What N/A engine has best power/weight ratio?

[Zico]

Hoping you hillclimb guys can answer this..

Had a discussion with a friend of mine who reckons rotary engines provide the best power to weight ratio of all naturally aspirated powerplants while Im thinking the 90KG Hayabusa derived Hartley V8 with over 400bhp must be right up there. The amazing DP1 uses this powerplant.. see http://www.dpcars.net/dp1/index.htm

There must be other engines also, please educate me..

Cheers,

[Claypole]

Certainly not my 1500 spitfire engine mores the pity.
Claypole

[Mike_Wooshy]

Aside from Motorbike and special Engines (2.4 supercharged V8 in the Caterham lavante(sp?) etc etc) usual 4 pot engines, The Rover K-series, Ford Sigma and Ford Duratec (Mazda MZR) are all very light (around 100 kg) with reasonable scope for power.

[DaveK]

Assuming you mean any engine, then you are into the realms of F1 V8 engine @ approx 100 kgs and 800 bhp or the Moto Gp 990cc engine which i figures must only weight 50 kgs and produced approx 260bhp.

[b1ackcr0w]

Originally Posted by DaveK

Assuming you mean any engine, then you are into the realms of F1 V8 engine @ approx 100 kgs and 800 bhp or the Moto Gp 990cc engine which i figures must only weight 50 kgs and produced approx 260bhp.

Dave's probably right. Although one or several of the <2007 F1 V10's probably went over the 1000bhp per 100kg mark.

One thing hillclimbing has proved time and time again, is that brute power to weight is academic if the way the engine delivers the power, or the logistics of it's design (low c of g, it's installation, the gearbox needed to transmit the power) is wrong for the application.

Mr Wight, who posts on here can attest to that. A few years ago he bought an ex DTM Opel/Cosworth 2.6 V6 into the sport. The combination of a lighter nimbler chassis with a more "drivable" engine compared to the 4.0l V8 brutes that were popular at the time, wiped the floor with everybody and reset the standards of the sport. True, eventually, higher BHP won the day. But not before the point was emphatically made.

[rescue dude]

Originally Posted by DaveK

the Moto Gp 990cc engine which i figures must only weight 50 kgs and produced approx 260bhp.

That includes the gearbox too though doesn't it?

[b1ackcr0w]

How about the Novarossi Plus12-5SCT. Weighs 225g and throws out 1.7bhp (do the math!), Peak RPM is over 45000 RPM

http://www.novarossi.com/content_uk/...lus12-5sct.htm

[rescue dude]

Originally Posted by b1ackcr0w

How about the Novarossi Plus12-5SCT. Weighs 225g and throws out 1.7bhp (do the math!), Peak RPM is over 45000 RPM

http://www.novarossi.com/content_uk/...lus12-5sct.htm

You can't exactly power a Caterfield with one though.

[blackx]

IIRC Juniors V10 weighs about 85kg (from what I can remember being told) and can produce in excess of 750bhp so that scores quite high on the list I suspect..

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by rescue dude

You can't exactly power a Caterfield with one though.

But you could use it to spin up a turbocharger!

[Jedi088]

Swiss Auto 500cc Two Stroke used in solo motorcycle and sidecar racing 200 bhp on a good day 39 kgs including gearbox

[chunder]

Oh I rememebr that Swissauto thing, I think if I rememebr Rolf Biland the sidecar ace of years developed it to replace the inline 4 sidecar engines.

The engine was also used later on in a 500 2 wheeler by MZ, was very powerful and quick but had a real harsh power delivery

What a lot of people dont know is that Swissauto develoepd a 250 turbo 2 stroke before this in teh 80's.

Now imaguine that in the wet, tiny powerband and a turbo!! These guys are nuts!

[Jedi088]

If you want extreme two stroke power then start googling Snowmobile Drag racing also some American race series allow two stroke engines .I quite like the idea of a 2 litre v8 Two stroke hillclimber but don't have the funds to get it done anytime soon and if Juniors electric car is successful everything else will be obsolete .

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by Jedi088

I quite like the idea of a 2 litre v8 Two stroke hillclimber but don't have the funds to get it done anytime soon and if Juniors electric car is successful everything else will be obsolete .

Worry not! The Watt 4 will come unstuck on the longer courses as they can only use 1000 yards of cable!

[rescue dude]

Originally Posted by Steve Wilkinson

Worry not! The Watt 4 will come unstuck on the longer courses as they can only use 1000 yards of cable!

He'll have no problem stopping at "The World Famous" then.

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by rescue dude

He'll have no problem stopping at "The World Famous" then.

Depends if the Water Mill is less than 1000 yards from the top of the hill!

[marchof73]

Originally Posted by Steve Wilkinson

Worry not! The Watt 4 will come unstuck on the longer courses as they can only use 1000 yards of cable!

Why can,t they use a longer piece of thinner electric string,or is that too simple?

Seriously,at the current {didn,t mean the pun,honestly] rate of battery development,then battery powered cars should be very competitive,with amazing overall power to weight ratio

[Steve Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by marchof73

Why can,t they use a longer piece of thinner electric string,or is that too simple?

They are Scottish!

[Woolley]

The trick is to plug it in to the member's tent so that he has an effective 2000 yards. Don't run over the cable half way up, of course.

Sorry, there was a serious topic here originally, back to it. I guess.

[Westysprinter]

Ask your mate what sort of torque the rotary produces, then you will find its shortcomings.
duratecs and sigmas seem to be the cheap readily avaialble engine of choice, taking over from the VX16V

[Woolley]

Tooooo much information there!

[tkm81]

far to much info, however a valid point. If you cant afford the hand crafted Italian piece of art then speak to Martin Schanche and im sure he will be a touch cheaper than buying a Leonardo da Vinci engine.

[b1ackcr0w]

I wonder how long it will take now there's a recession on, an engine freeze and V8's are a la mode, for some de tuned v10's to suddenly appear. There can't be much leading edge tech in them worth holding onto, espicially when folk may have some wedge to blow and teams are pleading penuary......

[twisted]

You guys are serious I can tell!

[Robert Edwards]

I can't manage the link, but there is footage on Youtube of Reto Meisel's Mercedes 190 fitted with a Judd V8. Extraordinary, but costly. The Mercedes Cosworth 2.3-16 valve four-pot is a good candidate and will run to 300-330 bhp normally-aspirated with a basic standalone fuel layout. Turbocharged, they'll do 600 bhp, I'm told...