jayoldschool said: Yes, the Northstar engine was all wrong for Cadillac. Also, it turned out to be another bad engineering choice in 20 years of mistakes.



Peak torque isn't what a V8 is all about. You don't need to rev it. A V8 makes almost all of that peak torque at just off idle. Click to expand...

I recognize Northstar bashing is a popular sport around here and it was outdated and outclassed by the 3.6 V6 by the end of its production run, but I still think its a fine engine. Specs for a 2001 Seville SLS are 275 [email protected] ,600 rpm; 300 ft lb torque @ 4,000 rpm, but in my experience at least, it has plenty of low-end torque for daily driving, unlike, say Jesda's former Infinite Q45, whose engine didn't wake up until you passed 3,000 RPM.If you never went north of 3,000 RPM in a Northstar, most drivers would still find the engine perfectly fine, and for Cadillac owners used to a pushrod motor like the 4.9 (which I've also owned), it would feel no different. But if you hoon on it, the Northstar really starts to sing above 3,000 RPM, and it will race for the redline more eagerly than most old-school pushrod V8s (not counting the high-performance LS Series) I've driven. And not only is is silky smooth across the rev range, it sounds fantastic when you nail the throttle.Not that I have a problem with pushrod V8s. The 327 in my Impala is just as smooth as my Northstar (I have read that the 4.00 x 3.25 in. bore and stroke made the 327 the best balanced and smoothest of the classic Chevy small blocks). It makes a very nice sound, and I love driving Betty with all the windows rolled down where I can hear the cheerful burble coming from the dual exhaust. I imagine it's partially due to the gearing — both in the original Powerglide and the THM700R4 that's in it now — but this engine rarely goes north of 3,000 RPM, even if I'm stepping on it. Specs for the L30 version of the 327 in my Impala are 250 hp @ 4,400 RPM and 350 ft lb torque @ 2,800 RPM, so there's really no reason to rev the whee out of it. I'm sure a 327 with a 4-speed, whether it's in an Impala, Chevelle or Corvette, will rev willingly, but Betty is more of a cruiser. Still, I've never felt at a loss for power with that car.