Why did F1 engines rev to 18,000rpm? #shorts

Think you fully understand the high-performance combustion engine? This tech-heavy episode with Ilmor's DeWayne Logan might fill in a few knowledge gaps you never even knew you had.

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DeWayne is a calibration and mechanical development engineer for Ilmor, based out of Michigan in the United States. The company has been in the high-performance engine game for a long time now, having supplied engines for the Formula One, NASCAR, and Indycar series.

In this conversation, DeWayne and Tuned In host Andre Simon wade deep into the weeds of high-end race engine development, touching on many different aspects that go into creating something like Ilmor’s 700+hp, 2.2-litre, twin-turbo Indycar V6. Sure, that power figure’s not anything we haven’t seen before, but keep in mind that these engines need to produce that power reliably for hours on end at wide-open throttle in a race situation, and do it for far longer in testing.

DeWayne spends time really breaking down some of the key considerations of engine operation and development, like the relationship between compression ratio, fuel octane, and boost pressure, as well as how to go about selecting the correct compression ratio for a given engine.

Knock, detonation, pre-ignition, and super knock are also broken down and explained, allowing us to fully understand exactly what these conditions are and how they affect the operation of our engine and its durability.

There’s a whole lot of high-protein engine development knowledge to chew on in this episode!

#highperformanceacademy #f1 #formula1 #ilmor #indycar #engines #nascar #build #engineer

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Ok F1 spec is out of reach for most of us but we can make an engine that normally doesn't like 7k+ spin faster with a few easy mods and make our high cylinder pressure later in the rev range than we typically do.
25 to 30 psi @ 4500-5500 can easily be moved along to 30-40psi @6500-7500 with a shortened stroke coupled to a close ratio transmission and a bit of driver behaviour adjustment right?

[bmxriderforlife]

And this is a big reason why i have a few engine build plans but one in particular set up the way i do.

K48 is the peak. 4.2L 87.5mm bore and stroke. Ti rods. Light pistons but strong and kinda overbuilt but also set up for reduced friction and side load.

Twincharged. 2 supers roots so fsr but looking at twinscrew options. 2 turbos. Series compound boost. But modern superchargers have built in bypass valve set ups that are lighter and should work for free spinning mode in a more oem style set up for lower boost levels.

Oversized under driven superchargers. Turbos maybe a tad big but for the peak flow. Aim for the theoretical 90 maybe 91 or 92 percsnt effiency on the superside. And fsncy modern turbos properly sized to hit that like 95 or a bit better effiency. Combined effiency like between the 2 but also many other benefits besides faster tuebo spool and no lag feel.

Engine is hot vee which also helps. But 2 stages of water to air intercooling packaged tightly using ac assistance. Bettwr scavenging and exhaust gasses effiency losses. Lower combustion Temps and other benefits.

Toraue curve is gonna be silly flat and feel NA but also like a supercharged and a turbo charged engine. Powerband is gonna be super wide. Still climbing but like torque curve can peak an earlier peak hold and then dip a bit but mostly sustain but revs really climb.

Keep ot controllable and higher rpm.peak hp peak torque more where you want it. And usable torque everywhere and good hp everywhere.

1000rpm idle. Vtec so variable cams. But tuned to 5000rpm sections of the powerband. Boost tuned to rpms and gear.

Wont be maxed out anywhere and nicely balanced everywhere. Meaning easy to turn power up. And keep it controlled and smooth delivery.

Low boost might use the bypass. Higher boost compound boost. And sorta use the combined system to help feed high rpms. And low rpms while keeping in kinda wide mid focused but assisted to become power everywhere. But also control the low tune torque snd hp curves. Wastegates are just gonna be controlled boost leaks for lower tunes.

Might also go clutch. But prefer the idea of the supercharger integrated bypass valve system especially if i can figure out a way to control it and give it good modulation. Less complex and alresdy used in super only applications. Hopefully still allows me to use the second stage of intercooling. And means less duty cycles on the wastegates.

But want more low end. Let the map build more boost at whatever rpm you want it at. Want more aggressive response. Tune the boost map to allow more boost faster. Want more of a kick. Easy many options. Want it smoother tune the boost maps and a few other fsctors.

Want more on the maximum boost. Gonna leave room for ar housing swaps for future proofing. But can also give up a bit of effiency with a swap of the superchargers pulley.

Crank is gonna probably be the weak point. But redline is gonna be shoet bursts only. And gearbox is getting 7speeds geared tall and close ratios and redline at 7th above tsrget top speed by a good margin.

But hot vee plus vtec and variable timings. And twincharged. And the goals of fairly little boost needed at each stage but potentially peak boost needed and effiency. Turbos are gonna end up bigger then expected. And flatplane crank helps scavenging. Might have more future proofing room then expected.

If i can pull off twinscrew superchargers. And i go fancy on the turbos it should also help effiency. And turbo side spool speed. Variable geometry for example. And lighten up some of the other parts to improve spool and improved thermal dynamics. But i can probably set it up to make peak boost super esly and just let it scream. Going for more slightly oversized extra potential but higher end then most systems and sized more for effiency and my goal of it feeling NA but wider powerband and better since early torque like a super and high rpm like peak power feel of a turbo with near oem or beyter then oem effiency pf the system.

With combined improvements to the engine effiency itself. But a super efficient boost system. And trying to achieve a split difference equal to race engines in the 40 percent range. But faily capable at race level hp and performance. Albeit expense conplexity size and weight. Albeit k48 is light so might end up weight wise not horrid. But packaging horrific.

Big difference to drivability in a really high hp engine on the street. Keep the powerband wide and torque curve flat or relatively flat or flat rising or slowly tapering off and higher rpm peak hp. In theory if you can add another gear or more gears you can easier control it as long as the throttle response is tuned properly.

Already prepped for a bit of additional revs thougg beyond the 10k. Not much but some. Already prepped for more boost anywhere in the rpm range and full on compound boost for max tune. And ways to push each stage a bit for more. With all the spool faster tricks engine side you can do. And planning as many turbo side as possible with technology.

But 8 into 1 hotvee exhaust manifold. Straight into a Y set up and mirrored turbos with intake sides being pulled by a supercharger on each side. On a flatplane crank. With the twincharger thermal dynamics exhaust scavenging benefits exacerbated and contained with ceramic coated exhaust buts. And still reasonable combustion temps just ac assisted sub ambient intake temps even after charging. Super intake side always gonna be hot dense cold pressured air exhaust is always gonna be less dense hot air with decently free flow for a turbo set up. Controlled overlap is the exhaust scavenging benefit of you keep pressure differences and temperature differences in the right spots albeit with a decent bit of wiggle room. Plus thermal dynamis hot air rises already helps with the hot vee.

[tinolino]

Nobody needs torque! Use the gearbox 🤣

[Themayseffect]

Every single time you hear people talk about high revving motors, never not never do these experts mention anything about stroke and always talk about valvetrain as if that's literally the only factor, and it isn't. The F1 cars that revved to 18k+ rpm all had extremely short strokes (around 50mm or less) this is why they have no torque.