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    Aupercharging Turbocharging and Nitrous Oxide Perfomance - Earl Davis

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    Ruiu
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    © All Rights Reserved
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    POW ERPRO SERIES PERFORMANCE HANDBOOK Chapter One Fundamentals “SQome people think all engines suck, gravity creates atmospheric air pres- less and less the further you go aviay Sy Oot that they dislike engines, but Sure, which is roughly 14.7 pounds from che carth’s center. Atmosphere Grther chey chink engines suck ac in per square inch at zero elevation. To ae premure forces aie iro the engine She top and force it out the botiom. put ir another way, we liv in a pres: Ap engine is basically @ vacuum Bie concept can be debated, but it sure canister. pump on the inlet side and a pressurt g@realy isn'c worth che time or the paper. Atmosphere has mass, which pump on the exhaust side. Vacuum it Engines take in air with help means it also has weight. The closer created in each cylinder as the pistor EE ‘from an encrgy source we call gravity. you get to the carth’s center, the travels down the bore during tht “REINO, gravity doesn’t pull the air down greater the atmospheric pressure, Con- intake stroke, Air, driven by atmos segpsfinto the carburetor per say, but rather versely, atmospherie presture becomes pheric air pressure, rushes in to fi ie & ‘In 1001, Sir Dugald Clok tet use the theory of supercharging to crete an articlly dense atmosohere to teed a two-stroke engine in an aie b lower RS combustion temparatura, He discover the blower produced a 6 percent power increase compared the naturally aspirated version the void, The process defines “natural aspiration,” under which air a any given pressure will travel roward an area of less pressure, Vacuum creates the need, and atmospheric air pres sure satisfies that need. For those who might chink geavisy pulls air down into a carburetor, explain how updraft or side-draft carburetors work. The face is, atmospheric air pressure will move air in any dicee- tion until the pressure equalizes Movement will stop once the pres- sures become equal. The effect forced induction has fon « naturally aspirated engine is very profound, Whae drives che piston dei- ves the engine, and that is the com- buotion of fuel. The amount of Fuel an engine can burn depends on the amount of ait ic can cake in to mix with i (which must be balanced —nei ther t09 rick nor too lean—for opt tal performance). Forcing an engine to ingest more air/fuel mixeace will net more powerful combustion and a pre- dictable horsepower gain, All high-performance modifica. tions, like all internal combustion ‘engines, incorporate some level of com- promise. This male applies to superchaeg- «1s, tarbochargers, and nitrous oxide injection systems. In addition, each has irsadvanrages and disadvantages. ‘The Basics of Superchargers, Turbochargers, and Nitrous Oxide Injection Supercharging, eurbocharging, or nitrous oxide injection will enhance Jour engine's power ourpur, no ques- tion, Although any of the three will foree-feed an engine a large amount of aitffuel mixcuse, each system is unique by design, and each operates and Insalls quite differendy. Fortunately, with lide exception, any spark-igntted (SI) engine can be supercharged, turbocharged, or injected wich nitrous oxide. Even a single-cylinder Briggs & Stratcon engine can be supercharged. Properly siting a supercharger, eurbocharge, or nitrous oxide injection system for any engine can be complex, time consum- ing, and expensive, but it can be done. Calibrating the air/fuel or the nitrous oxideffuel mixtuse is the most difficult part of an installation. Superchargers and rurbochargers are essentially air compressors that force more air into the engine than it ‘ean process at one time. Picture the intake manifold or plenum as a hold- ing tank. The compressor (the super- charger or curbocharger) forees air inca the inlee of she eank, and the inrake valves control che outlet. The intake valves allow a small amount of com- pressed air 0 enter the engine during cach eyele, To generate pressure in the intake, the compressor must he of lagger capacity then the narurally aspi- rated engine's requirements. Aa undersized compressor, one that is too small for dhe application, will not pres surize the intake manifold or plenura because the engine will ingest che air faster than che compressor can come press it, Conversely, an oversized comm pressor, one that is too large for the Freed induction systems canbe turer dens a “raw trough” or “low trough” Fuel trode head ofthe blower by any means isa dravethrough system. Carburetors carats fr naturally ‘spite applballons must reworked and renalbrted fr bower epplsaios, lower Drie Service application, will create an abundance The mechanism used to drive the com- flow to drive a turbine wheel, which in of presure in the intake manifold or prestor isa controlling facor, in that ic curn is connected