Is the hemi overrated?

7/10/2008 10:29:21 PM

Is the hemi overrated?

caley8s
Underwood, IA
age: 21

1. Yes

2. no

3. whats a hemi?

Nope

7/10/2008 11:11:41 PM

Is the hemi overrated?

ilarco180
Roy, UT
age: 23

not the hemi's of old, the new ones are nothin special.

7/11/2008 5:39:52 AM

Is the hemi overrated?

jimirayclapton
Denver, CO
age: 49

The question is not clear enough. Which hemi are you referring to?

I will say a few things in regards to the hemis that I am most familiar. The 392's. 426's, and the K.B.'s.

The 426 was introduced at Daytona in 1964. The hemis finished 1st, 2nd, and 3rd I believe. From that time until Mopar pulled out of NASCAR in the 70's they absolutely dominated stock car racing. Restrictor plate rule came out to try to slow those old hemis down and give the Fords and GM cars a chance. They still couldn't hang with the mopar hemis. Again they tried to trump the hemis by imposing a 355 cubic inch limit on the engines that could be used in NASCAR sanctioned races. Chrysler used a destroked 340 small block after that that STILL kicked everybody's butt out there on the track. Richard Petty became a legend because of those 426 motors.

Here's a question you can ask the Ford and GM guys. How much horsepower can you get out of your biggest, baddest, Fords and GM big blocks? On any kind of fuel you want. The answer will be somewhere in the neighborhood of about 3,500 hp, give or take a few. The 392 hemi that Don Garlits ran in the Swamp Rat back in '61 was making that much already. When Chrysler quit building the 426's back in the early 70's, Keith Black bought the rights to start building hemi's cast out of aluminum instead of iron. Make no mistake about it, those Keith Black engines are almost a carbon copy of the original 426's except for some improvements to the strength of the blocks, cylinder head design, etc. But they are still deeply rooted in the original Chrysler 426 engine design of the 60's. Those engines are what you see in Top Fuel and Top Alcohol Funny Cars and Dragsters. And by the way, don't be fooled by the John Force Fords and Whit Bazemore's Chevy's, because there isn't a Ford or Chevy part on those cars. If you take the plastic body off, it's pure K.B. hemi underneath. The new Toyota cars in Top Fuel drag racing is in name only. Again, take the plastic body off, and it's pure K.B. hemi that you see. There is a reason that they use those hemis in Top Fuel and Top Alcohol. That's because if you tried to crank out that much power from your Fords, Chevys, Pontiacs, Toyotas, they would become BOMBS and last about 3 seconds. If they could get 8,000 horsepower out of one of their own engines THEY WOULD. But they can't. So, they use the proven beast of an engine to run in their cars. That is a FACT.

So is the hemi over-rated? Maybe the new ones, but the old ones are legends. Chrysler realized that, and started their advertising campaign (Hey, does that thing got a hemi?) based on the performance of the old ones, knowing that bragging rights would carry them a LONG way. And it has.

Plus, there is nothing cooler than a '70 Hemi Cuda with a 4 speed and a full tank of high octane fuel and a quarter mile of straight road ahead. Or an old RAMCHARGERS Dodge Dart doing a wheel stand as it leaps off the starting line. Go to your local track and check them out some time. They are still around.

JRC

7/11/2008 4:42:37 PM

Is the hemi overrated?

jimirayclapton
Denver, CO
age: 49

7/19/2008 12:57:22 PM

Is the hemi overrated?

rudracula
Kingsville, ON
age: 50

but i wonder if this generation even knows why it was or is called a hemi

7/19/2008 4:44:31 PM

Is the hemi overrated?

jimirayclapton
Denver, CO
age: 49

Probably not.

Okay, here's the short story.

Hemi = Hemispherical Combustion Chambers.

It's the SHAPE of the inside of the cylinder head that promotes highly efficient combustion and gas flow characteristics that allow these engines to make the gobs of power they produce.

