4 cylinder vs 6 cylinder

[Shawn]

I've driven a 1980 Toyota Corolla over the last 20+ years (4 cylinder, 1.8L). When I'm in the car by myself, it provides me with more than enough acceleration. In fact, it holds its own on freeway climbs in the San Francisco Bay Area, which can be steep. I move over into the left lanes as I'm able to pass more than 50% of the other vehicles. It's been fine in the Sierra's and the Rockies (even fully loaded in the Rockies). I think a lot has to do with the fact its a 5-speed, not an automatic. However, I will say that I easily notice the presence of another person in the car.

My previous car was a Chevy Chevette (4 cylinder, automatic). Let's just say that it was more limited in its acceleration. On long climbs, I periodically had to stop and let it rest (literally).

 

[jambo101]

4wd is good for getting out of snowed in parking spaces or pulling away at a stop sign when the road is snow or ice covered,once rolling it has only 4 patches of rubber on the road giving it no advantage over a 2wd vehicle.

 

[Walt34]

The only 4 cyl car I ever drove regularly was 1st wife's Mustang II in the '70's, and swore "never again". An anemic little junk pile. Also my mother's Mazda 4 cyl in the '80's, when one opened the throttle all it did was make more noise.

My first 4WD vehicle was an '85 Chevy 4WD pickup. I found it went great in snow, didn't stop so well, to be expected since it weighed 2.5 tons empty. Those who fail to keep that in mind will end up in the ditch.

Current rides are a '03 Buick Century V6 (that's what she wanted) and a '03 GMC Sierra 4WD full-size pickup. We expect to keep both 15-20 years.

I am puzzled by those who think 4WD will help it stop better in snow. Antilock brakes, traction control, stability control are all great but will not violate the laws of inertia.

 

[HFWR]

I've driven a 1980 Toyota Corolla over the last 20+ years (4 cylinder, 1.8L). When I'm in the car by myself, it provides me with more than enough acceleration. In fact, it holds its own on freeway climbs in the San Francisco Bay Area, which can be steep. I move over into the left lanes as I'm able to pass more than 50% of the other vehicles. It's been fine in the Sierra's and the Rockies (even fully loaded in the Rockies). I think a lot has to do with the fact its a 5-speed, not an automatic. However, I will say that I easily notice the presence of another person in the car.

My previous car was a Chevy Chevette (4 cylinder, automatic). Let's just say that it was more limited in its acceleration. On long climbs, I periodically had to stop and let it rest (literally).

I had a '81 Corolla hatchback with the 1.8l and a 5-spd manual. That little sucker would fly. Plenty of acceleration, and would run 80-90mph all day long. Oh, and 30+mpg...

 

[martyb]

We have a 2007 Camry LE 4 cylinder. It already has 35000 miles on it because I have used it for several TDY trips for my employer, driving between Lousiana & Tucson, plus several trips between LA & NC to visit family. I am no slow poke behind the wheel, and the 4 cyl. Camry easily deals with highway speeds of 75-85 mph with no sign of strain or struggle. 2 years ago, before we bought our Camry, I rented an 06 Camry 4 Cyl. from Hertz to drive out to Tucson. Out in the desert, I took her up to 116 mph on flat ground before I backed off, and there was still a good amount of pedal to go. I hope Hertz doesn't find out LOL! I expect that 4 cyl. Camry would have no problem with 120-125+. Who knows? What I'm getting at is that today's 4 cyl engines are remarkable compared to just a few yrs ago. A lot of the difference is related to tighter tolerances and engineering standards, as well as innovative transmission and differential gearing. These little powerhouses crank out enough energy to push you along at 80 mph highway speeds while only turning 3500-3800 rpms. We had the same concern when we looked at Camrys, and are not unhappy with the 4 banger. Better fuel mileage than the 6 cyl and I honestly don't think you'll notice the difference except maybe when you do a full-throttle acceleration.

