Sorry Torchinsky, but GM's Ecotec 3-cylinder is the Future of Gasoline Engines

"Brewman15" (brewman15) 03/27/2014 at 09:30 • Filed to: None

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Let's face it. Small engines are here to stay. Big V8s are being replaced by small V6s. Small V6s are being replaced by little I4s, and now little I4s are being replaced by tiny I3s. Ford was first to the premium pint-sized engine party with their 1.0L Ecoboost, but now GM is showing off its !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

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!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , but I'm here to tell you the Ecotec is better...at least until Fiat-Chrysler releases their new Eco-Skyaktiv-Tec-Boost-Puredrive-McEarthdreamy line of teeny engines next week.

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So why is Ecotec better than Ecoboost? Is it the turbocharger? No. Is it direct injection? Nope, they both have that. Is it that fancy cast-in exhaust manifold? Nah, they both have that too. Is it the supposed quietness of the new GM mills? Bah, I couldn't care less about that. Instead, the advantage of the Ecotec can be summed up in one word: commonality .

The new GM small Ecotec range will span 11 different variants in three basic configurations. The key to this is pointed out in !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . All three engines share the same 81 mm bore spacing (distance from the center-line of one cylinder to the next), 74 mm bore diameter, and block height. That is HUGE !

There are three major costs when developing a new engine. There is the cost of designing, testing, and validating the new engine. There is the cost of all the manufacturing tooling to build the new engine, and finally, there is the cost of the physical engine itself. The more components you can share between different engines the cheaper all three of those major costs get. There will be less parts to design and validate, less tooling to pay for, and higher volumes of each part to lower costs.

It is pretty routine for manufacturers to use a lot of common parts between different engines like bolts, sensors, belts, hoses, etc... to reduce cost. However, GM has taken this one step further with the Ecotec. By keeping the bore spacing and bore diameter identical, critical and expensive components between the three different engines can be shared such as cylinder sleeves, pistons, piston rings, valvetrain, and bearings. Even parts that will have to be different between the 3 and 4-cylinder versions like crankshafts, engine blocks, cylinder heads, and head gaskets will be able to share a lot of the same manufacturing tooling due to the modular design of the engine block.

Now, this is the part where you say, "But wait! Ford has a whole line of Ecoboost engines. Surely they share a lot of critical components." Well, let's take a look through an engineer's favorite form of communication; a spreadsheet.

Despite having six engines in the Ford Ecoboost family, only the 2.0L and 2.3L share a common block height and similar bore, which means they are the only two that could potentially share the engine block. (I could not find any info to back that up.)

So, Ford may have been the first to offer a line-up of high-power small engines in the U.S., but they did so with increased complexity and complication, which translates into more cost. That cost is $995 for the new 1.0L Ecoboost in the Fiesta over the base N/A 4-banger.

Think of it this way...on paper the Camaro and Mustang are direct competitors. They both are modern muscle cars with a monster V8 at the front, transmission in the middle, and drive wheels at the rear. Both are good muscle cars. Both have great engines, but there is no question that the Camaro's LS engine is the more desirable engine for gearheads everywhere. Whereas Ford's Coyote 5.0 is only found under the hood of the Mustang, F-150, and Falcon in Australia, GM has shoved versions of the LS engine into every truck, SUV, muscle car, sedan, sports car, boat, and even a helicopter for the past 17 years ranging from 4.8L all the way up to the mighty 7.0L LS7 in the C6 Corvette ZO6. As a result, the LS engines are easy to find, cheap to buy, and have aftermarket parts galore! !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

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All GM has done is made a tiny LS engine family. Once in production these things will be everywhere! Don't believe me? !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! GM is hoping to sell 2.5 million of these things annually by 2017! It took Ford four years to hit the 2,00,000 mark with their Ecoboost engines.

So, Mr. Torchinksy...you can bolt the 1.0L Ecoboost into your Beetle's back-end, but I'll be swapping GM's cheaper and easier to find little Ecotec turbo 3-banger into the pretend small project car I have for this article...let's go with Miata.

