I noticed V8's "american" last a very long time, and v6's people only want to a certian amount of km's , my dads GMC 89 extended cab pickup had almost 700,000km's before he changed the motor because it was getting sluggish , ive seen Tran's Ams and z28's with the the miles way way up there , but yet people with v6 cars never get that high.

Just curious

im a fan of V-8's also know as, engines that actually have torque, so im not gonna say anything negative but i see a flame war starting up. I cant really compare because..well.. we've only had one V-6 car (excluding my brothers firebird) which was a Cavalier Z28 that was stolen about a year afterwards....actually weve never ever had a 4-cyl car. V-8 power all the way!

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Adam J. B.
The search for a GT will never end!
IM AOL: GTFiero & Rumpdetective (dont ask)

because a V6 has to work harder to do the same job as a v8.

A v8 has a power stroke every 90 degrees, a v6 every 120, and a 4 cylinder every 180. So the v8 will run much smoother then the 4 will, as there are power stroke right after one another..therefore less rough running or movement...maybe that is why...Just a guess.

ya, generally operate at lower rpms because of the extra torque. Also the more cylinders, the smoother.
at 80 mph my Ferraro is around 3500 rpm the Corvette is about 1700 rpm = 1/2 the wear.

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So really people that ***** about gas mileage in v8's are really getting a better deal , there motors last longer , imporving there financial situation.

I was going to buy my dads 89 T/A but gas here in ontario was supposed to raise to 1$ per litre "rumor", but when i hit a full time job it's v8 T/A all the way!

How well a owner takes care of ANY engine is the single most deciding factor on its life.

Just because it is a V8 dosent mean that you can just leave it and not take care of it.

I don't know, my grand prix has 165xxx and it is still going strong.

Honestly, they all go for about the same. And no way is an 8 smoother than a 6.... 4's and 8's are rough compared to 6's and 12's...

quote Originally posted by CanadianGT: A v8 has a power stroke every 90 degrees, a v6 every 120, and a 4 cylinder every 180. So the v8 will run much smoother then the 4 will, as there are power stroke right after one another..therefore less rough running or movement...maybe that is why...Just a guess.

Then why do hondas last for a million miles?

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1.94 to go


http://www.fieroX.com

1.Better inherent balance

2. Lower power band

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1986 GT 4spd> Suspension Techniques Springs, Poly Bushings, Bosal Brospeed 4.5" Exhaust Tips, Cross Drilled Rotors

quote Originally posted by fieroX: Then why do hondas last for a million miles?

where the hell are you? Hondas ans such became big during the 70's with the gas crisis and such. But how many 70's hondas do you see around? I see a ton of 70's american cars but i think in my life ive only seen 2 or 3 70's jap imports. Same goes with early 80s. The eariest 80's Honda i ever seen was an 85, while the eariest 80's, say chevrolet was gee... 1980. I havent met an 80's jap car tho that wasnt falling apart. Also just last week we had a 96 Honda Civic in the shop due for a tune up at 53,000 miles.. hell our 87 Cadillac has near 80,000 with no tune up yet. Import jap car lasting longer than domestics is a myth. During the 70's, yeah imports lasted a bit longer than 70's domestics ( late 70's) but after about 10-15 year, jap cars arent any good anymore. This is based upon personal experiance and friends with imports

Also i have not yet met a Jap car with over 130,000 miles on it yet

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Adam J. B.
The search for a GT will never end!
IM AOL: GTFiero & Rumpdetective (dont ask)

The tranny has as much to do with crusing RPM as tq. Our 92 mini van crusies at like
2000 at 70 it also has a lock up tq converter and you can't tell me that the dodge 3.3 has a good hp / wieght ratio 150/185 hp/tq vs 3804 pounds = 20lbs/tq
fiero = 15lbs/tg and my old fiero had more miles with less problems. It really depend on how well built the drive trian is and how well maintained it is. Plus how many total engine failures have you seen. I've only seen a few (2-3) yes one was a fiero that throw a rod. And some cars are just lemons. My Gfs honda has 194000 and runs better than my cav with half the miles. some engine similar wieght. Who knows there are so many things to factor in. Including the fact that everyday domestic cars are only designed to last 7-10 years. As you go up the scale they last longer. Also if you look the not so everyday cars Vettes... have 8 in them. Are you going to stick an expensive V8 (LT1, LS1...) in a cheap car that you don't want to last that long?

Its all about how you take care of them.. A 4, V6 & V8 can last a lifetime if you take care of them & perform preventive maintenance. I bought a new Hyundai Excel back in '94. I had well over 120,000 on it in only 3 years. The engine still ran perfect after the trans died..