 

[mathjak107]

4wd is good for getting out of snowed in parking spaces or pulling away at a stop sign when the road is snow or ice covered,once rolling it has only 4 patches of rubber on the road giving it no advantage over a 2wd vehicle.

once rolling 4x4 is much more stable than any 2 wheel drive. i can floor my 4x4 in the snow with barely a flinch . my 2 whhel drive will fish tail like crazy. only stopping is the same. anything pertaining to go isnt close. unless you dont have a true 4 wheel drive. some are just an assist and arent the same

 

[jambo101]

Yes a 4x4 is going to have more traction than a 2x4 when accelerating but that advantage disappears once cruising speed is achieved.

 

[mathjak107]

yes and no, theoretically yes, but under actual conditions in snow with the wheels going over different slush piles and snow etc 2 wheel looses traction and regains it and looses it, can get pretty hairy at times. its not a secure feeling thats for sure when cruising. 4x4 is almost a feel like dry pavement. we just drove 135 miles on deep snow covered highway in early morning before the plows and traffic. it was actaully a pleasure to drive in it with the 4x4. nothing like the feeling in snow in my altima.

 

[mathjak107]

the big problem with 2 wheel drive is while cruising you are constantly loosing traction and regaining it. dont forget very few 2 wheel drive cars actually can have power even going to 2 wheels. the power shifts to the wheel that slips and leaves the other wheel powerless. posi traction dosnt really help much at all and you wont find that on front wheel drive cars. the other issue is in front wheel drive when that one wheel slips it is also your steering, braking and traction wheels.

i take it you never owned a 4x4 in the snow or you would see there is no comparison when cruising .

 

[Marquette]

The problem is that far too many people translate better traction while cruising to better stopping power. At least, the morons around here do.

 

[mathjak107]

ill be the first to admit you get a false sense of security when in 4x4. because driving those 135 miles in snow felt almost like dry road i had to constantly slow myself down .. stopping can even be worse because of the fact you got a high profile usually , wider tires, and power at all 4 wheels

 

[mathjak107]

other thing i want to mention is front wheel drive can be extremely dangerous as when the front end slides its not like rear wheel drive or 4 wheel drive where you ease up on the gas and if you have enough room you will straighten out. front wheel drive when it gets away from you is damn near impossible to recover. it requires the use of both feet working gas and brake at the same time. not easy to do without training.


in fact there is a push to have the manuals that come with cars revised. as all these years they still have instructions for steering into the skid and easing up on the gas which were never changed from the rear wheel drive days that can get you killed in front wheel drive cars

 

[dumpster56]

other thing i want to mention is front wheel drive can be extremely dangerous as when the front end slides its not like rear wheel drive or 4 wheel drive where you ease up on the gas and if you have enough room you will straighten out. front wheel drive when it gets away from you is damn near impossible to recover. it requires the use of both feet working gas and brake at the same time. not easy to do without training.


in fact there is a push to have the manuals that come with cars revised. as all these years they still have instructions for steering into the skid and easing up on the gas which were never changed from the rear wheel drive days that can get you killed in front wheel drive cars

Oh yes front wheel drive in deep snow. Not good at all.

See my post on learning how to drive back in the early 70s with a rear wheel drive car and snowtires.. You know where the car is going and how to love the fishtail!

 

[Marquette]

other thing i want to mention is front wheel drive can be extremely dangerous as when the front end slides its not like rear wheel drive or 4 wheel drive where you ease up on the gas and if you have enough room you will straighten out. front wheel drive when it gets away from you is damn near impossible to recover. it requires the use of both feet working gas and brake at the same time. not easy to do without training.

Why on earth would you want to get out of a slide?

My 2001 olds intrigue had selectable traction control. I did spend enough time in empty parking lots to verify that traction control did help, a lot.

I've also been down plenty of fire roads in a front wheel drive where the only way to turn around was to gun it, hit the brakes, and slide around. The biggest fear then was getting the bumpers hung up on the banks on each side of the road.

Growing up, we had a 1970's International Harvester Scout. It's the only real experience I've had driving a 4x4 and it was a pain because you had to get out and lock the hubs. In metroville now and having or not having 4 wheel drive has never been a problem. Snow means gridlock so you just put the car in drive and idle along.

 

[jambo101]

i take it you never owned a 4x4 in the snow or you would see there is no comparison when cruising .

