Spending money to save money
What are the membership views on the possibility of allowing a forged crank for the Kent engine in place of the current cast (SCAT) crank?
It would be probably twice as expensive as the cast unit, but as most of you know, when a cast crank breaks it also takes out hard to get parts such as the block. That said in many ways over the long haul it would save money.
Any thoughts? What is your experience?
Sure.....forged is better...BUT
For those looking to understand the background to the SCCA/SCAT cast crankshaft vs FORGED crankshaft, here's a link to a string of posts from 2011 ! At that time the SCCA/SCAT (another one of the key FF engine parts brought to life, in good part, by Jay Ivey) was proving to be pretty damn reliable. (And yes, if the proper flywheel protection is fitted below the flywheel, survival rates go even higher) Way back then I noted, in that thread, that forged cranks were three times as expensive and given the reliability of the new piece, it didn't seem like a part that really needed to be added to the aftermarket approval list. BTW the SCCA approval process in those days was actually streamlined when those participating in the process worked toward a perfectly valid understanding, namely that if the part was exactly the same as the OEM part - configurations, dimensions, material, weight - and, of course, would not under any circumstances contribute to improved engine performance, well, then the road to approval was fairly smooth. My bet is the spiffy forged crank might well meet all those requirements and sure, there will always be those who will spend whatever. But in the end, is it really a 'necessary' replacement part, all things considered? Would its availability contribute in any broad way to the continued life of the Kent engine......other than in a dozen cases where the little extra lenghtening of individual engine life is enhanced? One could certainly argue that since there's no downside to having it be available, why not get it approved and racers can make use of it or not...as they wish.
https://www.apexspeed.com/forums/showthread.php?46290-What-is-the-deal-on-New-forged-crankshafts&highlight=SCAT+forged+crankshaft