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Muscle Cars And Smokin' Chips

YetAnotherGeekGuy writes "IEEE Computer has an article this month, "The Zen of Overclocking" by Bob Colwell. In it the author compares overclockers to hot rodders (which, in my personal experience, are two sets with a significant intersection). More importantly he talks about the phenomenon, the culture, the attitude, and the natural tension between them and the industry in the quest for the right balance between performance and reliability. Thought-provoking, and some good one-liners. Enjoy!"

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  1. Re:A 2.2L can beat a 8.0+L.... by StillAnonymous · · Score: 5, Informative

    What the fuck are you talking about and what fantasy world are you living in?

    The rules of F1 were already stated.. I won't mention that again.

    "A 2.2L engine can deliver 400 hp for a long time"

    Not nearly as long as a V8 could. A V8 doesn't have to work as hard to generate this kind of power. And torque? Hah. Big blocks rule the torque arena.

    "4 cylinders means you only need 4 forged connecting rods and pistons and half the honing time" ..And you wind up with only half the powerplant..

    "I am just finishing a project to get 300hp from a 1600cc honda engine. The total expenditure was around $3000cdn"

    For $3k, do you know what you could have done with an old V8? Well, far more than 300HP, I'll tell you.

    "You can't work on a V8 engine in your kitchen."

    What kind of drugs ARE you on? I wouldn't work on ANY engine in my kitchen. That's where I prepare food, for fuck's sake. I have a garage for this reason.

    "Do you know what insurance is on a 1600cc engine compared to a 8000cc engine?"

    Smoking the peyote again, are you? Engine size is not the be-all end-all of insurance premiums.. In my city, a 2004 Civic costs DOUBLE what it is to insure a 1969 Camaro. The year of the car is the main determining factor.

    "Turbo D16 has lots of pointers on how to get started on cheap turbo setups."

    And this is exactly where the ricers fail to understand: whatever you can do to a little 2.2L engine, you can do to a 5.7L+ engine. I consistently hear quotes like "oh, all I have to do is throw a turbo or nitrous on my civic and I'll blow that stock mustang away". Okay, buddy, and if the mustang throws a turbo or nitrous on his engine? Then what? Huh? yeah, you get beaten again, and he paid half the price you did.

    These little cars are great for day-to-day driving, but just fucking accept the fact that if you want to soup them up, they are 5x more expensive than a large-engine car and nowhere near as simple to work on.