I've owned a couple of Subaru's and a couple of Jeeps and when cruising on the highway if you hit a patch of ice or snow the wrong way in a corner you will be in the ditch just as fast whether 4x or 2x. i also notice that 4x4 have a big tendency to understeer which can also put you in the ditch if you arent competent.i see too many people driving like maniacs in bad driving conditions thinking the 4wd will somehow make them invulnerable to danger,well it doesnt always work because whenever there is a big snow its usually the 4x4 SUV's that i see in the ditch.

 

[jazz4cash]

Oh yes front wheel drive in deep snow. Not good at all.

Dont tell that to the Sweedish engineers. Saab of Sweeden is a pioneer of front-wheel drive.

Front wheel drive is much, much better for snow traction compared to RWD, generally because the wieght distribution is 70% or so over the drive wheels. The same could be said pretty much for the old rear engine RWD Volkswagon beetles, but front engine and front wheel drive lets you counter steer if one tire has more traction. A front engine-rear drive layout is sometimes compared to pushing a wet noodle. Improved traction control technology and transmission features like 2nd gear start are helping rear wheel drive make a comeback, but front-wheel drive is generally more fuel efficient.

 

[mathjak107]

interesting reading

FRONT WHEEL DRIVE CAN GET YOU KILLED

 

[Marquette]

interesting reading

FRONT WHEEL DRIVE CAN GET YOU KILLED

Summary: Someone learned how to fake a drift with fwd and had to tell the world.

I like the lead-in. But, as someone that has been driving fwd in snowy country forever, I wouldn't be able to tell you how to drive a rwd car in the snow. I can, however, show you some impressive donut maneuvers with a fwd. Bottom line, if you've never driven a rwd then I would think it's a moot point to bring up things like 'front wheel drive is different!'

And, not to toot my own horn or anything, but I was able to safely navigate my car and keep from spinning out while going 75 down the highway in the winter on slick roads when a van in the other lane pulled a pit manuever on my little Accord. Hands down, the scariest 10 seconds of my life.

 

[mathjak107]

actually the article is pretty true,. when my son first got his license years ago, living in a snow belt i took him one sunday morning to a nice empty slippery parking lot.

we took the pathfinder and the altima .the goal was to let him drive and i would unexpectedly put the emergency brake on throwing the vehicle into a slide and teaching him to recover.

first the pathfinder in rear wheel drive,. i put the e-brake on and the truck slid. he had no problem recovering. piece of cake.

next we put it in 4 wheel drive. took a little longer but again recovered from the slide nice and easy.

then we did the altima. he couldnt recover once it started to skid and slide sideways. being the expierenced snow driver i took the wheel and let him do it to me. ooooh man i couldnt recover the car from the slide either. i never knew why i had so much trouble until i saw that article.

 

[FinanceDude]

My only comment is I think there's a GOOD REASON no NASCARs are FWD...........

 

[cantlogin]

Front wheel drive can get you killed?


Everything in the article supports the fact that front wheel drive is superior to rear wheel drive. Ignorance is the danger.
Not stated in the article are some exceptions I can think of where weight transfer on acceleration is an issue. Situations like drag racing and tractor pulls are examples.

 

[Walt34]

Oh yes front wheel drive in deep snow. Not good at all.

It depends. Tires can make all the difference in the world. In the mid-80's my employer issued fwd Chevy Celebrities in a cost-cutting move. They were driven in all weather (law enforcement). Initially the things were worthless in a half-inch of snow. They put different tires on and then they would keep going until the snow was so deep it packed under the front end. I never got stuck in that car, or any other for that matter.

Snow driving is all about managing momentum.

 

[jambo101]

4 snow tires make all the difference in the driving capability of any car when it comes to driving on snow.

 

[mathjak107]

Front wheel drive can get you killed?


Everything in the article supports the fact that front wheel drive is superior to rear wheel drive. Ignorance is the danger.
Not stated in the article are some exceptions I can think of where weight transfer on acceleration is an issue. Situations like drag racing and tractor pulls are examples.

everything is superior with front wheel drive in bad weather except the thrust of the article was if you start to skid and slide in a fwd dont follow the instructions in the manual that comes with the car. recovering requires gas and brake at the same time to pull out.following the manuals recommendation which was never revised is for rear wheel drive.

 

[Marquette]

You've got me curious, I'm going to pull out my manual.. I've never even looked in it to see how to drive.