03-16-2004, 04:34 PM
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Senior Club Cobra Member
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Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Southern Connecticut,
CT
Cobra Make, Engine: SPF - 351W, 944 non-turbo
Posts: 2,105
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Not Ranked
Hey Todd:
All other things being equal, long stroke engines produce low end power, short stroke engines produce high end power, and more cylinders produce smoother power (excellent for racing in the rain) and more moving parts.
Long stroke engines are probably better suited to the street but give lower peak HP numbers. Race car engines tend to use shorter stroke engines (over square) as their owners don't mind spinning them at high RPMs all day. Personally I'll take the HP at 3,000 RPM!
If you look at the progression of the Ford small block you can see it's not all about science - it started with the 221CID (3.5B X 2.87S), then the 260 (3.80 X 2.87), then the 289 (4.0 X 2.87), then the 302 (4.0 X 3.0) and then the 351 (4.0 X 3.5). If this were really all about physics the numbers would not be so round.
Bob
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