Why is the new dodge engine refereed to as a hemi?

Question

I have seen the pictures of the heads and they look like standard wedge heads they do not look hemispherical at all?
SO why the hemi moniker??

Seems that some people don't read the whole question.
I know what a "hemi" is, I know what the head looks like from the inside.
I can tell a wedge from a hemi.

The question is WHY put the name on something that is NOT a hemispherical combustion chamber.
Best answer so far is just because of the advertizing value.

Answer 1

The heads are NOT hemispherical, despite what people might think. You cannot have a hemisphere when you have all those valves in there. It is really a pent-roof chamber, but since the spark plugs go through the center of the valve cover, JUST like the old 426 Hemis, the exterior appearance is similar to the old hemi motors, hence the "Hemi" moniker.

There were a bunch of discussions on this in the hotrod community, and for the most part it was decided that since the Mopar family was finally coming out with a new V8, and with the recent increase in popularity of older muscle cars, Daimler-Chrysler was no fool when it came to recognizing the opportunity to liven up their fading car lines. What better way than to come out with a "Hemi" powered car? Especially a "Hemi" powered Charger?

Answer 2

Hemi is short for "hemispherical combustion chamber".

Here's why it's called that:
Up until the "hemi", when an engine had the valves in the head (overhead valve or overhead cam), the valves were side by side and went straight up and down. Inside the combustion chamber, each valve head had its own area to open and close in.

The hemi engine has the valves at an angle so that when the exhaust valve closes, the intake valve opens into the same area inside the combustion chamber where the exhaust valve had just been. Because they share the same space inside the combustion chamber, it's not the shape of an English muffin anymore, it's a wedge. Back in the 50s the hemi was also called a "wedge", but it didn't catch on like the word "hemi" did.

Answer 3

Looking at the head from the top of the engine will not show you the actual shape of the top of the combustion chamber. The engine is a hemi, and yes it does have a hemispherical combustion chamber, just not as pronounced as the old hemi.

Answer 4

stock torsion bars might need to be replaced with beefer aftermarket torsion bars cause big blocks are heavy and hemis are big blocks. the ford rear end will be fine but might need to add traction bars to support the leaf springs then the rear end wont start jerking on possibly burnouts or peel outs which may cause some serious damage in the future. the 392 hemi came out in the 50s and 426 hemi came out in the 60s but they do sell 392 hemi crate engines today which are very pricey as well as the 426 crates. i would recommend if using a automatic transmission get a 727 torqueflite cause it was the stronger of the 2 torqueflites i believe the 318 came with a 904 torqueflite and it will not take the power of a BB if you want a manual i suggest finding a A-833 4 speed which came behind hemis. it will be a moderate swap but i wont say it will be easy or it wont be hard it depends on the steps you take. you will need motor mounts and big block radiator, but the engine will fit in the dart's engine bay just fine but will be a tight fit but if adding headers you might need to hack up the inner fenders to clear them. in 1968 dodge darts was equipped with 426 hemis and werent street legal back them but now are they were only built for drag racing. They had to cut up the inner fenders to put headers on the hemi as well as the gts version of the 440. oh you need to do some re wiring also

Answer 5

i agree with you. the combustion chambers do not look hemispherical. i think the reason for that is due to the quench areas. or maybe it really isnt a true hemi but a mere marketting ploy feeding off of this whole musclecar revieval trend.

Answer 6

Yeah,I agree,the shape of the new"hemi" combustion chamber doesn't look anything like a real one.If you look at a cut-a-way view of a Honda B18 combustion chamber it looks just like the new Chrysler.It's all about marketing to people who think that they know something about cars but actually don't.

Answer 7

it has to do with the fuel air mix flow from the air intake for the engine to the air fuel intake at the combustion chamber, the smoother the route, the more power. the hemi has one smooth curved arc, no sharp turns, hence the mixture stays mixed without loading up at certain areas of the flow where there is a sharp bend,,{ like where most intakes meet the heads } hope this helps

Answer 8

It is a reintroduction of the old hemi engine that stopped production years ago, kinda like the new mustangs and PT cruisers

Answer 9

Hemi is a type of engine they had in the 60's & 70's and its just like Ford having Triton and Toyota having SR5, its just a engine with more potential. What they probably do is just bore it out and add new pistons.and it is Hemispherical.

Answer 10

It sells....I havent looked at them but I thought dodge said they were Hemispherical. Maybe not.