i dont get it.......

[boostnsrt]

i dotn get this, everyone on this site is telling me that the 3.4 is so much quicker than the 2.4. ive looked up several articles and road tests on the vehicles and they are all saying the same thing. here is what i copied from one site. it seems to me that with the extra 180lbs to push and only 20 hp and 35lbft of torque that the v6 really isnt any quicker than the i4. but if you llook at what i copied it is only 2/10ths quicker.

2001 Oldsmobile Alero GL Coupe (GLS Sedan in parentheses)

Base Price $ 18,655 (20,875)
Price As Tested $ 19,835 (21,400)
ngine Type dual overhead cam 16-valve inline
4-cylinder
(12-valve pushrod overhead valve V6)
Engine Size 2.4 liters /
Horsepower 150 @ 5600 rpm (170 @ 4800 rpm)
Torque (lb-ft) 165 @ 2400 to 4400 rpm
(200 @ 4000 rpm)
Transmission 4-speed electronically-controlled
automatic
Wheelbase / Length 107.0 in. / 186.7 in.
Curb Weight 3026 lbs. (est 3200 lbs.)
Pounds Per Horsepower 20.2 (18.8)
Fuel Capacity 15.0 gal.
Fuel Requirement unleaded regular, 87 octane
Tires P215 / 60 SR15
B.F. Goodrich Touring T/A
(P225 / 50 SR15 Goodyear Eagle LS)
Brakes, front/rear vented disc / solid disc, antilock standard
Suspension, front/rear independent MacPherson strut /
independent tri-link strut with
coil springs
Drivetrain front engine, front-wheel drive

PERFORMANCE
EPA Fuel Economy - miles per gallon city / highway / observed
21 / 29 / 24 (20 / 28 / 23)
0 to 60 mph 8.0 sec (7.9)
1/4 mile (E.T.) 16.5 sec (16.3)
Coefficient of Drag (cd) 0.321

OPTIONS AND CHARGES
GL Coupe: (GLS sedan had no optional equipment)
6-way power driver's seat $ 305
AM/FM/cassette/CD stereo $ 200
Remote keyless entry $ 150
Destination charge (for both) $ 525

[kwhauck]

driver makes a world of difference, I ran a 15.3 with just a muffler and civic CAI

[Redog]

Are you asking why a V6 is faster than a I-4?

Boy I can't figure out either why a 170 HP V6 is faster than a 150 HP I-4, but I'm in the middle of trying to figure out why a Ford F-250 can tow more than a Chevy Aveo. :rolleyes2:

[SikMindz]

lol. What a jerk. But funny. Rephrase...HILARIOUS!

On average a 2.4L runs roughly 16.0-16.5 on average while the V6 N-Bodies run anywhere from 15.0-16.0. The low end torque with the 3400 would play a big part in that I would think. In the end, who cares. Spy's GA is a 2.4L and he's currently the fastest streetable N-Body running a 12.4.

[AlbinoMonkeyRat]

with N-bodies, the only replacement for displacement is MONEY.

[boostnsrt]

Are you asking why a V6 is faster than a I-4?

Boy I can't figure out either why a 170 HP V6 is faster than a 150 HP I-4, but I'm in the middle of trying to figure out why a Ford F-250 can tow more than a Chevy Aveo. :rolleyes2:
maybe you should read my whole post but then again you are probably wondering why a 110 hp 4 cylinder 600 cc bike is faster than a v10 viper its called power to weight ratio. dick. if you read my post it says the weight difference between the 2. but the rest of these posts on this thread are the reason for my question. you all are still telling me something different than what several different magazine tests tell me. the driver thing i understand but most of the test drivers for car magazines are excellent drivers. so are the magazines drivers sandbagging for the readers sake.

[jayson_waltz]

20hp isn't such a huge difference like lots a people are saying. yea its noticable, but not a lot. i've got the 2.4 and I can beat my friends 4.3 V6 in his '94 C1500 2 door in a flat out highway drag & he is making about 190-195 HP. i have no performance parts, he was straight piped at the time.

[boostnsrt]

thats what im saying. 20hp and 35lbft isnt much when you add almost 200 lbs to it.

