REFLECTOR: Running LOP

[michalk]

Interesting.

Why don't you go for max HP/cylinder rather than getting even HP/cylinder?

Chuck Harbert wrote:
> Guys, I'm not sure I agree that the EGT's aren't that important, especially 
> for our air cooled engines. I ran mechanically injected drag boats for 20+ 
> years and one of the key factors was EGT's which is almost a direct reading 
> of cylinder temp. Initially, we could only "read" cylinder heat by the 
> threads on the spark plugs. We actually worked on a fast acting EGT that 
> would control the fuel to each cylinder (NDBA outlawed any electronic 
> control). Modern EGT's are pretty accurate and can tell you a lot about 
> what's happening in the cylinders.
> 
> For race engines, you try to build it so that each cylinder puts out the 
> same high hp which means ideally you try to have each cylinder get the same 
> amount of air and fuel. That's the tough part because air flow is hard to 
> control. We'd play with the individual cylinder jets until the plug "heat" 
> was close to the others, so they're all working equally. Too much heat will 
> destroy an engine because it can't reject it fast enough to avoid detonation 
> and overheating of the piston crown and cylinder heads, particularly for air 
> cooled engines. I've got a box of collapsed pistons if you want some.
>