to the compressor plenum because the engine cannot must be efficient, accesible, and reli wheel via a shaft. The compressor ingest air fast enough. A properly sed able. Because most superchargets are wheel in @ cencefugal supercharger i ‘compressor will generate the desired _crankedtiven, the compressor (or a por- typically driven by mechanical means. amount of pressure in the intake man- tion ofits dive system) must be in line Postivedisplacement superchame ifold or plenum. This residual pressure with the crankshaft. Locating the drive ers consise ofa pair of overlapping pa in the intake manifold or plenum is assembly parallel co the crankshaft (like des or screws (picture a wood screw) called boost all other accessory drive components) that rota inside the confines ofa spe Superchargers and turbochargers imposes a level of restriction. Besides cially designed housing, A given requice more installation time chan the drive mechanism, superchargers amount of air is trapped between nitrous oxide systems and are compar- require a fel-enhancement system and recesses of the rotor lobes or screws and atively difficult to calibrate, but per- enough plumbing to complete the ait- the housing, The fixed volume of ai form well under all loads and at any flow circuit. moved toward the discharge or delivery throttle position. Unlike nitrous oxide Superchargers can be classified as port. Positive-displacement blowers systems, superchargers and tur- one of three types: cenufugal, posi- pack a fixed volume of ait into a given bochargers react ro load. In addition, tive-displacement (rotary), or sliding space in rapid succession. Like centri their recharge rate is equal to the size vane, Centrifugal superchargers and gal chargers, positive-displacement of the fuel tank in the ear. When turbochargers are similar by design in blowers are commoaly bele-driven properly sized, boost should arrive that both spin a contoured compressor although not all are remore mounted gradually, hen inctease at a calculable wheel inside conical housing. The The power needed ro drive the com: rate as the engine speed increases conical housing is positioned in the air pressor is minimal compared to the "The more gradual che boost inci-__intake system somewhere between the power they generate, Blower Drive Ser nation, the smoother the drive. If air filter and the throttle control. vice (BDS), Eaton Corporation, and boost comes on too carly, the transi- Turbo and centrifugal supercharger Whipple Industries manufacture pos tion to power will be too harsh and assemblies are usually remote mounted _tve-displacement superchargers. abrupt, making the earhard co handle. and integrated into the airflow path Since sliding vane-type super IFic comes om to0 lat, it will be inel* _via‘a series of tubes and hoses. chargers are not widely used for autor fective, and performance pill suffer ‘The power needed to drive the motive applications, covering theta in accordingly. For that reasoh, a super compressor wheel further defines cen- great detail is somewhat pointless. But charges or turbocharger will perform eifagal superchargers and curbocharg- for identification, relatively chin, sigh well during pare-throile opening and ers. Turbochargers use che exhaust gas vanes are radially mounted slong an at comparatively slow vehicle speeds. As the name implics, nitrous oxide injection literally injects an extemely potent mixture of nitrous ‘oxide gas and gasoline into the engine. The molecular makeup of nitrous cide is further defined by its scientific acronym, N.O, The scientific formula indicawes each nitrous oxide molecule contains evo nitrogen atoms and one ‘oxygen arom, Combining N:O with the just the right amount of fuel pro- duces a condensed, highly volatile aiifuel mixeure, The nitrous oxide gas provides the oxygen needed to burn the extra fuel. Superchargers Compared to a typical tur bocharger system, a supercharger is casit © install on most applications. Fue Is Introduced behind the compressor in a blow-tnrough system. In this application te ‘catburetrisenelosad i 2 pressures ox. Blow-thaugh syteris work teasongbl well under = boost coralians. Fro praccl slandpon the a better suted for boats tan cars axis (rotor). The rotor and vanes spin inside an elliprical housing. Cenerifu fal force holds the vanes against the sya of ehe housing. Because the hous- jg dlipicl, the space berween the ‘anes prows larger and smaller as they orate around the axis. Air trapped benween the vanes is then compressed {toa progressively smaller arca “Turbochargers ‘Turbochargers are more efficient compared to superchargers, in part Docaise they use energy thae is otherwise expiled through che exhaust system. In addition, turbochargers are not limited t0 any specific location, because they do not require a mechan- ital drive mechanism, Therefore, the turbocharger itself (or turbochargers in the case of a multiple system) can be positioned in any convenient area near the engine. However, che addicional piping needed to funnel che exhaust through the turbine housing offiers