 45
>HK P7M13
>"In a world of compromise, some don't."
>