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2.0T vs 3.8 V6

31K views 42 replies 24 participants last post by  McFly 
#1 ·
Alright guys i am debating on either a baseline 2.0t or the baseline V6 and my main consideration right now is this.. I have a lot of miss giving for a turbo powered engine due to Turbo's are EXPENSIVE to fix.

GAS! I remember their was a time they said do not use anything below 91 octane on a turbo powered engine because it will increase wear on the turbo. If thats the case and the 2.0T requires me to use Premium I am going to go with the V6.


Can you guys shed any light on the situation? I would rather get the 2.0 due to price but i don't want to be forced to use Premium gas due to the price of said gas.
 
#3 ·
2.0 uses regular octane gas! It all depends on what you want and what you are going to do with the car. Yes the extra power is quite nice but it was cheaper for me insurance wise to stick to the inline 4 and cheaper price.

Also about fixing a turbo. Remember Hyundai has a 5 year B2B warranty! :D
 
#16 ·
He asked a valid question about fuel and longevity :rolleyes: Not which is better.

I asked-- the turbo is include in the 100k warranty.

the 2.0t also gets better mileage than the v6. (i'm getting 24 city, 31 highway roughly, and that includes some pulls/screwing around).
I'm getting 20-23 City and 27-32 highway with LOTS of screwing around, the 3.8 gets arguably as good or better mileage than the 2.0 in real world driving, IMO. I live in a city built around a very steep river valley that's sitting at 2190 feet above sea level.
 
#5 ·
If you're considering the base V6 or base 2.0, why not get the 2.0T premium instead?
 
#8 ·
im pretty sure they dont exclude models from that warranty
 
#9 ·
Get the 2.0T. It will treat you well and it will be backed by America's Best Warranty. Also, 87 octane works well with the 2.0T. The owner's manual even states that the recommended fuel is 87 octane.

In the end, you need to make the judgement call. Not us.
 
#10 ·
I asked-- the turbo is include in the 100k warranty.

I don't know if this is true or not, but i was told the ecu cuts boost on 87 octane by 2 psi over 93 by means of knock detection.
if you're commuting, 87 is ok. if you're going to have fun, tank up with 93. the ecu will adjust for you.

the 2.0t also gets better mileage than the v6. (i'm getting 24 city, 31 highway roughly, and that includes some pulls/screwing around).

IMO, the 2.0t is where it's at. it's the tuner car. The v6 guys will pop in and rant all about it, but fact remains, 90% of the guys making power will be on the 2.0t.
 
#13 ·
The gas mileage isn't that much better than the v6. I get 22-24 city 28-32 hwy. I am not the only one who has had results like this.
 
#11 ·
if you can afford a $400+ a month car payment, you should be able to afford 40 cents more per gallon. I put nothing but 93 in mine for the 10 extra HP, I think the v6 add's about 5 or 6 extra with 93? Every little bit helps.
 
#23 ·
I live in a hilly area, along with speed bumbs and stop signs every block. Heck I live on a hill lol and I get what he's getting. Sticker doesn't mean much. Depends all on how you drive it
 
#20 ·
My main concern is longevity of the engine and fuel economy. The reason i did not list the 2.0T premium was due to i would rather just keep everything base for the sake of Price.


Turbos i know generally are finicky on what type of fuel they like and tend to need a lot of maintance.
 
#21 ·
The V6 isn't bad with gas, I was expecting worse
I get around 20 in the city and 28-30 on the highway
when I start screwing around eh not as great lol 17-18 city and 23-25 highway
 
#26 ·
Ironicly this is the same debate going on over in the Nissan forums sr20 vs VQ

with full bolt ons the 2.0t will reach 260-270whp
if 3.8 cams are drop in then turbo rebuild is too then the top out is around 350whp.

The 3.8 with Intake 300, exhasut 1k, headers 1k, cams 1500, tune 500, big bore throttle body 500, intake manifold 1k. You spent just as much as the 2.0t to reach 350whp and if you want more 1/2 your mods become useless for Forced induction.
 
#27 · (Edited)
Is there a big bore throttle body and intake manifold out, making power? Where? I must have missed it. If it's just an assumption. Darn! Seriously though, some cars come with plenty a large size intake manifold and throttlebody to not find any improvement with an aftermarket larger piece (See 06+ Civic Si).

You do have a point on "1/2 your mods [on the 3.8] become useless for Forced Induction." If you supercharge, then you keep the headers and back, but if you turbo then you keep your intake manifold and throttlebody.

Seriously though, I think 330whp is probably plenty, and would be easier to get to on the 3.8 (about $4K)... and to ditch quickly, should I have the need to get warranty work. The 3.8 is probably just fine... or maybe 2.0t... Ughh!
 
#28 ·
In all honesty what i care more about is the reliability of the engine. The 3.8 is VERY VERY tempting because of the power it comes with stock while the 2.0T gives its owner the ability to make it THEIRS.

Why i like the 3.8.... Power. There isn't a need to tune it as it has 300hp stock, its very fast, and it can win a street race against some annoying Civic kid.