the benef. Routing the piping is by far the ‘most difficult and time-consuming part of a turbo installation. If the txhaust manifold is not designed to sate ditecely with the turbine hous- ing, the wo must be joined with pipe Fiom there, the exhaust must be plumbed to an acceptable location, preferably to the rear of the car. Fresh air should be filtered and collected fiom a source outside the engine com- partment, then piped to the turbo inlet port. Another tube is usually needed 1 connect the outlet of the turbo 10 the intake manifold or throt- tle opening. Add an incercooler, and the piping can become overwhelming, particularly in a tight engine compare iment, Smaller but equally importanc tubing must channel engine oil (or lubrication) and water (for cooling) in and out of the curbo bearing housing. ‘Turbochargers, because they are net iechanically driven by she engine, can also exhib “turbo lag’ Because their power output is aclated co load, superchargers and cure Turbocharger systems are somal more complicated because additonal plumbing is naeded to ‘tive tn exhaust turbine. Ambient airs compressed and hese by the compressor ee! (A). Airis noted abi passes trough the lrcaoler (8). Enrcy contained inthe superheated exhast gases (6) orves th turing whet bochargers co litle to degrade drivabil ity, provided che system is sized and calibrated propetly for the application For this reason alone, superchargers and turbochargers are the power enhancer of choice for a lrge number of sreee-performance enthusiasts Nitrous Oxide Injection Nitrous oxide injection is more of 4 straight-line, full-power wide-open throztle power source. Applying a number of staged events provides some level of 1pm versatility, but for the most part, a nitrous oxide system is similar eo a toggle switch: Ie’ either fallon or it’s off. In fact, it ean be dangerous to activate nitrous oxide injection at any time other than wide- ‘pen throttle operation, and only after the engine has attained a safe speed. For that reason, most nitrous kits ati- vate the “on” swiceh with the throrde linkage. When adjusted propeiy, the nitrous oxide/fuel mixture will flow ‘only when the throttle is wide open Nitrous oxide injection is the least expensive of the three and can be installed quicker and easier than a ear stereo and four speakers, Liquid rious oxide and gasoline is delivered through high-pressure hoses and rabes to a properly sized jer or jets. Storage boutles are heaved with electric blan- kets to ensure an adequate supply of nicrous is delivered ae sufficient prese sue, Storing nitrous oxide in a liquid state under pressure solves two impor rant problems: Ir compresses a large amount of product ineo a very small space and provides the propulsion needed to inject the chemical into the engine. Nicous oxide can also be con= sidered power on demand because it is onboard ar all times and activated with a simple flip of a swicch Nitrous has an added benefit that further enhances its effectiveness, ‘When stored under pressure it is cone densed into a liquid, As the liquid nitrous is released into the intake sys- tem ic absorbs heat as it vaporizes. The 9 ‘This NOS Stage I kt for 1986 to 1998 Ford SEFIS.0-ter engines converts te dy Ifake manold ina etfosystes by menting the nirous exe and ful ahead ofthe sate body 00S. refrigeration effect cools the com- bstible charge, which further improves the overall eliciency of the process But, unlike superchargers and turbochargers, nitrous oxide injection systems have a very limited range of ‘operation, dictated mostly by the size of the storage container. Frequent users will need one oF two spare stor age bottles, When you are out of nitrous oxide, you're out of power. Also, nitrous oxide injection systems don't work well at part-throttle opera- tion, which somewhat limits nitrous oxide’s serviceability to straight-line performance applications such as drag racing. Further, nitrous oxide is expensive. It doesn’t take long to burn ‘up $20 worth of nierous gas. A user addicted to screet racing will need a large bank account and several spare Dotles ro feed the need. In spite of cs shorgun approach co performance, nitrous oxide injection 10 kits remain very popular, if for no cther reason than their comparatively low cost. Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, horsepower for horsepower, nitrous oxide injection will deliver equal performance at a fraction of the cost oF a supercharger or turbocharger, at least initially. In addition, nitrous oxide kits are easy ro adapt to any sparkcigniced engine, regardless of size, application, or manufacturer, and a kit need only be calibrated co deliver the proper amount of nitrous oxide gas and fuel for optimum results, Assessing Power Needs Is ic possible co generate coo much power? Most automotive enthue siasts would probably say no. How- vets there are: mechanical limits, cost restrictions, and safety issues to cone sider. Theotericaly, the more air/fuel mixture stuffed into che engine, the more power it will generate, Obviously this is noc an