8 cylinder vs. 6 cylinder

What are the differences/advantages/problems of having a v8 as opposed to having a v6?

Disadvantages of a V-8:
insurance for young people
tendancy for speeding
gets about 1mpg less than V-6

Advantages:
ACCELERATION-if you have to ask you have never driven either
resale value
"coolness factor"

If you can't afford one, don't. If you can, go drive one of each. If you are a car enthusiast at all, you will have an easy decision.

I really don't think a V8 makes you speed more, maybe its just me. A V6 will go fast enough to kill you, so a V8 can't kill you any worse. :D

I have had a V6 and a Z, and I really couldnt tell any kind of mileage difference in "normal" driving conditions.

Originally posted by Mikael
I really don't think a V8 makes you speed more, maybe its just me. A V6 will go fast enough to kill you, so a V8 can't kill you any worse. :D
Not true.
The V8 requires respect. If you are 'heavy handed' with your driving techniques you will lose control of a V8 car much quicker and on a grand scale.
My .02
Dave

To me the F-body has allways been about the V8.

Originally posted by OliGeorgs
To me the F-body has allways been about the V8.
Ditto:cool:.

And whoever thinks you can't do more damage with a V8 than a V6 has never really had a "near-life-ending-experience" due to lack of respect/control/preparation:rolleyes:. Sure, the V6's aren't slouches, but ~300 HP going to the back wheels vs. ~200 HP (guessing?:confused: ) to the back wheels of the same car makes quite a difference:o. Even I've become over-confident in my driving skill and nearly lost it a couple times with my car (since it's been a couple years since I had my '81 and I was used to driving with ~300-350 HP at my feet).

But dude, since you are just turning 16, getting a V6 probably wouldn't be a bad idea, then like others have said, it would be cheaper to purchase and to insure, then once you get used to RWD with a significant amount of HP, you can take the next step up to the V8:cool:. In the long run, it'll be safer for you and everyone else on the roads you drive!:D (seriously, no offense).

I test drove a '95 with a 3.8 a few months back. It was better than I thought. It had good acceleration and response. It only had 50,000 miles on it.

It is still nowhere near what the LS1 can do. I drove my first in 1999 and was hooked. You just need to find a way to insure it (depending on your age). Resale value is better, and it's just more fun to drive in my opinion. If money is a problem, go with a V-8 that is a few years old. Good buy for the money.

Just get what suits you and drive it.

I didn't know the Camaro (or firebird) came with V6s until I was forced to buy one. Fortunately, after a year with the V6 I convinced my parents to let me get a V8 Camaro. Like stated above higher insurance is the main con. But its fast and is given respect. People are going to give you a lot of $h!t if you get a V6.

If the insurance has to be in your name, be prepared to pay as much as $300-400 a month. It will depend on where you live, grades etc. but look into it first and that might make your decision for you.

Also performance is not even comparable. I had a 3.4 v6 before my 2002 z28 and trust me ~300hp at the wheels requires 10 times the attention and carefullness with the pedal that the 160 or 200 (3.4 or 3.8) have at the crank.

All camaros are cool, I had a great time with my v6, but if you get a v6 don't expect to see your passengers with a "holly **** what was that" look when you hammer the gas.

Originally posted by 99blackSS
I didn't know the Camaro (or firebird) came with V6s until I was forced to buy one. Fortunately, after a year with the V6 I convinced my parents to let me get a V8 Camaro. Like stated above higher insurance is the main con. But its fast and is given respect. People are going to give you a lot of $h!t if you get a V6.
99blackSS, I think you gave the best response. If you buy a Camaro you should be buying an Z28 or SS. Sure the V6s are just as good looking but the Camaro is a package deal. Once you get past its looks, (i'm speaking of the V6) you don't have much to back it up. If you don't want your ride to be judged then you shouldn't drive one that WILL be judged. My wife drives a V6 Camaro and she has been harassed many times by V8 Mustangs. It doesn't bother her very much but for most guys it gets to their pride. Then they started trying to mod the V6 or thinking about trading up for a V8.

Thats so true, a couple of guys drive V6 Camaro's at my school. They get so much sh*t.

this is an easy one......

a v6 is just a v8 that dropped 2 cylinders for weight reduction;) :rolleyes:


v8=fast as hell
v6=slow as hell

v8=get made fun of
v6=not get made fun of

v6=low insurance
v8=high insurance

v6=cant run from cops
v8=run from cops;)


.......:D

I might get flamed, but here goes: sure, I would like to have a V8, but I don't have one. That doesn't make me any less of a car enthusiast. Couldn't afford the V8, couldn't afford the insurance (which will change pretty soon :) ) I respect the LS1, I think its the best V8 GM has ever made. I've driven a Z28, and I loved the power, but this doesn't make me like my V6 any less. Its still pretty quick, nowhere near what an LS1 or LT1 can do, but its still quicker than the average car IMO. Sure, people give me crap about having a V6, but those people usually end up owning a big heavy ass truck (I AM in Oklahoma) and if we raced, they would get owned real quick. When I get my V8, I will not be a V6-basher like a lot of people.

Originally posted by stik6shift98
this is an easy one......

a v6 is just a v8 that dropped 2 cylinders for weight reduction;) :rolleyes:



v8=get made fun of
v6=not get made fun of



.......:D

Oh yeah I see people quivering and pissing their pants everytime they see a V6. But man my Z, they just point and laugh.

