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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Larry Michael" data-source="post: 1041249" data-attributes="member: 71722">rdmallory said, "This is no longer true. 'There is no replacement for displacement'"That was not my point.  I'm not convinced that vehicles with small engine displacements made up for by the use of turbochargers last as long and have the same level of maintenance required as they age versus a larger displacement non-turbo engine when used frequently in high altitude mountain driving.I routinely drive between Denver and Grand Junction with 700+ pounds of payload plus the 225 pound driver.  That means driving from 5,280 feet elevation in Denver up to the Eisenhower tunnel (elevation 11,013'), back down to Silverthorne (elevation 9,035') and then over Vail Pass (elevation 10,666') with a lot of other significant ups and downs along the way. The high altitude portion of this four hour drive takes more than 2 hours.  Any car engine works hard for long stretches to travel this sort of route, including the V-8 in my SportTrac.  In hot weather the cooling system is certainly challenged.  This isn't the Garden State Parkway.So my concern is the frequent and prolonged heat buildup and stress on the small block engine and turbo when used for many years in this kind of driving.  I have never seen any real comparison of small displacement turbo engine life when mostly driven in high altitude environments versus flatland use.  But for the moment my brain is not convinced that there would be no difference in maintenance cost and longevity of the vehicle in those two different environments.</blockquote>

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