High Mileage Performance Engines .... What you done ?

[Straight Time]

Just interested in the type of mileage some of your high performance engines have done and what type of driving they are subjected to ?


It wasn't too long ago that anything high performance also meant high maintenance, so what sort of maintenance and servicing does anyone recommend ?


I will have a 2387 cc soon to be fit to my 67 and any advice on keeping it sweet would be appreciated. Mainly street driven with the odd race here and there 

Thanks

[Rick Meredith]

Paging Mr. Schwimmer...

Mr. Schwimmer to the white phone please.

 

[Bill Schwimmer]

I don't know exactly, but I think mine has pretty close to 20k on it. I don't do much of anything to it anymore. But seriously, use good parts,take your time putting it together, pay attention to the combination. Make it run right & keep it running right ie: carbs balanced, proper timing, valves adjusted ect. Be aware of its limitations, yes you can drive a 200+hp motor anywhere you want, but you probably should'nt. Lots of lift .550 or more @ the valve will wear stuff out, break springs ect. You have to pay attention to it. If you hear a funny noise, pull over & find out what it is. Don't keep driving it. Have respect for it,if you beat the daylights out of it @ every stop light you will be tearing into sooner than later....Wait until somebody is next to you & make it worth your while  .. Later Bill

[hotrodsurplus]

I don't have specific combinations but I have some suggestions.

Stay away from the radical fringe. Bill alluded to that with the cam issue but it extends to more than just aggressive ramps that wear lifter bores and sack valve springs. Remember, wear increases exponentially with speed.

There are countless more ways to increase an engine's durability that don't cost much if anything. Get the deck height tight to reduce the possibility of detonation. Be honest with your cam grinder about your car and your objectives for the engine and follow his/her cam timing and compression-ratio recommendations (I see more people in the VW world run insufficient CR which plays hell on efficiency). Don't just use a particular head builder just because the crowd likes them; interview the builders to see which one has your best interests at heart. And don't fool yourself into thinking a low price is synonymous with a good deal. All of those things contribute to reliability and power.

Don't expect to build an engine in one whack. If you're not tearing the thing down a few times before you button it up completely chances are you're overlooking something like bearing tolerances or case clearance. As good as machine work can be you can't trust that it's always right. I once had a cam that had an improperly machined journal. A machine is only as good as its operator and humans aren't perfect.

And don't chase peak horsepower or torque figures. An engine that builds power over a very broad range will run circles around one that makes far more peak horsepower.

Many high-horsepower engines can be made supremely reliable so it's tough to say that a particular combination will last longer than another just by the parts it has in it. The difference is often how much care you're willing to invest in an engine's construction.

[Torben Alstrup]

That´s easy. - Type 4. 170 - 200 hp on the street. Drive it anywhere. Cry once buy once. Service it regularly and keep it in trim. Use good oil (that is recommended for ACVW´s)

T

[karl h]

read a berg catalog and his tech tips, it at least helps to make intelligent choices, but take it with a grain of salt. most of his engine building was based on reliability
its not the bible, but it gets you thinking

[Fasterbrit]

Like Torben says; oil is a major factor in the reliability of an air cooled motor. I have lost count of the amount of people I've spoken to that will run a cheap oil in an expensive motor. Most of them were oblivious to the fact that due to emissions and damage to catalytic converters most of the Zinc content had been removed, which is vital for flat-tappet type engines. So, stick to a brand of oil that is suitable for classic engines and if in doubt, talk to their tech department about zinc content, which is expressed in parts per million. 1500 + ppm is considered suitable for VWs. Alternatively, you can add zinc Additives to any oil to boost zinc content. Camshield and Lucas spring to mind.

[Straight Time]

Great advice guys.  Thank you.


All Torque, nice one on the Zinc content in oil. Didn't know that. I live a stones throw away from Millers Oils Headquarters in the UK and know they have a Tech department so will query them on their products.


Now I wonder if they want to sponsor my build and get a few mag features .............

[hotrodsurplus]

If you read anything by Berg do yourself a favor and question if not ignore his opinions on static compression ratio, semi-hemi chamber design, and octane rating. Berg latched onto this idea that an engine's static CR must not exceed a specific number which is simply not true. Instead, learn about the effects of effective or dynamic compression ratio which is based on static CR and intake-valve timing events (specifically closing event). Any time you delay the intake closing event (longer cam duration) you must increase the static CR by a specific amount to maintain the proper effective CR. And since VW specified its engines to run on low-octane fuel you can benefit from higher the static and effective CR by using higher-octane pump gasoline. Insufficient CR shoots an engine's efficiency to sh!t. That's why I recommend following your cam grinder's CR advice. They understand that mechanism to a very high degree.

His semi-hemi idea increases the chamber's surface area and since it increases the distance that the flame must travel to propagate the chamber it requires excessively advanced ignition timing. Both are the antithesis of efficiency and will transfer a lot of unnecessary heat into a cylinder head.

And he simply misunderstood the octane-rating system. Volkswagen specified octane requirements in RON which is still common in Europe and was common in America at one time; however, America switched to the AKI (RON+MON/2) which expresses a lower number for the same fuel. For example, the 91 RON that VW specified is the same as the US 87 AKI number.

I don't want you to take my word on it, either. Do your research on those subjects. Some of Berg's advice like the importance of preserving the thermostatic system and the engine-compartment seal integrity is sound but other things he passed off as gospel are questionable if not completely at odds with information that was substantiated as early as the 1920s.

[Zach Gomulka]

I have no desire for a high mileage performance engine. I know I'll be bored and want to make upgrades LONG before I hit the 50k mile mark

[hotrodsurplus]

I have no desire for a high mileage performance engine. I know I'll be bored and want to make upgrades LONG before I hit the 50k mile mark

I think that's the most honesty that's ever been expressed anywhere on the interwebs! 

[Garrick Clark]

Hi guys.I'm nearly finished building a performance type 4.(Expensive).
My question is which oil should i be getting for it with the correct zinc content.
Thanks G.

[Torben Alstrup]

Depending on where you live, there are  a couple of brands to chose from:
Brad Penn
Joe Gibbs Driven
Motul Classsic
Valvoline Classic
Castrol Classic

The first three are the top oils for ACVW´s in regards of lubrication, cooling and strength at high loads. Castrol lubes allright, but has too high resistance in the viscosity for my taste.

T

[Garrick Clark]

Thanks Torben.
Al do a google on those and see which i can get in the uk.

[danny gabbard]

Is the motul a motorcycle oil ? 

[Eddie DVK]

Depending on where you live, there are  a couple of brands to chose from:
Brad Penn
Joe Gibbs Driven
Motul Classsic
Valvoline Classic
Castrol Classic

The first three are the top oils for ACVW´s in regards of lubrication, cooling and strength at high loads. Castrol lubes allright, but has too high resistance in the viscosity for my taste.

T

Torben are they Mineral or Synthetic?

Regards Edgar