Harry is absolutely right. I don't have to rev my motor, I just drive. When I do have to rev my motor like that, you 4 bangers are struggling in 2nd gear, I can still go 55+ at least.

Brian, there are some things you just can't get around.

First of all. A "truck" motor by definition is one that makes torque at low RPM. A "car" motor usually does so at high RPM. That being said, I don't think the 22R's are very high reving 4 cylinder motors. In fact, I think they tend to have more bottom end torque than most 4 cylinders. Aren't their redlines under 6 grand?

Now, that said, friction is friction. Your rings for example, slide against the cylinder walls when the truck runs. Your wristpins must bear the loads of each engine cycle and so on... All of this helps to generate heat. If you have to rev the piss out of your motor, it will endure more friction for every mile of use and will wear accordingly. This applies to every moving part in your motor as well as static parts ike head gaskets that see the load each time your cylinder fires. You 4 cylinder is at a dissadvantage there, a big one.

HP is the rate of work. To make high horsepower, you have to produce torque and a high RPM. The way this translates into a fast vehicle is because that engine torque is multiplied by gear ratios: ie, you use a lower gear with a high reving motor you get lots of torque at the wheel. You can easily double torque at the wheel with the change of a gear... as long as the engine can take the strain. The problem comes in when you are at a freeway speed, up a hill, you can't downshift low enough to get the torque you need at the wheels to get the truck to go at the speed you want. This is where HP goes out the window and it's all about torque period. You either have the torque to twist the wheels or you don't. This is where large engines have their strength as they see less friction due to lower rpm, less heat generated(a biggie for aluminum headed motors), less wear, and last longer. The owners get to relax in the fast lane too!

I really don't see how the Toyota 22R is supposed to rev like that all day. I mean my girlfriends Vtech Civic with its near 7 grand RPM redline? That's a motor to rev.

Here's an interesting tid bit of an example of HP Vs torque.

My 83 Mercedes 300SD is a 4000lb 4 door turbo diesel sedan. It has 243,000 miles on it and isn't anywhere near the end of its life. My girlfriend has a little Honda as I mentioned with the VTEC motor. Of the line she kicks my butt off the planet. On the freeway things are a little different. If we both take off at 70 and neither downshifts, my benz will not only smoke her, but it go faster too. If she kicks down to third, she starts to slowly over take me. But.. I start to run out of steam around 95 or so... where she hits 4th gear and while she won't accelerate really quick, she'll hit 130 with some pedal left. I'm a distant glint in here rear view. (Had I a 5th gear things might be different.) As you can see, in top gear, torque wins. If your top gear can't go fast enough, and that top gear is the fastest gear your engine can take, you are SOL and wearing out your engine quick.

Frank.

PS, on these boards, 4 cylinders are lucky to hit 150K before major work when pulling big tires, etc... I have never, ever seen a signature or claim of a 4 cylinder engine surving over 300,000 miles (let alone 400,000) in a 4 wheel drive lifted big tire truck. I'll lay a fat bet that you will see a 3.0 v6 do it say late next year assuming I continue to drive at the mileage I am. Sure mine had work.. but it was FREE!. The few 4 bangers I have seen claim to pull more than 200,000 with out major work were described as tired. Criminy, 3.0 tired at 200K? I don't think so.

<small>[ June 20, 2003, 07:08 PM: Message edited by: elripster ]</small>