Fifty4F100 wrote:
Just to further more debate, what we are after with our engines is torque, not horsepower. And I'm sure there is much more useable torque with the Cummins than a gas V10, not matter the cubic inches.
I would be curious what makes some torque usable, and other torque not usable.
If cubic inches where everything, Ford wouldn't have gone from a 7.5 V8 to a 6.8 V10. But they did for good reasons. All of them torques.
Actually downsizing had nothing to due with torque, and has everything to do with efficiency and pollution. Smaller cubic inches mean less pumping losses. So as long as they can get the power out of the smaller engine, smaller is more efficient. Also going to smaller pistons means a faster burn, as the flame does not need to travel as far. Faster burn increases efficiency. That is also why they chose a V10, because one can use smaller pistons.