Top Ten Performance V8's That aren't Chevy V8's - Ranked

"Sweet Trav" (thespunbearing) 09/14/2014 at 22:08 • Filed to: None

5

49

This List is Comprehensive and Not to be Challenged.

1. Hellcat V8

2. SD 455 Pontiac

3. Maserati 4.7 V8

4. Chrysler 392 "Early" Hemi

5. Ford Mod Motor 32V variants.

6. Volvo Yamaha V8

7. 1UZ-FE Toyota

8. Audi 4.2 32 Valve

9. AJ-V8

10. BMW S65

Axial > Sweet Trav 09/14/2014 at 22:12

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It pleases me that a MOPAR engine showed up not once, but twice.

Sweet Trav > Axial 09/14/2014 at 22:14

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honestly I'd add the LA 340 on here too as it is pretty much a copy of the small block but with a great bore/stroke, rod/stroke ratio which made it a top end monster.

camaroboy68ss > Sweet Trav 09/14/2014 at 22:15

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which 392 hemi? the original 392 that came out in 57 and was used for years in top fuel? or the modern knock off?

Sweet Trav > camaroboy68ss 09/14/2014 at 22:15

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Early.

crowmolly > Sweet Trav 09/14/2014 at 22:16

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I am stunned at the lack of 426 Hemi.

camaroboy68ss > Sweet Trav 09/14/2014 at 22:16

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Nice!

mcseanerson > Sweet Trav 09/14/2014 at 22:17

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You missed one.

Sweet Trav > mcseanerson 09/14/2014 at 22:20

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No, I was just dumb and didn't make the article title match the earlier question I posed. I have now fixed it.

Arben72 > Sweet Trav 09/14/2014 at 22:22

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The last one should be s62, not n62. I'm pretty sure the s62 is what they used in racing series.

TheRealityCarrot > Sweet Trav 09/14/2014 at 22:22

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Glad to see the 1UZ-FE on there. I had one in my old Tundra. I tried to kill it. I really did. Those engines will not die

Sweet Trav > crowmolly 09/14/2014 at 22:23

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As RACE engine, its amazing, as a street performance engine, horrible. Solid lifter cam and less than perfect valvetrain geometry meant it needs more service than an old Ferrari V8. The 440 RB Big Block is the superior choice for the street.

Sweet Trav > Arben72 09/14/2014 at 22:26

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Supposed to be S65 i was dumb. i need an editor.

tromoly > Sweet Trav 09/14/2014 at 22:31

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You, sir, are forgetting the Western Washington University custom-built 500cc V8 engine used in Formula SAE.

Sweet Trav > tromoly 09/14/2014 at 22:32

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I did not forget that beautiful little engine. I was limiting this to Production/Street engines. But that is an amazing little engine.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Sweet Trav 09/14/2014 at 22:32

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440 Max Wedge.

lone_liberal > Sweet Trav 09/14/2014 at 22:32

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But the 572 is a big block Chevy not a small block! Pedantry aside, it's a good list. I'd add the high riser 427 Ford but not every great engine can be on the list.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Sweet Trav 09/14/2014 at 22:34

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No AMG? M156, m159, m157? That to me is a fail.

tromoly > Sweet Trav 09/14/2014 at 22:35

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Ah, I missed the designation, my fault. Carry on.

Sweet Trav > lone_liberal 09/14/2014 at 22:35

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The earlier question i posed was best V8 that wasnt a Chevy V8... Problem with Big Block fords are parts availability. I love the 427 side oiler and cammer, but hard to come by these days.

lone_liberal > Sweet Trav 09/14/2014 at 22:39

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Sorry, I swear the headline has small block in it when I wrote that. Yeah, the big bad Ford is rare and very pricey, almost unobtanium, but it's a fantasy motor for me.

Sweet Trav > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 09/14/2014 at 22:40

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Only one mention of anything Mercedes it in the poll earlier, and I'm not a fan.

Sweet Trav > lone_liberal 09/14/2014 at 22:40

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No it did. I fixed my mistake.

Sweet Trav > lone_liberal 09/14/2014 at 22:42

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Yeah 427 Side Oiler in a 1970.5 Falcon for me.

deekster_caddy > Sweet Trav 09/14/2014 at 22:43

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No Buick 455? But 510 lb ft of torque!!!

Sweet Trav > deekster_caddy 09/14/2014 at 22:44

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only the nailhead was recommended earlier. I agree that the 455 was great, 510 ft/lbs of torque, and it was only 50lbs heavier than a small block Chevy.

Milky > TheRealityCarrot 09/14/2014 at 22:46

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10/10 will agree. Previous SC400 owner.

deekster_caddy > Sweet Trav 09/14/2014 at 22:47

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such an underrated engine. I have 3 of them in my garage right now...

