Competetive 4-cylinders in Comp?

[FED 387]

Aragona utilizes a Mopar A-4 cylinder block along with the new style Pro Stock Hemi head---if you are thinking about a 4 cylinder be fore-warned you will end up making/fabricating many of your parts and you have to either be a machinist have friend that will work for free or have access to a machine shop to do that---good luck "come in the waters fine"

[art leong]

Originally Posted by FED 387

--if you are thinking about a 4 cylinder be fore-warned you will end up making/fabricating many of your parts and you have to either be a machinist have friend that will work for free or have access to a machine shop to do that---good luck "come in the waters fine"

This is very true. I thought my engine would have a decent array of performance parts, because of the interest in the SRT4. Well I soon learned that if it doesn't have a turbo and a manual trans. You were on your own.
The first 2 years I ran my car I used an intake manifold from a dodge caravan. And cams that would check legal in a stocker. Camshafts were almost not available for a N/A engine (nobody had cores) My exhaust cam is a stock cam that has been welded to increase lift,
Things as simple as a 2 step were a challange. I had a trans brake made one of 2 in the world. My final drive (rear end gearing to you RWD guys) ratio is 3.94, and thats with custom made gears.
But little by little I'm getting it sorted out. I have had some help from the soft index. But with the amount of one-of's I need I deserve it.

[david ring]

You can run a four valve, four cylinder in H/EA-we have one in my car-Al Ackerman built it using a block and head out of the Colorado pick-up-it is a 2.9 liter motor (177 cubic inches) in stock form-we race it at 170 cubic inches. For H/EA, the motor must use carbs and the weight break is 8.25 lb.cubic inch. Fuel injection can be used in L/A or L/AA and the weight break is 10 lb/cubic inch (2 valve) or 10.5 lb/cubic inch (4 valve)..

Professor Dave

[rognelson777]

New car on west coast with 4 cyl honda engine Has gone .60 under

Josh lee H/EA Good to see new blood and manufacturer in comp


Here is link http://honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=3012466

[Axis Racing]

Sounds like the Honda is run at 134"? How are the H/EA power numbers compared to the L/A and F/D?

I'm talking hp per inch here....

[david ring]

My engine builder (Al Ackerman) never tells me those things-since his motors have always made my car go fast, I've never really pushed him of the subject either. Plus the real value of a dyno is not what the HP numbers are but how the HP numbers change as you make a tuning change.

[Axis Racing]

I'm sorry, I'm not really looking for specifics. More so, I'm wondering if the engines in the few 4-cyl comp classes all make similar #'s. I have no idea what it takes to be competetive in Comp., but it seams that all the competetive engines are quite large for 4-cylinders. I'm looking to run a FWD car in SS, with a 4-valve combo. Due to the high weight of a SS car, and the SS/CX class' 12lbs. per cu.in., I'll be somewhere in the neighborhood of 164" or so. That in itself is a pretty big 4-cylinder, but the 200" stuff like the F/D guys seem to be running is even bigger. I'd heard that there was someone running a 122" Honda in F/D, but that would require a car that's 40% lighter than a 200" Splayed valve deal.

I would really like to talk with someone that's running a competetive n/a Comp 4-cylinder to see if my thoughts of power requirements are even in the ballpark. It does nobody any good to spend a bunch of money to NOT BE competetive.

I can be reached at brian@phenixindustries.com if anyone is willing to give me a little guidance.

[Backyard Bandit]

I have considered running a turbo-charged front wheel drive car in comp. Have you thought about that?
Here's our car