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ClassicFiero.com

quote Originally posted by GTFiero1: where the hell are you? Hondas ans such became big during the 70's with the gas crisis and such. But how many 70's hondas do you see around? I see a ton of 70's american cars but i think in my life ive only seen 2 or 3 70's jap imports. Same goes with early 80s. The eariest 80's Honda i ever seen was an 85, while the eariest 80's, say chevrolet was gee... 1980. I havent met an 80's jap car tho that wasnt falling apart. Also just last week we had a 96 Honda Civic in the shop due for a tune up at 53,000 miles.. hell our 87 Cadillac has near 80,000 with no tune up yet. Import jap car lasting longer than domestics is a myth. During the 70's, yeah imports lasted a bit longer than 70's domestics ( late 70's) but after about 10-15 year, jap cars arent any good anymore. This is based upon personal experiance and friends with imports Also i have not yet met a Jap car with over 130,000 miles on it yet

The reason you don't see (m)any old imports is because you're in New Jersey, which didn't have many imports in it in the 70's anyway, and most of them have rusted out because nobody got them as a collectors vehicle.

I happened to have just sold my 1980 Honda Accord hatchback about a year ago, after I got my Fiero up and running good. It had 180k, and was still in fantastic shape. Even with that mileage, there was barely any slop in the suspension, the brakes worked great, it had excellent driveability, and the interior was in near-perfect condition. Oh yeah, and it cost me 400 dollars...

Hondas (imports in general) last longer in an apples:apples comparison because of two major things, design and tolerances. Most of their motors are of a superior design in the matter of longevity; they may not make a ton of power, but they'll not make a ton of power very soundly. You can make a ton of power with them, but you lose that longevity. The second part, tolerances, is a major strength the Japanese and Germans have over us Americans...machining tolerances and quality control is superior. Again, this is a generalization, but a truth in general. The Japanese can produce cars much cheaper, thus for the same price you can get a much better product in comparison. The Germans seem to have similar costs, and the quality obtained from their cars does cost a bit more than our cars. Again, these are generalizations and don't true in every sense, but it's a fact.

You obviously haven't met many jap cars, if you haven't met one with over 130k...unless it's a motorcycle, most anything Japanese is middle-aged at 130k miles. With good care, many will last 300k before even needing a head gasket. As a matter of fact, a friend of mine has an 88 Nissan with 310k miles that he drives every day, and has NEVER had to break into the motor. Good care, performing recommended services, and gentle driving has been his key to success. Oh yeah, and 35+ mpg success at that.

Don't be so close-minded....I find it's quite appalling.

Bryce
88 GT

heh.. My 85 Fiero SE V6 has about 303,000 Clicks on it... I just bought it as the donor frame for my Indy project..

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-Alex

1986 Fiero GT STOCK Wingless, 1987 Fiero SC Stock,1984 Fiero Indy (resto project), 85 SE (donor frame for Indy), 86 SE Body only
President of FieroMontreal... www.fieromontreal.com
and Regional Director of CFOG-I for Eastern Canada. www.cfog-I.org

i know. im just stating my own personal experiences and that i will never EVER own a Jap car. But i know a lot of people that have the same success with american cars as other people do with imports. A friend's friend has a 71 4 door (yuck) Chevelle and hes had it for 4 years, its only been in the shop 3 times and one of them was an oil change (he also has a porsche 944 hes selling to by a mint 88 IROC) Since ive been here, none of my dads cars (he only buys american) have been "in the shop" for any major problems, just maintenece. On the other hand, my brothers first car was a 1984 Nissan Sentra, got it for $500.00 and it actually ran good and was reliable after dumping about $1,000 into it, he later sold it for $500.00 to get an 89 Firebird. My friends 93 Toyota Celica always liked to spit spark plugs..he sold it to get a 79 Camaro Z28. A teachers Toyota something has been in the shop for something different each week, my god that thing needs to be put out of its misery.

So with my experiences with american vs. jap cars, i will never by a jap car. Im american, i will by american

He's had it for 4 years you said, and it's only been to the shop 3 times, once for an oil change? Hmm.. 4 years, 1 oil change.. The reason it's still good, is because HE DOESN'T DRIVE IT!