Sweet Trav > deekster_caddy 09/14/2014 at 22:48

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dont really like to rev though. Would be killer with a T-56 and a 4.56 in rear though.

deekster_caddy > Sweet Trav 09/14/2014 at 22:52

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Don't need to rev though! With that much torque you go the other way. 2.56 gears and some kind of power adder (we used nitrous), you can run high 11s and still get 20 mpg hwy. (actual best mpg was only 19.99 on calculator but so damn close!)

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > lone_liberal 09/14/2014 at 22:54

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The Ford 427s are fantastic, the side oilers and the Cammer. Another one I'd put up there would be the Ford Windsor small block.

03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST > Sweet Trav 09/14/2014 at 22:54

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Are you talking about the 4.6L 32V? Like the aluminum one in my Mach?

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > Sweet Trav 09/14/2014 at 22:56

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if you aren't set on FE blocks, 429s and 460s are still relatively easy to come by since a great deal of them were truck engines. Also, I happen to know a guy with an NOS 427 SOHC, still in the FoMoCo crate... Its for sale.

Arben72 > Sweet Trav 09/14/2014 at 22:58

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It's ok, the s65 is even better. I may be biased though...

Sweet Trav > TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts 09/14/2014 at 23:01

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Does he accept Kidneys?

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > Sweet Trav 09/14/2014 at 23:03

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Hah, he is an older fellow.

JGrabowMSt > Sweet Trav 09/14/2014 at 23:03

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if i had not seen the Hellcat at #1, there would have been some very serious internet shaming.

I do have to wonder why the Coyote isnt on the list. Im not a big fan of Ford, but the Coyote deserves a spot somewhere on the list.

Also, what is your defense of the 392 over a 426 HEMI?

lone_liberal > Sweet Trav 09/14/2014 at 23:57

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For me it would probably be in a '67 Fairlane. When I was a kid with my '72 Torino every time I looked up a spec I saw that 427 2x4 barrel engine listed for the '67 Fairlane. Damn, I wanted that engine.

StayEuro > Sweet Trav 09/15/2014 at 00:02

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What!? No Mercedes M156 6.2L? Sls, c63, s63...All the 63s!!! Oh, and the 4.2l in my 4200gt was much better than the 4.7 in the QuatroP and the GranTurismo. But that's subjective.

Sweet Trav > StayEuro 09/15/2014 at 00:11

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The Maserati V8 is on this list for exactly one reason. The noise.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Sweet Trav 09/15/2014 at 00:54

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But they're so awesome! Especially compared to that Audi engine, which is an unreliable turd. To each his own I guess.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Sweet Trav 09/15/2014 at 00:56

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You must have never heard or driven any modern AMG's.

Sweet Trav > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 09/15/2014 at 01:02

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I have experienced both in a C63 AMG, however I'm not a fan. I think that the 6.2 "6.3" is a great motor but to me it feels far to 'merican. Subjective I know and I'll never argue against the technical merits of the engine, but it's not one that I like and there wasn't a huge outpooring of support for it during the forum.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Sweet Trav 09/15/2014 at 01:25

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Too 'merican? Because it's torquey? That is one of the most half-assed arguments I've ever heard, especially considering the rest of your list. That's fine if you don't like them. But support in the poll does not quantify an engine's merit. I'm not meaning for this to sound as angry as it's probably coming across, merely presenting arguments. Also the m157 and m159 are much less common the the m156, due to how much newer they are and the cost of what they are in, both of which also feel much less 'merican. Engines ranked (by your preference, not factual merit).

Stökeometric > Sweet Trav 09/15/2014 at 01:43

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Y U NO PUT NO SIDEOILER!?

Sweet Trav > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 09/15/2014 at 01:44

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If this was a top ten list based on technical merit do you think half of the list has a leg to stand on?

The list was based on the engines presented in the comments, and yes my personal preferences. Which would also explain why the Ferrari 4.5l V8 isn't on the list. Both the Ferrari and Mercedes had one comment each, since I'm not the biggest fan of either, they weren't on the list. If there were twelve spots on the top ten they would be.

Sweet Trav > Stökeometric 09/15/2014 at 01:50

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it wasn't a popular engine in the comments when I first posed the question.

The Y block construction with heavy cross bolted main caps, the 427 was a derivative of the earlier 390, it was damn near indestructible and one hell of a V8 sadly it's quite rare these days to see one. It would make MY top 15 V8 list easy, but this list was a collaborative effort with the commentors

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Sweet Trav 09/15/2014 at 01:56

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Fair enough.

Sweet Trav > JGrabowMSt 09/15/2014 at 02:04

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Ford mod motor covers coyote and the supercharged 5.8l and the supercharged 4.6 in the SVT cobra

426 Hemi was/is a fantastic drag race engine, but for the street/track its solid lifters and odd valvetrain made it a constant service engine. 392 was also part of the "start" of the performance wars in 57 for Ford GM and Chrysler.

Sweet Trav > 03mach1 - Now has a Fiesta ST 09/15/2014 at 02:05

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all 32 valve mod motors, coyote, supercharged 5.8 and and supercharged SVT cobra motor.