why do american engines produce less horsepower from a larger engine than a honda?

Question

08 mustang v6 vs 08 s2000 both have almost the same gas mileage. the mustang has a 4.0L V6 210hp and 240 ft-lbs. The s2000 has a 2.2L I4 237hp and 160ft-lbs. so why does the ford produce less hp from an engine that is almost twice as big? is it do to the increase in Torque? its it the number of valves ? serious question i want serious answers

the s2000 has no stock turbo

http://autos.yahoo.com/honda_s2000_6_spd_mt-specs/?p=eng

and this is the ford

http://autos.yahoo.com/ford_mustang_v6_deluxe_coupe-specs/?p=all

Answer 1

A couple of reasons. A lot of American engines just aren't as refined or built to the same tolerances (which helps make them cheaper...and depending on in what way they are unrefined or have loose tolerances can help or hinder reliability)

But yeah, they do make more torque...almost universally. Honda specifically is known for low-torque, high-strung engines. I mean it's to the point where people joke about how torqueless their high-performance Honda is. Even low-end American 4 cylinders usually have more torque than comparable Hondas. It's a different design philosophy in Japan, and Honda takes it to an extreme.

Answer 2

The Mustang starts to redline around 5000rpm, regardless of whether it is a V6 or V8. As for the S2000, it revs higher (around 8000rpm). For the most part, it depends on the engine's tuning. The S2000 is a VTEC engine, and has two sets of camshafts which let it produce MUCH more power at a higher RPM.

Also, the S2000 has a 2.0L engine, depending on where you are in the world. Honda's S-cars have always been named after the engine's displacement in MilliLiters

As for gas mileage, apparently Ford is still thinking that "bigger is better", when it has no real benefits compared to a much smaller engine from japan. For an even greater comparison, try comparing an 08 V6 mustang against a 95 RX7 twin turbo. It REALLY puts american engineering to shame.

RX7: 1.3 Liter rotary engine, 260HP
Mustang: 4.0 Liter piston engine, 210HP

But then again, Rotary engines ALWAYS win when it comes to the power-to-displacement issue. It's just a smarter design.

Answer 3

Horsepower at rpm (xxx@xxxxrpm) means the maximum generated power of the engine at that rpm(revolutions per minute) Horsepower is really a silly way of measuring power imo. If either engines from chevy or pontiac was to produce power and be equally efficient at the same rpm as the honda than I'm sure their numbers would be a tad bit closer. I think the other two designed their engines for low end grunt and in turn sacrificed a longer powerband to produce power at higher rpms. There's trade offs for everything so I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that 1 is better then the other. Don't base you assumptions on peak numbers. Of course maximum generated power revolves around too many variables. Look up volumetric efficiency and study up on your chemistry.

Answer 4

American cars make more torque, usually.

Honda engines are smaller, lighter and therefore can rev higher. That's where the horsepower comes from. But you need to be revving high, to get that horsepower out of it. The torque can come from lower rpms, and provides power to get you to speed. Horsepower is what keeps you at a certain speed.

Yes, a Honda may show more ponies on paper. But put 4 people in it. Put 4 people in the Ford. The Ford will have nearly the same acceleration as it did empty. The Honda won't.

That's the difference.

Answer 5

Domestic engines are historically larger displacement, lower speed engines. They make gobs of torque (reference your own numbers) compared to the imports. usually they redline at around 6 grand. It's because domestic cars tend to bigger and heavier. The engine needs to perform well at lower speeds to get the car moving. If you dig a bit deeper you'll find the S2000 doesn't hit its power peak until around 8000 rpm. basically it's a peaky motor that you have to rev the snot out of to get anything from. It works well in a light package, but if you stuck that in a nicely loaded Grand Marquis, it would never be able to move the car.
Mathematically, power is a function of torque and engine speed.

Answer 6

Being a V6, the engine has to work "less hard" to produce the same amount of power than the inline 4. The US engine will last longer as it is operating at lower RPM for any given engine speed.

Also, many other countries taxed vehicles based on their engine displacement (Europe leaps to mind). They learned to squeeze the most performance out of the smallest enging they could. US manufactures simply increased displacement.

Answer 7

mustang have the power to be increased in a large amount of HP hondas are what chinese idk.....but ford just made it like that i have no other idea why but it should atleast have about 240-270 i guess they wanted to make a difference in the v6 and the v8gt 210 and 300

Answer 8

you are comparing apples and oranges-compare the 5.6L nissan pick up to the dodge 5.7L HEMI -hey its only a little tenth of a litre right ,so the output should be CLOSE- NOT!!!!the v6 mustang is base model while the s2000 is nice sports car

Answer 9

doesn't the s2000 have a turbo or something.