Whats the deal with 340s?

Infecteddog said

Honestly would need about 220ish HP or so to be better than a 240Hp 340 with less stall and gear.


Pick and pull charges 275 for a 318, they are in most of the trucks and Jeeps. For under 2k, shouldn't be any issue to get just at/over 300hp- prolly even more and still have a DDable ride.


Torque doesn't not typically go hand-in-hand with lack of power.


Same, same. I have an $80 340, I'd take a $400 360 Mag, but for drivers- hard to beat a 318 Magnum's price point.


Pretty much. When you see much larger, lower torque and power curves- that will be a stronger motor throughout the range. But it takes the whole picture to get a full idea.

Click to expand...

This would all be correct, if you were running ONE gear. That's why we have transmissions in front of the differential. You can use a MUCH narrower torque curve, which is easier to make more power across a narrower RPM range (we can ALL agree on that can't we??? Maybe not) and use multiple gears (which is why 5 speeds are faster than 4, even in Pro Stock...and you can ask Wayne County about this...they were the LAST PS car of the era to go to a 5 speed...I actually asked them about why they had not gone to the 5 speed in front of a pretty good crowd and was told they use a longer stroke and a flatter torque curve to make up the difference...as they were barely qualified at that time and had been stinking it up for a while, I followed up with the simple question "how's that working out for you?" and they asked me to leave the rope.

Not wanting to dethrone AJ for the long winded post title, I'll keep it short and say, torque has its place. But when you use torque instead of gear, and even REASONABLE RPM, you will go slower.

For those of us who like to drive around, smoke the tires at will with your arm hanging out the window, with your drive through idle, then stroke is your friend.

Or, if you are an engine builder and educating your customer is no longer worth your time, the stroke is a money maker.