Big pistons

If engine builds are claiming 3 hp with the big piston motor why is there not another restrictor or weight penalty? If not I guess we all need to consider going that route….. is it true short block are still available?
if it’s no big deal why are the motors advertised as “big piston” motors

Do Kents need help and those without big piston Hondas?

Like I said, builders claim this power….. It only makes sense to get them if you can afford it I guess.

Btw had a great time running with FRP this weekend … Bob Wright is saving openwheel on the east coast.

The actual mathematics of going 10 over only works out to around 1 hp.

I'm sure you've heard of some Hondas having around 125 hp, and I'm sure the claims are accurate - as I have been on track with these people.

I will guarantee you though, big pistons is not the reason why those engines are making that type of power.



I like the Kent, it's very simple - like a go kart engine. There are plenty of parts, and diagnosing a problem is easier than the Honda.

However, unless the rules change, a Kent will not be able to compete, unless it is coupled with a better driver or car...

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Originally Posted by Jonathan Lee

I'm sure you've heard of some Hondas having around 125 hp, and I'm sure the claims are accurate

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really? I must be wrenching too much and listening too little…. Who says who has 125 ?!?!?!

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Originally Posted by Jonathan Lee

The actual mathematics of going 10 over only works out to around 1 hp..

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You're over simplifying it.

There's more to it than just displacement.

I believe the allowance of the pistons enabled a few other benefits. Like I said, builders claim 3hp. To me it sounds like if you can take advantage of this it is a no brainer. With my luck I will pay for the rebuild and then a rule change will come in… I am just making sure this nonsense does not happen but Jonathan my be right about other claims of 125hp… if so where can one get a motor like that?

We race cars not dynos, 125 hp is just a number.....

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Originally Posted by GregPeluso

If engine builds are claiming 3 hp with the big piston motor why is there not another restrictor or weight penalty? If not I guess we all need to consider going that route….. is it true short block are still available?
if it’s no big deal why are the motors advertised as “big piston” motors

Do Kents need help and those without big piston Hondas?

Like I said, builders claim this power….. It only makes sense to get them if you can afford it I guess.

Btw had a great time running with FRP this weekend … Bob Wright is saving openwheel on the east coast.

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Engine builders have a vested interest in getting you to purchase their services, racers with money will spend as much as they can afford to cover all the bases "just to be sure." When it comes time to sell their cars or parts they'll add any adjectives that they think will increase the likelihood of a sale.

The pistons are only a fraction of a millimeter bigger: you're looking at only about 10cc more volume, or about a half-tablespoon more displacement. A whopping increase of 0.6%, and it's still got to breathe through the same air restrictor.

I've run crate engines, I've run pro-built engines, I've run engines that I've "freshened up" by cleaning & re-lapping the valves, I've run engines straight out of the junkyard. The only time I've noticed a speed difference was with the brand-new crate engines: they were slightly slower until the rings wore in. Everything else had no difference in speed or lap time according to the data.

If you can afford a big-piston engine, get one. Why not? If you can't afford one, don't worry about it. Either DIY your own head or send it to Clubine or Quicksilver to freshen up. My extensive experience with Hondas is that most of the power to be gained or lost is in the heads. A lot of times I've been down on power it's because of slightly bent valves in the head. The engine will run fine, but on a leakdown test you'll notice significant leakage on one or two cylinders.

We had a class in NASA we ran in the early 2000's that let you do any damn thing you wanted to the heads but the bottom ends had to be factory stock. We had a B18 that went from 195HP stock to 250, and it was all head work: a mild cam upgrade, some porting, and some creative cam timing adjustments. The thing had a weird quirk of trying to sometimes rotate backwards for half a revolution when you started it up, but it ran like Swiss Watch.

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Originally Posted by Jonathan Lee

However, unless the rules change, a Kent will not be able to compete, unless it is coupled with a better driver or car...

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The traditional "spirit of the rules" Hondas that 98% of the community uses, including the top pro teams, cannot compete with the Super-Super kents or theses few mysterious Hondas. It was a great past decade for engine parity (corrected) in FF!!!!

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Originally Posted by Jonathan Lee

I like the Kent, it's very simple - like a go kart engine. There are plenty of parts, and diagnosing a problem is easier than the Honda.

..

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That may also have a relationship to the frequently of problems. :cool:

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Originally Posted by problemchild

The traditional "spirit of the rules" Hondas that 98% of the community uses, including the top pro teams, cannot compete with the Super-Super kents or theses few mysterious Hondas. It was a great past decade for engine parody in FF!!!!

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I think that you meant "parity". But SCCA lends itself very well to parody, also. :)

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Originally Posted by John Nesbitt

I think that you meant "parity". But SCCA lends itself very well to parody, also. :)

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Wow, is that an interesting and ironic slip of ignorance. ;) Thanks for the correction.