open-end scale. At some point, durability becomes a limiting factor, as docs the cost of maintenance and repaits. No one wants to drive an overpowered hand geenade or pay someone t0 put it back together again after ic explodes. Moreover, it's impor tant to strike an acceptable compro: mise berween brute power and over performance. High performance should always include an acceptable level of drivabilisy and durability Otherwise, the car can become unfriendly to drive when you're not fon the racetrack To oversimplify a number of physical and chemical variables make a point, for now we'll say a pound of boost is a pound of boos, ff the fuel calibration is correct and die system is operating at near-peak eff ciency, the engine will respond accordingly. Six 10 10 pounds of boos from a supercharger or turbocharget vill blow an extra 100 horsepower out ‘of 300 cubic inches with relative eas “The same results can be achieved with 4 modest shor of nitrous oxide and fuel. How you get from here co there is a matter of choice, safety, cost, and ‘many other considerations. Functionality Which system you install should depend on what you plan to do vwith the car. There are many applica tions for increased power—weekend cruising, street racing, drag acing, off road, monster truck stadium racings Formula One, freeway commuter, show car, daily driver, weekend quat- termile warrior, garage queen, and! so oa, If you plan to enter any form of sanctioned racing, the rules will define the legal modifications in great detail A few classes of amateur and profes: sional racing accommodate forced induction, bur most do noc, Some offer open clases that allow no-holdse barred modifications as long as mi mum safety standards are met Everyone engaged in unsanctioned events must rely on common sense Cetifugal uperohargers compress ar in. much tho compressor whee! is driven mechanically. tha same manner a6 a turbocharger, though ‘The belt drives a gearbox, whic in turn braves the comoressor whee. The alow through the system is basicaly the same, except the ennaust vases are not contained. and an evaluation of his needs 10 get from here to chere as quickly and safely 2s posible Engine Limitations and Safety ‘As you plan your performance upgeacie, keep in mind your engine's present limitations. Attempting to push 30 pounds of boost or five gal: fons per minute of nitrous oxide into neatly any factory production engine is an exercise in durability, noc feasi- bility. Stock engines will tolerate a cer~ (ain amount of abuse, but there are mechanical mis. Remember that the transmission, dive shaft, rear axle, and Gites must also survive the rush of power. Components of faccory-engi- neoted thresholds will not suppore & 300-horsepower hit fo: long. Be sensible in your approach co power modifications. Some factory- assembled engines ate designed to ake a higher level of abuse; others ate not Durability cesting is both frustrating and expensive, Furches, any car, high- performance or nor, is only a8 reliable as its weakest part, If that part hap- pens to be a 10-cent roll pia holding the distibucor gear to the shafi, then ‘overkill elewhere is for naught. If you plan to build the engine, don't skimp: Use high-quality pars. Cast pistons are noc as durable as hypoeutectc pistons, which are not as durable as forged pistons. Applying overkill ro he long block will noc only make it more stress resistant in che shore sua, but will also provide chou- sands of trouble-free miles under aver age driving conditions Also, do aot allow your need for speed 10 compromise safety. Overpow. ting a faccory production ca is unwise, bbus unfortunately ic is so common it could be considered an epidemic. Nothing should citeumvent safety. ‘Consider how the car will be driven ‘and the effec she power enhancements ‘vill impose on the other systems, Give the brakes and seeering a least 2s much attention as you give the engine and ‘ransmission, Insal a deve shaft loop. four-point seat belts, and at least a four-poinc roll bar, especially ifthe car isa conversble Factory safery equipmenc works reasonably well under average condi- tions, but ie is no match for a car oper- ating on an overabundance of sero ‘Traction oF the ack thereof can turn cum 2 powerful car into an unguided iisile, Further, DOT-approved sucet sires will always be a limiting factor on a car that is capable of delivering 500 horsepower co the rear wheels. There is an old saying, “Power is nothing without control,” which could be interpreted as “Power without control is foolhardy.” Spend che money needed co improve the whole car pro- portionately, or limie the power medi Fication to 2 reasonable level Cost ‘A supercharger or curbocharger kit can cost between $2,000 and $30,000, depending on the level of performance, the application, and the electronic controls needed to manage the power thuough a normal range of operation. Conversely, nitrous oxide leis ean be owned for hundreds of dol- lars. For those who keep as keen an cye on their checking account balance as theic tachometer, nitrous oxide is the