I love my inline six...it's torquey, efficent, butter smooth, reliable and it's able to propel the sled quite well considering it's weight (4500 lbs, 228hp). Now for every I-6 I've driven, they all feel the same, especially when compared to a V6 of the comparable size.

Balance!!!

/6 > I6

Jaguar's straight 6 is nicer than V6 too .

...and you can't have a discussion about the inline six without mentioning BMW! http://www.8thdaycreations.com/images/gothicaleigh/gothismile.gif

It's 3.0L is to the I6 as the LS series is to the pushrod V8. The benchmark for what is possible.

mmm BMW I-6

This is why people who "step up" to a V8 BMW from a smaller 3 series are typically underwhelmed. Fine engine... but power delivery and smoothness is no contest. This is also why the best keptsecret right now is 335i > M3...

BMW 3.2L I6 = Orgasm

(and might be the next engine sitting in my driveway)

This is an I6. http://ohe.cat.com/cda/layout?m=85523&x=7
625HP 2050lb./ft. torque. Average life is 1,000,000 miles.

I HAVE always loved the Mopar /6...

The old Mopar slant 6 is the best thing they ever did. Besides being a good auto engine it was also an excellent industrial engine.

Wasn't that Mopar I-6 horribly underpowered though? I remember seeing stats for a ~'83 New Yorker, with that 237 cid I-6....85 horsepower and like 145 lb/ft.....DOG!

There are many different inline 6s out there, and the imports ones are very good. America hasen't done a real bad job either ...The ones in the Trailblazer have proved to be a Good SUV motor, Very old GM inline 6 moved huge trucks. GMs in line six dates back to like 1929.
My personal favorite is a Pontiac offering.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/Pontiac_3.8_OHC_Straight-6.jpg/800px-Pontiac_3.8_OHC_Straight-6.jpg
The 4.0 Jeep inline 6 is another good motor.
The best one ever most likely for longevity and not performance is the Ford 4.9 or 300 CI.
however the Mopar Slant 6 was an inline and while not a beast, it would run for years, there was also an all Aluminum version of said motor. I would think maybe it is just as good as Ford offering.

A little Mopar Aluminum slant 6 history...
http://www.slantsix.org/articles/dutra-blocks/alm-block-sl6.htm
Finding one is like finding a ZL1 engine, just not as fulfilling.

The mopar slant six...I've seen 'em with 400 hp before. (not in person, but magazines have done it...for fairly cheap too) You can't take a 1985 ANYTHING and compare it as the best of the best! :)

The GM I6 4.2 litre is terrific. My dad's Envoy XUV has one and I matched a Seville for acceleration on the highway (admittedly I had to bury it, but damned if it didn't move!) in that truck.
I've driven a Ford F600 with the 4.9 litre I6 (The largest such engine ever fitted to a car/truck) and it's a terrific truck motor- would pull your house down, runs all day with no hickups, starts consistently, doesn't use too awful much gas, and -now this is very important- gets the heater up before you've backed the thing outta the driveway. (Iron-block inline motors all tend to be that way).

Ford's 4.9 I-6 is a torquey little beast, and you can not kill those things...same thing too with the Jeep 4.0, but smaller. My buddy was telling me about the 4.0 in his '01 Cherokee...I guess it makes 85% of peak torque AT IDLE!!

Ford's 4.9 I-6 is a torquey little beast, and you can not kill those things...same thing too with the Jeep 4.0, but smaller. My buddy was telling me about the 4.0 in his '01 Cherokee...I guess it makes 85% of peak torque AT IDLE!!

The only shameful thing about the 2007 Wrangler, is that the 4.0L I6 was retired before the 07 could take advantage of it, that thing was up there with the BMW motors in terms of versatility and longevity.

LOL, I was surprised to find it but I used to have one of these. It came with an OHC slant 6 and Rochester 4bbl carb! Drivetrain included a Saginaw 4 speed box, Muncie console shifter and posi rearend. The picture is a Tempest. I had a LeMans - very similar. I think they even put the motor in a Firebird.

