I think this is a good question, and hopefuly no one has asked this before.. but can everyone give their opinion on this topic.

My question is why would Nissan decide to make a V6 instead of the very popular I6 in the Skyline and the Toyota Supra? Since the I6 is very capable, what was their benifit of the V6? I know the Maxima and Altima had it... but couldn't they have just brought the I6 platform skyline platform to the US without the AWD?

 

good question yeah they could have. but for the engine design is dated like it or not. it uses brute force to get what it needs, its not an efficient design, but its like usin a 44magnum when a 9mm would do the job.

with that said, Im sure alot of people would have liked the 44 magnum. but thats not what nissan gave us, they dont make the engine anymore as far as I know.

I like the engine we have. great power considering its NA. assuming you can strenthen it sufficiently, it is a design capable of far more hp.

 

Wouldn't an I6 NA Engine put out a lot of power also? Could a possible reason be that they were aiming to keep the car under 30k? Would a I6 engine cost more?

 

The VQ V6 we have is more common and when you manufacture something, its always going to be cheaper per unit to make then when you make lesser quantities of it.

It all boils down to keeping costs down so real 'ppl' can still afford this car.

 

Yeah, that's what I figured, but hell if the Z costed even 2,000 more, it'd still be a hell of a deal, with no bounderies! Even with $2000 more, the base model would have been $28,500. Which would still keep a loaded track under 40k.

 

Mizuno (cheif engineer of Z) said that they planned on using the VQ from the outset since a) he really liked the engine and its power delivery and b) because it would be one of the cheapest routes so they could invest more money back into other parts of the car. Usuing the Skyline engine (while sweet) would've just been too expensive. And hey, whos complaining, the VQ rocks.

 

Exactly. This car is made by using a lot of off the shelf Nissan stuff. It has the FM chassis that is used in everything from SUVs to G35s. It has the corporate engine that is used all over the place. It shares mirrors with the Maxima, etc, etc, etc.

That is why it is reasonably priced. If they had developed a new engine (my understanding is the stuff the I6s like the GT-R uses isn't emissions friendly), the car might be more expensive, as engine developement and testing isn't cheap.

Nothing wrong with using off the shelf parts. The Viper V10 used the design of a truck engine as a starting point

 

oh your question is why a V6 and not an I6? I6 is a better design, inherently PERFECT. the most perfect engine that can be built actually because all of the counter rotation, no vibration at all.

but I6 means the cylinders are all lined up, while a V6 can overlap its cylinders somewhat. leading to a shorter engine, letting them again push the more compact engine farther back, and thus helping weight distrobution.

 

The VQ35 now is shorter, thus they can place the engine closer to the driver and that's what the FM(Front-midship) is about... moreover, it sits lower than the I6... and the RB26DETT failled the emission in Japan and that's the reason why they discontinued Skyline GTR

 

another thing to keep in mind is that the VQ has been around for a while and it is on Ward's 10 best engine list. So it has gone through several years of refinement and revision. Look at it this way, the 2.0 L I-4 on the Lancer EVO is also based on designs Mitsubishi has been using since the late 80's.

 

yeah, that would probably fall under "magnum" engine, doubt thats an all aluminum block with 18PSI. it gets 270hp, while the S2000 designed probably around 1999 pulls 240 without 18PSI. that just shows what an advanced design can yeild over a somewhat less advanced design.

2 different routes to take. 1 costs money, designing a new engine with cutting edge technology, the other takes an existing design, build the peice out of steel or something very strong, and just pump a crap load of gas and air into it and ignore efficiency. of course the GTR actually had like 380hp(in reality) I think, and at that point, as was pointed out, efficiency is gone, and that much gas and air burning, wont pass emmisions, but imagine 18psi running on an efficient engine, still wont pass emmisions, but youll be gettin like 800hp, not 300.

 

I think there are a couple reasons:

1. Packaging - The I6 is longer than a V6, which means more weight over the front of the car. This can typically be fixed with other tradeoffs, like using a longer hood so the engine can be pushed further back, but either way it will result in compromises

2. Cost - The RB series if I recall meant "Race Bred' so they were basically fancier than the rest of the "standard" Nissan engines. They were definitely fantasitc engines, but too costly to be used in many cars. The VQ series is used in practically every car Nissan makes, and therefore can be made much less expensively.

3. VQ almost as good - The VQ engines have consistently been rated in the top 10 of engines from all manufacturers, so it really wasn't much of a drawback to use the VQ engine in the Z.

I guess we'll see how it holds up, but I don't really see much of a problem with the VQ, although I wouldn't mind a higher redline and more HP with less torque.

-D'oh!

 

+1 the VQ is a great engine in 350, Maxima etc!

 

Wow, thanks for answering my question.. I had no clue than an I6 would change the weight distribution vs. v6, I thought it'd be virtually same, give or take a few pounds. thanks!

 

the i6 is also iron block. and those engines are boosted junkies

the supra was iron blocked, so was the last gen turbo eclipse, today only a few engines are iron block ..the new evo and the new neon...is300 all of them boost junkies....

really fast ones.

 

All i know is... somewhere down the line..I rather approach a mechanic, with credit card in hand, to get my VQ fixed...rather than an I6.

 

i would think an I6 would be less complicated and cheaper to fix, but what do i know?

 

All these are right answers and great ones at that, but 35oZephyR mentioned something really important that i forgot... Nissan not only wanted this car to be affordable, but also fairly cheap to maintain, with respect to sports cars. Most of the VQ engine parts are easy to find since almost every Nissan on the road has them.

Think about how many VQ engines are running on the roads in the US today and compare that to the number of S2000s, Supras, or whatever and you will get the picture.

The new economy and Nissan's restructuring strategy demands this approach. I just think of it as "Plateform Sharing 102."

 

my sentiments down to a "t"

Coming from a family full of mechanics...I know something abundant like the Integra engine will cause less headaches than lets say...a rotary off the Rx-7?
Theres so many parts for the Honda engine sitting around that it costs near nothing for them to find the parts and fix.

 

*sniff* I smell an econ/business major!