Comments on: Which Will Be The Engine Of Choice?

By: The Speedgeek

The Speedgeek — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 15:52:49 +0000

Not gonna get all nerdy here, but there are differences between the twin turbo setup (that Chevy and Lotus have) and a single turbo setup (that Honda is using) that should make for one engine or the other being better on certain tracks. Namely, the Chevy and Lotus will be using smaller turbos (in that there’s one for each bank of cylinders), which will spin up faster and provide power quicker than a single turbo (this is speaking generally…maybe Honda will be just as good, but I haven’t seen the dyno sheets to know). Earlier power delivery should provide better low end acceleration, better driveability and probably faster laptimes on road and street courses and maybe small ovals. On the other side of the equation, a single large turbo is more efficient (again, not to get nerdy here, and I sort of forget some of my engine design learnin’ that I did years ago, so I may be a little off, but bear with me), in that there is more volume inside the turbo that is not directly adjacent to the wall of the turbo (think of this as having a small, two room apartment versus an equal square-footage but single room apartment, and think about which feels roomier). The end result is that the large single turbo is better at high speeds once the turbo is spun up to peak RPM, which we’ll certainly see at Indy and Fontana.

Of course, all of this is one of those “all other things being equal” deals, which they aren’t, and one engine could just be all around better than the others. We’ll just have to wait and see.

By: Savage Henry

Savage Henry — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:17:04 +0000

Belle Isle is a nice place to watch a race. The road and street courses are always fun live. It’s just bad on TV. The course is narrow and bumpy and there’s nowhere to pass. As a result, the races have been processions.

By: steve

steve — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:13:22 +0000

Let us not forget that the weight issues of the engines were established in the rules before the design process started. Lotus receiving a advantage and added weight because their engine was light was intentional. Lotus did this so the weight could be moved around, and that is why they went light and adding weight is fair and Lotus can determine where thay put it.Point is that people think that Lotus by building a light engine are now having a penalty and forced to add weight. Lotus loves the penalty mainly because thay can put weight where thay want it, not justn on the centerline of the engine.This could help them in handling performance.

By: Mike R

Mike R — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:01:37 +0000

If Lotus has good results it will more than likely be at the hands of Oriol Servia in the DRR car. Simona could do well too, but it seems she’s (again) strapped to an inherent handicap between the team and now the engine.

I’m looking for Honda to surprise everyone with their competitiveness with the Chevy-Ilmor.

By: billytheskink

billytheskink — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:11:23 +0000

It should be noted that Ilmor/Mercedes-Benz was phenomenal in 1997, winning the CART manufacturer’s championship with 9 race victories to Honda’s 6 and Ford-Cosworth’s 2. They were never close to that again, though, winning just 3 Moore races.

My pick is Chevy and that is a complete guess. I don’t see either Penske or Ganassi going winless, so I imagine something like 2005 (where Chip and Rog wrung 4 wins out of their Toyotas) is a worse-case scenario for 2012.
I will also be very surprised if engine reliability is not a big factor at Indy this year. Could give us a real surprise winner.

By: Steve K

Steve K — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:20:17 +0000

…and all of this Belle Isle bashing is making me nervous. I temporarily live in Michigan for grad school and already have tickets. The only thing I recall about Belle Isle is Helio’s famous block on J Will. Should I book a hotel and enjoy a case?

By: Steve K

Steve K — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:16:22 +0000

I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss Lotus. The lower weight is a huge advantage because they get to pick where they put the added weight to make up the difference (low). The car in theory should handle better. What I do not like about Lotus is the anchor teams are with the other two. Having Ganassi or Penske help develop your engines is a huge advantage.

By: Savage Henry

Savage Henry — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:11:16 +0000

I’m hoping that one engine is fast but of questionable reliability (my vote is Chevy) and another is a bit slower but rock-solid (I say Honda here). I hope that during the season Lotus catches up and is competitive toward the end of the year.

Like many have already stated, I don’t think an engine blowing up here or there is necessarily a bad thing (as long as it doesn’t happen so often it becomes an embarrassment). It will add a lot of interest to some of the traditionally less exciting races (ahem, looking at you Belle Isle) if you don’t know if the leader is going to make it to the end.

By: JohnMc

JohnMc — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:48:44 +0000

I will train my “expert eye” on Chevrolet because Ilmor can build an INDYCAR engine, but the main reason is that “the Captain always has a chair when the music stops.” With that said, I have long been a fan of Honda and have owned several and would be interested in driving another. I currently drive a Ford and I find that after 200K miles the ol’ Explorer is still reliable. It is also paid for!

By: Kent Mueller

Kent Mueller — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 12:35:53 +0000

Chevy has to be the main choice because they have a better group of drivers (Penske, Andretti and KV). Honda will be very competitive and Lotus, I see as a sneaker for some wins maybe a Simona de Silvestro at China or something like that.