bargain boost, a least in the shore tun, Compared to a supercharger or turbocharger system, a nitrous systera is like making payments on a power allotment: The initial outlay is small and you pay for refueling as you go. Conversely, the cast of a supercharger ‘ot turbocharger system demands a rather large upefront expenditure, but the cost from thes on is minimal. ‘Most automotive enthusiasts are savvy shoppers. All of us have spent more on a project than its coral net rat ‘worth at one time or another. Leaning from one's mistakes usually creates pro- found memories. There is nothing more humbling chan discovering you paid too tmuch for something. Conversely, most of us have a “bese buy for the buck” story to counter any past clings of val nerability. Make sure the return you seek is worth the inveserent. If cost is the primary considers- sion, you should work the plan back- ward. The amount of disposable income available will greatly influence the answers to the other questions Legal Issues Ics still a free country, but there are also legal issues to consider. If you plan to modify a licensed street car, know the laws in your state regarding emissions compliance Most engine modifications are illegal according to federal standards. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) set strict standards in Cali fornia. Other states and cities have emissions laws with varying degrees of laticude, The strictest environ- mencal restrictions state that it is unlaveful co modify a motor vehicle in any way if the changes cause ‘exhaust emissions co increase: it is unlawful to disable, tamper with, or remove any emissions control device: and it is unlawful to remove or bypass a catalytic converter. Many aftermarket high-perfor- ‘mance assemblies, kits, and individual components are emissions legal. Make emissions compliance part of your build-up and have the car cested regu larly to ensure it meets emissions stan- dards ser forth at the time of manufacture. Emissions laws and compliance are covered in greater decal in chaprer 8, Be Real ‘The builder's insights and mechanical prowess will play an equally imporant part ia the project. Do you plan to build an engine fom the ground up or modify a factory pro- 12 duction engine? Space, tools, time, and experience will ao affect progress. Do you plan to install the kit yourself If not, is the hired mechanic experienced and qualified? Who will service and ‘maintain che car in the future? One final chought on assessing power goals: No one ever won a race using advertised horsepower, Adver- tised horsepower is only good for com peting ina bragging race. Ie'srelarively casy to build a 1,000-horsepower engine by adding advertising horse- power claims ro the factory perf ‘mance numbers, ie. a 50-horsepower «cam plus 75 horsepower ftom a pair of free-flowing cylinder heads, added 0 the 60-horsepower intake manifold means a 200-horsepower engine 50 ‘equipped will now generate 385 horse- power. IFic were thae easy, mose mildly modified V-8 engines could produce 500 horsepower, as some claim. Realistically, increasing the power fourpuc of any engine by 25 percent is notable, Fifty additional horsepower coaxed from a factory production 200- horsepower engine is a respectable achievement, Expect a 25 co 45 pet= cent power gain from a typical street legal forced induction kit. Don't assume all advertised horsepower numbers are obtainable. Some, but ror all, are real Leakage around the rotor in postve- displacement blowers inevtble, because tei edges donot ‘ortact eachother or te novsing, Paring losses orow ess signa as speed nceases, Boost Increases fo a precitable level wth engine speed. the lvls of unt tis substantalycanetan in ‘the top-mostporton of the working speed range, Ambient Nirpressure Air Temperature imosaheric pressure forces ambient ait te suprchargr, whorls compressed (4), The heated, compressed aris rected through an arto-ait Feat exchange (8), The cooled, compressed ar enters te cylncers. Te spent gases are ten éxpeled trough te sxbaust pr (C) Service Afier the Sale Addressing che fundamentals is somewhat like going to class. 1's something you must do if you're ro succeed in your chosen endeavors Mose automezive enthusiasts simply want to enhance performance, the sooner the berter. For that reason, 2 Joe of would-be strce/strip racers will cut class to save time, Why learn the science behind the system if you ean achieve optimum results without Inowing how it works? Because of our busy lives, we apply this approach ‘with so many things, such as any TV, VER, or swere0.