C30A engine build routes

[Veke Nak]

I am currently seeking for some advice for which route to go with the engine. I really enjoy high revs, and as stock the engine already haves very wide rev range but i would like to have littlebit more. As much as i have tried to seek for options on all motor builds i mostly see people buying the SoS 3.5L stroker kit. I tried to search for the 3.8L stroker kit that had been a part of discussion on old thread but seems like they are not in sale anymore. So is the stroker kit just best way to increase power output ofcourse including cams, ported head, exhaust, injectors and itbs. Or could i get maybe even greater numbers on all motor build by reving higher example 9-10k instead of lenghtening the stroke. This ofcourse would be probably less reliable as it causes more wear but maybe longer rod ratio also could improve reliability? What about the 25m/s piston speed that should not be passed. How much does the piston speed diffrence reslly affect to the reliability? Toughts?

 

[MotorMouth93]

The most cost effective way to make power on a C30 is boost, about $10k gets you a good SC or TT setup. Figure another $10k to rebuild the motor with forged pistons if needed. Or K swap if you want big power, because then you can blow them up and replace them way cheaper. Downside is they sound gross.

If you go down the naturally aspirated path, be prepared to spend $25-30k for sub 400whp. Making a C30 breathe at high RPM is tough and it's why most stroker setups don't rev over 7000-7500, they just can't breathe and don't make power up there. Honda built the C30 for high RPM reliability though with 6 bolt mains and the rod/stroke ratio 1.95. A C30 spinning at 9000rpm still has piston speeds comparable to a K20 at 8000 and should be reasonably reliable as long as everything is built properly and the oil pump is reinforced.

 

[FFALZ]

The most cost effective way to make power on a C30 is boost, about $10k gets you a good SC or TT setup. Figure another $10k to rebuild the motor with forged pistons if needed. Or K swap if you want big power, because then you can blow them up and replace them way cheaper. Downside is they sound gross.

If you go down the naturally aspirated path, be prepared to spend $25-30k for sub 400whp. Making a C30 breathe at high RPM is tough and it's why most stroker setups don't rev over 7000-7500, they just can't breathe and don't make power up there. Honda built the C30 for high RPM reliability though with 6 bolt mains and the rod/stroke ratio 1.95. A C30 spinning at 9000rpm still has piston speeds comparable to a K20 at 8000 and should be reasonably reliable as long as everything is built properly and the oil pump is reinforced.

Didn’t NSX GT500 rev all the way 9000-10000rpm with 3.5Stroker?

 

[Honcho]

Didn’t NSX GT500 rev all the way 9000-10000rpm with 3.5Stroker?

It did, but that engine was torn down and rebuilt every season. The LeMans GT1 3.0 engine went to 10,500 and was designed to run in a 24 hour race.

 

[MotorMouth93]

Yes it did. But it also had massive headers compared to anything you can get currently.

 

[FFALZ]

Yes it did. But it also had massive headers compared to anything you can get currently.

Yea i guess the headers are crucial part of All Motor engine to get the heads flow with great scavenging

 

[stuntman]

Yea i guess the headers are crucial part of All Motor engine to get the heads flow with great scavenging

Proper sizing matters. Diameter and length of primary tubes. Bigger is not always better.

 

[MotorMouth93]

True. But my point is the headers available for the C30 are far from optimal if you're trying to make power with a stroker at 9000rpm.

 

[docjohn]

Basically an ice is a gas fired air pump. As such blowing the expelled air into the lowest resistance(backpressure) may hurt power at certain rpm..its a science of trial and error.

 

[stuntman]

True. But my point is the headers available for the C30 are far from optimal if you're trying to make power with a stroker at 9000rpm.

It's not that far off and won't be a huge choke point. Primary length tuning is key and you can choose an off the shelf header that has reasonable lengths even though they aren't optimized.

Basically an ice is a gas fired air pump. As such blowing the expelled air into the lowest resistance(backpressure) may hurt power at certain rpm..its a science of trial and error.

I prefer the science of mathematical calculations and simulations.