2006 Subaru WRX - Going Postal
Luke's Rant Of The Month
Regarding the recent Castrol Syntec Top Shop Challenge engine building contest, I don't know how the hell your SR20DET could've possibly earned Second Place like it did. I was under the impression that the motor that made the most horsepower was to be the winner, and that was clearly the Chevy 427. I mean, you are an import magazine and all, and I'm sure the decision was a little biased, but for something designed in the '50s, The Chevy engine sure puts a whoopin' on most of your cars! I can't stand seeing American cars bashed in all of your magazines. Credit should be given where credit is due, and let's face it... if you want to go real fast real cheap, American cars are where it's at. Seeing things like that contest in your magazine is what keeps this endless import/domestic battle going, and to top it off, you shot down another reader in the following month's magazine who was arguing how the 427 would hold up better for long-term use. Making a lot of horsepower is one thing, but feeling a monster 427 cubic inch motor that makes gobs of torque and power without even breaking 5,000 rpm starts to make me tingle in odd places!
NightmareTA, CT
Read the official rules on www.syntectopshopchallenge.com for clarification. This was more of an efficiency contest than anything. Power-per-liter, power delivery, and reliability were key, as well as gross output. The winning engine was chosen through the numbers, by Castrol Syntec judges, who had no stake in which team/engine/magazine won. It was not biased. The Chevy did make the most power, but not by much-only 57 hp separated it from AMS's 2.0L, inline-four 4G63's peak output; not bad for half as many cylinders and one third the displacement. For something designed in the '50s, yes, the Chevy does still pack a punch... just not a terribly efficient one. And I didn't shoot that reader down because he insinuated the Chevy engine would out-live the import ones; I did it because he "concluded" that each of the turbocharged import engines would "explode after three pulls on a dyno". There's a big difference.
We really don't go around bashing domestics... too much. Yes, they do make more power-per-dollar than most of our cars. But they're useless in the modern day as commuters or circuit cars, are extremely inefficient, are outdated (call it classic...) and are pretty much the opposite of what we're into. The import-versus-domestic battle is a good thing. Competition breeds advancement on both sides. Admit it; you like it too.
Monster 427cid V-8 torque under 5K rpm is pretty badass, I'll give you that. It always will be. But you should try a 1,000+ hp turbocharged inline-four that builds exponential power all the way to 10,000 rpm, coupled to a racing slick-clad, all-wheel drivetrain that moves a 2,000-pound unibody down a quarter mile in eight and a half seconds. You'll tingle in all the right places.