:D

You think like I do;). (For some reason, I don't even know why:rolleyes: ) I sold my '81 Z after I had done everything to it:dead:.............really stupid!?:mad: Anyway, point being, I ended up driving a truck for a few months, then a '96 Sunfire (non-GT) for a year and a half. Sure it was "only" a 4-banger, and "only" the 2.2L at that, but it was still "quick enough" for a 5-speed 4-banger;) (and it took a lot of abuse --- seriously, I'd downshift it at any speed into 3rd or 2nd and scream the damn thing off ~7000rpm with a 6000rpm redline!!!:D). Of course I still wanted a car with a V8, but due to certain circumstances, I couldn't have one for a while. Therefore, I never look down on people who don't have the LS1, or even an LT1. No different than the whole M6>A4 argument.............you know what??:think: 10 bucks says I could smoke any stock M6 car with street tires in the 60':o.........maybe a good driver could take me, but chances are 95%+ of the time, I'll get a consistent good launch. And back to the whole V8>V6 thing, there is nothing wrong with the V6 cars --- they're still a Camaro (or Firebird) which the last time I checked has been discontinued, so to own one is still being an F-body enthusiast.

I don't know about the newer v6's but the older 2.8 L v6 was the biggest POS, so that is why I went out and bought a Z w/ a reliable powerplant.. With stik6shift98 saying that the v6 is just a v8 minus 2 cyl. is somewhat a misconception.. The only v6 that I know of has the same bore and stroke as a 350 small block v8 is the 4.3L V6 that comes in S10/Sonoma, early 80's still has 4.000 Bore w/ stroke of 3.48 basically what the older 350 Small Blocks.. I am not too familiar with 3.4 or 3.8 L v6's but I have heard stories about the both engines being problematic eventhough I have not owned one personally or worked on one...

Just with my opinion a v6 driven F-body is not a true F-body because when I think of Camaro or Firebird, I am thinking of Muscle Cars.. Come on would you buy a Pontiac GTO and have V6 what about a Corvette (1953, 54 and maybe 55 had 6 cyl.) but after the 283 small block was built a corvette never seen a 6 cyl ever again... I am not going to bag on people for not being able to afford a v8 F-body but I still feel that a v8 is the way to go..

Just my opinion though...

Originally posted by Black01_Z
Oh yeah I see people quivering and pissing their pants everytime they see a V6. But man my Z, they just point and laugh.

:D

i typed it in wrong switch it around and it will make more sense:D

The argument that the (for example the LS1 and L36 3.8) are the same engine except the 6 is missing two cylinders is just wrong. I'm pretty sure the whole "drop cylinders for weight reduction" thing was only a joke, but the LS1 actually has more power per liter and the bore and stroke are totally different. For the Camaro, the LS1 is basically a tuned-down Corvette engine, but the V6 is specifically made for GM's sedans like the Impala, Monte Carlo, and Grand Prix GT. They just happened to put one in the Camaro as well.

Camaros have always had 6-cylinder options- since day 1. Hell, they even built a 4-banger model in 1984 (over 127,000 of them) and it outsold all other Camaro models that year. http://www.camaro3rdgen.20m.com/1984.html

My wife has a 3800 (Y87,A4) and I enjoy driving it once in a while. I'm just afraid to get caught in it. I shouldn't be though. It's a fun car to drive. But at maybe 165hp to the ground, it doesn't have anything close to the power of a Z28. As far as taking sh!t from people- it's mostly teenage types dishing it out (and some immature adults). Some people are perfectly happy with their 6-cylinder Camaros (and other cars), and they shouldn't have to take sh!t for driving them.

And if you think about it, most people don't give a sh!t that we drive Z28s. They love their SUVs, mini-vans, and other practical vechicles (I like trucks too, though). So why are we so smug? Beats me. But I love my Z28.

Originally posted by stik6shift98
i typed it in wrong switch it around and it will make more sense:D

I know I was JK.
:cool:

Originally posted by Black01_Z
I know I was JK.
:cool:

ok cool:D

Not that I want a V6 but I'll come to its defense on this one. V8 power is obviously better for racing (with Chevy anyway), however, the previous comment about v6 getting harassed by GT's makes me laugh a little. A few mods and the V6 (1998-2002) will beat a new GT w/ exhaust. My friend harasses the GT's all the time in his 3800 V6 and wins. Remember Chevy Camaro's (all versions) transfer power to the rear wheel far better than the Ford Mustangs. He's got full Flowmaster exhaust, whisper lid, ram air, and a programmer. That's it. He could put gears and other shyt on but he says he's content until he can get a Z28. So he's just saving money at this point. Just my .02

It's not how you stand by your car, its how race your car. Remember that.

Yep,I beat'em all the time(GTs) mostly the autos,in my v6. It just wont be much fun anymore totally anialating them w/ my Z28:think: :bs: its always fun whippin a stang whether by 1 car or 7 car lengths.

V6 got the appeal,handling and decent power BUT a v8 Ls1 is everything (IMO) a Camaro should be.

Get the v8 if your a speed demon,but if you just like the cars a v6 works just fine.

T.

Originally posted by Mikael
I really don't think a V8 makes you speed more, maybe its just me. A V6 will go fast enough to kill you, so a V8 can't kill you any worse. :D

Just faster:bow:

I've owned both a 3.8 and a 5.7 Ls1. the Ls1 throws you around so fast you can be up to 120 before you know it. but as far as feel goes,the v6 is a pretty big engine and it pulls good and has decent low end power as well. money wise the v6 will save some on insurance and a little on gas mainly because of 87 vs. 93. and v6 cars are about 20% cheaper. v6 cars are lighter weight too. there's nothing wrong with getting a v6, look at 1/4 mile times, 16 sec vs. 13 sec, to me that's a big differnence for everyday driving. The Ls1 is nicer because it looks really good under the hood, it's faster, it's more of a ego thing, which is cool, and it will have a greater resale because these ls1 cars will be desirable.