Why i dislike it. Handling isn't as good as the 2.0T for me.. its nose heavy.

What i like about the 2.0T.. Handling... Its very nimble and i enjoyed the responsiveness of the car. Its cheaper on my insurance.. thats a plus and better "estimated" gas milage. If i want to mod it I can and make it "mine" in how i mod it.

What i didn't like... I missed the power. The turbo concerned me (though you guys have quieted much of those fears.) and if want more power i need to mod it.

Now this isn't supposed to be a which is better thread. Thats subjective to the user and both can argue all day it doesn't really matter.

This is about is a Stock turbo powered Theta engine going to be as reliable as the Lambda 3.8 V6 engine. I would rather go with the cheaper solution for the fact that a new car is a huge LOSS of money. The only thing i like about the Premium is the audio system... I hate sun roofs because their possibility of leaking.

For me its a 50/50. Both variants are nice and have their advantages and disadvantages. The 3.8 costs more but my line of thinking and why i asked is if i had to add Premium gas and do more upkeep on the 2.0T then it would infact be the more expensive car between the two overall....
 
#29 ·
^smart man... but still 50/50 like I am.
 
#30 ·
Heritor, good job on bringing this thread back to your original question. I will chime in here with as much helpful info as I can by saying this:

My guess, is that the 3.8 will be a more reliable engine based off the idea that it has been around longer. The Lambda engine has been around for quite some time now, granted not in this particular tune variant. The Theta II, while being a world engine is much newer and doesn't necessarily have the history that the Lambda does.

Having said that though, there is an old discussion here where there was talk about the ECU manufacturers. The Theta II uses Siemens while the Lambda uses Delphi. Delphi is not known to make nearly as good of ECUs as Siemens.

The problem is, both engines as they are presented to us in these cars are too new to really have any kind of concrete reliability ratings, but know that with Hyundai's reputation on the line with each new car they release I doubt they would be willing to take themselves back to the years of the Excel by screwing up something as big as engine reliability.
 
#33 ·
In all honesty...the reliability of turbo motors is dependent on how u drive it....If you're constantly getting on it and revving the piss out of it then you're bound to have problems...just like with a N/A motor....if its constantly abused all the time..then something is going to be bound to break

PPl seem to abuse turbo motors more due to the fact that it has a TURBO in it...and think that it can beat any car they come across

Ive known saabs with 200-250k on the motor with the original turbo and still run like a champ...its all dependent on how the car was driven.

I say that if you are satisfied with the speed of the 3.8 but like that 2.0 nimbleness...then i say go with the 2.0t and get a reflash from poweraxel. The HP and TQ ratings after the flash are very similar to the v6 and the I4 has the advantage of being almost 100 pounds lighter upfront while having more TQ after the flash. So the performance will seem fairly close for some...and since it looks like youre not trying to build a big horsepower car and want to save money up front...I suggest the base 2.0t
 
#34 ·
I agree with renzo...don't automatically jump the gun and assume just because the car mazes out around 250whp that it can't compete performance wise with a (stock) 3.8Coupe.

and the idea that turbo motors are more susceptible to wear and tear or break easier is just plain false
 
#36 ·
flash refers to the ecu's rom chip. you basically give the ecu a new 'program' on the flash memory chip, hence re-flash.

and yes, it will effect your waranty for most of the motor related and electronic related items.
BUT, there are some systems that you can flash back the OEM rom. not sure if they can detect it or not, but its possible to do so.
 
#37 ·
Also, when people refer to a reflash, they are talking about a flash that optimizes your car for power... rather than say tuned to be depowered to not compete against another offering, tuned for fuel economy, tuned for emissions (aka rev hang), tuned for beginner drivers so that they don't beat up on the transmission/engine (aka throttle lag, and maybe rev hang), tuned for less sound, tuned for etc etc etc.
 
#39 ·
#43 ·
^check this thread out, below. Post up that info there, thanks.
 
#40 ·
a 3.8 will be powerfull witout any mods...
 
#42 ·
the way i considered it (and with massive amount of nagging from friends) is this: the price difference between the 2.0T and the 3.8 is roughly $3000. Also take into consideration you can't be lazy with the maintenance on the turbo...change the oil every 2500 miles no exceptions (this was advised to me by a tuner mechanic), and then take into consideration the amount of $$$ it would take to get a 2.0T stock 175+/- hp at the wheels to hit 275+/- hp for the 3.8 and see what you get:

Decent exhaust - $1500 (more if you want a turbo-back)
Downpipe - $250-$350
intake - $250
upgraded turbo - $2000 (on the low end)
and this is not taking into consideration the oil pressure gauges, cams, boring the engine, port & polish, upgraded turbo manifold (unless you get it with the turbo but price will go up significantly), and after all that you may hit about 275-300 hp.

Take a 3.8 v6, throw on a catback, 10-15 hp, intake, another 10-15, so just with about $1500 in parts you have at least another 20 hp...so roughly 295...and all without voiding the warranty mainly because intake and exhaust even if seen by the dealer will not void warranty and that was told to me by the service department
 
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