Another DeLorean brainchild (http://www.cardomain.com/ride/658053)

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/10/web/658000-658999/658053_19_full.jpg


http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/10/web/658000-658999/658053_13_full.jpg

There are many different inline 6s out there, and the imports ones are very good. America hasen't done a real bad job either ...The ones in the Trailblazer have proved to be a Good SUV motor, Very old GM inline 6 moved huge trucks. GMs in line six dates back to like 1929.
My personal favorite is a Pontiac offering.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/Pontiac_3.8_OHC_Straight-6.jpg/800px-Pontiac_3.8_OHC_Straight-6.jpg
The 4.0 Jeep inline 6 is another good motor.
The best one ever most likely for longevity and not performance is the Ford 4.9 or 300 CI.
however the Mopar Slant 6 was an inline and while not a beast, it would run for years, there was also an all Aluminum version of said motor. I would think maybe it is just as good as Ford offering.


Dang Mike, I totally missed this post. Duh! Sorry for being redundant!!

No problem! That was good motor! It did infact come in the Firebird.

Yep, it's all about the natural balance of the inline design.

And I know the feeling as well, because it isn't just the typically great BMW I-6 that's gives you the "feeling", but even a garden variety older Grand Cherokee I rode in with the 4.0L I6 "had it". Not all that powerful, or even that polished sounding, but it has that natural extreme smoothness to its running and just operates--even under strain--like butter.

Balance, balance, balance...something that's HUGELY important in every aspect of a car, really.

So would an I-4 run a lot smoother than a V-4 because it's better balanced? An I-8 v. a V-8? Or is it just the I-6's that are balanced so well?

I remember hearing that the I-6 is the smoothest engine layout, followed by the V-12.

Most every 4 Cylinder motor *IS* an I4, there's not really any such thing as a V4.

Yeah, except for one AFAIK...those Saab Sonnets (?) built in the late '60s, early '70s...they were a V-4...the only V-4 I've ever seen.

How about W12 ?
I do prefer V12 lol .

I6 and V12's are both naturally balanced, hence the smoothness.

V4's are used a lot in the dirt sprint cars.

Still tho, for American badassness, nothing beats a V8! ;) I do miss the 4.9 in the Caddy, the somewhat rough idle and overall raspy tone of the engine... it was a great engine for a luxury car, but also had a cool muscle side to it.... 4.6 in the Town Car is a little too refined for me, still a great engine tho... sounds real good when you get on it.

I've always been a fan of I6's too.... Jeep 4.0 and Ford 4.9 are among my favorites. One of our work trucks is a ~'93 F-150, pretty basic, I6, auto... just turned 189,000 miles, truck is trashed by the employees too... still starts right up and runs good, I enjoy driving it even tho its old and beat up.... I still think finding a truck of that generation in XLT trim with a lot of options, with the I6 would be a great truck.... since most of the I6's went into basic work trucks.

Most every 4 Cylinder motor *IS* an I4, there's not really any such thing as a V4.The German built Mecury Capris of the 70's had V4's. My buddy had one and it was pretty cool. Right hand steering and all. :thumbsup:

Correct, Saab also had a V4, I believe the original 2.8/2.9 were based off one of the V4s for gas mileage. The cranks were lightened up (for gas mileage) so you would get crank flex at high rpm, which is not good.

Yea, I know there's been alot of offshoot oddballs, but there isn't really anything in regular scale production in a V4. After I4's the next most common variant is the Boxster 4, also known as the "Flat 4" or H4.

Yea, I know there's been alot of offshoot oddballs, but there isn't really anything in regular scale production in a V4. After I4's the next most common variant is the Boxster 4, also known as the "Flat 4" or H4.

Subaru. They've had that engine design for ever, and just keep improving on it.... it's another engine I really like....they've done a lot of things what that engine.

