That was a pretty good episode. Something the old Mopar guys have said for years abut the 440 vs the 426 Hemi, and appeared the proof was on the dyno.
Yup - specifically (say it with me)........ "there's no replacement for displacement".
Depending what you're trying to do, of course. The 440 kicked the 426 Hemi's a$$ until app. 5,000 rpm, where the siamese valve breathing took over. Meaning, (say it with me)..... "the Hemi is a race engine". (high rpm)
So - why did Chrysler spend all the loot to create Generation III Hemi, when the target market was not NASCAR racing? Was it just a cynical marketing ploy to sell a bunch of new Hemis into applications that didn't matter?
Personally, I would have preferred to see a modern bigger displacement V8 without Hemi heads and the associated expense for Ram trucks. Wouldn't have had all this lifter / cam faiure nonsense either (I think). 440 is a bit bigger than what I'm thinking - it's big block territory with high fuel consumption. 6.4L (396) isn't quite enough. I'd say a 426 non-Hemi would have been just right.
The show this week was on compression ratio. What a surprise - higher compression ratio produces higher torque. *boom, tiss!* They ran two 327 Chevys, one @ 9.5:1 stock pistons, and another with 11.0:1 dome pistons with higher octane.
We know higher octane and advanced ignition timing produces more torque also (up to a point where spark is too far advanced and backfires). I personally thought it was a good idea to incorporate this into the 6.4L Hemi truck engine so it good use 89 octane for a wee more torque.
What do you guys think? (yes, I know it's too late and the Hemi is dead)
