Author Topic: Compression ratio question  (Read 6013 times)

Offline Supercat

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 252
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: 6.16 @ 218 1/4
  • Your Track: Bakersfield to Bowling Green to New England dragway
  • Your Vehicle: Buick powered/ 200" Fastech FED
Compression ratio question
« on: January 21, 2018, 10:52:46 AM »
What is a good compression ratio for a blown 477 cu.in. alcohol engine?

Offline GlennLever

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2010
    • View Profile
    • The Lever Family Site
  • Your Best Time: 1/4 mile 7.950 at 165 MPH
  • Your Engine: Pontiac 461 Alky Blown
  • Your Track: Empire Dragway, NY
  • Your Vehicle: Front Engine Dragster
Re: Compression ratio question
« Reply #1 on: January 21, 2018, 11:42:02 AM »
What is a good compression ratio for a blown 477 cu.in. alcohol engine?

That is a hard question and I do not profess to know the answer.

What I have heard is there are really two schools of thought.

1) keep the compression relatively low in the engine (9:1) and let the blower do all the work.
2) Let the compression be higher in the engine 11.5:1) and do not push the blower as hard.

My last engine I ran for 5 seasons with an engine that was set up al wrong for a blower (theoretically (11.5:1, long stroke, smallish piston bore) .

My new engine has less compression, shorter stroke and bigger bore.

 

Time will tell.
Glenn R. Lever
Rochester, New York 14617-2012
My Cars https://www.lever-family-racing.com/

Offline Supercat

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 252
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: 6.16 @ 218 1/4
  • Your Track: Bakersfield to Bowling Green to New England dragway
  • Your Vehicle: Buick powered/ 200" Fastech FED
Re: Compression ratio question
« Reply #2 on: January 21, 2018, 12:42:48 PM »
The new 477 is a 4.500 bore and a short 3.750 stroke.
The heads flow 500+cfm

Offline Paul New

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 743
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: 6.47 @ 214 MPH SBC
  • Your Engine: 387" SBC
  • Your Track: Woodburn Dragstrip
  • Your Vehicle: 2005 FED
Re: Compression ratio question
« Reply #3 on: January 21, 2018, 02:44:59 PM »
It all depends on your tuning window. A high compression blown engine can be finicky, go from safe tune to detonation. I have been anywhere from 10-1 all the way to 11.8-1 on my SBC’s

Offline wideopen231

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1911
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: 1/8 3.70@ 198 1/4 5.78@245
  • Your Engine: Hemi 526 ci alcohol
  • Your Track: Piedmont
  • Your Vehicle: 225 CMC FED
  • General Location: NORTH CAROLINA
Re: Compression ratio question
« Reply #4 on: January 21, 2018, 04:58:33 PM »
Lots of thing add to correct answer. Combustion chamber design,amount of boost are few of them. Our Hemi stuff ran 12 to 13:1. Agree that going on lower side helps tunning window.Plus with blower you can always up drive for more power. IMO 11 or 12 :1 works good. If small chamber heads I would probably go little less and tune to it.
Relecting obama is like shooting right foot because it did not hurt enough when you shot left foot

Offline coupemerc

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 306
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: 3.86@188 (1/8 Mile), 5.97@233 (1/4 Mile)
Re: Compression ratio question
« Reply #5 on: January 22, 2018, 04:44:20 PM »
Our TAD was a roots blown 438 CI Hemi. The most we could get out of it for compression was 11.8/1. It was hard to make any more compression than that due to the combination of the short 3.750 stroke and the piston to head clearance required. The funny car guys back then typically made more compression (around 12.2/1) because they had more stroke to help them out. They were typically 526 CI

Offline George

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 515
    • View Profile
  • Your Vehicle: 1964 Mercury Comet Super Stock/ M automatic
  • General Location: Midwest USA
Re: Compression ratio question
« Reply #6 on: January 23, 2018, 02:31:01 AM »
We are at 10.3:1 with our Iron SBC. A 4.133 X 3.48 engine. It has been plenty fast enough and very reliable.

Offline Supercat

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 252
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: 6.16 @ 218 1/4
  • Your Track: Bakersfield to Bowling Green to New England dragway
  • Your Vehicle: Buick powered/ 200" Fastech FED
Re: Compression ratio question
« Reply #7 on: January 24, 2018, 04:10:05 PM »
Thanks for the replies everyone.
We should be around 11:1 from all we are looking at.
I can put a thinner gasket in to raise things up some, if needed later.
Any ideas on a fuel pump size I have a few to chose from.

Offline Paul New

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 743
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: 6.47 @ 214 MPH SBC
  • Your Engine: 387" SBC
  • Your Track: Woodburn Dragstrip
  • Your Vehicle: 2005 FED
Re: Compression ratio question
« Reply #8 on: January 24, 2018, 06:37:29 PM »
Thanks for the replies everyone.
We should be around 11:1 from all we are looking at.
I can put a thinner gasket in to raise things up some, if needed later.
Any ideas on a fuel pump size I have a few to chose from.
What HP are you shooting for?

Offline Supercat

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 252
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: 6.16 @ 218 1/4
  • Your Track: Bakersfield to Bowling Green to New England dragway
  • Your Vehicle: Buick powered/ 200" Fastech FED
Re: Compression ratio question
« Reply #9 on: March 04, 2018, 08:36:27 AM »
We are not trying to hit a certain HP level per say.
We are trying to get the highest level of HP and back things down to a reliable amount knowing we have more if needed.
We are trying to hit 215+ mph.
That is the Buick record. We may run TD if it is allowed?
Haven't looked into if there are any FEDs running in the class in Division1 or Nationally. Anyone know of any?
We will be running the engine at 496 cu.in. with either the 671 or this F3R ProCharger under the body.
Compression ratio of about 10.75
Thanks again for the info.

Offline Paul New

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 743
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: 6.47 @ 214 MPH SBC
  • Your Engine: 387" SBC
  • Your Track: Woodburn Dragstrip
  • Your Vehicle: 2005 FED
Re: Compression ratio question
« Reply #10 on: March 04, 2018, 09:09:57 AM »
FEDS are allowed in TD just have to be self starting meaning you can’t have an external starter

Offline Supercat

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 252
    • View Profile
  • Your Best Time: 6.16 @ 218 1/4
  • Your Track: Bakersfield to Bowling Green to New England dragway
  • Your Vehicle: Buick powered/ 200" Fastech FED
Re: Compression ratio question
« Reply #11 on: March 04, 2018, 09:21:29 AM »
Thanks Paul.
We are a self start. 16v system , spin it up and hit the Mag.