There's some good news from Chrysler for all those pisotnheads who prefer old-fashioned horsepower to silly things like low CO2 emissions. In the past, the Hemi's V8 alternative was really only hanging around to provide genuine torque for a lot less dough: 290 ft-lbs. of twist to be specific. Unfortunately, the 4.7-liter mill's horsepower clocked in at a relatively puny 235. The combo was best suited to Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Dakota owners pottering over hill and dale, towing lifestyle gear and little else. And so Chrysler, post-35 by 2020 Energy Bill, have upgraded the 4.7 liter V8 from ground chuck meat to New York strip steak. For the 2008 model year, the 4.7's horsepower has been raised by 70 fillies, rising to 300hp. Torque takes a nice little jump as well, ascending to 330 ft.-lbs. Since the improvements come from mechanical features borrowed from the 5.7 liter Hemi, Mopar fans are taking to calling the new 4.7 the "Semi-Hemi." Since neither of them has hemispherical combustion chambers, no harm, no blasphemy. No word on the effect on mpgs, but Chrysler's revamped MDS (multi-displacement system) should make it seem frugal enough. Bottom line: Chrysler's got a nice V8 to to slot into the majority of its vehicles as a genuine alternative to Hemi power. Now all they need is a midsize car, a compact car, an interior makeover for the Charger and 300, and some profits.
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‘Bout friggin’ time!
It was pretty embarrassing for Chryslerberus to have a V8 that was less powerful than most modern V6s.
A 70hp jump is nothing to sneeze at all. And really, anyone needing more than 300hp in anything is just greedy.
Considering the weight of modern cars today, is 300 hp really enough anymore?
Here are some interesting quotes from the Allpar article in reference to the 4.7 combustion chambers:
“…the combustion chambers are almost hemispherical!”
“…the 64cc combustion chamber is approximately hemispherical in shape.”
‘Buddy Revell pointed out that the new engine is “almost” a Hemi – “the only reason it isn’t called a hemi is because the combustion chambers have a wall on one side that makes it look kind of like a flat tire. Other than that everything is in the same arangment. The valve springs are across from each other and the spark plug goes right down the middle.”‘
More HP is great. But did they also fix the horrible oil sludge problems that caused so many of the previous generation 4.7L V8’s to fail between 25k to 50k miles?
It’s about time. I had the pleasure(?) of renting a Jeep Commander in Gillette, Wyoming after my company field truck went bonkers. Say what you want about the Commander and you’ll probably be right. It has almost no place in today’s market, but it is a capable 4×4 and proved itself rather adept at work in one of the Powder River Basin’s coal mines (perfect proving ground for a rental car that the company is paying for, he he…) My one big complaint was the anemic and inefficient 4.7 V-8. I averaged about 8 mpg around the mine and found myself in low-range all too often to make up for the lack of torque. My 12-year old company Tahoe averages about 15 mpg in the field and has ample power.
blautens :
December 3rd, 2007 at 11:00 am
“More HP is great. But did they also fix the horrible oil sludge problems that caused so many of the previous generation 4.7L V8’s to fail between 25k to 50k miles?”
blautens, define “horrible”. How many out of how many sold? Really, this is news to me, and I own a vehicle with the 4.7. As bad as Toyota?
I wonder if it has the wasted-spark ignition to go with the inherently wasteful HEMI-ish heads.
Is the hemi really that useful of a design anyway, or is it just a complete marketing ploy?
windswords:
Google is your friend…try “Durango sludge” and spend the next hour sharing other people’s misery. I don’t know the exact numbers in terms of percentages betweem the two. But the difference is, Toyota issued a recall and EXTENDED the warranty – Chrysler actually denied coverage while it was still under the 3/36 warranty in many cases, blaming faulty maintenance, even if you produced oil change receipts.
Two companies, two engines, somewhat similar problems, two VASTLY different ways of treating customers.