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Thats about what I would expect from a 4.0, based on my data and experience with my 4.2. These engines are very predictable, until port flow and cam timing alterations are made. I found back in 2010 that the DFI pump timing needed alterations at these higher levels of displacement, and rod ratio, made big impacts on where the timing would be optimized for each combination of stroke/ rod/ bore/ CR, and even the configuration of the piston crown made impacts on this variable. We spent days playing with this in and out of the car, but setting the engine dyno up in the lab was worth its weight in gold when figuring out what the engine wanted, since the changes could be made in minutes, instead of hours. Leaving the engine there for months and playing with it made me beat my head against the wall over and over again.
With the GT4 version of the 4.2, I am in no hurry to start selling engines. Though we have taken the 6.5 years of internal 9a1 4.2 liter experience we have, and invested it into the GT4 version of the engine, the differences are enough between the platforms that I want to see the long term effects of the enhancements before the line forms at the door here.
Since we keep very few original, or Porsche parts, and use a billet crank, rods, rod bearings from an engine that not even a Porsche, machine away original cylinders, use custom pistons, and etc it takes time to build up, and tear down things to see just how good we are at the job of component, and engine development. Lots of times we see that what we thought was perfected, really isn't. I try not to haphazardly toss things together, assuming that they are going to be OK down the road. They seldom are.
I am quite reserved with releasing the final product, because we often learn what we didn't know, and have to work on the recipe a little bit (or a lot!). I was so reserved with the 9a1- 4.2L engine that we wouldn't even release Cayman X to Panorama for it's feature until 2013 (December 2013 pages 66-71), even though the car was completed and running early in 2011. We didn't accept the first customer's car for a 4.2L build until 2012.
I don't fancy factory parts very much, so we even toss away the timing chains from brand new or low mileage engines, along with about 100 pounds of other stuff, right down to the valves, valve seats, springs, and hardware. Original cylinders are removed, and replaced with LN Engineering Nickies, and the list goes on.
Doing all of this the way I choose to, is not fast. That said, we were able to build the very first 9a1, big bore performance engine in the world; when we pulled an engine out an 11 mile Cayman S in mid 2009, and had no idea what we were doing. With none of the special tools needed in hand, and without even having a factory set of technical publications, it all began.
I won't be happy selling these for at least another year or so, as I feel the engine has a lot more to offer with a few unlocked doors that we've been learning more and more about. The factory chose some characteristics for the Gt4 version of the internals that are interesting, to say the very least, when compared to other engines for other variants. The dyno is a nice tool, and I have 3 (two engine dynes, one chassis dyno), but they don't tell the whole story.
I just want to see how they continue to look as we tear them back down after some torture sessions to look at the guts of the beast.
Engines will be built up, and sold on an exchange basis, for faster turnaround; unless someone wants to retain their engine code specifically. Those jobs will take 6 months+ at minimum to process, but if we perform the exchange, then the whole thing can take two weeks.... IF we are able to keep the engines "in stock". Remember, this is not a "swap" or a "conversion", its a hand built performance engine that retains as little of the original character as possible. About the only thing we buy from Porsche, is a few gaskets and seals, but their head gaskets won't even fit this big bore, beast :-)
There are many ways to do all of this, and there are no rules. If there were, we wouldn't call it "Hot Rodding".
Thanks for the nice words Jake!
Keep us posted on your results, sounds really expensive throwing away all those factory parts.
Our 4.0L GT4 engines are built on the same philosophy as the Factory Porsche Motorsport 4.0L RS and RSR engines with simillar bore and stroke dimensions.
We love the Factory Crank, bores and Pistons. Porsche uses the same design parts in the 991 GT3 and Turbo for Years with great success and performance.
We have the greatest confidence our engines are built to last and perform as the factory intended.
Can't wait to see what the 4.2 you are making will do!!
01-06-2016, 03:46 PM
