2020 ME To Only Have Pushrod Motor: Why Pushrods Still Exist

[John]

While we all know that a DOHC, V8 is coming for our ME’s after 2020, the chances of having anything other than a pushrod motor for 2020 seem to be in the 1% range. So for those who are a fan of Jason Fenske (“Engineering Explained”), as I am, here is his video of five pushrod motor advantages.

[rmorin49]

GM has done an incredible job with the current small block V8. I won't be disappointed with an "old technology pushrod V8" in the ME car. It is a proven technology. I also welcome a DOHC TT V6 or V8 that can turn in excess of 8K RPMs. We all have a lot to look forward to with the appearance of the ME car next year hopefully.

[John]

I totally agree with you rmorin491. We are going to have a lot to celebrate and our “old pushrod” motor, admittedly in a slightly different version, just won the last two years of the IMSA Weathertech series, beating Porsche, Ferrari, Ford GT and more. Exciting times now and more exciting times ahead.

[RedDropTop]

Top fuel dragsters produce over 8,000 HP in their pushrod V8 engines.
Nothing wrong with pushrods.

[MsBadWolf]

One thing to remember is that the faster you spin or turn an engine the more power is used up in moving all the parts to that higher speed.

[OnPoint]

Often when these discussions happen, somebody will state the vette needs to get away from the "old" OHV tech and move to the "new" DOHC tech. Few people know that widespread use of OHC tech pre-dates widespread use of OHV tech. And neither of them is "new". They're just different from each other, with different pros and cons (and yes, each has pros, and each has cons).

Engineering is often a set of compromises. You just have to decide what it is you want to accomplish, and what compromises you're willing to give to get there. Each of these techs has its own set of advantages and compromises.

[MsBadWolf]

I guess if it was myself doing the new ME Vette I'd eventually like to give the option of both styles of engines in various HP levels. However, I'm not and we're all just along for the ride on this and hoping it turns out better than we could hope for.

[OnPoint]

I guess if it was myself doing the new ME Vette I'd eventually like to give the option of both styles of engines in various HP levels.

I'm hopeful that's is what we'll get.

[Busa Dave]

You CAN "push" the "push rod" motors BUT valve train must be meticulously designed and manufactured and even then longevity is a question at extreme rpm's. Still love them though....