In the case of sports car engines, the principal aim is
not to design the same from the economic point of view, but the efficient
high-power characteristics and reliability have to be attained. Such engines
have to be designed specifically and often contain many refined systems that
are normally not provided in ordinary cars. Their important characteristics are:
Generally, these engines are water-cooled, 4-stroke engines
with often 4 but also in many cases 6 or 8 cylinders.
The double overhead camshaft is used for valve actuation, to
get reliable action at high speeds during continuous operation.
To provide adequate fuel supply both in quality and in quantity,
multiple carburettors are used. In many cases, to improve the volumetric efficiency
of the engine, the superchargers have been employed. Alternatively, a fuel injection system has been
resorted to, which is highly adequate and reliable.
To ensure ignition-reliability of high order, two spark plugs
are used, which also improve the knocking characteristics of the engine. Further,
the rising output characteristics of a magneto, coupled with its greater reliability
than the coil ignition system, make it almost universal in use in sports
cars.
To reduce weight and increase cooling capacity, metals
with low specific weight and high thermal conductivity, e.g. aluminium and
copper have been used.
Tags
technology