Merkur XR4Ti heavier then Sierra XR4i

[BanditKoval]

I would like to know exactly what makes the merkur xr4ti heavier then the sierra xr4i... because when you think about it ... the sierra has a 2.9l v6 and you would think that make the car heavier then its counterpart the 2.3l turbo merkur... its confusing..

[merk23literturbo]

Federal Crash Standard equipment, like 5 mph bumpers.

[GPz11]

Also a 2.3 turbo isn't exactly a light engine.

IIRC: It's about the same weight as a 302.

[DPDISXR4Ti]

Also a 2.3 turbo isn't exactly a light engine.

IIRC: It's about the same weight as a 302.

True. Which makes it heavier than a 2.9.

Don mentioned the heavier bumpers; along with those there were a lot of body reinforcements in the XR4Ti, including the doors, which are much heavier than the Euro counterparts.

[John V]

Also a 2.3 turbo isn't exactly a light engine.

IIRC: It's about the same weight as a 302.

you recall wrong...Or you may recall correctly that you read somebody--somebody who was just repeating what he'd read...
I ship engines on pallets. Limas, YBs, Volvo Redblocks, and I know what these various 4s weigh on a palett.
Andthe machine shop guys I work with---who are drag racers since the mid 60s BURST OUT LAUGHING when I tell them people say the 2300 LIMA weighs "about the same as SBF"

The 2300 isn't light but it isn't "heavy either"
A ready to start SBF is approx 180-190 lbs heavier. (unless you start talking aluminum heads, aftermarket intake manifolds etc---then about 120 lbs heavier
8 pistons, 8 rods, 2 heads and a pair of blocks Siamesed together weigh more than 4 pistons, 4 rods 1 head, 1 block

[espacef1fan]

Also a 2.3 turbo isn't exactly a light engine.

IIRC: It's about the same weight as a 302.

you recall wrong...Or you may recall correctly that you read somebody--somebody who was just repeating what he'd read...
I ship engines on pallets. Limas, YBs, Volvo Redblocks, and I know what these various 4s weigh on a palett.
Andthe machine shop guys I work with---who are drag racers since the mid 60s BURST OUT LAUGHING when I tell them people say the 2300 LIMA weighs "about the same as SBF"

The 2300 isn't light but it isn't "heavy either"
A ready to start SBF is approx 180-190 lbs heavier. (unless you start talking aluminum heads, aftermarket intake manifolds etc---then about 120 lbs heavier
8 pistons, 8 rods, 2 heads and a pair of blocks Siamesed together weigh more than 4 pistons, 4 rods 1 head, 1 block

That being said.....

Limas and SBFs crush fingers and engine bay parts in an equally effective manner....

[KhanTyranitar]

Yeah, if IIRC, the 2.3L would have to be lighter, because in stock form a Turbocoupe with manual trans is 10 hp peak less than the 5.0L T-Bird, yet the 2.3L Turbo is actually faster. The only way the less powerful of two cars that are otherwise the same can be faster is if its lighter. I could be wrong. But 2.3L are definitely lighter than 5.0L.

In the case of the Merkurs, the chassis has a lot of extra reinforcement. Sierras are basically inexpensive cans. They are tougher than some other cars, but they are not much of a car. Merkurs have thicker metal, various parts are made from multiple layers of metal, its just in general reinforced. The whole chassis is stiffer and more rigid than its Sierra counterpart. Increased strength usually means increased weight. The result is that with proper suspension, you get less twisting and flexing in the body, and in collisions, Merkurs do significantly better.

[XR4Tim]

My 944 turbo engine weighed the same as my LS1 that I replaced it with.

[John Brennan]

LS1 is all-aluminum-- but then, so is the 951 engine...

Interesting.

[XR4Tim]

Pretty sure my 951 engine wasn't all aluminum. Maybe, though. Could have just been the cast iron manifold and wastegate pipes, but that thing was stinkin' heavy.

[John Brennan]

Said so when I Googled it... didn't give the weight, but at least aluminum for aluminum roughly equals iron for iron, and makes for a valid comparison.

[Larry Velk]

It's quite odd, but finding comparable weights for various engines is very hard to do. Only guys who ship them have any real information. Some guys post weights with clutches, some with alternators, etc. If you internet search this topic you can barely get a correct weight on a 350 Chevy, much less something like an FE Ford with Al heads, intake and water pump - in other words, specific combos are very hard to nail down.
Unfortunately on the net guys just repeat often bad info.
Relative to the old XR - if you take off the bumpers and semi gut the car to paint it the car will sit quite a bit higher. In the book "Preparing the Sierra for motorsport" (not sure of the title, but I have the book) some of the front wheel well bracing is standard on our US spec XR's, but a "speed" part for the Euro version. Our fuel tank area is different, etc.
I took some scrap to the junkyard in our XR once and it weighed about 2 900, on their scales.

[BanditKoval]

Well then

[ford.scorpio]

FYI, xr4i that gave birth to XR4Ti is 2.8, not 2.9......majority of later pre-2.9 models were also mechanic fuel injection vs. EFI.....

[CV12Steve]

Yeah, if IIRC, the 2.3L would have to be lighter, because in stock form a Turbocoupe with manual trans is 10 hp peak less than the 5.0L T-Bird, yet the 2.3L Turbo is actually faster. The only way the less powerful of two cars that are otherwise the same can be faster is if its lighter.

Assuming they both have the same gearing and torque curve.