Can You Convert a V8 Engine to a V4 and Save Gas?

Reader Contribution by Staff
Published on June 1, 2009

How do you convert a V8 engine to a V4? Are there kits you can buy to do this? Has anyone done this and had better gas mileage?

Roger Golden
Sneedville, Tennessee

Roger, I checked your question with a couple gearheads I know; here’s what I found out.

We aren’t aware of any conversion kits. With the right engine, the idea is possible, as we described back in 1979 in V8 to a V4 Conversion: Get 40 Percent Better Gas Mileage.

But, unless you’re a savvy mechanic and you have a really old truck, the conversion will be more trouble than it would be worth. First off, for any recent car or truck with a V8 engine, there are going to be complicated computer controls on the fuel-injection system — you’d have to be a professional mechanic and/or have access to the manufacturer’s programming codes.

Second, even if you could crack those codes, the end result would be sluggish.

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