7/19/2008 8:49:01 PM

Is the hemi overrated?

caley8s
Underwood, IA
age: 21

You think I would make this thread without knowing what made a hemi a hemi? I agree the new ones are nothing special too. And as for specifics I felt I was good enough with that but lets just say a 426. then

8/3/2008 8:11:05 AM

Is the hemi overrated?

gentlebear1949
Wooster, OH
age: 58

Thanks jimiray for that video---I'd forgotten the sweet sound of pure muscle.I believe the new hemis are definetly over rated compared to the original 426 hemi.

[Edited 8/3/2008 8:12:12 AM]

8/6/2008 9:38:17 PM

Is the hemi overrated?

jimirayclapton
Denver, CO
age: 49

I don't care much for the way the new Challenger Hemi looks or sounds actually. It's one thing to see a picture of it, another to see it in person. Didn't grab me like I thought it would. And I don't care for the way the exhaust sounds on that car when you get on it. Saw two in the space of about 3 hours yesterday while I was driving. I could listen to them take off from a light and they sounded like a Buick 231 V6 with a slight hole in the muffler. Not the deep throaty rumble you expect at all.

8/19/2008 8:59:09 PM

Is the hemi overrated?

lostsoul1983
Kearneysville, WV
age: 25

the 426 was a beast. the new hemi is a joke. ive hurt a few guys driving hemi's feelings with my 8000lb cummins powered truck

8/19/2008 9:28:17 PM

Is the hemi overrated?

jimirayclapton
Denver, CO
age: 49

I'll bet you have. LOL. Some of those deisel pickup trucks are running 11 seconds or better at the drag strip with the turbochargers they have and running propane injection. They come into our shop and pull upward of 1,200 to 1,500 ft/lbs or torque and well over a thousand horsepower on our dyno. It's horsepower to weight ratio. Just some of the mildly modified deisel pickups that are around are making well over 800 ft/lbs of torque and can pull 22,000 lb trailers like they are nothing. I believe you about beating the cars...LOL.

JRC

8/19/2008 9:36:22 PM

Is the hemi overrated?

lostsoul1983
Kearneysville, WV
age: 25

im running straight #2 diesel. no propane no nos. dan scheid did most of my engine work on both my 12v and my 24v. i am runnign water and meth on the 24v. scheid lightning 4 turbo(think hx50 with a 80mil inlet) oringed head,high lift cam,340 marine injectors,modified vp44 injection pump, 5in stainless downpipe to a fully tuned hand welded stainless ypipe(all inbed) 12v dynos about 750 and the 24v is pushing the 900hp mark...love love love my diesels. its a bad truck...fun to play with the import boys with lol 80lbs of boost at 6500rpms will make u a big boy

8/20/2008 11:34:08 AM

Is the hemi overrated?

fefloria
Ladera Ranch, CA
age: 24

I have to agree that the power of a V8 is awesome, but im a huge fan of the 2jz 6 cylinder engine, the engine can hold 800+ Whp with the stock internals, not many cars can do that these days. one of the most impressive cars that i have had the pleasure to drive is a 2005 mitsubishi EVO 8, the car has a stroked 2.3 liter engine, with 2 255 walbro fuel pumps, 1600cc injectors, huge Intercooler, 4 inch straight exhaust, gt42r turbo, a shit load of Misc mods, motech and some drag radials on all 4 wheels, the car does not see anything but c16 race gas, and he runs it daily at 35psi reaching 750+ awhp, he can make it go to 40psi and the car would easily see over 800awhp, this is the baddest car ive ever driven, it beats the hell out of 1000WHP v8's or 6's " in the street " the car ran a best of 10.1 on street tires in the 1/4 mile ( STREET TIRES ), and this is a legal daily driven car which is even more badass. i still believe that at the track rwd will always own a FWD or AWD car. but those cars are just that, track cars.

9/13/2008 9:58:25 AM

Is the hemi overrated?

kallenbach05
Lincoln, NE
age: 21

most engines are hemi's. chrysler just trademarked the name so only they can use it. so even ford's and gm's are hemis even though they cant be called Hemi's

9/19/2008 9:18:25 PM

Is the hemi overrated?

caldude
Yerington, NV
age: 62

Back in the time, I ran a big block Ford with dual quads and a four speed and a street hemi is the only car I wouldn't race. So, no the 426 was not overrated. John

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