"mkbruin, Atlas VP" (mkbruin)
03/26/2018 at 08:41 • Filed to: None
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"mkbruin, Atlas VP" (mkbruin)
03/26/2018 at 08:41 • Filed to: None | 3
| 11 |
Before the vitriol starts, I said Chrysler and not Jeep. I’m not talking about the ubiquitous continuation of the AMC mill, but the last ditch ride into the sunset for the 1990 3.3l architecture (which later became the high feature 3.5 from the 300m).
The 4.0-liter !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! was a single overhead camshaft, 24-valve engine, using a semi-permanent mold cast aluminum block with iron liners and cast !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and cross-bolted main bearing caps. The result being 255 hp @ 6000 rpm and 265 lb. ft. of torque @ 4200 rpm.
Debuting in the Pacifica, released in the Nitro shortly thereafter, and lastly seeing duties in the Caravan/T&C the engine was nothing more than a stopgap waiting for the Phoenix (pentastar 3.6).
It’s not common, but has a surprising level of refinement for a 25 year old architecture with good low rpm torque, good nhv, and pretty good mpgs.
BigBlock440
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
03/26/2018 at 09:07 |
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Until recently, I figured the 4.0 in the Nitros was the 4.0, since the Nitro was basically a Liberty. I didn’t realize the V6 and 4.0 badges were actually referring to the same engine.
Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
03/26/2018 at 09:22 |
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The graph on the left bothers me.
punkgoose17
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
03/26/2018 at 09:45 |
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That is a lot of good torques. Would the loss in lower rpm horsepower hurt acceleration and driving dynamics or does the torque make up for it.
We had a couple of the 3.3L Caravans. I did not realize we went from a 4th Gen 2001 to a 2nd Gen 1999, after the ‘01 was totaled.
HammerheadFistpunch
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
03/26/2018 at 10:20 |
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Its by far and away the best part of my father in laws routan. Dead reliable, plenty of power and surprising economy
Long-Voyager
> punkgoose17
03/26/2018 at 10:23 |
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1. The 4.0L Grand Caravan was actually quicker 0-60 and quarter mile than the 3.6L Grand Caravan, despite being short 30hp. The 4.0L van also manages better fuel economy in real world use than the 3.6L.
2. The 1999 is a 3rd gen, the 2001 is a 4th gen. The 4th gen 3.3L makes a significant amount more power, but does so at higher rpms, making the engine feel more sluggish.
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punkgoose17
> Long-Voyager
03/26/2018 at 10:28 |
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Thanks I meant 3rd gen. I also forgot a question mark, and now I cannot fix it. The 4th gen was a Caravan base model. The 3rd gen was a mid level Grand Caravan. I only drove the Grand Caravan but riding in it, it felt more wallowy, and I would get car sick in the 3rd row of the Grand Caravan but not the Caravan.
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HammerheadFistpunch
> punkgoose17
03/26/2018 at 11:21 |
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Its damn punchy down low...but a lot of that has to do with the terrible throttle calibration thats massively regressive.
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Long-Voyager
> punkgoose17
03/26/2018 at 12:14 |
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The Grand vans naturally feel more wallowy due to their added weight over the swb Caravan.
IMO, the current gen is the worst driving of all the Grand Caravans (except in GT/RT form).
Best to worst IMO:
1. 2nd gen, because they combine the lightweight of the 1st gen, with more powerful engines, better trans tuning, and better suspension geometry.
2. 1st gen, lightweight, decent suspension geometry, excellent economy.
3. 4th gen, The 4th gen tacked on another 800lbs (pre SNG) over the 2nd gens, but they revamped the drivetrains, modified the suspension, and added better brakes, which makes them feel quicker and more stable.
4. 3rd gen, The 3rd gens tacked on 400lbs over the previous gen, yet gained little in terms of power or suspension/brakes, which made them feel heavy and sluggish to drive.
5. 5th gen, The 5th gen is the quickest of the bunch in stock form, but the horrid handling and constantly shifting trans (read confused) make it terrible to drive.
Have owned/driven all of them for long periods. The horrible driving dynamic of the 5th gen, combined with the lack of ability to option it like I want keeps me out of a new van.
If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
03/26/2018 at 12:53 |
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Does it suffer from the same sludge issues that the smaller ones have?
sn4cktimes
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
03/26/2018 at 17:20 |
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Seems weird to me that the torque isn’t much higher than the hp. My 4.2L straight six only had 110hp from the factory but 232lb-ft of torque. Is that just the inherit differences between the straight vs V?
pip bip - choose Corrour
> mkbruin, Atlas VP
03/27/2018 at 06:27 |
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Opel L4, Holden Starfire 4 (aka Misfire 4 or backfire 4) , gm family one engine.