Tuning engine swaps??

[dazcivic]

With all that you said being correct, i still think an engine capable of producing 300 bhp would be a wrong choice for a cento

if a micra can take 600bhp through the front wheels im sure theres someway to make a cento handle 300bhp
and besides im not going to be takinf my kids to school in it its just gona be a toy and if i can get it to corner then good but if i cant then i will concentrate on drag alone, thats assuming of course taht i can get the engine in there in the first place

 

[StoneNewt]

With all that you said being correct, i still think an engine capable of producing 300 bhp would be a wrong choice for a cento

Though I'd the look on the guy in a 911 that still has you prominently in his rear view mirror would be fairly priceless.

if a micra can take 600bhp through the front wheels im sure theres someway to make a cento handle 300bhp
and besides im not going to be takinf my kids to school in it its just gona be a toy and if i can get it to corner then good but if i cant then i will concentrate on drag alone, thats assuming of course taht i can get the engine in there in the first place

Odd you should say that, my turbo is a revvy engine with good but not great torque down low & the engine at least is very drivable on an A to B basis.

If you're looking to keep a 300bhp/ton car honest you'll want around 200 to 250bhp which should be possible with a 1.4 16v but you'll need to make sure you don't end up with silly amounts of torque at the bottom end of the rev-range. The thing is you can make a cento go round corners reasonably well but if you push to much torque out then you'll just end up hitting random handling issues & a generally uncertain front when trying to flow.

 

[fingers99]

Oddly, I'm planning a Cento with up to 700bhp. But the engine will be in the back...........

 

[allanhelen]

mine has got bags of low down torque and so far has stripped two driveshafts ruined a set of front tyres in less than 4K miles and it is undrivable at over 0.6 bar of boost in the wet and even then will light up the wheels in all gears.

If you want more good luck, but personally i'd pick a more capable car that is a better starting point

 

[StoneNewt]

mine has got bags of low down torque and so far has stripped two driveshafts ruined a set of front tyres in less than 4K miles and it is undrivable at over 0.6 bar of boost in the wet and even then will light up the wheels in all gears.

If you want more good luck, but personally i'd pick a more capable car that is a better starting point

Yeah but you've not got an LSD which isn't helping matters at all. I'm making more torque & a lot more power but am making it further up the rev range. The car can be dealt with in the wet at 18psi boost without real issues... in fact in snow the turbo was easier to handle than the N/A

I've not had driveshaft problems but it eats tyres in less that 3k, clutches every 8k & CV joints around the 20k/35k marker... turbo centos aren't cheap toys!

 

[allanhelen]

Yeah but you've not got an LSD which isn't helping matters at all. I'm making more torque & a lot more power but am making it further up the rev range. The car can be dealt with in the wet at 18psi boost without real issues... in fact in snow the turbo was easier to handle than the N/A

I've not had driveshaft problems but it eats tyres in less that 3k, clutches every 8k & CV joints around the 20k/35k marker... turbo centos aren't cheap toys!

It soon will have an LSD although once it's fitted though i'll be selling up and getting something more reliable and civalised like a TVR or man eating tiger

My peak torque is around 3K rpm which is great for daily driving

but I stand by what i said there are other cars that are a better starting point for a silly power monster

 

[StoneNewt]

My peak torque is around 3K rpm which is great for daily driving

Oddly enough with the P75 manifold I had peek torque, or near as damn it, at 2900 to 3600 rpm & it was a pig to drive on a daily basis. Now I sit ar 90-100lbft/2300-2600 rpm mark for daily driving duties with a progressive build up to peek torque just passed 4500 rpm making it very easy to access the power when I really need it.

 

[Renrut]

if a micra can take 600bhp through the front wheels im sure theres someway to make a cento handle 300bhp
and besides im not going to be takinf my kids to school in it its just gona be a toy and if i can get it to corner then good but if i cant then i will concentrate on drag alone, thats assuming of course taht i can get the engine in there in the first place

I think its fairly safe to assume that 600bhp micra probably doesnt handle too well unless its using GTi-R running gear and is likely a 1/4 mile or dyno queen. If its a K11 micra it'll have a longer wheelbase and be wider than a cento so would naturally have an advantage at putting the power down.

That said anything is possible and sub 10s fwd cars are quite possible but almost always have a long wheelbase. If you widened the cento's front track you might get some more mileage out of it, and sticky tyres. You'd probably have to have ridiculously hard rear suspension and engine mounts to ensure minimal weight transfer.

Also check out the weight difference between the original 1108 engine and the Honda engine, including gearboxes, wet weights too if you can find them as the Honda engine and box probably have far more oil in them. The extra weight will almost enitrely be in front of the front wheels so handling will suffer with every kg, although grip might not be as bad as people say if you manage to fit bigger wheels and very sticky tyres.

My suggestion is do the basic measurements and see where that leaves you, take in some advice from the forum if necessary and then make a decision. I think a full front end swap from the civic, suspension included, would be the best thing, then you know you've got the geometry to keep the wheels on the ground and a track that should keep them handling well enough. It will mean mega wide arches tho, but thats cool I think.