Prototype Racing Honda engine update

The Oily Bits S1 Specific Topics
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http://www.prototyperacing.com/k20kit.htm

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Looks amazing! 240 bhp in standard trim sounds ideal!

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Yes, it does. Im probably going to do it, beginning to get tired of driving around with a tuned Rover engine and all of its problems. And with the honda engine you get much better performance and its probably a lot better for everyday use as well.

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Hi,I’m new to lotus, looking at getting exige most likely. I’m wondering what the best package is for up to 40k though. I want a reliable trackday / everyday beast.This honda looks like the best power / reliability package. I’m not convinced about the TT hassles from all I’ve heard. A standard or mildly tweeked 190 / 200 naturally aspirated k series looks like the sensible limit (from what I’ve heard).What problems have you had with your engine? Whats the spec of yours too?

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Let’s face it, it would be foolish to expect a Rover engine tuned to 190 hp or more, NA or blown, to last. The engine is designed for 120hp. I wouldn’t mind if someone can prove me wrong, but so-far i’ve only heard horror stories… Even the VHPD won’t last and be 100% reliable, i’m sure.

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quote:Originally posted by PeeJay:Let’s face it, it would be foolish to expect a Rover engine tuned to 190 hp or more, NA or blown, to last. The engine is designed for 120hp. I wouldn’t mind if someone can prove me wrong, but so-far i’ve only heard horror stories… Even the VHPD won’t last and be 100% reliable, i’m sure.Hope I’m not tempting fate (but no doubt, I am), but my car has done just under 21K miles since Jan 01. This includes 2 round trips from Bolton to Le Mans, & 16 track days. So far, the only problems have been the fabled occasional misfire, plus 2 broken aircon pipes. Okay, I’ve got through a fair number of tyres, 1 cpmplete set of brake pads, & 7 oil/filter changes, but I reckon the car, & the engine in particular, has stood up exceptionally well to a rather hard life! I also try not to bounce it off the rev limiter.On the other hand, you may argue that I drive it like a wuss [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif[/image]

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LOL - i wouldn’t dare to suggest anything like that, Pesky! So what enginemods do you have?PJ

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quote:Originally posted by Pesky:I also try not to bounce it off the rev limiter.That’s where all the power is!BTW Pesky, was that you I saw with an AA man in your engine bay?! [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif[/image]Hey Peejay, just out of interest, do you know of anybody who’s done your eng swap in the UK/Europe? If not how much to ship a car both ways?Ian [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/smile.gif[/image]

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quote:Originally posted by IDG: That’s where all the power is!BTW Pesky, was that you I saw with an AA man in your engine bay?! [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif[/image]Oi, IDG, I only said “try not to”!!! [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/grin.gif[/image]Also, please stop playing at “Mystic Meg”, my car’s running fine thank you very much [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif[/image]

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quote:Originally posted by PeeJay:So what enginemods do you have?Hi PJJust the Lotus 190 upgrade - I’ve decided that any futher mods (throttle bodies/cams etc) will have to wait until/if the engine needs a re-build. Well to be perfectly honest, my finances have decided it for me [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/frown.gif[/image]

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quote:Originally posted by Pesky:…my finances have decided it for me [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/frown.gif[/image]Too many holidays! [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif[/image] (just jealous!)

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Pesky;Engine re-build? What’s that? [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif[/image] I’ve seen 200 hp VTEC engines go for 200000kms of hard use, without using a drop of oil. Now THAT’s reliablility for ya…Ian;No, this engine swap hasn’t been done before anywhere. At least as far as i know. In September i’ll be visiting Prototype Racing to testdrive their Exige and to become an expert on the conversion. When i return i’ll be doing the conversion on my own car. No need to ship your car to LA and back, i should be able to do the conversion for you in Amsterdam.PJ

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Excellent Engine. I’d just like to say Hi all. I own a dc5 Integra over here in New Zealand. Heres my page http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/~evo7/ .The engine is excellent, it screams. I will be shifting to the UK (Bromley by Bow, London) on the 30th of this month, and would like to buy either an exige (orange color) or a civic Type R.So, hello, ask me questions, and I’ll see ya’ll round [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/smile.gif[/image]

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Hi Mac! Welcome! You know what i’m about to say, right?.. Get the best of both worlds… If you can afford it, go for an Exige with an S2000 engine! Nothin can beat that - not even the TT charger. Promise!

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Honda engine is pretty good and will make an awesome upgrade but you need to be careful as the cooling system will become very marginal to say the least. Ideally you really need to upgrade the cooling system at the same time i.e. larger rad, coolant pipes etc. The VHPD engine does suffer from reliability problems as it was originally designed as a 1.4L and is already seriously compromised as a 1.8L before it is tuned. Altough saying that they do last longer than you would expect but we are not talking 100k miles between rebuilds! The K series killer is revs! Anything above 7000rpm is bad news particularly for the head gasket/ liner joint. I’ve had dealings with a couple of blown versions, including a supercharged Exige and think this is probably the way to go as you can keep the revs down.

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Thanks all. Seems the exige have a little reliability problem, and cooling is also a good point. Thou I think if one was to chop up the car to shoe-horn and s2k engine in, then chopping it up to beef up cooling would be high on the list also.Thanks for the pointers - ps: anyone work for lotus IT here? I need a job to get sorted! [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/smile.gif[/image] [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/smile.gif[/image]

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quote:Originally posted by pablo:Honda engine is pretty good and will make an awesome upgrade but you need to be careful as the cooling system will become very marginal to say the least.Interesting that you say that because the Elise is usually considered to be over-cooled and the radiator to be over-sized for the engine.Even the race versions don’t use bigger radiators. They just swap the standard ones with the plastic end tanks for full metal ones to avoid leaking/cracking problems. I think they even keep the T-stat installed because it runs too cold when it’s removed.Does the honda engine put out so much more heat than a 200HP K-series? Or is it more of a heat problem when running slower? (aka. needs bigger fan for the rad?)BTW… Changing the coolant pipes that run through the chassis extrusions is not a trivial job! (I’d say it’s bl**dy hard…)Bye, Arno.

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No the K20a engines don’t put out too much heat - mind you I have added a cold air intaje which has opened up a big void in the engine bay allowing cool air into and around the engine…They are a good strong engine. No problems sofar…

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The Elise/ Exige cooling system is a lot more marginal than you would think. The race cars radiators were all aluminium and had an extra core and revised airflow through them, (also no heater). The reason for keeping the thermostat is that if you remove it the coolant no longer flows through the radiator but simply bypasses it and flows around the engine/ heater only! You wouldn’t believe how many people get caught out by that one![This message has been edited by pablo (edited 16 September 2002).]

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They have testet the Exige with the Honda K20A engine. Looks promising, hope we can se the S2000 engine soon… [image]http://www.exiges.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif[/image] http://www.prototyperacing.com/k20kit.htm [This message has been edited by Jeppe (edited 05 October 2002).]