What's the highest compression ratio we can go with...
I'm running 11.1 CR right now, and only use 93 Octane. when I have the catalytics on the car and its very hot outside, it will sometimes ping under heavy load (5th gear, freeway, at lower rpm). With the cats off, no pinging ever.
I'd stick with less than 11.5 for pump gas when using a "streetable" cam that might keep dynamic factors less dramatic.
Tony
I have heard a few 346ci cars ping in the middle of the summer. One was a Westech heads/cam M6 that I got to drive one day. I put in 5 gallons of 100 octane and it went away... Came back after I burned the tank off...
I'd say 11.25:1 is the max for a street car. Better to run on pump gas and not have detonation issues.
[ November 14, 2001: Message edited by: 2quick4u ]</p>
[ November 14, 2001: Message edited by: Big Mike ]</p>
Trending Topics
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
They key points have really been hit though - cam timing has a huge amount to do with what you can get away with. The same compression level that you can achieve with a 226/234 114 cam will cause massive problems with a stock cam.
Generally more intake curation will cause the intake valve to open sooner = more overlap and a higher compression tolerance. The intake valve will also close later which = more compression loss.
More exhaust duration = earlier exhaust opening = less cylinder pressure = more octane tolerence and a later exhaust closing = more overlap/charge contamination and more octane tolerance.
A narrower LSA will increase overlap which will have a slight impact on octane tolerance, but will kick your dynamic compression wy up with a later exhaust opening and earlier intake closing - so the net effect will be less octance tolerance. A wider LSA will have the converse effect.
And kind of intake path restrictions will allow you to run a higher static compression ration, as the restrictions reduce VE and prevent you from actually seeing the full compression (With respect to atmospheric). This is why nascar cars can get away with 15-16:1 - the tiny restrictors mean they are really seeing sane compression levels. this is actually a pretty decent analogy for a big cube LS1 motor, as the intake functions similar to a restrictor plate, and some of the same techniques can be applied.
Chris
http://www.motortecmag.com/archives/...JUN010101.html
<img src="graemlins/fluffy.gif" border="0" alt="[Fluffy]" />
[ November 15, 2001: Message edited by: Big Mike ]</p>
Now your overlap tunes your VE to a specific RPM level - e.g. the actual time (second) that the oerlap occurs allows for the amount of flow you need exactly at that rpm. Since the overlap is fixed in respect to degrees, but the actual duration (of those degrees) varies with RPM, you will only be optimal at/around one rpm point.
Now if we have more back pressure we reduce the rate of flow, thus lowering the peak VE point for a certain set of cam specs.
If you are running enough static compression that you are relying heavily on your cam, etc. to bleed it down to a streetable level, then doing something like this would increase your cylinder pressures at lower rpm, at which your are more susceptible to pinging.
That would only be a specific case event where you had a high compression/smaller cammed motor though.
At least that would be my best guess to explain that phenomenon <img src="images/icons/smile.gif" border="0">
Chris
I understand what you are saying but no way could I explain it to someone else as elaborately.
Good info!
This board rocks!
<strong>Actually not having cats will probably lower the compression ration you can run safely (assuming you have a decent set of headers) - if you have cats you have more back pressure, causing more burned/inert exhaust gasses to stay in the chamber - this acts like an EGR and dilutes the a/f charge, reducing the thermal delta and thus your chances of pinging (and power output).
Chris</strong><hr></blockquote>
Chris I totally disagree with this. Like Colonel my experience with every V8 I have ever owns runs contrary to this. I believe reduced backpressure reduces knock for the following reason. The back pressure keeps heat energy in the exhaust concentrated at the exhaust manifold. This heat energy causes cylinder head temps to run higher than what they would with reduced back pressure. The less back pressure you have, the more heat energy in the exhaust that is being rejected through the exhaust pipe and out of the car rather than being radiated and conducted back into the heads from the manifolds.
We know an EGR works (to reduce detonation) by injecting spent end gasses into the combustion chamber - these gasses are straight out of the exhaust and as hot as they get - if injecting these gasses into the combustion chamber doesn't induce, but rather reatrds pre-ignition/detonation, then I don't think heat from the same gasses building up outside the port would do it.
The only way I can see cat's actually causing pinging problems is if you have too much overlap (for the rpm band you are getting pinging in).
Chris