Nobody mentioned VR6??? (Volkswagen)

It is basically a 6 line, but the cilinders are slightly v'd (15 degrees), so you van make the engine more compact (shorter). The V-concept is by my knowledge a way to make the engine both smaller in hight as in length. The I is higher and longer, but you can get an advantage when you place the engine transversaly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VR6_engine

On the W8, W12, W16, W18 (Bugatti EB): it is basically the VR concept in V. So both V-banks have their cilinders also slightly v'd to make the engine more compact.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W8_engine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W12_engine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W18

I believe there are some V-4 engines for motorcycles??? (Honda Sabre)

V4 = Motorcycles

V4 = Motorcycles

Not only Motorcycles:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V4_engine

wikipedia is amazing for trivia, eh?

Threads like this make me miss my old Grand Cherokee.....

The I6 ran great but sounded like shit. It had an awesome torque curve though! Some things on the car were less than reliable but the engine was always VERY reliable!

I remember racing my buddy who had a Vortech blazer rated to have much more HP. He couldnt even hang. Same with my buddy who had an explorer. Torque curve owned em!

However, when I get another grand cherokee next summer it will likely be an HO 4.7 2001 or newer. Gonna tough out one more winter in the CTS.... :ill:

when I get another grand cherokee next summer it will likely be an HO 4.7 2001 or newer. Gonna tough out one more winter in the CTS.... :ill:

Definitely 2001 or newer... 99 and 2000 are absolute TRASH. And if I had my druthers, I'd find a pristine 98 5.9. Newer is not always better.

Hello.

I once saw a old, late 50-s Opel Kapitan with a bumpersticker that said -straight sex, behind a straight six. :)


jolle

Yeah, that Jeep I-6 doesn't have the best sound to it, especially in Grand Cherokee guise....it just sounds old, beat up and overworked.

Definitely 2001 or newer... 99 and 2000 are absolute TRASH. And if I had my druthers, I'd find a pristine 98 5.9. Newer is not always better.


I loved my 97 thats for sure! I am sticking with a Jeep that does NOT have IWS

I4s and flat 4s both have the same problem. All the pistons stop at once at the top and bottom of the stroke. All the pistons are going max velocity mid way through the stroke. When the pistons all stop they have to give up their energy to something. The pistons going max velocity have to get that energy from something. That something is the flywheel. Fours have a bad torsional vibration problem. I6s have pistons at the top and bottom as well as midway all at once. The energy is traded across the crankshaft and counterweights so the torsional vibration is much less. In addition some six cylinder engines have oscillating pendulem counterweights that smooth out the torsional vibrations even more. V8s are two I4s put together and also trade energy across the crankshaft and counterweights for smoother operation.

yeah I can attest to Nick's jeep it sounded like a diesel engine !
Sure was fun to go offroading in though.

Definitely 2001 or newer... 99 and 2000 are absolute TRASH. And if I had my druthers, I'd find a pristine 98 5.9. Newer is not always better.

Uh-oh... Aimee's dad eariler this year bought a 2000 Grand Cherokee Limited with the 4.7

The I6 in his '93 Grand Cherokee Laredo blew the head gasket at 136k miles... odd I guess? It ran horrible for a long time before that tho, that thing had issues... he owned it for 10 years, said it used to run real good.

The head gasket blew, causing cylinders 5 and 6 to have 15-20lbs of compression, happened on his way to work, so he drove to work, then back home (35mins) parked it, then drove it to a shop in town a few days later to get the compression checked, then back home, I looked at it a bit, and then drove it to another shop.... and it still runs/drives... very rough and low on power tho.

But, the torque curve on the Jeep I6 is pretty awesome, one of the reasons I like the TJ so much. The regular Cherokee with the I6 is pretty surprisingly peppy too. But in the other trucks they are not all that fast.... and gas guzzlers too.