snip

It is not a foregone conclusion that piston auto engines at the power level
required of aircraft are more reliable. Now a rotary on the other
hand is quite a different animal.

Able Ibarra told me he gets as many as 30 runs on his 700 HP turbo
13B. 185 MPH under 8 seconds in the 1/4 with a 2000 pound stock
steel bodied car with ballast in the front bumper no less.
It is true.  Piston engine cars in his speed class usually overhaul
the engine after just a few runs.

Paul Lamar

I just read an article in Machine Design on the Indy engines.  In their
interesting trivia section they mention that the pistons see up to
70,000 G's at race speeds.  I was wondering, Paul, how much does a piston
weigh in the 3.5L Olds engine?  No wonder these engines blow-up.

Long live the Rotary!

--
Chris
microcosman.com

Way less than a pound I would guess. That is why they sometimes melt :-)

Paul Lamar
 
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