Roller lifters

[Gateclyve Photographic]

However if you want to think outside the circle consider this, a Honda motorcycle engine that could turn 20K on 8 valves per cylinder.

If Bruton Smith saw that he'd immediately want to swap the intake side over to the backstretch and add a ninth valve in a new"tri-oval" . . .

Still, it has those slimming, easy-sealing, low-friction rounded parts . . and Honda wasn't trying to make 3,000+ of them every day for $1.25 per hole . . .

Follow the money . . . . It'll get you home most of the time when discussing consumer products.

[BBR]

I figured round lifters was one of this things like "lifters are round, always have been, therefore our lifters will be round".

[SuperBuickGuy]

I figured round lifters was one of this things like "lifters are round, always have been, therefore our lifters will be round".

You know I'm still waiting for Chad to prove me wrong about square exhaust, I'm thinking if he reads this he may just give up

[Gateclyve Photographic]

square exhaust, . . . . )

We always knew you were a closet Mopar man . . . .

Can we all agree that casting and machining precision parts Ie.g. lifters, lifter bores) is a whole lot different from making crude stuff out of tubing?

In NASCAR exhaust land, it's sometimes "hip to be square . . . .:" (with apologies to Huey Lewis and the News)

[Dan Barlow]

Heck, look up oval pistons (see Honda's NR750, and I think there was an F1 motor also).

Round stuff expands uniformly as it gets hot and has no corners to jam into the block if it's trying to rotate. As I recall, the oval-piston engines weren't really oval, they were more shaped like an oval track (a circle with two sides having aspirations!). They had one hell of a time with the machining and heat expansion issues--mostly on the rings, I understand). The benefit was it allowed them to make an engine that qualified as a four-cylinder under the rules, but that had what sure looked to be V8 heads on it (i.e., 32valves on four pistons). It was written out of the rulebook right fast and in a hurry.

Edit: Beaten to the punch by a few seconds!

The info was great though as I was wondering what Rock came up with . Thanks for the photo Rock .

[Dan Barlow]

P.S . Someone needs to come up with a process to do to all the V8 engines out there . It would screw up the rhythm a little and they would sound alot like a big Subaru but look at all the extra cubic inches .

[BBR]

<---- wonders if he should mention his "piston within a piston" idea.....

[SuperBuickGuy]

<---- wonders if he should mention his "piston within a piston" idea.....

A video for you

[Dan Barlow]

You almost lost me at diesel but I hung in there and it was very interesting . As proof I offer up that he said 3 cylinders was optimal and it was both turbo and supercharged . Wonder what a Colorado could do mileage wise at a stead 70 mph .

[malc]

I can't do a link on my cell phone so do a search for...."Commer Knocker"May Be Wierdest Engine Design Of The Last 50 Years.
My father test drove this horizontally opposed
piston diesel in the sixties.

[Eric]

Curved is always easier on surfaces than anything with any type of angled point. How would you get an equal oil film in a square and make it last. Remember these things start moving before there is any oil pressure. Daily.

[DanStokes]

A video for you

I'm NOT opposed to pistons. In fact, I support having as many as possible.

Dan

[AndyB]

<---- wonders if he should mention his "piston within a piston" idea.....

...Pervert.

[Eric]

I thought by now we'd be using solnoids to open/close valves .
no need for cam/timing gears/chain/belt/pushrods/lifters/cam followers/rockers/ bla bla bla.
Imagine, a knob in the interior, that changed the "cam" timing events, grand touring/sport/ low speed power/high rpm power/ race/ and profile'n cruise'n lope.
It be epic.

[oletrux4evr]

I figured round lifters was one of this things like "lifters are round, always have been, therefore our lifters will be round".

I'm thinking about stress and metal fatigue. Square corners often result in cracking...........