| Supplemental - Castrol Syntec Top Shop Update
Dear 2NR,
While going through your August 08 issue I stumbled on the Syntec Challenge article. As I am reading I instantaneously get annoyed. I hate cocky people so this article ticked me off. Your reasons for justifying you predicted dominance is "Weak Sos"?! So what, the 4G63 was the result of a partnership between Daimler-Chrysler and Mitsu. If they can get 1000whp out of a 2L then your 800hp from a 2.2L won't cut it. It doesn't matter who originally designed the engine, as long as there are people out there to modify it to make tons of power then for the most part, it doesn't matter what engine you use.
Plus after reading about every ones power goals, I have come up with the conclusion that every magazines' entries except the "F24c", 427 Chevy, and VQ35DE (which could run all day long with no problem) are going to explode after 3 pulls on a dyno. For the record, I am Nissan guy (S14 owner) but you guys really ticked me off
-- 'John Doe', via importtuner.com
PS - You're going to need that 10.5k redline because your 2.2Ls powerband won't exist until 8k... that is if your head doesn't explode first. Best of luck Import Tuner, I am hoping to win your SR!!
[our answer]
Thanks for the encouraging letter! Looks like you `stumbled' through a few literary classes in your day, too - unlike most of our readers, it seems that you're having a hard time picking up what we put down last month. Don't worry; daddy's gonna hold your hand this month, and show you everything's gonna be OK. Remember: we are going to win this thing. And, no, it's not because of "weak sos". - that's just why Pooper Street can't win. Cocky? Nah, just confident!
As a matter of fact, it actually does "matter what engine you use" for a big power build; not all engines are created equal, so picking the one that's best-suited for your goal really does bring an advantage. Which is why we picked the SR20DET; its design as a low/mid-range power producer means it has a propensity for producing power across a broader RPM range that most others, while still making big top-end power when modified. Confused? Let's pick on its arch-nemesis, Mitsu's 4G63, as an example:
The 4G63 displaces 1997cc with an 85mm bore and 88mm stroke, and a rod length of 150mm - meaning a rod-length-to-stroke ratio (rod ratio) of 1.70:1. Without going into a diatribe about rod ratio versus piston side-loading, let's just say that bottom ends with longer rod ratios are more conducive to higher RPM power - and the 4G's long ratio is very rev-friendly. Its cylinder head design follows suit with short, fat ports that are designed to move lots of air at high RPM for peak top-end power, but lack low- and mid-range torque - a deficit AMS/Modified will be attempting to make up for by increasing the stroke of their 4G to 100mm. More displacement? Yes, but at the cost of dropping the rod ratio to a low 1.44:1, making for a very confused engine; a bottom end that can produce low- and mid-range torque, but can't rev high, paired with a head designed for high-rev power, with poor low-end torque-producing characteristic.
Now let's look at the SR: It displaces 1998cc with an 86mm x 86mm bore and stroke, and its 136.3mm rod length gives it rod ratio of 1.58:1. Its head was designed with long, tapered ports that help maximize air velocity and power production at low- and mid-range RPM. Unlike the 4G63 that's stuck with short, fat ports, the longer, skinnier SR head ports can be expanded to just the right size to offer a near-perfect combination of low-, mid-, and high-speed airflow - supporting power all across the RPM range. We'll also be increasing the SR's displacement, but only by increasing its bore, meaning our SR will maintain its rev-friendly rod ratio for a more balanced engine; a head that bridges low- and mid-range torque with high RPM power, supported by a rev-friendly bottom end that can spin to a redline 2-2.5K RPM higher than AMS/Modified's 4G63.
As for the other guys, we're still not worried. Part of us wants to agree with you that most of them are gonna blow up (especially the VW), but the other part is dumbfounded by your apparent distrust in boosted import power. Sure, that over-bored 427 Chevy probably could produce some power all day long without a hitch, but not the power/liter needed to hang with the rest of us - pound for pound, efficiency is what the imports own!