all done on the dyno, the idea of having an engine let go in a car is not my idea of fun!nikos said:
dyno was configured to cycle the engine through a pre-set rev range at WOT, then log all the temps/pressures on the way, we has an oil cooler from hell on them so as to eliminate any oil temp issues (oil held at 110C), same for the water (86C) etc etc.
Why?
basically, I am racing with one in endurance races from 100mins to a full 24H race in a couple of months time, Having an engine let go when out racing is not an option, appart from the pain and heartache of DNF's, you get to learn very little as by the time you get the car back most of the detail you needed to know has gone and all you have is a smashed up engine.
People have gon on an on about what they will take/not take, so I decided to find out.
only problem with this is that it's just two engines, and this cannot be used as some kind of garentee that all will behave the same, that said, it's a good indication of what they will put up with.
currently, I am limiting the race cars engine to 8,600 which seems like a reasonable compromise (assuming that you can 100% control the oil and water temps). I will be trying the same tests with uprated internals as an when we decide which way to go.
one thing that stands out for us in all this is that the valve stems are painfully thin, so we are looking about for a more robust valve at the moment. (interestinly, the K20A2 engine showed zero sighns of any valve contact with the pistons etc. with stock springs.)
