Mike--I agree about the engine size factor, them model airplane engines are
incredible.
But if we are talking about the 1-7 liter displacement range, top fuel
dragsters are probably doing better than 1000 hp/liter but their mean time
between overhauls is measured in seconds of running time.
The highest specific output engines running on the salt are maybe 700
hp/liter with full-throttle mean time to failure rates measured in minutes ?
(wild ass guesses)
I don't think 1000 hp/liter is an absolute upper limit either but it is
probably close to the upper limit for present day big $ technology for a
racing engine that can reliably survive the duty cycle of a 2-hour race (as
in F1)--that's what I meant by "ultimate" ( a poor word choice on my part).
I see 1000 hp/liter as just a temporary bench mark like 1 hp/cubic inch used
to be for production engines.
Lance
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Lackey" <mike_lackey@yahoo.com>
To: "land Speed List" <land-speed@autox.team.net>
Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2007 1:50 PM
Subject: Re: [Land-speed] Fw: Test
> What's the big deal about HP/L? I'll betcha I could design a turbo engine
> that produces 2000 HP/L... (getting someone to build it is another
> matter)
>
> HP/L isn't that meaningful unless you are only comparing very closely
> sized engines. For instance, I can go to a store by my house and pick up
> a naturally aspirated engine that makes over 700 HP/L. That's a stock
> engine, nothing fancy. And it's pretty close to what those F1 engines are
> doing. I wouldn't want to put it in my race car though as it's only .21
> cubic inches.
>
> I'd agree that 1000 HP/L is the upper limit for 1.5L turbo engines
> conforming to the F1 rules in the 1980's. But I don't think it's an
> absolute upper limit in general.
>
> Mike
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