I am at an engineering school right now and so I have access to all kinds of analysis and CAD software. So I have this overwhelming urge to design and one day build my own car (something along the Radical lines but homebuilt and cheaper). I want this car to be road legal and really fast. My first problem is I can't decide what engine to use. I was thinking either a motorcycle engine or a Honda D16. Any thoughts?
n/a rotary
DOHC Lincolm Mark VIII engine with a Tremec T56 for FR Audi 4.2L V8 for a proper MR setup
Every engine has been considered for a Locost at some point :) It ends up being a game to see who can suggest the most oddball of the bunch :)
The first choice you have to make is bike or car. They each have their advantages and disadvantages. Start by listing your priorities - torque vs weight, sequential 'box vs reverse gear, etc.
Join the Locost North America group on Yahoo. Someone has debated pretty much every possible setup over there at one time or another.
Then go to archive.grassrootsmotorsports.com and search for locost. You'd be amazed some of the ideas that came up at the time.
As for your two suggestions, I'll throw my .02 in . The bike engines have been done, and they produce a very fast, very light car. The downside is that they have little torque and have to be beaten on to move quickly (not that that's automatically a bad thing) and it takes some engineering to add reverse. Also, generally they wind up being RHD due to packaging issues. In all, it winds up being a pain in the butt to drive everyday.
As for a D16, all I can say is why? It's an economy car motor. If you're going with a MR setup , it makes a little sense, but then why not a B16? If you want a FR setup, then it's way more trouble that it's worth.
I vote for my first love, the rotary. 
I always thought the Suzuki Swift DOHC motor would make a good Locost power unit; use the Sidekick/Tracker bellhousing to make it RWD friendly.
I have to say that if I built another, it would probably have a bike engine. My car sees far more track time than I ever expected.
Is there an engine with which you have significant experience or for which you have particular fondness?
If not, look for one that is already common in the application and is simple to design around, install, upgrade, and maintain. That makes it easier to get info and suggestions from those who have been there before.
That, or go for it and invent your own wheel.
LSx
Keith wrote: It ends up being a game to see who can suggest the most oddball of the bunch :)
Cummins Inline 6
Jensenman wrote: I always thought the Suzuki Swift DOHC motor would make a good Locost power unit; use the Sidekick/Tracker bellhousing to make it RWD friendly.
I picked one of those up last weekend, uses the Samurai transmission instead of the sidekick one, which is fine because it's smaller and lighter.
This weekend I picked up an odd-ball I plan on giving a shot in a Locose, a BMW K100 engine/trans Being shaft drive, and shaft drive on the right hand side, it should make for a good LHD bike-engined machine. Best of all someone already makes a turbo kit for it....
keith said:I have to say that if I built another, it would probably have a bike engine. My car sees far more track time than I ever expected.
Honestly, 7s are so rough-edged that few owners really pack on the miles. I felt that mine did two things incredibly well - go fast, and attract attention. The attention gets old after a while, and you end up preferring to be incognito (especially to the man.)
That leaves going fast - but public roads have limits, which a 7 will break in an instant, so you're left with tracks. Which is a long-winded way of saying that bike engines might be worth considering. Once the novelty wears off, most 7 owners will admit that for cruising, you're better off with a Miata.
I don't tend to do much driving for fun on the street, so most of the time I'm driving the pickup and hauling stuff around. And I'm doing a lot more track work than I did when I started with the car - I used to do 3 track days a year, and I did that many in August this year :)
Who makes the V8 that's basically two Hayabusa motors lashed together? One of those. Problem solved.
Hell, you're an engineer, build your own V8 'busa.
oldopelguy wrote: This weekend I picked up an odd-ball I plan on giving a shot in a Locose, a BMW K100 engine/trans Being shaft drive, and shaft drive on the right hand side, it should make for a good LHD bike-engined machine. Best of all someone already makes a turbo kit for it....
Aw, man, you beat me to it. That was my plan for a bike-engined car. 4-cylinder longitudinal layout and a really low center of gravity, too.
I am aiming for lightweight and cheap. Around 1000lbs and 150-175bhp. I said the D16 because it is way cheaper then the B16, will easily reach my target power and is lighter then the B16. I like bike engines but I don't like the lack of reverse.
alex wrote: Who makes the V8 that's basically two Hayabusa motors lashed together? One of those. Problem solved. Hell, you're an engineer, build your own V8 'busa.
Radical builds the V8 'busa but I am doing this with limited fabrication tools available so that is a bit out of my reach.
Hartley makes a busa v8
kreb wrote:keith said:I have to say that if I built another, it would probably have a bike engine. My car sees far more track time than I ever expected.Honestly, 7s are so rough-edged that few owners really pack on the miles. I felt that mine did two things incredibly well - go fast, and attract attention. The attention gets old after a while, and you end up preferring to be incognito (especially to the man.) That leaves going fast - but public roads have limits, which a 7 will break in an instant, so you're left with tracks. Which is a long-winded way of saying that bike engines might be worth considering. Once the novelty wears off, most 7 owners will admit that for cruising, you're better off with a Miata.
Depends. I have 28+ K on my 7 :)
m
mtn wrote:Keith wrote: It ends up being a game to see who can suggest the most oddball of the bunch :)Cummins Inline 6
Now your just being silly.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-lRXRLWVRg&feature=related
Jag straight 6. I love the way they look after being cleaned up a bit. Old Skooly. Probably weigh a ton though.
96DXCivic wrote: I am aiming for lightweight and cheap. Around 1000lbs and 150-175bhp. I said the D16 because it is way cheaper then the B16, will easily reach my target power and is lighter then the B16. I like bike engines but I don't like the lack of reverse.
I vote for the D.
Goldwing flat 6? Any change on getting it to rev higher?
m4ff3w wrote: Goldwing flat 6? Any change on getting it to rev higher?
a little biased and it's not a bike engine but it's made by yamaha either the 3.0, 3.2 v6 or the 3.4 v8 SHO motors
The SHO V6s are so increadibly heavy though. I had a 90 and loved the engine, but dang is that thing heavy.
The 3.4l V8 I'd suspect is quite a bit lighter than the V6.
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