In 1962, the Beach Boys released the song “409” on the album “Surfin’ Safari.” It’s an ode to an automobile — or more specifically, an automobile engine — the Chevrolet big-block V-8. The song features lyrics like “She’s real fine, my 409” and “Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up 409.” I’m a Beach Boys fan, and although this isn’t their best song, it’s definitely catchy.

If that song were released today, it would need some serious re-working, because the title might end up being “6,700.” The number 409 is a measure of the displacement (a volume measurement) of the Chevy V-8 engine in cubic inches, but these days automakers more commonly measure engine displacement in cubic centimeters… so 409 becomes 6,700.

I’m not as much of a car enthusiast as the writer of that Beach Boys’ song, but I’ve worked on quite a few engines in my time. I once changed the engine in my Datsun B-210, which had a displacement of only 1,400 cubic centimeters. That made it far easier to maneuver than a Chevy V-8 engine would have been. Its smaller size meant it was less powerful than a Chevy V-8, but it was a whole lot easier on gas. Gas economy is one reason why you find large-displacement engines only in trucks and turbocharged luxury vehicles, not family cars.

What Does CC Mean in an Engine?

Some mechanics read CC as a short form for “cubic centimeters,” while others read it as “cubic capacity.” Either way, CC is a measure of engine displacement, which is a volume measurement. The volume, however, isn’t equal to the amount of water the engine would displace if you completely immersed it. Instead, it refers to the total volume of all the piston — also known as cylinders.

The pistons drive the engine shaft, and each one moves back and forth in a tight-fitting bore, driven by the explosions created by fuel combustion. If you add the volumes of all the bores together, you get the total engine displacement, which is the total volume swept by all of the pistons. Going in reverse, you can calculate the volume of each piston bore if you know the engine displacement and the number of bores, or cylinders.

For example, in the Chevy V-8 409, there are eight cylinders arranged in a V-formation on the engine block. Because its total displacement is 409 cubic inches, each cylinder has a volume of just over 51 cubic inches. In metric terms, the total displacement is 6,700 cubic centimeters (cc), and each cylinder has a volume of 837.5 cc. In other words, two cylinders have a larger capacity than the entire engine of the Datsun B-210.

How Many CC Is Equal to One Horsepower?

As a rule of thumb, an engine with a larger capacity can develop more power, but there’s no direct correlation between capacity, whether measured in cubic centimeters or cubic inches, and horsepower (hp). Bigger engines are able to develop more torque, which is the force the pistons exert to spin the crankshaft, so there’s a relationship there. However, engine performance, as measured in horsepower, is a more complex quantity that depends not just on torque, but on how fast the engine spins — revolutions per minute (rpm).

For example, working in conjunction with Cadillac, Chevrolet built a turbocharged version of its V-8 engine that, with a displacement of 6,162 cc, was slightly smaller than the 409. According to Andrew Wendler, writing in Car and Driver magazine, it developed a peak output of 755 hp, which is nearly twice the power of the 409, so bigger doesn’t necessarily mean more powerful.

Many factors affect engine performance, including but not limited to:

• Engine design. This includes the number of cylinders and their orientation.
• Engine materials. High-performance engines are typically made form lightweight, flexible metals.
• Fuel type. High performance engines typically run on high-octane fuels.
• Combustion ratio. The fuel-to-air ratio affects the efficiency of combustion, which in turn affects the amount of power available to the pistons.
• Load. The weight of the vehicle, and any load it’s carrying, affect engine performance.

Is a Higher CC Engine Better?

It depends on what you want. If you’re looking for a truck or tractor to haul heavy loads, you want the extra torque that a large engine can develop. If you’re looking for a fast vehicle, however, the number of rpm the engine can develop is more important, and more rpm are often easier to achieve with a smaller engine. Gas economy is also a factor: Large engines consume more fuel than smaller ones.

What Is More Important: CC or HP?

Horsepower determines of how quickly a car will accelerate and the top speed it will achieve, and it’s a product of the torque and rotational speed the engine. The specific equation is hp = torque X rpm/5252.

Engine cubic capacity (cc) figures into it because larger engines can develop more torque, but as discussed above, several other factors govern engine performance. If performance is your priority, you’re mostly interested in the horsepower developed by the engine, but if fuel economy is your priority, you’ll want to look for a car with a smaller capacity engine, because smaller engines burn less fuel.

Does CC Apply to EV Engines?

The power developed by an electric vehicle (EV), which can be measured in kilowatts or horsepower, is a product of torque and rotational speed, just as it is for a gas-powered vehicle. Engine size matters, because a larger engine can produce more torque, but the voltage supplied by the batteries is also important, probably more so.

Because an EV doesn’t have pistons, the concept of engine displacement doesn’t really apply. EV manufacturers measure engine size in terms of brake horsepower (BHP) rather than cc, and while you might want to pay attention to that when shopping for an EV, the total horsepower is a much more important number.