Howabout the volvo that broke 2million miles (im not sure of the actual but it was more than 2mil) not long ago, eat that you V8 lovers i know volvo is not not a japanese car but its still a 4cyl

okay ladies and gents heres fact not personal info
1. yes imports (hondas in particular)are manufactured with tighter tolerances for exanple the ring gap in a chevy 350 is huge compared to a honda civic , imports have a rigerous-sp? maintence schedule and the original owner is informed well of the maintence requirements , therefore maintence is a huge factor in the longevity issue . now for the personal opinion, lets think a minute about tolerances shall we? a chevy 350 can survive many different problems and still run well, like for instance -oil change every 2 years , seen it car still ran fine (caprrice -85) overheating , ragging on the engine ectera.... , if you messed up and overheated a civic you would be at best replaceing the head gaskets at worst the head and possibly the rad so you see there isnt a apple to apple comparison because the engines are totally diffrent i personally feel that a import is awesome to and from work transport however for fun and games a chevy 350 is my power plant of choice and we have the perfect little car to put one in dont we? hehe my wife calls my fiero the american ricer-id prefer the beast but you know .....-juicedv8

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86 gt v8
Speed and Looks
Chop Shop Customs

quote Originally posted by JohnnyK: He's had it for 4 years you said, and it's only been to the shop 3 times, once for an oil change? Hmm.. 4 years, 1 oil change.. The reason it's still good, is because HE DOESN'T DRIVE IT!

no, he usually does oil changes himself

I recently fixed a Honda wagon with 225,000 and it seemed to run fine. Still I wouldnt own an asian car either. Ive had a couple of Lincolns with over 200,000, my Mercedes SL had 200,??? and still ran good except for leaky valve seals. Also painted the side of a Mercedes sedan a few weeks ago with over 300,000, it had more gadgets than I ever seen in any car, and even more amazing, everything in it worked except the in dash cell phone.

I got an 85 Mazda GLC for free a few years ago. 150000 miles and that thing was barely clinging to life. I also got it stuck in a 1/2 inch of snow and had to pull it out with my 84 Fiero, but that's another story. The best part was that I made 300 bucks selling it back to the daughter of the lady that gave it to me.

There was a guy that had a million miles on his 84ish Cavelier a year ago and nobody cared. He was in the newspaper and got a commendation from GM, but it wasn't on TV or anything like the Volvo was when it passed 1 million. (was featured on Car and Driver TV, 2 years ago, or something)

The engine on that Volvo had been rebuilt also.

quote Originally posted by Pontiaddict: The engine on that Volvo had been rebuilt also.

I dont know about that, they were saying origional drivetrain... Take that how you will but i assumed that for that to be the case the motor and tranny should have never been opened up...

My dad owns a 1996 Honda Civic with 485,000 KM on it (301k miles)

Orig clutch, orig shifter parts, orig tranny, NOTHING changed except a whole new exhaust system (Custom by NoyzBoyz, headers), and a new O2 sensor.

Other than that, the car is bone stock, and other than oil changes every month, and plug changes once a year, the thing runs BRAND new and pulls like stink.

and another reason why you most likely wont see a 70's or early 80's honda on the road, is because they were UGLY PIECES OF CRAP. Muscle cars are in a totally different catagory. And you dont really see that many 70's and 80's American econo-shitboxes on the road anyway. Most of them have become FeO2

I saw a celica yesterday.. Looked like it was from the 70's or something. Thing was GREAT looking! Looked like a muscly datsun. Anyways, my friend had a Colt (made by mitsubishi) with 600000 kilometres on it. But then someone smashed him.

quote Originally posted by fieroX: and another reason why you most likely wont see a 70's or early 80's honda on the road, is because they were UGLY PIECES OF CRAP. Muscle cars are in a totally different catagory. And you dont really see that many 70's and 80's American econo-shitboxes on the road anyway. Most of them have become FeO2

actually ive seen more Gremlins and Pacers than civics or other imports from the 70's

My mom's car has 300,000km's on it , 3.1l 89 Grand Prix , there is still lots of high miler chevette's and accadians around too.. American cars do last a long time , police force puts TONS of miles on american cars , impala's , etc. The reason people keep buying cavaliers , sunbirds , sunfire's ETC, is because there good quality , my family has bought american cars long before i was around V6 or not they last a long time. Not to mention the GM trucks they last forever!

[This message has been edited by FieroWraith (edited 04-12-2002).]

My son got his 88 Coupe for $500 with 301K Miles on it. Compression test showed 125 psi on all cylinders. Only had to replace the fuel pump, but because of the chatter we went ahead and replaced the cam timing gear. For that many miles the engine/transmission and suspension are pretty tight but I think it needs shocks/struts next.

Well, Roger & I have something in common after all. I'll never own an asian car & my daily driver has 225,000+ miles on it. Ooooops, it's one of dam*ned suv's, it probably don't count. My brother, the miser that he is, is still driving a 70's something Datsun pick up. God knows how many miles on that thing. It's just one big oil leak.