Dr No
[Moderator Omega - Wristscan]
34930
Chrysler Hemis are famously limited . . .
. . . in their power band, even compared to other pushrod engines. Their canted valve orientation . . .
[current Chrysler Hemi combustion chamber / source: Google search]
. . . of necessity creates the widest rocker arm geometry . . .
[current Hemi rockers on double shafts / source: Google search]
. . . of any pushrod design with separate shafts for intake and exhaust, which inherently curtails engine speed. Here's a diagram …
. . . to illustrate the point.
However, when it comes to making power under their nominal rev limit, there's nothing quite like a Hemi. Given normal driving conditions, with engine speeds under 6K rpm, it's debatable whether any theoretical advantage provided by the higher revving capability of modern overhead cam engines is truly relevant.
The quickest production car until very recently was the '68 Hemi Dart*. Muffled and with street tires, it turned 11 seconds in the quarter mile. Unmuffled, with slicks . . . 10s. And this was a car you could drive out of a Dodge dealership in the fall of '67.
Yes, there are now competitive Euro supercars, but with five decades worth of technological advancement under their belts. In a grudge match between a freshly set up race Hemi Dart and a Ferrari 599, I'd still bet on the Mopar.
* Fifty produced by special order; intended for drag racing, but a few were licensed and street driven.
2014 Los Angeles Auto Show: Cadillac, Corvette, and Dodge
American Woman by Lenny Kravitz is a famous song that is iconic. And although the motor car was invented by the Germans, American car companies are still some of the largest and most important car producers and consumers in the world. And being in Los Ang...
Corvette for me, please, even if the head lights make me think of a Nissan, and the
Rear lights, of a Camaro... But the ratio pleasure price is just unbeatable.... I should try one, one day! Best, Nicolas
Cadillac
Is knocking it out of the park. Heads up folks. With dominance in World Challenge racing as driver and mfg champion for the last three years now with the outgoing CTSV and now running the ATSV for this season. The new Escalade, Gen 3 CTS V Sport and now...
Thanks for sharing!
I'm really disappointed with the Hellcat's low RPM redline and the pushrod camshaft system. Corvette's Z06 engine using pushrods too... Pushrod camshafts are just not reliable in high rpm territory (which is why the RPM redline of the Hellcat and the Z06 ...
Chrysler Hemis are famously limited . . .
. . . in their power band, even compared to other pushrod engines. Their canted valve orientation . . . [current Chrysler Hemi combustion chamber / source: Google search] . . . of necessity creates the widest rocker arm geometry . . . [current Hemi rocker...
Nice Post Art!
I still find it amazing that so many years ago they were already making cars that could do the quarter mile in the 10.9 second range. That just boggles my mind. Thanks for sharing this lovely post with this information. The main reason why I like higher R...
. . . and controversial at the time, too. The Guess Who were invited . . .
. . . to play the White House, but Pat Nixon asked them not to play 'American Woman' on account of its purportedly anti-American theme. Art
