Automobile Magazine's Don Sherman is finally bold enough to write the
truth: Chrysler's much-vaunted new "Hemi" really isn't anything more than
marketing hype:

http://www.automobilemag.com/news/0407_hemi/


--
Greg Beaulieu ab348 (AT) chebucto (DOT) ns.ca Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada

"Greg Beaulieu" <ab348nospam (AT) chebucto (DOT) ns.ca> wrote

Regardless, the performance is exceptional and that is what matters.

"Peter A. Stavrakoglou" <ntotrr (AT) optonline (DOT) net> wrote

the Chrysler pickup. In other, a good motor is a good motor and hemi in
itself is pure hype.

Richard.

In article <caueil$gpb$1 (AT) News (DOT) Dal.Ca>, Greg Beaulieu wrote:
That's okay, the Ford truck V8 isn't actually a mythical sea-god,
and the outgoing Magnum engine ran on gas, not champagne or gunpowder.

Greg Beaulieu wrote:


Depending on how anal-retentive you want to be, the 60s 426 Hemi wasn't
a "Hemi" either. The combustion chamber was tilted relative to the axis
of the cylinder, and the valve angles were not equal.

BIG DEAL. Despite minor modifications to improve flame propagation and
emissions, its still a hemi-head engine.

Unfortunately, the Ford Modular v8 is NOT a "good motor" by any stretch
of the imagination. It has been whipped and beaten into an engine that
is reasonably serviceable- a process that has taken 10+ years and more
revisions than anyone can keep track of, but that is hardly the record
of a "good" engine.

Here's an article, written by admitted Chevy fans, that describes the
engineering advantages of the Chrysler 5.7L "Hemi" v8 in great detail.
It comes out better than the GM LS-6 Very much worth the read:

http://www.popularhotrodding.com/tech/0403phr_hemi


And by the way, in the 4th picture from the top on the left hand side,
you can clearly see the "deviation" from a true Hemi head that the idiot
in the first article is so worked up about. Again I say, BIG DEAL. A
little filling-in was done on the sides making the chamber more
elliptical- its still much more nearly a Hemi than either a wedge or a
pent-roof chamber.

Hmm,

I don't know about the Modular V8 but I sure wish someone at Ford would take
care of that ()*&T(^$ piston slap that I had on my '00 and now on my '03
Expedition.

Ken


"Steve" <no (AT) spam (DOT) thanks> wrote

It's pretty obvious what the purpose of calling it a "hemi" is. Isn't it?
How many times does the word "hemi" occur in that series of Durango
commercials? Are you naturally mesmerized by commercials?

You've insulted the intelligence of the whole group. Here's a news flash:
"Ram" is also just marketing type. It's not really a ram. It's more of a
pickup truck.

"Greg Beaulieu" <ab348nospam (AT) chebucto (DOT) ns.ca> wrote

Joe wrote:
I guess that "semi hemi" just wouldn't have worked in the ads...

Matt

NJ Vike wrote:


That's a Modular v8 (5.4, and 4.6L). Piston slap is an issue all of the
makers are having to deal with as they go to short-skirt "slipper type"
hypereutectic pistons in order to get a tight seal with lower losses
(although you might note from that article that the Chrysler v8
addresses it at the outset with coated-skirt pistons). But NOT all the
makers have had massive oil consumption issues, head castings that erode
through the water jacket, lower ends breaking out of the block under
heavy use, and all the other myriad things that Ford has had happen with
the modular v8. It was originally designed as a *very* light-duty v8 for
light cars, and at some point some bean-counter decided "hey, we could
use this to replace the (more expensive to build but much stronger)
Windsor small-block and use it to drag 2.5-ton Expeditions around!"