(Photo Credit: GM & Autoguide)

Tom McParland > Brewman15 03/27/2014 at 09:32

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Great write-up! I'm going to Tweet this to Torch

Vince-The Roadside Mechanic > Brewman15 03/27/2014 at 09:38

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wow awesome write up I imagine the ecoboost will be for the guy who wants a sporty 3 and the ecotec for the guy who wants a 3

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Brewman15 03/27/2014 at 09:40

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Some good points.

However, still comes across as too much fanboism. GM uses the LS in literally everything because they have no imagination, and only use the LS in the American market.

Ford has been building global-market cars for years now, and everywhere that isn't 'Murica either can't afford an enormous V8 or won't pay for the gas even if they wanted one. Hence, the smaller use of the Coyote.

Brewman15 > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 03/27/2014 at 09:53

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What's funny is I'm not even a GM fanboy. I'm a Volvo loving Mopar guy who daily drives a Honda.

GM also uses their LS-based engines in Holdens for the Australian market, so it's not just used in America.

Ford has been building global-market cars for years now, but my point is they have far too many different engine architectures for different applications that keep production costs high. Where GM is going to dominate is their new Ecotecs will be significantly cheaper to produce compared to the Ecoboosts...much like the LS is to the Coyote.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Brewman15 03/27/2014 at 09:53

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Truth. I'll be holding onto my V8 for as long as I can.

Hooker > Brewman15 03/27/2014 at 09:53

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This is excellent! Great writeup!

Brewman15 > Vince-The Roadside Mechanic 03/27/2014 at 09:54

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I'd definitely agree the cars using the Ecoboost 1.0 are sportier than the ones GM will be putting the 1.0L Ecotec into, but it'll be interesting to see how the two engines compare.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 03/27/2014 at 09:58

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You do realise the LS is in almost every brand somewhere right? The LS is in Vauxhalls, Holdens, Cadillacs, and even the V8 Buicks in China.

The comment about "lack of imagination" shows that you don't know anything about the diversity of the LS line. I'm not sure, but I'd imagine you only know the ones from the Vette and Camaro.

I think your comment shows more GM hate than OQTB's article shows fanboyism,

Tekamul > Brewman15 03/27/2014 at 10:12

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Why beat around the bush? Let's just jump to the end point

Single cylinder turbo diesel thumpers!

Maximum thermal efficiency, minimum fuel needed for stop light to stop light driving (disregarding batteries), funky exhaust music.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 03/27/2014 at 10:14

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Whatevs.

The LS is the Camry of the engine world.

"I want more power!" "Put an LS in it."

Yawn.

KurtAKX > Brewman15 03/27/2014 at 10:14

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"Think of it this way...on paper the Camaro and Mustang are direct competitors. They both are modern muscle cars with a push-rod V8 at the front, transmission in the middle, and drive wheels at the rear. "

Could not find the Mustang's pushrods.

Brewman15 > KurtAKX 03/27/2014 at 10:17

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Damnit! You're right. I didn't realize it was DOHC. I thought after the 4.6L Ford went back to a push-rod design. fixed!

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Brewman15 03/27/2014 at 10:17

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Yeah I got the whole thing about GM's engine being cheaper to make.

I was just saying I think it sounds like you're LS fanboi, regardless of whether that's actually true, that's my opinion on what I read.

Like I said first, you have some good points. I do not disagree on the costs between Ford and GM.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 03/27/2014 at 10:18

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Sounds like someone whose brand isn't getting the attention they wish it would ;)

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 03/27/2014 at 10:22

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Nope. I don't even have a brand. I like good cars, regardless of who made them.

Just bored with the LS in everything.

JR1 > Brewman15 03/27/2014 at 10:30

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"GM is hoping to sell 2.5 million of these things annually by 2017!"

Key word there is hoping . Can they do it? I hope so. But VW was hoping to sell 800,000 cars by 2017 or 2018 and look at how they are doing.

Brewman15 > JR1 03/27/2014 at 11:28

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True...but even if they sell half of what they predict annually they'll still hit the 2 million mark in half the time Ford did with the Ecoboost family.

