There are a lot of very rough VTEC units about!!

Also bear in mind that the average Honda buyer is quite old.

Individual examples aside, petrol engines do not respond well to constant thrashing (even if treat gently when cold) and age prematurely as a result. Regardless of lucky individuals who are still going after a life of abuse these are the exception, not the norm.

sorry steve but your never going to convince me of that.

as mil has said as long you look after your car with regular servicing and oil changes and let it warm up(the oil) before thrashing it then it will last a very long ti.

hell i had a peugeot 106 with 45k after maybe 2 years and that got abused everyday (once warm and with regular servicing) and the engine was puurfect when i sold it. my mate however bought exactly the same car a year or so after me and he totally abused his from cold and didn't get it serviced properly and at under 2 years old( i think) it had a knackered gearbox, clutch, head, gasket, driveshaft and a few other things.

so as long you treat it nice then it will be nice back.

Individual examples aside, petrol engines do not respond well to constant thrashing (even if treat gently when cold) and age prematurely as a result.

A bit like diesel engines .... and anything mechanical Regular servicing is the key!

Chris

I really dont think you can make general statements about engines. It all depends on the design.

A "K" Series MGR engine with 85bhp in a pensioners Rover 25 with full service history will probably chuck it's head gasket before 80k miles.

The same engine in a Caterham with a few extra bits and pieces (Steel dowels anyone?)will probably go on for ever even doing a trackday every weekend.

Likewise the iffy build on the Alfa Twin Sparks, some will get through a litre of oil in 500 miles, some have the bottom end go at relatively low milage and some use no oil and run sweet as a nut (Like my old one furtunately)

Like diesel engines petrol engines have also moved on since the smokey Sierra and Cavalier days. Old style diesels have had a low stress life and usually came with strong cast iron blocks and heads. Time will tell if the new electronic controlled, high boost, high output, alloy diesels will cover the same distances the old units did.

There is no doubt though a unit spinning at around 2000-3000rpm will lead a considerably easier life than a unit spending most of it's time around 5000-6000rpm.

Cheers

Lee

know what your saying lee but although it may be spinning slower it is under greater stress due to the higher torque so maybe in the long run a but less reliable?

There is no doubt though a unit spinning at around 2000-3000rpm will lead a considerably easier life than a unit spending most of it's time around 5000-6000rpm.

Exactly.

The blocks in modern diesels are still mostly cast iron to cope with the massive pressures involved.

know what your saying lee but although it may be spinning slower it is under greater stress due to the higher torque so maybe in the long run a but less reliable?

Not true.

Diesels will always win from a reliability perspective as they have no ignition system as suchm no plugs, HT leads or distributors - the main points of failure in an engine.

As far as other components in the drivetrain go, manufacturers usually uprate these to cope with the larger forces involved.

I read that Honda redline every CTR engine in every gear in the factory whilst it's still being made, also haven't 9 million VTEC units been produced and Honda have never had one fault?

know what your saying lee but although it may be spinning slower it is under greater stress due to the higher torque so maybe in the long run a but less reliable?

Not really, as long as the equipment is built for the torque and power then failure shouldn't be an issue.

What is an issue is wear overtime, most equipment be it electrical or mechanical eqiupment are usually rated for cycles or operations.

It's a basic engineering fact that the more times things go round the more it wears.

It's not a linear wear curve though. The Type R engines are excellent but one that's spent all it's life at the red line as a track day instructer car is probably not going to last as long as one only driven for normal road driveing.

Historically diesel have always lasted longer due to the low wear due to their low rotational speeds. But as I said early petrol engines have got much better, lubrication and balancing has improved so the gap has reduced.

I wouldn't pay to much to electronic issues. The ECU, sensors and injector pumps on modern diesels are probably more complex than a N/A petrol ignition set up so diesel cannot claim a victory here.

I would still say if you wanted a car as a high milage hack then diesel is still the choice both for economy and longevity.

Cheers

Lee