What costs more?

[rkmdogs]

[quote name='razoredge' date='Dec 22 2005, 12:09 AM']
"Come on RKM, cut me a break ! I tried really hard on this and I feel I came up with some good evaluations.

Cars currently come in all sizes and everyone over 18 is done growing so that covers the better percentage of the next 40 years of car buying public. Im not getting any larger and in fact at only 5:10 Im still larger (longer) than most men Ive worked around.

Our highways are stuffed full of one car one driver every morning on the way to work. Car pools stink. Not many that live in same area work in same area. Then it adds time involved with work everyday to have to meet up and wait and drive out of the way, ect. ect. Not that I am against it, but I know that is the majority.

Currently our fullsize cars are smaller than mid size cars of decades past yet they weigh nearly 1000 lb more. All jumbled up with electro garb and piggy toe air bags. For a small transportation car I'd rather have my money spent on a small refined alloy V8 and skip the piggy toe protection and "help me, Im lost" electro garb."

Razor,
For once I have to concur with some of what you say.
Yes, some of the cars are heavier, because of the weight increases caused by
electronic "gimmicks" and some safety equipment. Copper wiring weighs alot!

That was why the industry was supposed to embrace the switch to 42v electric
systems, which would allow bus architecture, more fiber optics, and reduce weight.

Have you seen anybody, except Ferrari even making noises about this?
And SAE was supposed to mandate this new electrical standard last year. What
happened?

My 1983 9C1 Malibu weighed 3315lbs when I put it on the scales at the dragstrip.
And that was stock, with my golfclubs in the trunk!
Dimensionally, the new Impala almost matches it, except for the weight.

Yeah you may not be getting any bigger, but the general population sure is!
I'm not the same size that I was 30 years ago, and the "kids" today are usually
bigger than their parents. Just look at how standard clothes sizes have increased
dimensionally. What is a 12 today was yesterday's 14!
That says alot too!

Solo commuting will always be with us as long as public transportation fails in
convienence, privacy, and safety. Nobody today is addressing that issue.

[bluecon]

Back to the original topic. The only reason to build a 90deg v6 is if there is a complimentary v8. You take 2 holes out of the v8 and use the same pistons, rods, valves, bearings, etc. There is a large savings in engineering and development costs since much of the production machinery is the same or similar. If you were to design a v6 as a stand alone design it would be 60deg.

[76ChevyTrucker]

Blue, I agree with you, that's why for years there was a 262 (4.3L) V6, a 305, and a 350 because they all shared a great deal of common parts with one another and in the overall scheme of things, the engines were cheap to build, and powerful for what they were at the time. Of course that means absolutely nothing now with the 350 and 305 retired and the 4.3 going to hit the retirement pen pretty soon too. Although I've always been a fan of sharing technology and parts to the greatest extent.