[jayson_waltz]

very true

[Oldsnut]

Power to weight ratio I understand. Cars being tested by different drivers, one guy 140 the other 300, options and weight of those options on the car tested. Could be a million reasons why. Was one not performing properly, different octane fuel. Or maybe the drivers were sandbaggin it.

[boostnsrt]

well i dunno guys. i got a 16.7 with a 5yr old in a car seat and about 75lbs worth of army shit in the trunk. next time i'll go alone and emty the trunk and spare and back seat. then we'll se what kinda times i get.

[mfuller]

REmember that gearing plays a role here too.
Case in point: 3400-equipped Aleros have a 3.05:1 final-drive, while 2.4L Aleros have a 3.42:1 gearset. The shorter gearing helps the smaller moter to get into it's powerband quicker.

[jackal2000]

honestly? who gives a shit. it doesnt matter what motor you have in your alero because at the end of the day.....you're still slow.

[mustang_killer]

honestly? who gives a shit. it doesnt matter what motor you have in your alero because at the end of the day.....you're still slow.


Game, Point, Match. The best point made in this whole post.

[FutureEcotecOwnerAgain]

I rather have a 5spd 2.4 or Ecotec, they have many performance parts and can be made very quick and I think cheaper than the 3400. When I had my 4 door Alero with Ecotec with header, exhaust, and intake, I raced a 4 door Alero with the 3400 and beat it from 0 to 80 by about 3 cars. From the beginning he only pulled like 1/2 car, and after that it was over. I have looked for 5spd Aleros in both the Ecotec and 2.4 and could only find a few in the country, very rare. Start doing some mods on your 2.4, even swap in a manual, because in the end, a manual will be quicker than an auto. Be happy with what you got and in the end you'll be happy.

[Redog]

maybe you should read my whole post but then again you are probably wondering why a 110 hp 4 cylinder 600 cc bike is faster than a v10 viper its called power to weight ratio. dick. if you read my post it says the weight difference between the 2. but the rest of these posts on this thread are the reason for my question. you all are still telling me something different than what several different magazine tests tell me. the driver thing i understand but most of the test drivers for car magazines are excellent drivers. so are the magazines drivers sandbagging for the readers sake.

I might be a dick, but you asked the question

[boostnsrt]

i didnt ask why a v6 was faster than a i4. i asked why everyone on here is telling me one thing when all the magazine tests are telling me something different. the case in point was that everyone was saying the v6 would smoke the 2.4 by atleast a second in the 1/4 mile, but the magazine tests all say that it is only 2/10ths of a second faster.

[Redog]

Stock for stock the 2.4 cannot beat the 3.4, modded out without power adders it could be a close race and close money wise too

[jackal2000]

i didnt ask why a v6 was faster than a i4. i asked why everyone on here is telling me one thing when all the magazine tests are telling me something different. the case in point was that everyone was saying the v6 would smoke the 2.4 by atleast a second in the 1/4 mile, but the magazine tests all say that it is only 2/10ths of a second faster.

winning is winning. every racer knows that.



lawl

[Oldsnut]

honestly? who gives a shit. it doesnt matter what motor you have in your alero because at the end of the day.....you're still slow.

:cool: Not unlees you find a way to stuff an Aurora V-8 into it.

[jackal2000]

:cool: Not unlees you find a way to stuff an Aurora V-8 into it.
i guess i should have been specific. stock 2.2, 2.4 and 3400 = teh sl0w

[alerored04]

so a heavily modded 15.1 milzy car is not teh slow? lol. Had to dude, you left it open!!

[jackal2000]

damn i left that part out! LOL unless you're boosted forgetaboutit.

[alerored04]

nah, a good tune will get rid of your teh slowness.

[jackal2000]

nah, a good tune will get rid of your teh slowness.
and lighter rims ;)

[alerored04]

for sure, i wish i could afford a set of nice light 17"s but i need the power first. Turbo is cooler than rims anyway.

[AlbinoMonkeyRat]

14" light rims FTW

[Cliff8928]

You can't install 14" wheels unless you down-size the brakes.

Oh, and i think the original point of this thread was-

Why does everyone say the 3400 is so much faster than the 2.4 if their as-tested ETs in the magazines (C&D R&T, MT, etc..) aren't all that far apart.

