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I was recently honored when asked to write a column for "Speedoptions.com".
This column will cover a wide variety
of technical subjects and I welcome your comments and suggestions for
possible future columns. If there is
something of a technical nature you would like to know more about,
let us know.
In the meantime you can expect to see future articles on:
- Engine blueprinting, what it is and why I should care.
- Cylinder heads, competition valve jobs, various stages of porting, and types of porting.
- Thermal coatings, cryogenics, various types of dynamometers and what the differences are.
- Turbochargers, superchargers, nitrous oxide, where these devices come from and what we should be doing with them.
gasolines, octane's and both pump and racing fuels and why you should care. What the differences are between
gasoline, methanol and nitro methane. Multi valved and multi camed cylinder heads, fuel injection, how new is this
technology really, and where it comes from.
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But most of all, this column will be about information. There are many
products and services out their vying for
your hard earned dollars. Some products and services are good choices
while others are less than good or less than
optimum for what you are trying to accomplish. Only when primed with
some basic knowledge and hopefully the
spark to seek out additional information, can you then venture forth,
as a better-informed and more questioning
consumer.
Therefore, our first topic will be about selecting symbiotic and workable
combinations, a continually overlooked but
very important aspect of engine building. As we are an air flow/ porting
facility, we deal with many different types
of internal combustion engines and racing disciplines. Two strokes
for motocross and road racing, four strokes, high
output and high revving automotive and motorcycles, Imports to big
cubic inch Domestic V-8's. We even work with
low revving, very high torque, large capacity diesel engines improving
power and fuel efficiency.
However, no matter what we are doing or whom we are working with we
hear the same story again and again, a
story every shop in existence has heard and experienced frequently.
It goes like this: The consumer calls or comes
in with a box of different parts all by different manufactures. The
customer then proceeds to ask to have this
menagerie assembled into an engine that will propel his vehicle into
the 6-second zone.
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Marketing in this country is an art form. If you doubt this, consider
the pet rock, or grass growing plaster gargoyles
and professional wrestling. We are the world leaders in marketing and
packaging of products. My point here is that
just because something looks good, comes in a great package and promises
you straight teeth and a better sex
life, it does not mean that it is what you need in your particular
car or that it will work with your particular engine
combination.
Engines, like people, are made up of various component parts. These
parts must work in harmony in order to
receive the greatest return from the effort put into them. The better
the parts work together, the greater the
harmony, the greater the output of power. Trying the throwing mud at
the wall and then seeing what sticks
approach to component selection is not a wise path to follow. So before
you buy, formulate a plan of action as to
what you want to sensibly achieve and what you can afford to achieve.
Then, contact the companies and shops you
would like to be working with on your project and ask their advice.
Contact others and get their advice, read about
your engine, go to the races and ask questions. Then, with your engine
builder's help, make sensible realistic
decisions and purchases. Always purchase quality components. Remember
you get what you pay for.
etc.
See our services page for more information