Best in Class Engines [I4, 1982] [REVIEWS]

Community Challenges & Competitions
1

[color=#FF8000][size=150]Best in Class Engines - Medium Inline 4, 1982[/size][/color]

After a few overall design challenges, it’s time to put a little twist on things. That being a series of “Best in Class” engines. Sure, your manufacturer may or may not have the best car. But can it build one of the best engines?

And how do you determine the “best” engine anyway, with so many ways to build them, and with the variety of needs amongst consumers? Well, one size doesn’t fit all. That’s why there will be THREE different ways to win: Best economy-style engine, best balanced engine, and best sporty engine.

Your economy engines are going to be cheap to build and maintain, have good bench economy, and be generally reliable. Overly powerful engines won’t be considered for this, but don’t skimp out too much; remember that the motor won’t be strapped to a bench forever, it still has to move a car.

Sporty engines, clearly, are going to be powerful, with less regard for cost, maintenance, or economy. But don’t go too nuts; if your engine is insanely expensive, it will limit its appeal in the marketplace.

Balanced engines are exactly what they sound like: a balance between the two extremes.

THERE WILL BE A LIMIT OF 10 ENGINES IN EACH CATEGORY. IF YOU WANT TO COMPETE IN A SPECIFIC CATEGORY, ACT FAST BEFORE ALL THE SLOTS ARE GONE!

As always, beyond bragging rights, the winners in each category will be written up in a magazine-style review. If I receive 30 valid entries, I will write up the top 2 in each category head-to-head, as well as select an OVERALL “Engine of the Year”. (Please note - because the 3 different types of engines are scored on different scales, the Engine of the Year will be a subjective choice. It will be the engine from the winners that wows me the most.)

[color=#40FFFF][size=120]RULES AND GUIDELINES:[/size][/color]
Year: 1982
Configuration: Inline-4 only
Valvetrain: May NOT use 5-valve DOHC. All else is fair.
Displacement range: 1600cc to 1949cc
Fuel: Regular Unleaded Only
Exhaust: Must have a catalytic converter and at least one baffled or reverse flow muffler(s). No long or racing headers. (read as: street legal)
Category: Each contestant may choose ONE category to submit/compete in: Economy, Balanced, Sporty

Everything else is fair game! No limits on material cost, production units, or quality sliders. Just remember: material cost and production units are both factors, so if they get out of control, your engine’s score will plummet!

[color=#40FFFF][size=120]SCORE WEIGHTING:[/size][/color]

A new calculation scoresheet has been created for this competition, and it has different values based on what type of engine is being created.

Economy: Favors low maintenance cost, low material cost, low production units, high efficiency. Lower emphasis on smoothness, responsiveness, power and torque.
Balanced: Nearly completely even weight on all stats.
Sporty: Favors power and torque, responsiveness, performance index. Lower emphasis on economy, smoothness, maintenance cost.

.ZIP the 2 LUAS and send them to me. Naming format must be as follows:

82BestI4-(name)-Engines-Families, 82BestI4-(name)-Engines-Variants
Also, please send your company, engine series and model names in the PM with it, as well as nationality. Also please clarify which category you are aiming for: Economy, Balanced, Sporty

Examples: 82BestI4-VicVictory-Engines-Families, 82BestI4-VicVictory-Engines-Variants
Company/Country: Ardent Motors / USA
Engine Series: Cygnus Sparrow (Phase 1)
Engine Model: CE4-B
Category: Economy

Attached is an example of how to PROPERLY name files in-game (don’t modify the names in Windows!!!):

ENTRIES WITHOUT A COMPANY AND MODEL NAME WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED, AS PART OF THE PRIZE FOR WINNING IS BEING WRITTEN UP IN A REVIEW

REJECTED ENTRIES MAY BE REVISED ONCE IN ORDER TO CORRECT THE REASON FOR REJECTION. PENDING OR ACCEPTED ENTRIES MAY NOT BE REVISED.

[color=#FF0000][size=110]ENTRY DEADLINE: TUESDAY JUNE 23, 5PM PDT (UTC-7), OR UNTIL 30 VALID ENTRIES EXCLUDING BENCHMARK HAVE BEEN RECEIVED, WHICHEVER COMES FIRST[/size][/color]

[color=#FF8000][size=120]Pending Entries:[/size][/color]

