ORIGINAL: 1 Bad Mirada
the caddy 4-6-8s were problems (from what my dad has told me) due to the fact that when it would drop into a fuel saving mode at a steady highway speed, there were issues with it engaging the other cylinders. also, it didnt seem to recognize when to drop cylinders, and would do so at inopportune times...which caused accidents.
I read that one of the companies using the MDS or "displacement on demand" (which is i believe what FMC calls their system) claims that it is actually better for the motor, as when the cylinders arent working, the engine runs cooler...someone, possibly porsche, uses a system like this in their ultra high performance models...during periods of high rpm, followed by hard decelleration, cylinders are shut down and fuel is pumped into the engine, helping to cool the engine more efficiently.
That makes sense. GM had a great idea, but technology wasn't advanced enough yet.
Actually Displacement on Demand is the name of GM's system. As far as I know FMC has yet to make their own system yet. I'm a little leary yet about these systems and would prefer to wait a while until I know for sure that the system is perfected.