Originally Posted by
wmazz
Do some engine tuners avoid the break-in process by hand lapping their pistons?
yes, maximo and some others do. I would love to try it with some of the stupid tight nova onroad motors but never have.
Is it possible to buy replacement pistons, instead of matched sets, or pinching a cylinder.
Some manufacturers used to but not anymore.
I would love to see Dykes rings to be used as a replacement part.
I'm not convinced ringed engines can provide better performance. Better longevity perhaps but not more performance. I certainly could be wrong but I will believe it when I see it.
wingracer, or anyone:
Why can't I just make the most power possible and gear it right?
How can you "gear it right" when you have just one gear and a very wide range of vehicle speeds to operate in? A slow corner might be 8 or 9 mph and 12k rpm, long straight might be 45mph and 35k rpm.
Tune it to be the most controllable,
drivable combination possible, without detuning the engine.
I know I am not the first Dumb mule to want to this but can you tell me why this didn't work?
I have done it before, In motorcycle speedway racing. I took an overpowered European long track
engine, and found a solution that made it so drivable and trackable on the short tracks in the USA.
The bike got great traction, and even with worn out tires.
My brother was a top 10 speedway pro, and 4 of the top 5 riders had the same engine, but they
used it as a back-up bike because they couldn't get it to hook up. I know this may seem to be
apples and oranges, but the principals for making an engine trackable is the same.
Maybe you can, try it. Just remember that even short track
speedway bikes have a narrower speed range than an offroad vehicle and multi-speed trannies are illegal. Keep in mind that it's not so much that offroad motors are de-tuned, they are just tuned for a wider operating range. I would gladly sacrifice a bit of peak hp at 32k for a nice boost in power on either side. It's all about the area under the curve, not the peak.
Bill Mazz