I am looking into racing a Formula Atlantic car either next year or the year after and the rules regarding allowable engines have changed. The most common motor is the Toyota 1600cc 4AGE motor. These are pretty expensive and need to be rebuilt after 1000 miles. A new one is about $12,000 without the ECU and harness; rebuilds are usually about $5,000-$6,000. They make 240HP at 10,200 rpm.

The rules allow a 2 liter DOHC, 4 valve motor but with some restrictions- 32mm restrictors in each intake runner and a limit of 10:1 compression. No turbos, no superchargers, fuel injected. The goal with the new rules is to try and get less expensive engines that last a lot longer. This has been successful in a lower class using the zetec motors- basically stock; they will run for 10,000 race miles. They make about 155-160 HP in the race configuration. See avatar pic.

So I'm thinking the bottom end of the SVT motor should be fine- I've seen 300HP turbo street motors live fine. With a little head and cam work, I can't see why 250 HP should be a problem. RPM is theoretically unlimited- but thats why the 32mm restrictors are in the intake. Any thoughts on this?http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww127/xracerbob/Toyota4AGE.jpg

Toyota motor:

Are you allowed variable cam timing? How about variable lift? What about engine weight and total vehicle weight restrictions? Would a heavier engine be a liability or an asset? I am sure the SVT would provide good durability for the money, but I am not sure it will be the best bet at the power level you are going to be limited to. At that power, there will be lighter, smaller engines available.

Variable cam timing I believe is permitted, variable lift, I am not sure. Weight is an issue- the car has a minimum weight that varies with engine displacement. For instance the Mazda 2.3 motor is also used, but the minimum weight for the car goes up significantly. The weight penalty for the 2 liter is far less. HP from the Mazda is about 300 but it is very reliable.

There is a 2.0 version of the Mazda 2.3 (MZR/Duratec family) that I would investigate. While the SVT engine is excellent, there is probably a lot of information from the 2.3 that you can leverage and probably get to the same place a lot cheaper. I'd ask this same question in the Duratec area of this site. Maybe not the answer you were hoping for, but why do things the hard way?

Since you have a 05 Focus, you have a passing familiarity with this engine.

Going back in time..... I know that F2Focus at one time was building Duratecs for touring cup cars averaging around 300hp and 12-13k rpms.

That may be an option for you if they are still around.

I also would look into the 2.0 duratec engine over the SVT engine

Tom

the 4AGE is a good motor for its day. A buddy of mine is in to toyota's and really into the 4AGE. As for the rebuild every 1k miles that all depends on how extreme you wanted to get. im sure you could get the 4AGE to last longer but will sacrifice some power

u should move to pr... these engines are a dime a dozen down there. i friend got one for his ae86 for about $1100, built it himself

If the limit is 2 liters, I'd avoid Ford altogether and go Honda. K20a3/4/6 specifically (because of compression limitations). But swap on an a2 head if you can.

300whp n/a is very possible with them and I have seen higher. And if weight is of concern, it's an Aluminum block/head and weighs, with trans, ~406#. The zetec crate engine is said to weigh about 370# plus about 80# for the trans.

The Honda is just easier to pull power from and there is a HUGE aftermarket for it, vs the zetec and duratec.

x2 for the honda, so many parts for them and they are so easy to work on

you said in your original post that the compression limit was 10:1. is it a problem that the SVT motor has a compress of 10.2:1? It technically goes to high. I just thought i would bring it up just in case.