One thing, Is that i don't think the magazines really persist in any technique in getting better times out of cars that aren't flashy, trendy, or attention-getting - like 'vettes, vipers, and mustangs etc...

[number1alero]

^which you cant blame them...considering those are the popular cars for performance (which especially the new mustang...ive heard the engines are interchangeable between the different models) God im drooling over the shelby gt500, $40,000 with 500hp, definetely beats the vette price and you could buy two of them for the price of one viper

[AlbinoMonkeyRat]

You can't install 14" wheels unless you down-size the brakes.
precisely the point. down-sizing the brakes reduces rotational mass along with the light-weight wheels. doing this alone could probably get you 0.2sec on the 1/8, and between 0.3 and 0.4 on the quarter. on a drag-only car, this is a very worth-while mod.

[FutureEcotecOwnerAgain]

^which you cant blame them...considering those are the popular cars for performance (which especially the new mustang...ive heard the engines are interchangeable between the different models) God im drooling over the shelby gt500, $40,000 with 500hp, definetely beats the vette price and you could buy two of them for the price of one viper

Yeah the new Mustangs are nice and all, but what do you mean by interchangeable engines? Are you saying you can buy a v6 and drop in a v8 from the GT. Almost all Mustangs are that way, I know alot of people who put Cobra engines into their v6 or GT. The new GT500 is pretty badass, but the Vette outperforms it in about every way possible, hell the new Z06 Vette almost outperforms the Ford GT. The GT500 weighs so damn much and runs the 1/4 in about 12.6 or so, that is about avg.

[boostnsrt]

You can't install 14" wheels unless you down-size the brakes.

Oh, and i think the original point of this thread was-

Why does everyone say the 3400 is so much faster than the 2.4 if their as-tested ETs in the magazines (C&D R&T, MT, etc..) aren't all that far apart.

One thing, Is that i don't think the magazines really persist in any technique in getting better times out of cars that aren't flashy, trendy, or attention-getting - like 'vettes, vipers, and mustangs etc...


thank you!!!!!!!!!! someone was finally paying attention to what i was saying. this is the only decent reply to my question out of all these posts

[AlbinoMonkeyRat]

you guys do realize that magazine numbers don't count.

the engine itself is more powerful. if they had the same gear ratios, then the 3400 would be noticeably faster than the 2.4L. mfuller already said that.

[boostnsrt]

why dont magazine numbers count?

[number1alero]

magazine numbers are usually numbers reported by the manufacturer, which can usually be off. until you get a car on a dyno, you can only guess what it puts out power wise. even though its the same engine, they can put out different HP numbers, some people end up with a junk engine, others get a freak engine. kinda luck of the draw, or like playing the lottery

[number1alero]

Yeah the new Mustangs are nice and all, but what do you mean by interchangeable engines? Are you saying you can buy a v6 and drop in a v8 from the GT. Almost all Mustangs are that way, I know alot of people who put Cobra engines into their v6 or GT. The new GT500 is pretty badass, but the Vette outperforms it in about every way possible, hell the new Z06 Vette almost outperforms the Ford GT. The GT500 weighs so damn much and runs the 1/4 in about 12.6 or so, that is about avg.


ill beg to differ...the vette is a shitty ride, because of the suspension setup that has the car so low to the ground, ive ridden in one and could easily feel the tiniest bump, just like the viper. besides...you missed the point here, for $40,000 u can have the GT500, spend another 20,000 to get to the new vette price, and beat the shit out of the vette.

[number1alero]

actually ill take that back, you can get the gt500 and throw 30,000 into it to get to the z06 price, its MSRP is $70,000. do your research before you start making stupid comments....

so who would take a z06 for $70,000 with 500 HP or the newer more rare GT500 for $40,000 with 500 HP ?

[derek_ski99]

and like it was already said...they don't exactly push the passenger cars and economic sedans like they would a corvette or viper, which is why you can't really judge magazine numbers.

[boostnsrt]

magazine numbers are usually numbers reported by the manufacturer, which can usually be off. until you get a car on a dyno, you can only guess what it puts out power wise. even though its the same engine, they can put out different HP numbers, some people end up with a junk engine, others get a freak engine. kinda luck of the draw, or like playing the lottery

your right on that point, but nearly all magazines test the cars on the track for performance numbers even though they use manufacturers hp and tq specs