Thinking of a V8---PART II, Ok, so whats the best route if....... Options

[ninefourteener]

I was reading the post on the "Thinking of a V8" topic.... and although the thought sounds great, I can't justify spending that kind of cash on all the upgrades required.

Nor can I justify discarding a brand new (under 10K miles) on my 2.0, with over $5k in reciepts on the buildup. I feel confident that my engine runs well into the 110-120hp range

HOWEVER.... the thought of upgrading to a MUCH more powerful motor is a cool idea. When I say "much", I mean up above the 225hp range.

So.. are there options? Can I buy a 2.0 with that kind of power? If so, where? Is there another engine that will bolt right in without major modifications?

Forgive my ignorance.... but before teeners, I did 70's GM stuff..... if you want a bigger engine, you buy one, bolt it in, and you're done. Supercharger? Bolt it on...... Nitrous?? Bolt it on.

So..... help me out here..... Lets assume I wanna go a lot faster, but I'm not looking to add radiators, modify transmissions, driveshafts, suspension, etc.

What does a guy do?? I'm curious to hear some responses on this.

[ArtechnikA]

... I mean up above the 225hp range.

Can I buy a 2.0 with that kind of power?

... before teeners, I did 70's GM stuff..... Bolt it on.

...assume I wanna go a lot faster, but I'm not looking to add radiators, modify transmissions, driveshafts, suspension, etc.

you're not going to get 115 HP/liter normally aspirated - certainly not for long. Porsche's 906 engine was a 2,0 /6 and made about 210 very peaky HP at 9600 rpm. "power adders" are another matter. for how long do you want your 275 HP ? longer than a 10-sec dragstrip run ? you need to find a better way than stock air cooling to reject a shitload of heat...

if you're determined to stay aircooled, 911 engines in the 3,2 range will get you there. if you don't mind adding a turbo, the 3,0 911 Turbo ('930') becomes a possibility.

it's been a while since Porsche left gobs of power on the table on purpose...

if you're determined to stay with a 4, you'll need displacement, lots of it. i gather this is possible nowadays but the $/HP ratio never seems to change that much...

only you can decide what kind of life you need -- F1 engines have been cranking in excess of 200 HP/liter for a long time - but the crankshaft life of an F1 car is 6-8 hours. (Top Fuel/Funny Cars, of course, produce about 500 HP/cubic inch - on nitromethane, and have engine life measured in feet...)

GM -did- leave HP on the table, which is another way of saying their stuff was a lot heavier than it had to be. ours isn't... and water gives you a lot more headroom to work with. transmissions and driveline components like clutches are pretty well sized for the power available in the car they came in. to a point, bigger is available. but it's not reasonable to want more power than the drive components are capable of and expect reliability.

and if you really mean 'faster' and not 'quicker' - at some point you need to be concerned about brakes and the speed ratings on your tires ...