In racing we rely much more on machined components than our counterparts in the arena of series production engine design - we need to make parts quickly, we need the flexibility to make swift design changes and we want to take advantage of the improved mechanical and fatigue properties that high quality wrought materials offer us compared to castings etc. Whilst we all want to save money, especially in these straitened times of financial recession, we have less financial constraints than...
Believe it or not measuring the precise output from a reciprocating engine has always been a controversial and sometimes, difficult task. Even in the confines of the engine test cell, day-to day repeatability can often be onerous not to say expensive and so it is easy to understand why many competitors may prefer to test their engine while it remains in the vehicle - on a chassis dynamometer. Engine dynamometers are generally the province of serious tuners and the OE engine business....
One of the problems faced by race car designers is the conflicting requirement of keeping a low centre of gravity for the engine (and transmission), whilst keeping the driveshaft within acceptable values. Whatever the chosen method of coupling excessive angularity will lead to increased power losses and ultimately, failure of the joints. Putting some numbers to this, consider a Formula Three car whose engine is dry sumped and running a 140 mm diameter race clutch on a lightweight flywheel....
There are a number of coating companies offering thermal barrier coatings, and some claim that internal combustion engine valves are an ideal candidate for these types of coatings. There are many whose advertisements target the racing community in particular. The coatings that these companies offer are generally quite thin ceramic coatings which offer very low thermal conductivity compared to the valve material. We should at this point note that a titanium valve has very much lower thermal...
Van Dyne Engineering of Huntington Beach, California keeps it local when looking for valve springs to fit their big block Chevrolet engines used for offshore racing. Building for the American Power Boat Association's (APBA) Super Cat two-time World champion and 11-time Western Division titleholder 36-foot The Renegade, driven by Garden Grove's Craig Ferguson, Stewart Van Dyne II and Stewart Van Dyne III (Tres) specify Tool Room valve spring material by Isky Racing Cams from nearby...