ross what internal mods have you done mate

Balanced rods and pistons. Its my only limitation.

Ross

pretty big limitation though, you aren't all that far off what is safe with standard internals, and especialy with the headwork moving to an RSR or RS might not be the greatest idea.

I kinda thought that too I didn`t want to say anything just incase Ross popped round and nicked my rods and pistons

Hmmm. I think i'll just more boost!!

Ross

<retro batman>

KAPOOOOW! BANG! ZAP!

</retro batman>

Ah Rossy, I can bring out my catchphrase for you - KABOOM

then we will have 20 threads, asking, why it happened,what caused it,why me,how do I fix it
........................................................................................................................................................................
thats why we luv him !!

I think you should focus on a modification that will add new functionality to your car rather than changing something you already have/

Ever thought of one of these ?

Dont drink coffee!!

Imagine what i would be like if i did???

But in all seriousness, there is nothing i can do, because of the internals??

Ross

start saving for the forged bits

then turn the boost up.

Or do what they do in Finland and turn the boost up anyway

tea machine?

...... and have the cash waiting for a re-build just in case it's needed....

Thanks Si.

Ross

agree with suba on this, its much nicer the way he is going about it by buying all the parts he needs/wants and having a rebuild when it suits him!

the other way is what happened to me! car dies, wait for the engine to be stripped down before you even know whats wrong with it, which was the pistons! spend weeks trying to find a good deal on pistons/rods! then having to send samples away (including US) and having them to design or confirm they are the correct ones! then having to wait 6-7 weeks for the parts to be made and delivered!

the car broke down mid sept, and it was beginning of Jan before the cylinder block could get bored out and get the ball rolling!

also having to pay out £2500 within only a few months over the christmas period put quite a strain on my finances!

but sure it will all be worth it

Seriously Ross - I've thought about squeezing another 20 bhp out of my setup with cams or a turbo change.....but I know that my car is running perfectly right now, as i've pushed it hard etc. It's just not worth the risk IMO, if it does let go you'll end up in tears if you can't afford to rebuild it straight away. I've got all the bits for a big power built and for going forged ready and waiting apart from a turbo....when I go for more I'll go there in one one go.

I also wont be going for more grunt until I'm satisfied the handling is as good as it can possibly be, which is coming along nicely at the moment.

Yeah it is always better to plan the bits in advance so that you don't have to take your car off the road for as long as well.
I'm building someones engine up at the moment who has invested the time in getting all the bits together in advance in effect like forged pistons, rods and tubular manifold etc. Although he did take his car off the road to drop the engine it probably wasn't necessary. There are lessons to be learnt from this as his block was too worn to take 82mm pistons it needed an overbore so you can't even always assume that you can fit them in situ.

so, in your advice john, if planning a rebuild would it be worth getting 82.5mm pistons and having a rebore in the plan from the start???

just curious

Personally I would go 83mm if I was overboring. Usually blocks are ok to drop forged pistons straight into but it isn't always the case so it is a lottery really. If you are planning a forged build I would do it as a seperate project and then swap engines. That also then leaves you with a complete working engine worth something to sell rather than a pile of bits most people won't want/

Whats the main danger to the internals at over 350bhp? Heat? Wouldnt proper fuelling be able to combat it?

Ross

you're dying for a bigger turbo aren't you ross

Bending rods, rod bolts shearing, ringlands breaking.. blah blah blah..

thing is if a rod goes, it could be bye bye engine

Stnd rods are good for 340lb/ft as Nigel has shown.

Ringlands.... are they forged when u go to forged??

Ross

did Nigel not take his torque down to 320 to be on the safe side?

Nigels rods are good for 340ft/lbs, but not all rods are the same. Iain unfortunately had rods that broke and blew a big hole in the block. He was/is running an RSR.

Forged pistons are stronger by the nature of the manufacturing process which means the ringlands will take more pressure before they break.

Mines are the same as nigel, as they are balanced and from barbz aswell.

Ross

What Kenno meant, that you can never tell if all std rods are the same