They’re the pinnacle of drag racing, and the engine builders, crew chiefs and teams who make these cars function at peak performance all season long are looking at every single area of the engine and the car to make it down the track as fast as possible.
When it comes to the Chrysler Hemi-based engines used in Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars, you’ve likely heard the commonly referred to 11,000 horsepower those engines can make. That’s 1,375 horsepower per cylinder! That level of performance is pretty insane, but did you also know these drag cars are knocking on the door of 340 mph, and are getting very close to 300 mph in the eighth mile? Or how about the fact that they burn roughly 15 gallons of fuel in a single run, and at maximum pull down around 6,800 rpm, they flow 90 gpm of fuel?! These engines also create so much horsepower that many engine components are only good for one to five runs, and in the case of pistons, the amount of force can even reduce the dome to some degree!
Find out what it takes to build a formidable marine engine.
One of the most important aspects of engine building has nothing to do with the engine at all. You have to understand the customer and what they are trying to achieve.
With all the winning and global interest, the RB platform saw an incredible amount of growth in aftermarket support and OE performance applications. Nissan produced one of the biggest icons ever to hit the racing scene!
While there’s no concrete formula for building a quality off-road race engine, some shops follow individual steps that help them to craft the perfect engine for the customer.
SPEC racing is attractive because it provides a uniform platform to a driver’s market with more skillful driving and competition.
As hybrid vehicles continue to be on the rise, the two-stroke engine might have a comeback as a good option for these applications.
CPR Engines and Coast High Performance are two shops that do high-quality engine work in a shared 12,000 sq.-ft. space in Gardena, CA. The facility features a machine shop, an engine shop, an engine dyno and chassis dyno, overflow storage, a metal working area, and three installation bays.
There are times when the “eeny, meeny, miny, mo” approach works well for decision making, and other times when you really need to stop, look at all of the variables and then make your choice. For today we’re going to focus on deciding between two GM V8 engines, the LS and the LT.