Brewman15 > Tekamul 03/27/2014 at 11:28

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Make it a 2-stroke, and I'm in.

mr2gud2u > Brewman15 03/27/2014 at 11:42

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Volvo loving MOPAR guys that owns a Honda? You are confused my friend ;-). Seriously though I know its coming. 1.3L turbos will be on everything. I pray that day comes after I'm dead and gone.

Brewman15 > mr2gud2u 03/27/2014 at 11:58

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Yeah, I'm kind of a weirdo, which is great because I fit in well 'round these parts.

willconltd > Brewman15 03/27/2014 at 13:34

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Since these are so tiny, can someone engineer some way to connect 3 or 4 of them to a common crank so we can have home made W9 or W12 setups?

Brewman15 > willconltd 03/27/2014 at 14:28

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It's sorta been done. Cat used to bolt two 12 cylinder engines together in the old 797B trucks, so surely it's just as simple with a little 1.0L 3-cylinder gas engine. ;)

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > Brewman15 03/27/2014 at 14:29

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Wrong Inline 3.

THIS IS A MAN'S INLINE-3.

willconltd > Brewman15 03/28/2014 at 08:41

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I know its been sorta done. I want it to be affordable for me to do in my garage after visiting U-Pull-N-Pay.

idontgetburneratkinja > Brewman15 04/01/2014 at 00:33

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"Murica-lovin' good-ol'-boys down south ain't never giving up there (sic)big v-8's (sic). What, trade Freedom for the slavery of 3 cylinders worth of Kenyan Socialism?! Nazis may put turbo V-6's(sic) in the "trucks" of them wussified males, but Alphas Stand Their Ground™. Rednecks gonna commute to their minimum-wage jobs at 6 miles per gallon, cuz' that's how daddy done it and his daddy before. The South may rise again, but it's fuel economy ain't so keen on the idea.

David muscleguy > mr2gud2u 04/01/2014 at 04:49

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Amen to that bro but i'm just 19, and i already don't wanna live when these crap small engines become popular:(

2tonic > Brewman15 04/01/2014 at 08:18

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Over head valve V-8's are the "more desirable engine for gearheads everywhere."?!

Not for this gear head, and likely many others.

Just because something is ubiquitous doesn't make it more desirable - in fact, often the opposite is true. Scan Hemmings' cars for sale section - for example.

The Ford Coyote is a European style double overhead cam V-8 while the GM LS is an updated overhead valve design. As an enthusiast, I greatly prefer the power delivery and sound of the Coyote 5.0 over any overhead valve V-8 I've ever driven - it's closer MB and BMW V-8's - they have a more complex sound signature - induction roar, valve train sounds, etc., than old style American overhead valve designs that lack the mechanical and sonic complexity of double overhead cam V-8's.

I don't care if the LS is more common - the Coyote sounds far better - to me.

Brewman15 > 2tonic 04/01/2014 at 09:14

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It may sound better, but good luck with the cam swap on that DOHC V8. The Ford 5.0 is a great engine. I'm not trying to knock it in any way, but there's a reason the GM LS swap has become a meme.

The GM V8 engines are significantly cheaper to buy and much, much easier and cheaper to modify. So, when I say "more desirable" what I mean is that the vast majority of engine swaps involve some sort of GM V8 powerplant.

Louis > Brewman15 04/01/2014 at 17:24

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Sorry to burst your bubble but Ford did the modular engine thing beginning somewhere around 1997 and continuing on to this day.

Brewman15 > Louis 04/01/2014 at 17:54

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I don't doubt they have. I think nearly all manufacturers have done some sort of modular engine at some point. My point is that GM's new Ecotec engines are all modular whereas none of Ford's latest Ecoboosts are with the possible exception of the two I mentioned in the article...and that includes their new 1.0 cylinder. They are all either clean-sheet designs or based on the older Duratec/Zetec engine families.

SM Harrison > willconltd 04/01/2014 at 20:13

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Why not an I8 alá the Chrysler Atlantic ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_… )?