Re: New ETEC Outboards
Had a Honda rep at the NY boat show try and tell me how much better their product was than all other motors. When I asked about the better torque curve, power to weight ration, fewer maintenece costs and ability to stand up to saltwater better of the Etec, he just blinked and had no answers. I swear some of those guys just read their own little pamphlet and regurgitate what they read and have no idea how an engine even works. He figured that since he had one of those engine cut outs he could show me how cool a Honda engine was. He tried to sell me on how since you have a whole stroke of the piston before it pushes exhaust out, that the exhaust has time to cool, and therefore it's smoother and more economical. When I offered up that in the time it took that 4 stroke to push exhaust out, and waste a stroke, a 2 stroke E-tec would have just made another power stroke, he just laughed. <br /><br />My advise is do some research and find out exactly how and why things work the way they do, before you have one of these glorified salesmen feeding you a bunch of lies.<br /><br />It's all personal preference and opinion, but even after years of working on all types of engines, I can't see any advantage of any 4 stroke, at least in the marine world, over a 2 stroke.<br /><br />Verado's are as big as they are because they are all supercharged 4 strokes, they gotta be ballsy, but to me it's just more stuff to go wrong on you out in the water. Racing is one thing, but 50-80 miles in the ocean is another. I don't need any belts snapping on me out there, or any valves burning up at 5500 RPM. <br /><br />Like I said personal preference and opinion. And mine is that the E-tec is the best thing on the market right now, hands down.