big engines outlast smaller engines?

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so this great and older mechanic once told me bigger engines should last longer than smaller engines (displacement) because they don't have to work as hard to produce equivalent amounts of power. Theoretically it makes sense. What do you guys think?
 
If you have a set power goal, then yes. If your just buildin a motor to put down as much power as you can then it doesnt make a difference. A big motor will blow up just as quick as a small one, but the big one will lay down better numbers.
 
look at what most newer small engines are,and look at what te big engines are..aluminum,vs, ccast,steel and all that
 
actually smalller engines last longer then bigger engines how many v8s and v6s do you see with over 150k miles on them that are still running strong? Lets look at the early 90 honda accords, hell I know 3 people that have over 300k miles on the orignal motors and rings. same goes for most mid 90s saturns sl1s and sl2s they easly handle 200k miles.
 
that is only part accurate
you need to take things like build and material quality into play
but if all build and material qualities are equal, yes a smaller engine will generally need to work harder to produce the same amount of power as a larger displacement engine, be it by revving higher or using forced induction or additives like nitrous oxide, all of which are more stressful to the engine and will decrease its life expectancy
smaller engines also tend to have fewer pistons, fewer piston engines tend to be less "smooth" and do not cancel out their vibrations as well as engines with more pistons do (not ALWAYS the case... has to do with engine layout as well)... vibrations kill engines
heres a decent breakdown of engine styles and their vibration tenancies www.e31.net
and this is just fucking cool :)
YouTube - 2 Euro coin on BMW V12
 
I think it depends on the build quality and how well you take care of it. As long as the engine doesnt throw a rod or the tranny give out you can pretty much limp anything as long as you want.
 
I like watchin the ends of the 60's and 70's NASCAR races, before big blocks got banned. All the small blocks that got an early lead in the race start blowin up and droppin out, while the big blocks keep on truckin and finish the race lol.
 
actually smalller engines last longer then bigger engines how many v8s and v6s do you see with over 150k miles on them that are still running strong? Lets look at the early 90 honda accords, hell I know 3 people that have over 300k miles on the orignal motors and rings. same goes for most mid 90s saturns sl1s and sl2s they easly handle 200k miles.
+1
 
I like watchin the ends of the 60's and 70's NASCAR races, before big blocks got banned. All the small blocks that got an early lead in the race start blowin up and droppin out, while the big blocks keep on truckin and finish the race lol.

That's because the big blocks had so much more power to begin with. Let's say they made 125HP/l.

The small blocks had to make 250+HP/l just to keep up. You can see why that'd be stressful.
 
bigger engines last longer and even have better full milage than a smaller motor, but theres other factors that come into play that make bigger engines use more gas and dont seem to last that long
 
That's because the big blocks had so much more power to begin with. Let's say they made 125HP/l.

The small blocks had to make 250+HP/l just to keep up. You can see why that'd be stressful.

They made the same power. The problem was the big blocks made, lets say, 500 horse at 6500 RPM. To make 500 horse the small blocks needed to turn over 8k. Thats all good in a short race, but in the longer ones they just couldnt hold together. Trend was, big blocks win long races, small blocks win short.
 
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