Some Basic Questions
 

Hi

I have a couple of questions that I just want definite answers on if anyone can help.

What does it mean if an engine has 5 + 2 ports?

When looking at figures quoted on engines what are the most important, is it the Hp and RPM?

Many Thanks

It sounds as though the ports your talking about refer to 5 transfer ports and two boost ports.

HP, RPM and Torque. It would help if we knew what you were doing with the engine.

Small block engines only have 3 ports because of most race sanctioning bodies. You will find that this is completely opposite for larger engines though. It is often thought that the more ports your engine has the more powerful your engine is, but this is always true. For instance, a 3 port engine might have less ports than an 8 port engine, but if the 3 port engine has much larger ports outweighing the 8 ports than the 3 port engine will be faster. Ports are just ports to carry the fuel/air mixture from the crankcase to the cylinder.

Don't look at the HP numbers of an engine. Remember the old saying "Horsepower sells cars, torque wins races''? Most engine manufacturers fudge their engine numbers and all engine dynos will have differenr results from one another. If you dynoed a .12 it may read only 0.70hp, but if you connected it to another dyno then it might read 1.10hp.

OS engines are good because they underestimate their engine's horsepower.

Sean

Buy the engine that has the best support in your area. If that's OS, get an OS. If it's novarossi, get a novarossi. If it's Picco, get a Picco.

If you have people near you to help tune it and who can offer parts, you'll be better off than most people who buy simply for the greater power. If your engine can't stay running, you can't use that extra 0.1 hp... Catch my drift? :)

To be real, torque curve is the most significant thing to look at in a nitro motor, particularly if you drive in tight tracks. I think this is fairly universal for nearly all forms of racing, offroad and onroad. Unfortunately, virtually nobody offers a torque curve for their engine, so you'd have to base it on reviews.

Just one person's opinion :)

OK guys thanks for all your help