°To succeed one need only to learn the owner's manual, not te cteuiry. Bur what happens when you don’t obtain optimum results? Is che problem she operator, the equipment, or a combination of the two? And what is the best solution? The more you know about how your system works, the better you'll be able to decide how ic should be fixed, and by whom—or whether it should be upgraded or replaced because it n0 longer suits your needs. The more you know, the faster you ean go, and the less ie is likely t0 cost because you'll avoid making changes and buying parts chat don't solve the problem, In the end, you may decide to pay some- fone else to service the system, but you'll know whae’s involved and you ‘can make sound decisions. Upkeep, in the form of maince- nance, diagnosis, and repair, is an Importane part of owning a super- charged, turbocharged, or nitrous oxide- Injected car, Keep "service afer the sale” in mind when you build oF purchase a highly modified ear. Who will you un to when your one-of-a-kind, highly ‘modified car needs repair? The original manufacturer covers each individual pare subassembly, or kit, bur the peson bese suited ro know the complexities of the finished product is likely to be the cone who built it ‘The point is chat a sophisticated high-performance car requires an equally sophisticated owner. The more sophisticated the car, che higher the minimum requirements for ownership. ‘The busiest phone ac any high-perfor- mance aftermarket manufacturer's business always the ech line. Know ‘edge is power. Believe it: Don't skip the fandamentals. Learn everything you can about a modification before you buy or buil Chapter Two Technical Basics- How It All Works eee eee induction leads eo a learning process that explains how a syseem works. Bur before we can discuss the hardware, we must fisse understand the terminology used to describe and define the process of efficiently con verting chemical energy inco mechs cal energy. Fortunately, the physical Jaws that influence, and in fact ditace, the operation of naucally aspirated internal combustion engine also apply to an engine equipped with forced induction. In other words, under- standing how and why naturally aspirated engine converts liquid fuel into mechanical energy will lead to a better understanding of foreed induc- tion and how ic is used to increase [power ourput. Horsepower, Torque, and Weight Skilled advertising has caught us (co crave big horsepower numbers. The term horsepower was coined at the stare of the industrial revolution t0 describe the amount of work a machine could do compared to the standard power source—a real, live horse, Scottish inventor James Wate ‘estimated chac an average horse could life about 550 pounds in one second. Mutiplying chis out, he figured chat in one minute, ic could lift 33.000 pounds. One horsepower is a unit of power equal to 745.7 watts or 33,000 Ise (of torque) per minute, “ Torus is defined as “the moment of a force; the measure of a force's cene deney to produce torsion and rotacion about an axis, equal wo the vector prod- uct of the radius vector fom the axis of roration to the point of application of the force.” In simpler tesms, corque is 2 measure of an engine's abiliey co do work, and horsepower is the rate at which work is done. Drag racers say rorque pushes the ca ofthe starting line and horsepower drags it through the lights. The point is, romue is equally as importane as horsepower. Torque makes a car fun to drive because it typically cccurs early in the rpm range. Without torque, every car would be a slug off the line, Torque and horsepower are com- ped using the following formulas: Horsepower = RPMLX torque 5,282 Torque = 5.252 X horsepower RPM High-performance, naturally aspi- rated serect engines can be buill to gene erate one horsepoveer per cubic inch (16.387 «3 of displacement. Divide the facrory-rated horsepower by the dis- placement to determine your engine's hhorsepower-pet-cubicinch ratio. Horsepower per cubic inch = flywheel horsepower displacement For example, a 1994 5.0-lite Mustang (e's accually 301.59 cubie inches, or 4.94 liters) generates 215 horsepower at che flywheel, according to Ford Motor Company. Dividing 215 horsepower by 301.59 cubic inches equals .713 (rounded to the nearest thousandth) horsepower pet cubic inch. A 5.0-Liter Mustang has long been considered 2 reasonably ‘good factory production performance tar, bus not because its 5.0-liter Vi generates .713 horsepower per cuble inch. The 5.0-lier’s big advantage is that ir generates 945 Ibs-ft of torque per cubic inch (285 divided by 301.59) at a relatively low 3.400 rpm, Torque per cubic inch = torque measured at tinwheel displacement Pushing a 3,258-pound cat around with 285 Ibs-fe of torque i worth the cost of admission Toyota's new 47-liver dual over head cam (DOHO) V-8, installed ia its half-ton Tundra pickup, generats £854 horsepower per cubie inch (245 flywheel horsepower) and a neckesnay. ping 1.098 Ibs-f of torque per cube inch (315 tbs-fr). Comparing the numbers, Toyota's 4.7 is hotter than Foed’s 5.0. Why then isn't a Toya ‘Tundza pickup considered a musi truck? Iris in the truck world, ‘The major difference is the weight of the two vebicles, which points co another measurement of performance— weight-to-horsepower ratio. If you Aide the weight of the vehicle by the amount of horsepower (or torque) the engine generates, you compute the amount of weight each horsepower mus move. The aforementioned Mus- tang has 2 15.153 weight

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