[color=#FF8000][size=120]Accepted Entries:[/size][/color]
Economy - NiuYorqCiti - Ponni Motor Corporation (POMOCO) - WorkMoke WM4-4 - USA
Economy - NormanVauxhall - Žnoprešk Avto - ZL4.4-1611 16Eco - Italy
Economy - Lordred - LHE - X4 M82-E63 - USA
Economy - trackpaduser - Northern Motor Company - Push-button 4R65 - Canada
Economy - TheColoredCow - Rolev Automotive - R16/82 16vE - Sweden
Economy - harizvet1 - Infinity Motor - P-series 1P-FD - UK
Economy - 8bs - Fuentes Motors - 82L4-83 - Portugal
Economy - Urbanliner - Daiki Automotive - 4EE SO-20FCN - Japan
Economy -
Economy -
Balanced - Tycondero - Astana - Panther IN4 1.8L Standard - Netherlands
Balanced - oppositelock - GSI - Tsunami 4D16T - USA
Balanced - conan - SOFA - Económico Impulsar 1900 - Spain
Balanced - Chipskate - Toyoko Cars - TC4 S418i - Japan
Balanced - EnryGT5 - Seishido Motors - QGM16II 180SN1 - Japan
Balanced - carskick - Kirk Automotive - 4A-Type 4A4B-T - USA
Balanced - Nirat - K’s Works - IL4C-18te - Thailand
Balanced -
Balanced -
Balanced -
Sporty - Packbat - PAW - Sprite LS Turbo - USA
Sporty - HighOctaneLove - Bogliq Automotive - Beta 4 4B16E - Moldova
Sporty - Leonardo9613 - Baltazar Automóveis - Ekranoplan BOOSCHT - Brazil
Sporty - strop - Armada Motors - Fore GTi Turbo - UK
Sporty -
Sporty -
Sporty -
Sporty -
Sporty -
Sporty -
(Benchmark only) - Economy - Ardent Cygnus Sparrow (Ph1) CE4-B, USA

[color=#FF8000][size=120]Rejected Entries:[/size][/color]

2

interesting… shame I will have to destroke one of my engines to make it fit

3

Just for clarity: turbochargers are allowed?

4

And am I correct in presuming that, even if one was entering the sporty segment, costs are still relevant so don’t go too crazy on the tech sliders?

5

I am SO entering the LHE X4-M series engine for the economy side of this.

6

Perhaps this is obvious to everybody else, but it isn’t to me. If we use YOUR naming format, we will overwrite any engines we create in the other two classes? Does this mean we can only enter one engine, or we do not get to decide which category we are entering? Shouldn’t the category also be included in the naming format to differentiate the engines from one another?

EDIT: Category: Each contestant may choose ONE category to submit/compete in: Economy, Balanced, Sporty

I don’t know how I missed this. Never mind.

7

It looks like it’s one category per entrant - but yeah, including the category in the naming convention would seem to be a good idea to me. Maybe just one letter - E, B, or S?

8

And… Sent.

9

Please allow me to answer these questions:

With this excerpt:

10

Will consider for future contests, but I feel the convention is fine for its current purpose.

11

In that case, I wonder how stupidly expensive some of the sport entries will be :laughing:

12

I have no idea what will be considered “good”, so I just role-played it: I figure Packbat Auto Works tried reworking their 1.6L Sprite inline-four (previously used in the Murina XC hatchback and Plecotus RC sedan) in 1982 to make a long-stroked 1.8L version, in both standard and turbo variants - and after I built those, I liked the turbo better, so I submitted that in the Sporty category.

13

Looks like those Economy spots are filling up pretty quickly!

14

If the standard Sprite economy engine wasn’t 1598 cc, I probably would have entered that category as well - but it wouldn’t make sense for PAW to make the engine larger unless they wanted to get more power out of it. So, well, power it is.

(…given that the original Sprite engine only produced 67-70 hp in 1980, I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that the LS Turbo makes more.)

15

A suggestion for the future competition (naming convention).
I have a long name… so writing 82BEST-NormanVauxhall-Engine-Fam… i can’t see anymore… no space available.

Why don’t crumple the Car-Model / Car-Trim / Engine-Families / Engine-Variants in CM CT EF EV ? (again, not for this competition, but for the future).

16

Given the way the names work in the files on the hard disc, [edit: when I run a competition,] I will probably be using a convention like

Car Model: [contest]-[entrant]-Car
Car Trim: [unrestricted, not blank]
Engine Family: [contest]-[entrant]-Engine
Engine Variant: [unrestricted, not blank]

because the Trim and Variant files have the names of the Model and Family (respectively) already in the filename.

17

Since it fits in the regulations, Seishido Motors is just going to send an updated version of the '78 Achernar 1.8 PS engine, now making at least 10hp more and giving you extra MPG’s. It’s going in the Balanced category, even though it’s a bit sportier than average, because Seishido.

18

Interesting, and a little bit of a surprise to me. After 24 hour we have:

2-3 Economy slots left
4-5 Balanced slots left
and 9 Sporty slots left.

Where are my Sporty pals at? Daddy needs some DCOEs! :smiley:

19

Loving the wide variety of countries represented, though! Very international competition. :slight_smile:

20

Suggestion for future best-engine competitions: score the engines on their weight, too. For sports cars particularly, aluminium might be worthwhile just to improve the weight balance of the car.