Re: How come Packard didn't make an OHV straight 8?

Posted by Peter Packard On 2008/6/19 6:16:29

G'day all, There have been a number of very well researched articles written over the years about whether Packard made good engines and why Packard stuck with the side valve engine. The main reasons which I have noted is that side valve engines tend to be quieter, have a greater engine torque at lower revs, have a lower Octane requirement due to increased intake valve turbulence over OHV engines, and have a higher BMEP (Brake Mean Effective Pressure) in older low compression engines. By way of illustration there was a much publicised match race in about 1930 between a straight eight OHV Stutz and a side valve Lycoming (Auburn?) The Auburn won the match race by a slim margin 102 Vs 101 MPH, after which they removed the muffler from the Stutz and got it to 103 MPH. I can dig out the exact details if you need them. In my humble and always ready to be corrected opinion, it illustrates that in in the days pre hemi heads/ squish chambers/ fuel injection etc, there was not a lot of difference in actual performance between similar sized OHV and SV engines.
There are also some interesting facts about why the US stayed with 6 Volt electrics for so long. Even Rolls Royce went to 6 Volt electrical systems in the US. Best regards Peter Toet