No replacement for displacement....
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a25953794/chevrolet-silverado-four-cylinder-fuel-economy-test/
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a25953794/chevrolet-silverado-four-cylinder-fuel-economy-test/Four-Cylinder Silverado Gets Worse Fuel Economy than V-8 in C&D Test
- Thread starter CaliWagon83
- Start date
Not surprised. If the V8 runs on 4 at speed and the 4T runs on 4 at speed then what is the difference. I would like to know how many RPM each is turning at highway speeds. Also are the rear end rations the same or did they need to change that to make up for the smaller engine?
Don't forget the 4 turns into a 2 at speed. Another smart engineering move for full size truck.
The smaller motors have to work harder and trucks are heavy pigs. That means more time with boost to move it.
Several years ago Top Gear when it still had Clarkson, Hammond and May took a BMW and Prius, an them until empty and added one metered gallon of fuel. They drove them around a track at 50 mph or so and the Prius ran out of fuel first. I think an EPA test at 48 MPH is ridiculous. If I drove my company Ram 5500 service truck around at 48 MPH it would probably pull down 11-12 mpg and someone would shoot me in the face for holding up traffic. The speed limit in most of the western states is 70-80 MPH and that nets me around 6.9 mpg.
My opinion- the 4 cylinder is not about fuel economy, it's about margins.
4 pistons less, less block material, less cylinder heads, less wiring, it all adds up.
GM makes more money selling heated seats and giant touch screens than they do selling pistons. They can sell an additional 2 grand in options that they make 1500 on profit vs sell a 2 grand engine and make 750 bucks of profit.
It's a way to milk the most options out of people with fixed budgets/financing.
4 pistons less, less block material, less cylinder heads, less wiring, it all adds up.
GM makes more money selling heated seats and giant touch screens than they do selling pistons. They can sell an additional 2 grand in options that they make 1500 on profit vs sell a 2 grand engine and make 750 bucks of profit.
It's a way to milk the most options out of people with fixed budgets/financing.
I wonder really how much less the I-4 costs to make? I mean, it's DOHC, so that's a more complex design. It also has cylinder de-activation, it also has a turbocharger. So other than block material, pistons and rods, is the V-8 really THAT much more expensive to make? Not to mention by sales volume, the 5.3 is far-and-away the biggest seller. Only 10% of sales are projected to be the I-4.
Not to mention by sales volume, the 5.3 is far-and-away the biggest seller. Only 10% of sales are projected to be the I-4.Automotive volumes are so high, especially in pickups, even 10% of silverado production is multitudes larger than say the v8 option on a camaro. The volumes get so large they don't get a huge price break on volume since 20,000 per year takes 20 machines to make and 200,000 per year takes 200 machines so it gets to a point where mfg cost is linear.
On the assembly side, its less bolts to touch and tighten, and the v8's have gotten so complex these days although you add a cam and some valves, its all the plugs, connectors, injectors, and associated stuff like manifolds and gaskets that really add up.
On the assembly side, its less bolts to touch and tighten, and the v8's have gotten so complex these days although you add a cam and some valves, its all the plugs, connectors, injectors, and associated stuff like manifolds and gaskets that really add up.
